se7ens

I hear what you are saying but the difference is pretty clear - Holmes is officially open and Covington Catholic still very much has a coach. Also I am starting to think about another name very familiar to this district who has had some wonderful rebuilds - Erik Goetz.

Amanda Wimsatt

Ouch. Yeah, those are some huge losses. I didn’t know about the early graduates.

They certainly had a promising start but weren't yet at the level to sustain that success. Certainly reason to believe they should be able to build off of that.

The off-season in the 9th is already looking juicy as the transfer rumor mill has already kicked up. Let's take a look at some of the burning questions around the region: Newport - Will they be able to replicate their success again now that Covington and Jackson are gone? Will a junior Kinney be healthy and even better than the sophomore version? Will their be any new additions as referenced already? Covington Catholic - Are things stable in Park Hills? Who can we expect to step up for the Colonels next year? Cooper - Are things in flux? Will Cooper be able to threaten for a regional title again? Holy Cross - Does Ricardo Johnson keep things moving in the right direction? Conner - Will the Cougars make a big hiring splash and improve their standing in the 33rd? Other burning questions - Will Boone and Ryle remain competitive in a tough district? Will Holmes bounce back some and who will they hire? Beechwood, St. Henry, and Newport Central Catholic are all vying for improvement and a run at the All A against Newport - is there any chance any of them can compete with the Wildcats? Please feel free to discuss all of these and beyond.

As we turn the lights off in the gym for the final time of the 2023-2024 season, it is now time to turn our attention to what lays ahead. And boy are we getting off to a loud off-season in the 12th region. Wayne County - How could we not start here? Rodney Woods, 38 year veteran coach of the Wayne County Cardinals, a man whose name is spoken with the same reverence as Bobby Keith and Jim Hicks, was let go from his post this past week by the new superintendent. What comes next for Coach Woods? Who fills his position in Monticello? The Cardinals are poised to have a huge year next year but will this move derail things? Pulaski County - Can they replicate the late season success they had? Will they be able to add any depth? Will their schedule toughen up at all in the front end? West Jessamine - Are we really looking at Steve Wright descending upon the northern part of the region? Can the next coach, be it him or someone else, get things going back in the right direction in Nicholasville? Danville Christian - Are they the early favorites to repeat as All A Champs as well as possibly the favorites to win it all? How much depth will they have? Somerset - Will Absher, Bruner, Lewis and Grundy be able to make the Jumpers competitive still following the losses of Godby, Whitaker and Coomer? Will Ryan Young still be at the helm? Other burning questions - Will a junior Walker Craig keep Rockcastle near the top of the region? Who does East Jessamine hire? Will Boyle be more consistent? Will Mercer have another run at region? Will Lincoln County be able to reload behind Cash Baird with the losses of Nuckols and Miracle? Is Southwestern ready to make the jump after a nice second half of the season? Please feel free to discuss these questions and beyond.

I am thinking they barely had enough by the end of the year to scrimmage in practice. They have a decent core I think they could build around but the end of the season numbers look really devastating. Could the right coach come in and get those to bounce back? Absolutely. Could the wrong one drive those numbers even further into the danger zone? Absolutely.

I agree. There's no reason not to give Sam a chance here.

So the top job for the girls program on the hill is back open after just one year as head coach Dan Albrinck is not retained. This follows the program's first ever loss to Bellevue, sending the Breds home in the district semifinals and propelling Bellevue to the regional tournament. I think you are going to see a ton of pressure on the new coach to win immediately as they should be set to compete for an All A regional title but also are in danger of not making it out of the district again as Highlands and Bellevue also return a lot.

Coach Clary has stepped down after two seasons as head coach.

This shouldn't come as a major shock. Holmes is at a historic low point and I don't think anyone thought Coach Perkins was going to be able to change it. In fact I think they need to make the right hire or this program could be in danger of a pause in participation. They missed their chance with Ricardo Johnson but I don't think they can afford a miss this time.

Look, I know he’s a good coach with a bright future, but I don’t see how anyone can take him right now after a 3 win season. Really hard to sell that to your players, parents and supporters as a step in the right direction.

The more Campbell zones, the more Kinney will play, IMO. And I think Campbell needs to zone to win.

I almost put him on my list as well. If he wants to hop on over to the boys, this a very sensible opportunity for all parties.

Where is Ryan Bowman at today? Jim Hicks return to the sidelines? David McFarland with another whack at the 33rd district? I think this is a decent job, yes. Very competitive district where you might end up a top ten team in the region and still hold the four seed (example - Conner this year). But honestly, since Cooper opened, how many times can we say Ryle, Boone or Conner were favorites to compete for a regional title?

Isaac Speicher steps down after 3 years at the helm for Beechwood.

This hire just makes so much sense. In the building, younger guy with a lot of energy but still has massive experience, has coached under some stellar coaches, and is overall just an excellent dude.

I wish they could talk Kevin Sisler or Brock Radkowski to come back take the helm but I don't see that happening at this time. Both were key assistants throughout the Kelley years (and for Brock, even predating Kelley). I think the pool is going to be deep and with the proximity to Lexington I think you'll get some really intriguing names out of the 11th as well as the 12th.

I also think this may play out if the region loses some of the northernmost schools in realignment.

I thought that whoever made it out of that barn burner last night would be disadvantaged but I didn’t think the deficit would be this bad. Congrats to Somerset on a great year. They fought through some serious adversity to have a great run in the regional and get to claim an all-time great win with that victory last night. Now we get to see if a full strength, all cylinders Maroon squad can keep this success up at Rupp.

That surprised me too. Pulled them right off the KHSAA site.

They are listed at 2500. About a half hour farther than Lincoln County for both Wayne and McCreary. And honestly, I think maybe you rotate it between Pulaski, Mercer, Lincoln, McCreary, Wayne, and Casey County and you could keep most everyone happy. At least those would be the six gyms in the 12th I would choose. Rockcastle is a tad smaller than all of those but it would be my next suggestion, then probably Boyle which is at 3000 capacity.

I'll be honest - Mercer County is what made me ask this question. I just think their facilities would be absolutely perfect to host the regional.

What high school gyms across the state are the most suitable for hosting a regional tournament in terms of size, parking, facilities etc... but do not ever get a chance to do so?

What a shot to end the game. Whitaker is just the ultimate competitor.