GoHardITP

I can only think of one transfer (Wickcliff from Ballard) that will be on varsity playing in the rotation, but he could fit in nicely helping to replace the only starter who graduated playing the post position. With 4 returning starters led by senior Tony Washington who averaged nearly 15 PPG and three sophomores (Ahmad Price, Anthony Wales, & Trey Hill) who started as freshmen with each averaging nearly 10 PPG you have experience that should increase production. There are many other younger players that will see varsity action after having one of the better JV teams in Jefferson County so there is depth and competition in practice that is seldom seen at many high schools. It will be interesting to see if they can get Coach James Schooler his first 20 win season as a Head Coach.

All of the above says it all and not to mention that the value of a Bellarmine scholarship when you take into account the cost for tuition is probably worth more than most D1 schools. BU is getting their money's worth out of Ben, he will more than deliver during his career there. He will also be set for the future with the top notch education he will have.

Thx, they have been in a battle to be the #1 QB. That Brentwood team has several kids highly recruited by some big schools, including the QBs. A WR, Cam Johnson, is a 2018 kid that is high major. Interestingly, both QBs & Johnson were starters (2 as freshmen & 1 as a sophomore) on their State Championship BB team last season.

Does anyone know which QB played for Brentwood...Oatsvall or Schoenwald?

No doubt, and to add to the task it has 5 teams so at least two teams need to win twice to advance to regions. There are districts in the state with 3 teams where someone literally advances to region on a bye. I doubt any other district is as tough to make it out just to get into regional play.

I agree, I like his all round game as well. I have seen him play multiple times and his "readiness" to bring effort at all times is what sets him apart in my opinion. I have seen CVH from Covington quite a bit as well and they remind me of each other in several ways. The obvious is they are both southpaws and seem more natural scoring guards than facilitators. But as pointed above that at 6'1-Sharpe & 6'2"-CVH their progression to the next level will require evolving into the PG spot at times. They are winners and not sure if we will see a BE match up versus Covington Catholic but it would be a great game seeing those two go at it.

Hoopfest does deserve consideration, but the main attraction is the out of state teams. No offense to the instate programs that play there, but it is sort of like they are the opening act and the main gate draw is the out of state programs, some of which happen to be prep schools (perhaps not?). I confess on not knowing the details, but is it actually a tournament where a champion is determined via brackets or is it more of a showcase of games? It is a great event, I just do not think it is an apples to apples comparison to what the KOB or Republic Bank Classic deliver in terms of top tier KY high school teams competing for a mid year championship in a holiday event.

Wow, that schedule is surely not a down year. Coach keeps it at the top because he never rests and is never satisfied. If you have never been to the KOB, it is worthy of a bucket list if you love HS basketball.

According to the rules you must physically move in Jefferson County. Whether kids always do is of course up to debate. But the rules require it and if proven that there is not any physical move then a player could be found ineligible. I guess it becomes the proving part that is where the problem comes into play.

Great fit, Carson has substantial upside. I would not be surprised to see the young man earn some professional money down the road. Plus he is off the chart smart on top of his great basketball abilities. Great get for the new regime at NKU.

Older kids for their grade have a distinctive advantage in middle school years....not so much in high school. The most important thing is who continues to improve as they get older and who tops off.

I would say the hands down favorite is Bullitt East in the 6th. They start 4 returning seniors who have all started since they were sophomores likely. I feel they have depth and the system is what makes them the favorite because they know who they are and roles are defined. I do agree the 6th is wide open and there could be surprises. On paper Fern Creek is the next natural option to select based on returning players and last season's success. But nobody knows which individual players got in the lab and improved. It will be a very interesting year that absolutely could have a surprise or two at the top.

I agree, it seems as if the wild wild west at times. It almost always comes down to the use of an address that is on paper only. I do think the higher profile transfer is sometimes scrutinized more than others, especially if the coach losing the player chooses to challenge. Ironically, the coach losing the player may be opening up a can of worms themselves if the address on file at their own school is not accurate. It would not be the first time that has happened.

I suspect the dust has not settled yet in Jefferson County. As noted above (assuming eligibility), if kids find out their "moves" were not within guidelines they may get ruled ineligible. Then they have a decision to make as to whether appeal a decision by rolling the dice or returning to their past school. Or as might be the case they use their actual address and transfer to their "resides" school which allows them to be eligible right away. It will be interesting to see what the Jefferson County AD rules on some of these situations.

I agree and to be honest the execution and shooting may be better than what we see on TV during the NCAA season. The difference is the size, strength, length, speed/quickness, and overall athleticism.

