FastForward

I agree it's really too soon to predict anything for Conner. After watching Conner play at TMC this summer, I felt this could be a very strong year for them. Gambrel & Hendricks were the stand out players, but I saw some very good things from players not as well-known. Sure they are lacking size underneath, but they made up for that weakness with their quickness, outside shooting & no fear driving the lane. Hendricks probably pulled down more rebounds than anyone on the team so Conner has a lot to make up with her out this year!! GambreI has the talent & experience to lead this team on both ends of the floor as long as she stays out of foul trouble. Frye worked well underneath as Conner's lone big man. Vest, Bolter & Roberts seemed to be players that could play underneath, but also outside. All 3 are dangerous if left alone outside & are defensively good as well. Bolter seemed to be the only other strong ballhandler outside of Gambrel that I saw this summer at TMC(I realize that players may miss during summer due to vacations & other sports...both Dages & Hicks were both missing, so no doubt Stamm has even more talent to work with than was shown!) I hope they do have the "refuse to lose" attitude coming into the season & wind up having many more people talking/showing the love on here. Stamm is a great coach with some very good players left on this team and deserves another successful season!!

I'm not 100% positive but I don't think its only a Boone County problem. I have heard the whole "can only move from MS to HS for V only" however I believe Cooper, Campbell Co., Newport, Scott & SK had 8th graders last year playing JV & V. I'm not sure of the freshmen rule, but it would make more sense to me if they could play freshmen instead of V. Sounds like it would solve all kinds of problems. I think if #s are low for freshmen team & you have talented 8th graders that would benefit by playing up a year then go for it. It would give more playing time to develop skills needed at the next level for those still playing 8th grade & that experience would be a good thing in the long run for any school's program. Playing up a year on freshmen or JV team seems much more appropriate than sticking them on V. If the youngster is still rocking the freshmen team, move them up to JV, if JV isn't challenging enough, then move her to V. No one says they can't earn their way on to V once games start & no one can discredit the player's skill level if they've earned that V spot along the way!! There is no way KHSAA can change the rules on it, because its too much of a hassle for them to police it!! I just think the teams that have players that have spent season after season playing together as a team throughout MS are the teams that find more success at the HS level. Each player knows the strengths & weaknesses of each teammate on the court in the game. That's just my opinion. If I coached at the high school level & I saw how my middle school players are kicking tail as a team unit, you better believe I'd keep that unit together as long as I could because that has all the markings of success!! Michael Jordan's most famous quote while playing with the Bulls was "Talent wins games, but teamwork wins Championships!"

I'm not saying that there should be rules forbidding it or that there aren't young players capable of playing up. This player you've mentioned clearly belonged playing up. My problem is the fact that for every 1 MS player capable, there are 9 other MS players NOT capable & for those players to be thrown into that situation is what I find wrong. Almost every HS team in NKY has at some point played with a MS player on Varsity within the last 5 years. Before that time, it was rare to see & it seemed that coaches were satisfied coaching the HS players that came out of tryouts. Now it seems like a game of "Who has the most MS players on Varsity" since almost every school has at least 1 youngster & parents seem more & more driven to get their young superstar on that HS Varsity team!! Not every coach in NKY agrees which is why you find parents going over the coach's head & straight to the School Board!! Everyone says to let the best players play but what does it mean when a coach is saying "No they don't belong!" & the school board says "Too bad they're on your team!"?? It happens...Campbell Co. ring any bells for anyone??

It seems that once word got out about Hendricks being injured & unable to play this season, there isn't much to talk about. I think Conner has a great number of good players, but outside of Gambrel we'll need to wait to see who steps up. From what I saw this summer at Thomas More league, Conner is mostly guards & don't have the height underneath since Meyers graduated. The team is mostly juniors with maybe 1 senior (Dages)returning. She is a good player that dealt with injuries towards the end of the season last year, but if she stays healthy she will help!! I look for Frye, Vest, Bolter & Roberts to be some names that may surface as the season kicks in as well. Might be a tough year for the Lady Cougars with Hendricks out. She seemed to bring a lot of spark & spunk to the floor!!

Agree & from my past observations as an official, I can tell you that the parents of the truly talented & skilled MS player are typically the parents you don't hear the hype from!! They sit back & let their kid's actions on the court do all the talking!!! The player, the coach & the team are better off because of that as well!!!

