GoHardITP

I know there is interest in Faulkner already, but can't speak to Steven because I do not know. Faulkner was invited to an unofficial practice at UK this year and attended, but others saw him at EYBL in New Jersey and took notice. No offers, just interest for the time being. He has a really mature body already for high D-1 and he just turned 16 in 2016 calendar year so he is younger than many in his 2018 class. He also has a great high school coach and will continue to get better in Coach Cook.

Anyone who follows Elite travel basketball knows that a single grade hold-back somewhere along the academic trail parlayed with a fall birth date is the jackpot in being as physically mature as you can be BUT still being totally within KHSAA and AAU rules. Steven is doing nothing wrong and is a great player....one of if not the best in the 2018 class in KY. He will play college ball at the D1 level in all likelihood. Not sure how many Steven scored in the game against Team Thad out of Memphis that is very talented and has D1 roster kids. But the Magic only scored 37 as a team in a 92-37 lost. Sometimes you score a lot of points because you are a volume shooter which rarely happens when you get to college with other great players unless you are an NBA type scorer. Trevon Faulkner on the other hand is scoring 10-20 PPG every time out for the KY Travelers who turned around and beat that same Team Thad team the next game 69-61 in the semifinals of the Bob Gibbons TOC. I am just saying that for me Trevon Faulkner is the epitome of a high major D1 prospect because he scores and does so on a team full of other good players without dominating the offense with shots taken.

That is a very big "could" and the same could be said about a half dozen or so kids in 2018 if not a few more. This young man could very well eventually get to what you have stated, but Trevon has separated himself with his play and potential is just that...potential.

KOB just keeps getting better and better. No tourney has sustained at the level of excellence in the state as the KOB. Fairdale is a great host school too, nice to have this gem in the City of Louisville for those that appreciate HS basketball.

I have watched Doss continue to improve as the season went along. This is a totally different team from last season with the exceptions of a single player or two (Hall & Anderson primarily). For the most part Dunbar is who we expected them to be at the beginning of the season, but Doss was an unknown out there. In fact, many did not know the transfers from Cincinnati and Southern Ind who came to Doss for their final season were even going to be playing. They were not with them in June so it took some time for players to get comfortable with roles. I believe that Coach Williams understands the value of defining roles for his players and getting his team focused on executing game plans better than most. He played under Coach Crum at U of L so that is part of his pedigree. Can they beat Dunbar.....yes they can if the shots are falling. They will need to hit their threes in this game to win. Their draw gave them the advantage in athleticism and speed from a team aspect until now. That is a draw today, so they must shoot the 3 ball well, and then you can expect an upset from the 6th region champs.

They have a 15U team as well playing in several of the qualifying tournaments for 15U EYBL. 15U teams must either Win or place Runner-up at one of the events to qualify for Peach Jam and they must play in at least two of the qualifiers to be eligible.

Correcting my inaccurate statement above about NIKE and 15U. At the time it was accurate, but NIKE rolled out a 15U EYBL format this season where 8 teams will play at Peach Jam this year through qualifying at (4) different 15U EYBL exclusive events. Winner & Runner-ups of the (4) 15U EYBL qualifying events (Brooklyn/NJ, Indianapolis, Hampton, VA, & Atlanta) play at Peach Jam with the (24) 17U EYBL qualifying teams & the (16) 16U EYBL qualifying teams this year.

I agree with much said here, but I don't agree with the "must be connected to an AAU organization or you are not getting talent" assertion. For some it may be the only way out from the bottom as an escape or disruption of the balance of power. Necessity is the mother of innovation. There are ample other ways schools for years have continued to replenish their talent in Jefferson County. I agree with your mention of transfers and JCPS, it is rampant. Some schools excel at benefiting from transfers and it is not just by coincidence that happens. I would suggest being connected to AAU programs and chasing around 5th-8th grade kids on weekends is a better way than having school boosters hand out "reside addresses" like they are candy or Head Coaches calling parents of players while they are playing for another team in mid-season upon hearing rumors a kid may be disgruntled. Coaching in 6th & 7th is also tough because there are not any rules that go unbroken and parents who expect to be courted like a college recruiting process. It is amazing some of the stuff which happens, so my opinion is that the AAU gets a bad rap because it is the newer way of attracting talent, but things have been going on for years that is equally as responsible for the grab of talent being a mess in the 6th & 7th.

