SSSGODWIN

#14 you make me proud.

I like their team. Big kid is a nice player.

I watch a lot of basketball at many different levels and I don't think I know of another middle school Big that shoots the 12-15 foot jumpers as accurate as him.

Anyone heard anything about 7th grade Holmes' date=' Grant County, Turkey Foot, Walton, Campbell teams this year??[/quote']

 

I watched the Walton team play 75% of their games. Considering the enrollment at that place they have a really nice team. I'm not sure what they've done in post season tournaments. But, I know in the regular season they'd only lost one game. It was to a team they'd beaten three times already and they were "dis-interested" in playing.

I'll be curious to see where he ends up for high school. I saw him up close recently. Strong kid.

You don't think think he'll end up at Ryle?

Saw this on Facebook

http://archive.newsleader.com/article/20120205/SPORTS/202050332/Parents-driving-coaches-away-from-game

I know it's only middle school football' date=' but he has had such a crazy middle school career, over 6000 yards from scrimmage and 91 tds. It has been so much fun to watch the last two years. Can't wait to see what his future holds. ( 7th gr. videos are searchable under his name for anybody who wants to watch, warning these are long videos )

He's a great kid thank you for sharing. We'll see you starting tailback on the All-Star team?

Wait...So are you saying they have a 6'3 big with size and don't play him? Do they have any other bigs that play over him? Why would you not play him and let him bang around down low. We played them early on but I was out of town so I missed the game. I believe it was a 20+ point game but we have pretty big team with Salter 6'4' date=' and fast kids like at Huddleston 6'0+, and Ahlfeld 5'10+.[/quote']

 

Like NKy said. He plays a ton. But, he's not going to be as effective at the high post. Those quicker players (you mentioned) would have an advantage on him. But on the low block with good court spacing he's going to make it tough. If he gets his leverage and weight on those same guys he will draw many fouls. Which can change that game dramatically. But what does well is gives the ball back. Williams and Armour will fill it up if they can catch and shoot and not have to move their feet. (Inside out passing)

I think it's just match ups at this age. Certain teams just match up better with others. Ockerman doesn't have the size so they rely on speed and the 3 to save them. There are teams the give us fits that others blow out. It's the beauty of 13-14 yr old boys playing bball' date=' you never know who will show up.[/quote']

 

That's kind of my point. Ockerman has a 6'3" 215 pound center that can dominate the the low block. He is very physical, he can shoot with both hands. But they don't use it. An inside outside game with those "catch and shoot" guards would put the "March-up" in their favor.

Did Ockerman beat Beechwood and CE? I know they also beat SVA. Seems like something is going right because in the past that Ockerman team wasn't beating those high Caliber teams. Nice wins for Ockerman.

CE has beaten Ockerman a couple times and Ockerman beat them once. But, I think the total margin in all three games is pretty close. Beechwood beat Ockerman pretty good earlier this year and now Ockerman got the win. I don't know about SVA. I think this just underscores how much parity there is in players of this age. One player hitting puberty is changing games. It makes it a lot of fun.

But, I think this Ockerman group has always been scrappy competitive. In the past if they were hitting three's and creating turnovers they couple play with anyone.

I was just responding the person who called him out originally. I didn't come running here with comments. Maybe I was a little harsh. Keep in mind that I don't have a dog in the fight. Not a rooting interest in any of these games. I have former players on all these teams and care about all of them. I do cheer for each of them and want them to succeed. But when they face each other I'm pretty neutral. However, Jones is a kid that I cut from two tryouts as he grew up. He's a kid that I've never had in a practice. (Subbed for me at the end of the AAI season) But he is a young man that I admire. He has worked his butt off and now as his body develops it is "his turn" and I want to see him get that chance. Right now he's not getting the chance he deserves. Two years ago prior to me taking an assistant role with Gray, I approached the CEMS coach (after a game) and asked him why one of the best "shooters" in NKY wasn't getting any PT? He said "I don't know". I went on to tell him that he has a really good player and he doesn't realize it. The kid played for Legacy and his name is Jacob. I never met the player or his parents. But somebody needed to say something for sake of the player and team.