Agree!! My question is always...why does the kid play basketball? Do they play because they love it & are having fun? Are they playing because a parent put a ball in their hands in hopes they'll be the 1% to play at the next level or because the parent wanted to be something big so they'll make sure their kid will? I can guarantee that most 12/13 yr old players would not come up with the idea to play up on their own just like they wouldn't choose to sit on a Varsity bench when they could play or be the star on their MS team!! Too much pressure at a young age is destructive both physically & mentally!! The parent that thinks their kid is in that 1% & pushes too much too soon will wind up watching a kid that at first played because they loved it turn into burning out & resenting the sport!!! Back off & let the kid be a kid!! Kids can do some amazing things when we step back & watch them have fun on their own!!

This is a girls basketball thread, an athletic team not academic team & if my kid was 12 yrs old but had the intelligence level of a 16/17 yr old...NO I wouldn't move them up 3 grade levels because no matter how smart a 12 yr old is, they do not have the social maturity of a 16/17 yr old!!! There are plenty of online learning sites they could get on to keep "challenging" their mind, just like plenty of AAU or club teams they could play on to "challenge" their skill level!!!

Fact is this practice will continue whether they change rules or not!!! I understand it in small school situations but large schools not hurting for players is a whole different story!! Sounds like dribbledrive & I are of the same age bracket because I can remember some large schools that couldn't field a JV team since the freshmen class wasn't at the high school...high school was 10-12 grades & middle school was 7-9 grades. The fact remains that no college recruits a player because they played Varsity as a middle schooler so that status means nothing unless they can prove they belong playing at that advanced level. I agree that NKy has a couple youngsters that have proven themselves but I've seen many more that were all hype & no action!!

Ya know what they say....Great minds think alike!!:thumb:

The other point to be made is no matter what grade or what level of competition, there will always be someone better. So those parents & young players need to keep that in the back of their heads, because they too will not be immune. Karma has a funny way of showing up & the player that played up as a MS could very well get bumped by younger talent just like they did when they bumped an upperclassman!!! If I'm gonna pay the money to watch a HS Varsity game, I'd prefer to watch a team of high schoolers. If I wanted to watch MS talent, I'd spend less money & take in a MS game...Same sport/same players/same talent just cheaper price of admission!!

That strategy is a very real & common strategy used by coaches in more than one sport. Once a player has played at Varsity level (no matter what age), they are locked in to that school & unable to transfer without sitting out a full year. The exceptions would be change in address or fighting the matter with school board. In theory, a HS coach cannot "recruit" players from different schools & that would include MS, but we all know it happens. If this practice of snatching top MS talent to play up for that purpose continues to be allowed, before you know it we'll see freshmen forego their last 3 yrs of HS to play college or better yet have HS Draft selections!! Sounds extremely outrageous, but a few years ago so did seeing a 7th grader playing on a large school Varsity team!! Just another example of how politics ruin sports!! Whatever happened to letting the talent speak for itself?

If the player is talented enough to play significant minutes in a Varsity game then that's for a coach to decide but if that player is going to sit at the end of an 18 man bench, I don't see the reason for them to play up. What opportunity does that give a kid??

Seems like moving middle school players up to Varsity is a new trend in NKY girls basketball since it seems most schools have at least 1 MS on the team. I could see this being necessary for small schools to field a team, but most large schools aren't hurting for players. I'm left to wonder if this is really due to talent or for status purposes. I have also heard that this movement isn't coach sought (not only because recruiting violation)& if anything, coaches have no say in the matter. Once on the team, the coach does have a say about playing time. I'd be curious how the coaches feel about parents going above their heads forcing a player to be on the team. I have officiated many youth leagues, so I have seen most if not all the young AAU talent & in my book there isn't one single MS kid that belongs as a Varsity starter &/or bench. I could see many benefiting by playing up on freshman or JV team, but Varsity is a whole different atmosphere. I can't tell you the number of times I have watch a truly talented young player with a big time future, derailed because the parents pushed them to play up. Basketball is a sport that requires an even 50% talent & 50% drive. These young players may have the ability/talent to play up, but maturity-wise not prepared for that side of the game. The mental half can take a confident middle school player & cause them to get frustrated because they are not getting the same results they did in middle school ball. The pressure to measure up or prove they belong can become overwhelming which may lead to lower self-esteem/confidence level & once that happens, it is very hard to get that competitive edge back!! IMO...unless a MS player is single handedly destroying other peer teams/opponents, they belong playing with their age group/grade. NKY no doubt has a very talented group of young players coming up, but none of those players are above the development years middle school is meant for!!!

I'd say partly, but not entirely. A player may draw attention during club, but not all clubs are created equal, so it helps to have a coach working for you as well. Especially a coach that wants to see a player succeed and achieve!!