McKim is just a really special player, so smooth. He was the difference maker. Chance Moore at Eastern is also very smooth, one of the best pure shooters at 6'6" in the state in my opinion.

Not familiar with the OH transfers other than Frederick who came in after being at Moeller his freshmen season. Who else has started in OH and came to CCH?

Boy was PRP losing a surprise. I figured if DeSales played them 20 times they might win one time. I guess this was their one time. Many did not see this one happening.

1) For sure out through Regional, not sure if they made it to state 2) As Griff said, a bit polarizing. You will find those firmly in his camp and find some that would not. He probably came out on the top end of the transfer shuffle. One thing for sure, last season was as bizarre as a coach could have, the off season was equally odd, and then this season seemed to be rather normal. He got the job done even if the methods were a bit unusual.

All 1st round games played Tuesday Bullitt East (25-5) at North Bullitt (23-6), 7 p.m- Their only previous game this season was held 3 weeks ago which Bullitt East won at home 80-71. This game is held at North with their 23rd district victory and the upset loss suffered by Bullitt East. How Bullitt East responds to that loss will dictate what happens in this game. North Bullitt will not resemble Fern Creek in any way who gave Bullitt East trouble with their defense and rebounding. North Bullitt will need to out rebound the taller BE team if they have a chance. Unless there is a hot shooting streak by either team this could be a close game, but even on the road the pick in this one is Bullitt East by 9 again. DeSales (9-20) at Pleasure Ridge Park (16-9), 7 p.m- This is the 1st round game that really will not be a good match-up. Give DeSales credit, they upset Butler and deserve to be in the region championship. However, PRP is really playing well and derserve serious consideration as a favorit to now move on to Rupp. Nobody is playing any better the past several weeks. They have a coach who has history of winning three game in the 6th region tournament. PRP wins this one by 25+. Moore (10-17) at Fern Creek (18-12), 7 p.m- Only 2 weeks ago Moore beat Fern Creek 61-47 on Senior Night for the Moore Mustangs. However, the game now moves to Fern Creek and common wisdom would suggest that the game held two weeks ago will not predict how this one will go. After all, Moore has only won 10 games and had not beat Fern Creek in a long time. Last season these two teams played in a first round regional championship game held at Moore and Fern Creek won by over 30. It will be much closer this time, but the prediction here is a 10 point Fern Creek win. Valley (21-11) at Doss (24-5), 7 p.m.- In their earlier game held almost 2 months ago Doss beat Valley 76-59 in a game held at Doss. In this one it could be closer, but the outcome will not be much different. Expect Doss to continue on their hot streak with a double digit victory very likely. Favorite(s) Bullitt East- Before the Fern Creek upset BE would have been the heavy favorite. Now the heavy falls off, but they still deserve a nod as a co-favorite. Doss- Doss has emerged as the hottest team in the region. They are clearly a co-favorite and right now there are many who feel the Dragons are heading to Rupp again, Contenders PRP- Even if PRP had not went on a hot streak they had a chance with Dale Mabrey and staff leading them. Add to that that the last few weeks have shown this is a team that is rising makes them serious contenders. Fern Creek- On any given night Fern Creek could beat any team in the region and that is the good news. The bad news is they could lose to Moore and did lose to Moore only one week ago. The rest really are not likely to put three games in a row together, but Valley and North Bullitt could be considered the dark horse teams that perhaps could make a run.

I am not familiar with most of the 2nd, but is there even a remote chance that anyone would be in the finals other than CC & Hopkinsville?