To me it is just that obvious.

8th Ockerman beat CE in there first game' date=' was a great game. Then beat Beechwood in there 2nd game, all players were present to my knowledge for all squads on those days. Since a rough start at 0-2 after Highlands and Beechwood losses, Ockerman has put together a nice run despite a coach that is just there? wins against SV, Conner, CE, and Beechwood with a one point loss to CE in there. Keep grinding Hawks, just wanted to give a shout out.[/quote'] If the Ockerman coach had half a brain these close games would be a little easier. He has one of the strongest interior low post players in NKY (Jones) yet he has him playing the high post as he attempts back door cuts and three pointers. With Armour and Williams he has two of the best catch and shoot guards. With Hrycak they have a long point that can rotate the ball side to side. Why in the world that ball doesn't go to the block is beyond me. Jones will kick it right back out to the shooters unlike most others. It would up the three's for those shooters much more that this dribble drive backdoor stuff.

I agree, Union may have the two best kickers in the area next year honestly. Molique is a special talent and Hollifield at Cooper is a darn good kicker as well. I know Hollifield has been getting some D1 LOOKS, not scholarship offers, but looks are still looks. I would imagine the young man from Ryle will be garnering attention soon as well.

Mason Molique is one of the best kickers I've ever seen. Considering he's just a Sophmore to be he's only going to get better. He's been banging 30 Yard field goals since 6th grade. Great kid who has a chance to be about 6'5" if he's like his dad.

Who is Trey Long's dad?

Trey's dad is the late great Greg Long.

Great guy! Great dad! Great friend.

Trey is a fantastic young man!

Watched all three games at Turkeyfoot last night. First time I've been able to see any of those teams play all season.

For the most part in NKY AAU basketball doesn't start until 3rd grade. There are very few tournaments for 2nd etc.. The best option for basketball is the SOAS 9U Rec league on 9' goals. (1game and 1 hour of practice/week) Using my experience with my older group the plan was to start an AAU team when they get in 3rd grade which would be this year. I wanted to create a program for any kid that wanted to prepare for the next season.

The scope of the program was to take 16 kids. (The first 16 that said "yes") Create two 8 man teams for the Rec league mentioned above. The parents would split the cost of the two gyms we practiced in.

Our schedule was simple

Sat 1 game

Sun two hour practice

Tues 1 hour 1/2 court practice at SOAS

Wed two hour practice.

Nov Mid ~ March Mid

The goal was to give these kids a head start in competitive basketball.

The goals were simple

We were going to enforce

Dribbling

Speed/Agility

Man-man defense

Moving with out the ball/passing

We would dribble for 75 minutes on Tuesday and Sunday. Followed by man to man she'll drill for 20 minutes. We ended with 20-30 minutes of man-man full court with no dribbling allowed. The kids love this drill. It teaches moving with out the ball, V cuts, CSL (Catch-Square-Look), Triple threat, meeting passes, pass cut (in front of the defenders face)

Went on and won the D2 AAU State tournament going away. Should have been in D1 but all the lead up events we played in we were about .500 with one "weakweakweak" tournament win. What we didn't know was that all the teams drilling us had hold backs that were NOT allowed to play in 8U. We actually had no idea how good we were. To be honest, I'm still not sure. This year we're 5-2 with loses to 4th grade teams.

All 15 out of 16 kids came back this year. Plus we had 45 more try to get in. The 2nd grade class this year is going to be very good. Much better than the one last year. But some of these same kids were part of the 16 from last year.

AAU/Competitive sports is not for everyone. However, if I'm going to spend money and time taking my kid back and forth then I want to make sure they are maximizing their ability. Which is exactly what we did.

The best part is that we wrapped up the season/practices by 3-14-15 and all the kids went on to baseball/soccer/flag/BMX racing.