I agree totally!! Coach Isaac is a true coach to the core & only wants the best for her players. Just look at how many players leave Cooper with scholarships to play college. If this rumor is true then I'd say take a look at the mess Campbell Co has gone through with their volleyball & basketball programs!! The ones complaining wind up meeting with karma & not necessarily a coach's "retaliation"!! If you're not happy with the coach then skip school ball & play club. No matter where you go or who you play for you'll never be 100% happy!!

Very interesting because I've sat beside Lady Jag parents all season & I haven't heard anything negative about the coaching staff. If there are complainers, then I guarantee it is due to someone younger playing over someone older & the fact is no one is guaranteed playing time just because they are an upperclassman. Hard work & talent gets the playing time.

I believe the word you are looking for is "loyalty"!!! I just enjoy coaches that get results & make it fun...like Coach Fookes during basketball season.

Haha...for the record FastForward is a "He" & you are right...I am a fan of the Lady Jags & Coach Isaac!! Just wish my granddaughters would have picked Cooper volleyball instead of soccer!!

Not that I can remember, but all the more reason to think this is the year!!

This is no surprise to most, but after watching both games I'd say Cooper was the dominant team tonight!!! Cooper handled Boone with ease & K. Smith shined big time!! Ryle beat Conner in 3 sets, but it wasn't an easy time. Conner's libero seemed to handle Ryle's serving/strong hitting very well & her serving pointed out weakness in Ryle's serve receive. If Conner had a strong hitter, they could have made this game even more interesting. Bolter was getting good passes to Atwood & Atwood was setting nicely, but there just wasn't anyone that could hit the ball to finish the play. I thought Atwood had a great setting & blocking game tonight and it was a shame Conner just couldn't finish things. IMO... Setters & Liberos don't get the respect they deserve, especially with the amount of hustle & sacrifice it takes to play position. Conner's Atwood & Bolter and Cooper's Klute & Gillespie play very important roles on their teams and deserve some credit!!! Everyone talks about the kills bringing the excitement to the game, but watching a libero dive or sprint across the floor to save a ball or a setter laying a ball up perfectly or sneaking a dump over is as equally exciting to me!! Ryle just wasn't impressive tonight (IMO) & both A.Bush and Barber played. If the Cooper team I watched tonight shows up to play Thursday in finals, it is their 33rd trophy to lose & K. Smith gets my vote for 33rd MVP & Coach Isaac 33rd Coach of the Year!!! Go Lady Jags!!! Finish Strong!!!

Tonight @Conner Cooper vs Boone 5:30p Ryle vs Conner 7:00p Not sure when finals are but assume Wednesday night

I've only seen them a couple times this season & from what I've seen..."young" is the best description for them. As with most young teams, its a rollercoaster ride. They've had some great games & some terrible games. They could be good in the future if players & coaches stay. Just need more time together to iron out the wrinkles!!

The 33rd District is going to be a good one to watch because each of the 4 teams have lost to at least 1 of the other teams. Obviously the clear favorites are Cooper & Ryle, but I wouldn't dismiss Boone & Conner yet. Yes Ryle has played most of the season without their main talent. Injuries happen & that's just part of the game you deal with. On paper, Ryle dominates with multiple talented players. On the court, Cooper dominates multiple driven plus talented players. This season it seems that "drive" has beaten "talent" on more than 1 occasion. Cooper has beaten both Ryle & Conner, but lost to Boone, who they have drawn to play first game of Districts. If Cooper wants to make finals, they are going to fight a very scrappy & unpredictable Boone!! Ryle plays Conner in game 1 & while this should be a quick lopsided win, Ryle can't afford to assume anything. I saw them play during the season (without A.Bush) & Conner had them down by almost 10 in the first set. Conner's libero handled serve receive, digs & covered the block very well allowing nothing to drop. Conner's setter & middle also kept Ryle questioning where to cover. Am I saying Conner could really beat Ryle or even give them a tough battle?? No....I'm just saying teams that look ahead at a future game instead of focusing on the present game, sometimes fall victim to a major upset!!! I say Cooper wins 33rd & they'll need to if they don't want to meet NDA in an early game at Region!!!

You're right to some extent. I think on paper, Ryle has the most players to match NDA's talent position by position, but it only counts what shows up on the court. Miracles can & do happen & IMO the 2 teams that could come out as the "Cinderella" team knocking NDA off the pedestal are Cooper & Ryle (of course that is if all the stars align, all the big time talent plays & they have the game of their lives!!) The 9th Region crown is NDA's to lose!!

I say let RCC9 loose....his rants are what let us know it's high school basketball season in KY!!! (& if the truth hurts for some they can choose not to read it!!)