82Cards

LCA is 2-0 against Campbell County in the past two years.

1. Matt Rose 2. Tanner Johnson 3. Darius Williams No one else is even close.

Based on the stats submitted to the KHSAA, here is a list of all of the players in the 11th Region currently averaging 15 or more points per game: 23.9 Darius Williams (Dunbar) 23.2 Matt Rose (Lexington Christian) 20.9 Ryan Schneider (Franklin County) 19.3 Taveion Hollingsworth (Dunbar) 19.2 Jordan Fucci (Tates Creek) 18.4 Isaiah Tisdale (Henry Clay) 18.2 Jake Duby (Sayre) 17.2 Kirkland Humphrey (Madison Central) 16.5 Andre Davis (Bryan Station) 16.5 Ephraim Otieno (Model) 16.5 Stacy Burns (Madison Southern) 16.4 Isaiah Johnson (Scott County) 15.9 DJ Jenkins (formerly of Scott County) 15.5 Quinn Pergande (Sayre) 15.0 Tanner Johnson (Lexington Catholic) 15.0 Bradley Atkins (Berea)

Wow! 42 point swing in the score from the game they played 11 days ago in the Traditional Bank Classic in Lexington.

Station by 10+.

FYI, Spalding is 0 for 4 this year on 3-pointers through 11 games per the KHSAA. Again, I like Ray and think he is a tremendous talent. We just disagree on whether or not he can knock down the 3.

For the record, I've seen Ray play probably 3 high school games and 6 to 8 AAU games in person, so I think I have a decent sample size from which to judge his abilities (which are many--he has a tremendous future in basketball). All I said with respect to Spalding was that Rose can shoot the 3 and Spalding wasn't a legitimate 3-point shooter. In addition to my own eyes, the KHSAA website says that Spalding was 0 for 11 last year from 3 pt. over 35 games and, according to the earlier post in this thread by LexFan at 1:37 pm today, Spalding's 3 pt. percentage this season is 0% meaning, if this information is correct, Ray hasn't made a 3 point shot in the last two seasons. If you want to show me stats that prove he can stroke the 3 consistently, please do and I will change my opinion. Also, his 57% free throw shooting last season and 48% free throw shooting this season doesn't help convince me that he is a great outside shooter.

Matt Rose is the best "all-around" player in the state this year which is why I believe he should be Mr. Basketball. At 6'7" and 200 lbs., he is equally adept at playing on the perimeter or with his back to the basket. He plays the 2 thru 5 positions very well and has even played the point for Lexington Christian at times on a limited basis this year. He can guard the small guys on the perimeter and he can also catch the lob and finish with a dunk. He is a better shooter than the bigs and he rebounds better than the guards. He does not always have to have the ball in his hands to be effective and he has the size for rebounding that Justice and Bolden lack. While both are great shooters, Rose is quicker and has more athletic ability than McDonald. He is a much better and more consistent shooter than Sutton, Perry or Matlock. He is a legit 3-point weapon playing the 5, unlike Spalding and Holman. Rose also has a greater upside than the others as he will be enrolled and playing basketball in college next summer while still only being 17 years old. While most of LCA's games are played against teams from Lexington or the 11th Region, LCA has played 2 games so far this year against the teams of other players mentioned as potential Mr. Basketball candidates. In those games, Rose went for 25 & 7 against Trinity and 21 & 8 against Manual, posting better numbers than both Spalding and Sutton. While his stats are comparable to or better than the other contenders for Mr. Basketball, his versatility is unmatched by any of them, which is why Matt Rose should be Mr. Basketball in Kentucky this year.

PG - Beverly SG - Justice SF - Rose PF - McDonald C - Spalding PG - Bolden SG - Goodin SF - Sutton PF - Hall C - Holman Plus, Perry and Wright. The first group would be the best "team" as it would have the best shooters, would take care of the ball and play well together. The second group would play faster and would press more, but would also have more turnovers. Either way, I would like to see the intra-squad scrimmage!

Also: How critical or valuable is the player to his team's success? Should a player get credit for having a great high school career or is it just based on his performance his Senior year? Do you downplay points per game and value shooting percentages more to find who is the best player? How do you compare guards vs. big men (guards usually get more assists, big men get more rebounds)? Do you consider the difficulty (or easiness) of the schedule the player's team played? Is it a requirement for the player's team to make it to the Sweet 16?

As of today, and based solely on the stats below, the frontrunners for Mr. Basketball appear to be Justice, McDonald, Sutton, Rose and Perry in that order (but there is a lot of basketball left to be played). It's a toss-up between Justice and McDonald because they play two different positions, but both are great shooters getting it done at a very high level. Sutton doesn't beat McDonald because his higher scoring average is merely a function of taking more shots than McDonald. Sutton probably gets the nod over Rose and Perry at this point because of his rebounding. Rose and Perry are very close, with Rose having arguably better stats than Perry.

Jalen Perry got an offer yesterday from University of Tampa. Congrats to him and probably more to come. His other offer is from Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Boyle County by double digits.

I've never thought of Trinity as a great shooting team, but they shot it well against LCA. They shot 64% from the field for the game and, if you take out their 3-point shots, they made 75% of their two-point shots for the game. I agree that they can be beat, but not if they shoot it like that.

KHSAA Bylaw 2--a student who becomes nineteen (19) years old before August 1 shall be ineligible for interscholastic athletic competition.

Borderline T at best. I wouldn't have called it.

and, in the spirit of full disclosure, 6 turnovers.

I agree with ky playmaker on this. Also, I don't see how it could have been a flop by the Whitley County player because he had his back to Elkins and didn't see him charging in toward the basket. Can't be a flop if you didn't see the opposing player coming.

Taylor and Conway were solid for Lincoln as usual, but the difference in the game was that Lincoln had no answer for Matt Rose inside. Rose had 8 points at the half playing mostly on the perimeter. After halftime, LCA put him inside and he had 26 points in the second half (34 for the game). LCA also shot the 3-ball well, especially Nighbert who was on fire. With their size inside, LCA will be a tough out for most teams if they are shooting the 3-ball well.

Matt Rose from Lexington Christian Academy so far this year: 7 points & 6 rebounds vs. CAL (LCA up 30 at the half) 32 & 10 vs. Collins 23 & 13 vs. Tates Creek 33 & 11 vs. Scott County 19 & 9 vs. Paris 14 & 10 vs. Dunbar (injured ankle in 2nd qtr.) 32 & 7 vs. Fleming County

Some of the games will be streamed live on the internet at PrepSpin.com | We Webcast America's biggest sporting events online.

Torn ACL. Out for season. Best wishes for a full and complete recovery.

LCA with 17 points in the 1st half and 54 points in the 2nd half, including 35 points in the 4th qtr.

Probably should be noted that 6'8" forward Drew Trimble got back on the court tonight for LCA. He has been out all season with injuries. He is still not completely healthy, only played a couple of minutes and was not a significant factor in the game against Scott County. As Trimble is one of LCA's two best players, they will obviously be stronger and deeper when he fully recovers.

For anyone who likes basketball, this is a can't miss event. Hard to believe the talent that is in the EYBL without seeing it with your own eyes. Congratulations to KBA for landing this premier event.