This year I have just 10 kids. I don't know really how this program will do in the long run. I do know this. The 10 kids I have now have great attitudes, a solid work ethic and they love the game. If they maintain this moving forward they will have a considerable advantage over others by the time they are in middle school.

Regarding the comments about kids not getting the opportunity etc. I'm grateful that as a team we are able to sponsor two kids that each have single parents and not able to afford this type of basketball. It would not be possible if the other 8 parents weren't so giving.

I get it. It's not for everyone. But for us it works.

Let me apologize. That last post was out of frustration.

People on this site just want to argue and it's frustrating. You're not one of them. In fact I enjoy most of your comments. But there are some folks that just want to argue.

Teams I watch and other coaches I talk to don't spend their time practicing sets.

Trust me. I was there. I had a 3rd grade team five years ago running the Flex offense in practice. But when we got to a tournament and teams were in a 2-3 or half court trap I quickly realized we wasted our practice time.

My comments were a generalization about the opportunity given to some kids and not others. The point was that some kids don't get the gym time to develop at young ages. Many of these kids are grouped together in the same social class by the location of their school. Therefore, the size of their school doesn't matter if they haven't developed at a young age.

Good teams you know may NOT be doing that' date=' but to infer that any team who is a good team is not running sets, and only focuses on 63k dribbles, etc, is a gross overstatement, imo. What good teams are you referring to? I know many MS, HS, and AAU teams that are good, and most focus on the fundamentals, aspects I mentioned above, and fine discipline, while playing in a "controlled" environment. In fact, I also know a 4th/5th grade AAU team that is pretty good, and they do mostly as I mentioned above. If what you specifically do works, that's great! Keep doing it (as you will). But, it doesn't mean that style is for everyone.[/quote'] How many times do I have to say 2nd graders? I coach a team of of 8th graders also and no we don't do this. Why do you people just want to argue about something? . I don't get it. In fact, it was a generalization about the opportunity given to some kids and not others. The point was that some kids don't get the gym time to develop at young ages. Many of these kids are grouped together in the same social class by the location of their school. Therefore, the size of their school doesn't matter if they haven't developed at a young age.

Really? The days of teaching plays to kids are long gone... I guess Tom Izzo has it wrong' date=' because those kids at Michigan State are running hundreds of plays & sets, according to Dick Vitale I'm assuming you're talking about 2nd & 3rd grade kids. And, then, yes, we agree... you should be trying to work mostly on fundamentals (ball handling, passing, footwork, positioning, shooting, etc.). It's great that you get that many dribbles as a youngster. And, Skill work should ALWAYS be a part of your routine. However, basketball is also very much about spacing, angles, situations, screening, proper cutting, defense & rebounding (which both have a lot to do with want to, as much as they do technique), etc., and those things can all be learned through running multi-option sets. I believe these things are very important to learn in regards to learning how a defense work, and that adds to IQ of the game. If a kid is taking 63k dribbles as a 2nd and 3rd grader, then he should probably really love basketball. And, if he/she really loves basketball they'll probably want to play for a long time (high school and the next level), and if they want to do that, they'll have to know how the game works. And, the game is about far more than just ball handling. Again, I'm sure you know all this, but I think some may take your post wrong. Heck, maybe I did. That's the glory of BGP, we can all post our opinions on the game(s) we love.[/quote']

 

Yes 2nd graders

 

As 3rd graders the focus is expanding as is the type of dribbles we are doing.

 

I don't mean it's dead that "No body is doing it". I mean it's dead in the fact the better teams are NOT doing it.

If your 2nd graders are doing that much' date=' maybe thats the problem. Maybe the kids that dont have parents forcing that down their throat when they are 8 allows them to not be burnt out when they get to high school. Just a thought. Kids need to be kids.[/quote']

 

 

 

Nobody is forcing anything.

