Deron Blasingame

Correct. Clay County 1987. Albeit a while ago.

I see. Well with the success that the JV and younger teams are having sounds like the program is on solid ground for a really nice run.

Nevermind. Probably don't need to know. Carry on.

My question is why is Weyer at NewCath?

Comedy halftime show. If the Birds aren't packing the place for BB games right now maybe a little amusement for the locals would help till they turn the corner.

Good call. As soon as a certain Brotha ponies up, I'll be more than happy..

Lol. Been a long time since I heard that. Good to hear that the younger grades are coming along. I hear the gym looks nice. Maybe they ought to bring some of the old timers back for a pick up game for halftime amusement. :lol:

Those records are indeed very impressive. The key is being able to keep the "core" of each of those classes so that you are able to build back the program. Just let kids be kids and allow them to be the best athlete that they can be in all sports. It's great to hear the pipeline is loaded. As a former grad of Highlands it's good to see the younger teams having success.

It's unfortunate if kids feel "pressure" to not play a particular sport because a coach is in the kids ear. Kids should freely play as many sports as possible and not succumb to the mindless antics of a High School coach. If a coach has used these tactics to keep "difference makers" from playing, or even players that would be role players, then shame on them. I hear the Highlands JV is very good. So maybe the talent is right around the corner.

I live in Ohio and the folks here like the setup that is in place. If Ohio would adopt the Kentucky version of State (Sweet 16), it would no doubt be a tourney filled with Big boy schools only. I have been to several of these tourneys in Columbus and believe me no small school would be able to compete. It is night and day in the overall talent of the teams. So it's good that the smaller divisions have a chance at a State Title that otherwise would have no business being there. On the surface , I would keep Ky as it is, but it is rather telling when you see these enrollment numbers.

B.Jayyyyyyyy!! I won't blow your cover..

I will assume that you are talking about the later Highlands teams with Smith and Lorenzen as being possibly beloved. I know from experience, when we played Hazard in 86 and Clay County in 87 that the love being thrown those days were for the mountain schools and it wasn't even close. Ritchie Farmer was so admired and adored it was almost comical.

That is so good.. And so true.

So after reading through much of the thread I take it that Bolden is now 18 and will be 19 when his basketball season ends in March of next year. When Dicky was 19 he was starting at UK. I think the best way to analyze the two would be to understand that the game is so much different today than when we played. Today's game depends so much on individual play, dribble drive, 2 man, high screen and rolls, etc. The game played in the 70's and 80's is no where near this example. Take for example Dicky and Holmes. Absolutely, not high screen and rolls and definitely never a 2 man game of pick and rolls. I will say that Dicky had the ability to do his thing with the dribble drive but not at the expense of rolling the other offensive players to the perimeter and beyond. Good gosh Dicky would have avg. 45 a night if they were to implement the dribble drive offense. Nobody would have been able to stay in front of him. Hard to compare really. I would take it that James and Dicky will probably go down as the 2 best guards ever at Holmes. And probably leave it at that.

Yes it was. Muntis and Vories are definitely Top 10-15 players at Highlands All-Time. We had a get together for the All-Time team not to long ago and they are on it.

The night Charles Hurt went through the net was a night I will never forget for as long as I live. My dad who has not missed a State Tournament since get this, 1955, came home from the tournament on Saturday because Channel 19 was televising it and he wanted to see it on TV. I'm only 10 years old at the time but I cried for what seemed like most of the rest of the night. These were my hero's from Holmes and the game was flat out taken away from them. I couldn't understand. My dad said nothing. I just stared at the TV and cried. After a while when things calmed my dad came over to me and said, "Deron, winning is not the ultimate in sports, but the will to win is." I'll never forget.

Thank You. Can't remember yesterday or last week but I sure as hell can remember the 70's and 80's.

I would like to see the kid play for sure. My dad's report on him is dead on yours.

Well if anyone knows my dad they knew that practices were going to be an all out get after. My dad would purposely have my brother guard Dicky at all times. And because Dicky was about a year and half older it made for some frustrating times for Bill. I can tell you this though. My brother will flat out tell you that Dicky was the one that made him the player that he became. Great experiences and great memories. Wouldn't it be fun to find all of the fellas and get together?

I agree and everyone knew it. Didn't matter though. He would find a way to get around you and score or dish. Haven't seen the new kid play. Must be pretty good.

You know BB Fan it doesn't matter if you reveal or not. I surely don't care if you never played basketball after these pictures were taken. My old man on the right. Man he looks young. Funny I'm only 6 years old at the time but I remember this like it was yesterday. If I can find the photos I will share with you some of the Newport All Stars teams with Dicky, my brother, Walton, etc... Great memories is what it's all about. Times have changed so much. The nostalgia of playing basketball in these environments was absolute great theatre.

I would agree with this. IMHO Dicky was the best all around player I ever played against or saw. However, the absolute best Offensive player to ever play in Northern Kentucky is without a doubt, Scott Draud. I have been fortunate enough to have played against both Draud and Beal. I played with Scott for 2 years in high school and played against Dicky when he came back from UK and in some later years when he would stop out at NKU and play against us in open gym. I could write a book about these times... So much fun.

My brother played up in age. Remember, there were multiple teams that Dicky and several others including my brother would play on. It was a collection of talent that in my mind was probably the best Northern Kentucky has ever seen at the Junior Pro level. Now, my Dad would probably argue for some of the teams that I played on later could have had an impact against these guys. Our teams were also a collection of great talent that would go on to win a Junior Pro championship and win countless tournaments through the years. I don't think we could have beat those guys. Dicky was the one player that we would not have been able to guard.

I suppose I'm late to the game here. I hope that reviving this 1 year old thread doesn't distract you guys. Anyway, wanted to put my spin on the subject. My brother Bill played with and against Dicky for the better part of 8-10 years. I was a very impressionable kid at the time but I still can remember in great detail all of those great years of them playing in Newport and the Covington Turners. These teams (and individual players) were some of the best collection of talent that Northern Kentucky has ever assembled. I have a special place in my heart for these times and wish kids today could experience what I did so long ago.