They stayed away from Doss which I would agree is a major threat, but PRP is a much different ball club and on a tear right now. Throw in Dale Mabrey & staff in the post season and it is not the club I would want to face. The best scenario would have been winning the region and getting North Bullitt on the same half as the other #1 seed. But now you have to face a rival in round 1 and then come back to face an improving PRP team. But I agree it was about as best as could be hoped for. Doss seems to be the team most everyone agrees has a chance to repeat going to Rupp.

Not sure if anyone got any more of a favorable draw than anyone else. With Bullitt East being upset, it is almost like as a #2 seed they and PRP balance the top half of the bracket and Doss/Fern Creek balance the bottom half. A couple rivalries highlight the 1st round games (Bullitt County teams & Moore/FC) which make those somewhat unpredictable while Valley vs Doss could be an upset opportunity. PRP should easily walk to the semi-finals versus DeSales. I think we will see PRP vs BE & Doss vs FC with anyone's guess who meets in the finals. Wide open now unless the district loss wakes up BE. The FC win could either shake BE or it could wake up the monster. It will be fun to watch who comes out of the 6th after the next three games.

Down compared to last season? I would agree as compared to last season because that was really good at the top. They may be down compared to the 7th, but most of the top half teams did very well against other regions except for the 7th.

I would agree that PRP has to get some serious consideration the way they have came around at the end and Trey Hill (formerly playing at Fern Creek in December) did play tonight with 8 points in his first game. Add in Mabrey's post season magic and they should be considered a serious threat. With the Bullitt East loss to Fern Creek it makes a case for several teams as potential candidates to advance, including Doss. I think it will still be BE, Doss, PRP, or FC who landed in the top 4 spots in the final rankings as the teams to likely advance.

It has been a while since BE has not won the 24th District Championship, but from the middle of the 2nd quarter they fell behind by 10 and it never changed much from there. Ahmad Price was racking up rebounds and finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

District Finals are set and we know the (8) Sixth region teams moving on to the Regional Championships still with a shot at making it to Rupp Arena. 21st-PRP vs Valley- This should be a good rematch of their Feb 6th game won by Valley on a last second 3 point shot. Game is played on Valley's home court, but PRP is coming around at the right time and is poised for revenge for the 21st district championship and a #1 seed in the drawing to be held Saturday. 22nd-Doss vs DeSales- In what was a stunner, DeSales upset the Butler Bears in the semi-finals after winning the #4 seed vs #5 seed game earlier in the week against Iroquois. To win 3 in a row is very unlikely versus Doss who has played very solid down the stretch. Look for Doss to advance with a #1 seeding. 23rd-Moore vs North Bullitt- Moore beat Southern by 8 and North Bullitt barely escaped rival Bullitt Central by a basket in 1st round match-ups. North Bullitt has the more glossy record, but the last time these two played it was at North Bullitt and the margin was a 2 point win for the Eagles. Moore seems to be getting it together for a tourney run and should win this game which is played at Moore. 24th-Fern Creek vs Bullitt East- If you looked only at their previous meeting this could be considered to be a close game. Leading up to last week the only region loss that Fern Creek had was against Bullitt East and that was a 6 point loss at BE that FC led most of the game. However, FC dropped their last two region games against PRP & Moore after losing their starting PG once again due to injury who is out for the season. This time BE may not have such a tough game. 1) Bullitt East (24-4)- This should be the team that moves on to Rupp from the 6th. They have not lost in February and have a senior heavy team loaded with post season experience. 2) Doss (23-5)- Clearly the number 2 team in the region and they have not faced Bullitt East this season so that could end up being the final game to see who moves on to Rupp. 3) PRP (15-9)- PRP makes the biggest jump after beating Fern Creek last week and winning 5 in a row to end the season on a run at the right time. They have won 6 out of their last 7 so the Dale Mabrey coached team is heating up at the right time with only a loss at the buzzer against Valley the lone loss during their streak. 4) Fern Creek (16-12)- The Creek ended the season on a rough note losing two in a row and having to enter the post season without being at full strength. They could still flex their muscle in the regional tournament and if they can regroup they have proven they are capable of playing good teams tough. 5) Valley (20-10)- Valley plays at home the rest of the season until Rupp. Consider them the darkhorse who could make a surprise run. 6) North Bullitt (21--6)- On surface the record makes you think they could get on a run and make some noise. They even have a 9-2 region record. But they have lost 3 in a row before beating Bullitt Central in their first district game by a slim margin of 2 points and that is not a very good showing for the Eagles. 7) Moore (9-16)- The rankings this week are going to reflect the 8 teams still alive and Moore is representing the 23rd. They could enter regional play with a #1 seed and a team nobody will want to face in the first round. 8) DeSales (9-19)- It is hard to explain how this happened. Butler was supposed to have won the game that moved them into the 22nd District Championship. But it was DeSales that was ahead and moves on. The post season ride should end in the first round of the regional championship. 9) Southern (15-11)- Just an up and down season that an early January win over PRP was the best win on the schedule. 10) Jeffersontown (11-17)- Even with the season ending loss to Fern Creek the JTown team showed improvement. Only a month earlier they lost by 40 and this time they cut the margin to 20. 11) Butler (12-13)- Nobody is likely more disappointed their season is over than Butler. Losing to DeSales by 8 was not what Coach KC Goodin was thinking down the stretch, but they had lost two in a row before the District opener. 12) Western (12-11)- Western really never lost games they should not have lost, but they never won the games they needed to. 13) Fairdale (11-17)- Season ended with a pounding from PRP. 14) Holy Cross (12-19)- Played a pretty tough schedule considering their enrollment, they played some good games overall. 15) Bullitt Central (9-17)- Played North Bullitt tough twice with their final loss of the season a 2 point defeat. 16) Beth Haven (18-10)- Never really beat a tough team from the region to be ranked any higher. 17) Iroquois (7-22)- Last win was in 2015. 18) Evangel Christian (13-13)- Ended season with an 11 point loss to Bullitt Central 19) Whitefield Academy (2-27)- St. Francis and Louisville Collegiate were the only two victories this season.