 

This is a four month program that teaches kids fundamentals. Nobody asked your opinion. I had 60 kids come out to my tryout in October. Took that number and placed all but 6 kids on teams. Three 3rd grade teams and two 2nd grade teams. Not a single coach is making a penny.

We ran out of coaches or we'd had more.

 

The days of teaching plays to kids are long gone. If you are not teaching muscle memory and skill work the kids have No chance.

 

BTW if you are halfway creative the kids have a blast.

This is the exact reason that Catholic High Schools can do more with less students. It isn't due to the that terrible R word' date=' it comes down to the feeder schools have 1 or 2 teams per class, so by the time that they get to NewCath or CovCath, you have 5 to 7 point guards with good floor time coming out to try out for 2 spots. It is the same idea behind the Fort Thomas Junior Football League and why Highlands can punch above its weight most years.[/quote']

 

Bingo!

 

Next Up, Sports specialty schools. Use a home school curriculum and have two hours a day training.

 

... If I had the money!

I have to agree. Turkeyfoot' date=' Camp Ernst, Conner, and Gray Middle(All 1000-1200 kids) all have almost double what Highlands enrollment is around 600+. WV is around 500+, St Pius 550+.[/quote']

This past summer when I was moving I looked at a couple of those school enrollment.

Not sure where you got those numbers though. Highlands is around 240/grade.(700 in the school) WV is about 125/grade. WV middle is 5th~8th grades for those 500 kids. Single A High School it is really small. Which surprised me that they are in the same basketball district as SK.

I think it is more of the demographic of kids that attend these schools instead of the school's themselves. But in the case for WV. I know they have and elementary program for kids that is much more advanced than what Boone Co Public has.

I think this is why in High School Holmes, Loyd and Boone County etc catch up. These kids don't have parents driving them around for early development.

Here's an example:

My 2nd graders last year spent 7 hrs/week in the gym. By the end of the year each kid (16) did 63K dribble reps and 58K feet of agility. This can only be done in a high school gym that parents have to pay for and transport to and from. This year it is even more advanced.

How many lower income kids get this chance? Better yet. How many of their parents could get them there if it were free?

The Catholic school do a great job because they have their own gyms and leagues. Plus they develop more kids because they have many more schools and rosters that are the same size.

I don't think it would for High school. The numbers win out once kids grow up. But at young ages it is pretty much all about skills.

I don't know any of those schools/kids so I can't comment. But, the simple fact that a school the size of WV would be mid pack of the large school division makes my point.

I don't think success is related to enrollment. It's a factor, but I think coaches and social class effect middle school performance more than anything.

These kids that have had the opportunity to play growing up (elementary age) are far more skilled than the kids that haven't.

Big School/Little school... I don't think any of it matters that much. It's all about players and coaches not numbers. I think there are good teams in the catholic school league also that don't get mentioned here.

Conner 8th lost a couple players and they fell of the dramatically. Ockerman added a couple nice players but has a coach that doesn't care AT ALL. The Ockerman 7th grade coach does a great job. I wish he would have moved up and that team would be in the discussion.

Tonight I saw Walton Verona 7th grade team blast. Big school Twinhofel by 30 something with two 6th graders starting. Then the WV 8th grade won by 20 ish. Two years ago this same WV team couldn't tie their shoe strings.

I coached with Dave Rankin and Gray 2 years ago. We lost to Beechwood in the Semi's that year in a 2-3 point game (Current 8th graders were 6th then) Now that same group of Gray players are really struggling.

Back that what letsgetit said. At this level coaches are having a huge impact. Some of these teams are poorly coached some are not. The other thing is some coaches are developing players for High school others are trying to win at all cost. Some are balancing winning and development.

BTW - The Walton Verona 7th grade team has only lost one game all season. It was to a team they'd crushed a couple times already. As far as dominating a schedule, I don't know that anyone has dominated their schedule like they have. They are not in either big or small school division. They are in NCKC. I'd like to know how they compare to the better 7th grade teams in NKY.

???? Assume one of the points was supposed to be rebounds?

Yep