The fact is being athletic in addition to size, speed, and strength are starters for most programs. In almost all of Division 1 basketball, a perimeter guard/wing has to be pretty darn fast and able to defend an equally fast/quick player on the other end. That is for table stakes and in rankings for most kids under 6'3" it limits how high up you will be able to project at the next level. Of course being able to shoot and put the ball in the basket are premiums that coaches love, but if you lack being able to defend your position of someone who is Division 1 quick you are delegated down to D2, D3, or NAIA. I do not think many people when looking at rankings identify with this line of thinking. Being a scorer at the High School level in KY or being able to defend other high school kids in KY means almost nothing when it comes to D1 basketball recruiting potential. Bigger kids who can play around the basket are graded differently, they almost need to be 6'8" or bigger to be considered a post player. It is not easy making the grade for D1 basketball which is why I applaud all the kids from our state that end up making it, even D2 ball is an honor.

Rankings are not absolute and they are fluid, with a degree of bias from the person doing the ranking. With that understanding you simply do not allow it to have that much emotional impact upon you. But at least they will put a stake in the ground for discussion if nothing else and can be used as motivation for improvement. Still, I have seen way too many kids have an unhealthy perception of their ability based on a ranking here or there, so they lose sight of constantly striving to improve whatever talent they are blessed to have.

Here is the other thing people must always remember when you view rankings.....Depending on the source many rankings weigh their value system based on the level of competition they observe a player. So it is not only whether and how often they see a player, but the level of competition that a player performs against. Many rankings are not how good of a high school player, but rather where a player projects on the college scene. This scouting service is geared toward college recruiting so if somebody has not been observed playing against other college prospects, it becomes difficult to give a high ranking because you have no idea how they will perform when they face that competition. Tons of great high school players never play at a high level of college basketball because the skill sets, size, speed, and strength required are very different. Other rankings such as High School All District and All Region teams or even All State teams factor high school performance at a premium.

I agree which leads to this observation... At times, the decisions a parent/coach/guardian makes with a young player is driven to some degree by providing as much exposure as possible to be seen if that is important to them. Exposure costs time and money, but if people or even the players are desperate about being ranked it requires being in the places to insure you are seen. Subtle things come into the "ranking" game which make the list very arbitrary in nature.

I like that we have people in the state providing exposure for the kids and for scouting services player rankings are as natural as team rankings are for sport publications. I just do not think it is good for player development if the player themselves has desperate concerns over their rank. The players who really make it in their sport of choice are those whose development is marked by constant striving for excellence. If a player feels snubbed, remember the old horse racing adage that a horse never runs so fast as when he has others horses to catch up.

Very true, I am making an assumption and know nothing about the actual situation and also wish him well. That is why I started the thread acknowledging I was guessing. From past experience and trends I have seen, I am a bit cynical with foreign kids ending up in the states. There is a basketball business of people finding very tall kids and developing them to come over to the US. I am not saying it is good or bad as their lives in the US likely provide more opportunities. But make no mistake that in significant proportions those kids that are very tall are identified for these opportunities than smaller kids. The thread would not have been 9 pages if the young man was 6'0". Unfortunately they are expected to play basketball and driven in that direction with being eligible the main academic goal. The kids have little choice and if they do not pan out, I know of kids that are sent back overseas or essentially discarded. To be clear, I am not saying that about this guardian as I have no clue who he is.

I do not have a dog in the hunt, I feel they are both good schools and each may have taken the right approach. If the report is true that the young man is gone, perhaps the thought of not playing any basketball this year and waiting until next season ultimately did not meet what the guardian felt was best. NCC provided that path and made sure they addressed any academic issues head on even if it meant sitting out this season. Perhaps CCH could have done the same, but simply realized that was not what the guardian wanted and it would have resulted in an early withdrawal. Both took an approach that should not be faulted. If the report is accurate, it really doesn't matter. no harm, no foul.

Damon probably is not 6'4", but he is closer to 6'3" than 6'1". He also jumps out of the gym and plays much bigger than his size. Whose better and who should be ranked higher really is just an opinion for one's self. Is it certain that Damon has started school at PCC this year?

I am guessing that whomever is the guardian or person who is placing him is the one who must be comfortable. I may be wrong, but my experience is that the basketball players that come from a foreign country have little to say about where they take their basketball talents.

From the outside looking in nobody can fault NCC. Their mission is to provide an education and if a student meets requirements then they have the ability to play their particular sport of choice. If accurate as reported, NCC was requiring the student athlete to sit this year and be eligible the following season. My guess is that would have been the only season of eligibility due to the 19 year age rule for the senior season. Perhaps the plan was to accelerate the young man's credits to reclassify as a senior next season that would have been his final year. It sounded like a great plan and compromise to his situation. Nobody was getting a free pass, it was going to be hard. It was in the best interest of the student athlete and if he withdrew that is on the guardian of the young man as to why they were not willing to stick with it. I wonder where the road leads next for him.