Carson had an offer from a Power 5 conference team, and also had serious interest from Big East schools himself. However, he did not show the return interest that would generate further development to an offer stage. My point is that just because he is going to NKU and Goodin is going to Xavier isn't a reason to suggest one has more college potential than the other. They both were recruited by higher level schools than most kids out of KY. Both would make great Mr. Basketballs and have the credentials that you could not argue against them winning.

Getting back on schedule for the ramp up to post season. One more week of regular season left and there will be some games that will help identify who is getting hot at the right time and could be a post season contender. This ranking will not change much from the past week, but observations will be around who seems to be catching their stride coming into the home stretch. 1) Bullitt East (22-4)- On surface this team is still far and away the top team in the region. The question is are they coming into the final week in a good place? They are undefeated in the region and only 3 losses to KY teams (Trinity, St. X, & Bardstown). Since the BTown loss they have won 6 in a row, but they also have been in closer games with some teams that makes you wonder how vulnerable they may be. 2) Doss (21-4)- Nobody can make the claim that Doss can make that they are coming down the stretch run with more momentum and firepower. Doss only lost to (2) 6th region teams, Fern Creek & Butler. However, that was before Christmas. Their last loss was a month ago and they have won 8 straight since then with the closest game a 14 point margin. At this time they must be considered a very strong contender to BE for the 6th Region crown. 3) Fern Creek (16-10)- Fern Creek's season has been like a roller coaster ride. Opened the season with 5 wins and then lost 4 of the next 5. Then they win 3 in a row and lose 3 of the next 4. They had a string of 6 games w/o their starting PG and went .500 and since they got everybody back healthy they are on a 3 game win streak. They are a contender because they have only lost to Bullitt East from the 6th region and that was in a very close game. 4) North Bullitt (21-5)- North Bullitt lost to rival Bullitt East in a closer game (9 pts) than what some expected in their most recent outing. However, they have lost their last 2 games and despite a glossy record the question remains on how tough a schedule it was. They should advance out of their district with a win over Bullitt Central, but will be a mystery how much damage they might do in regional play. 5) Valley (18-10)- Valley has went 6-2 since the LIT in January. They have as many wins against 6th region teams as anybody (10). However, the two losses were within their last 3 games as they dropped close games to Butler (-2) & Fern Creek (-5). They have the benefit of playing the regional tourney on their home floor which makes them a contender. 6) Butler (12-10)- Like Valley they have the most wins over 6th region teams (10) and since January they are 7-2 versus 6th region opponents only losing to Fern Creek & Bullitt East. Butler could play a spoiler role, but lacks the firepower to put a deep run together to claim the 6th region title. 7) PRP (12-9)- PRP is the wild card of the 6th region. You can never count out a Dale Mabrey coached team at tournament time. This year is different because they likely would not be considered a serious threat. However, that makes them the most dangerous team in the region. They end the season against Fern Creek and JTown which will determine if they enter to post season on a bump or a drop. 8) Western (10-10)- Western is what you would call an average team. They are .500 on the season and in the region. Since January they are playing .500 ball against 6th region teams. There is nothing to suggest they will change in the post season to pose a threat. 9) Southern (14-10)- Southern only beat Iroquois by 6 last week and has not really shown any indication that they could make a serious run during the post season. They will play Moore in a first round district game in what could be considered a toss up game to see who advances to the regional tourney. 10) Jeffersontown (10-15)- JTown has recently beaten Moore and North Bullitt with a loss to Doss sandwiched in between. The Doss loss was by about 20, but the Moore victory was by 9. They are 2-1 in their last 3 games and if they finish the season with wins over Butler, PRP, and Southern they could potentially be one of the fastest rising teams in the region as they head into post season play. 11) Moore (8-15)- Moore has lost 4 in a row and 6 of their last 7. They are running out of time to turn things around and may be the most under achieving team this season. It does not look like they can change things around. 12) Fairdale (9-15)- Fairdale has had 3 consecutive losses to Fern Creek, PRP, & BE. The silver lining is they were close in each game and just needed a stop here or there. They still do not appear to have enough weapons to make a serious run to win the 6th. 13) Holy Cross (10-17)- Doubtful they make it to regional play. Even if they did, it is hard to see any chance they get through first round if they were to make it that far. 14) Beth Haven (18-9)- They end the season with (2) out of region games which could allow a few more wins. When tourney play starts they will likely be done after their first game. 15) Bullitt Central (7-15)- Beat Holy Cross so they probably deserve to be switched with Holy Cross. It would not matter, the best that BC can do is upset North Bullitt to sneak into the regional tournament. I just do not see that happening. 16) DeSales (7-16)- A nice win for DeSales over Collins. Not sure they have another win to capture in the 6th region, but they could beat Iroquois in their 1st round of district play. 17) Iroquois (7-19)- The Raiders have not won in 2016 and their best chance is the last game of the season against rival DeSales. A win that night would be a big boost. 18) Evangel Christian (11-10)- Evangel has the KY Christian Athletic Association tourney this week and may be able to win some games, but will not win any during 6th region post season play. 19) Whitefield Academy (2-24)- Portland Christian and Ft Knox give hope to ending the loss streak, but realistically the season ends when they play Bullitt East and the loss string will be at 14 when it is officially over.

Nothing major, just making sure the ankle is 100% for post season. Rival game with McCracken, but not as important having everyone healthy for the run to win the 1st. I see Rupp in store for Tilghman.

Miami of OH should be charged with larceny. Had Braxton not signed it is not out of the question that he could have went to a Power 5 school and a very high major at that. He is killing it at the highest level of prep basketball and he did the same in the EYBL. Never underestimate the heart of a lion. Heart over height!

Great HS game in Louisville between solid teams from both 6th & 7th regions that went into OT. Coach Schooler from FC and Coach Bibby at Central share mutual respect for each other and their kids followed their example. Hard played and clean the entire game and afterwards you line up and shake hands. That is the way the game should be played. Ahmad Price had 19 & Anthony Wales followed with 16 for FC. Devin Firmin led Central with 17. Central was 18-21 from FT line which kept them in the game. Game started with Central up 18-2 before Fern Creek got back in game.