Don't_Hate_the_Playa

My thoughts are Ryle better hope LaSalle slides back or they will be blowout losses for the Raiders.

 

If you are LaSalle, the Raiders are a good prospect for a Harbin Cow.

Harbin cow - THAT'S an image...

Ohio HS football at the high D-I/D-II level is very good - talent, coaching, and commitment are all exceptional. That said, the parochial schools are generally a notch above. A lot of people feel that LaSalle has been the best HS football program in Ohio over the last 2 years, and could have beaten Lakewood St. Edwards (D-I champion).

Ryle has a nice program but they won't be able to run with LaSalle. I think scheduling a game against a public school like Sycamore may be less glamorous but more productive.

I may not still be correct, heck, I may have never been, but I still believe these are the tips of the spear in these positions:

 

OT -- Munoz

OG -- John Hannah

C -- Mike Webster

OG -- Randall McDaniel

OT -- Erik Williams (pre-auto accident)

Completed the list...

How is that, I don't think Cooper has that many kids that should go to Boone, if any.

Before Ryle, Cooper, and re-districting Boone County and Conner were the only 2 public high schools in Boone County. Boone County was a very good football program. That started to change with Ryle opening and now that Cooper is open BCHS is effectively pulling kids from Florence. It wouldn't surprise me if Ryle and Cooper have higher enrollment than BCHS.

The ironic thing is that at one time most of those kids would have suited up for Boone County.

Per your opinion/requirements then there are zero D-1 players in Kentucky.

Let's look at the #'s after the season. I still feel 55% overall/50% from 3 are good lead indicators.

How many KY HS players went D-I last year?

How many landed in NCAA tourney programs?

I am curious about the hard #'s - there is a degree of credibility that accompanies high D-I program player evaluation and recruiting.

Couldn't disagree more with the bolded. Not sure what DI teams you've been watching but Sean definitely can shoot with the DI boys.

The games I saw him play last year he didn't make a lot of shots. Great mechanics but the ball didn't go in the basket.

Just going by the productivity I saw - if anyone has his shooting stats from last year it would be helpful.

IMO D-I kids should be shooting 55-60% in high school owing to the talent advantage they have over HS talent in general. Guards should be shooting 50+% from 3. Those #'s could come down depending on level of competition - but a D-I guy should be extremely/consistently productive at the HS level.

I'm a huge McNeil fan - the better he shoots it the higher level college ball he can play.

What ever happened to playing high school sports for school pride and love of the game. We have turned KY high school basketball into an individual business. All this transferring from school to school to get better exposure and build super teams defeats the purpose of the joy you get rom beating your rival and feeling good about it the next day at school. I do not know how many of these kids could have any loyalty or pride in a school they just started at. Someone needs to reevaluate the transfer rules in this state. You live in a school district and if your family moves then great but to move around from relative to relative or getting someone to sponsor you seems a little too much. Coming from Alabama where high school football is a greater part of a community than basketball here, I never saw this type of action by kids. It was the exception if a player changed schools not the excepted norm. Kids took pride in playing for their schools even if they were not the super stars or even on a state champion contender. Lets get the AAU mentality out of high school basketball and get back to what high school sports should be - having fun, enjoying the game and having school spirit. The great players will shine in any situation. This is a naïve position I am sure but one I believe in. Sports becomes a business soon enough when the few get to the college level - lets don't let the business infiltrate the high school level.

Answer: Nike, Adidas, exorbitant NBA salaries, AAU "coaches" who are little more than talent scouts/hangers-on, family members pushing for pro $.

It's too late to change. The business that is basketball is moving in an entirely different direction from tradition.

It's a shame, too, because college coaching and 2-4 years of pre-NBA development have been de-valued by the influencers and the game as a whole is suffering. If you read draft evaluations 3-4 year college players are DE-valued because of their age and because they played too long in college. Ridiculous.

It would happen with football if 4 years of college S&C weren't necessary.

It will never happen with baseball because - obviously - no one cares about baseball.

Agreed. MOST, and I mean most high school players are not good enough to play D3 basketball.

We are talking about one of the top players in NKy, a legit 6'3" kid who can handle and shoot. This kid doesn't fall in the meat of the HS basketball bell curve.

Interesting to me that people can get so enthusiastic about Bezold heading to MSJ and his bright future there, and not see McNeil (at least) in the same light. To me, McNeil is the superior player and athlete, and based on what I've seen from local D-III schools, a player who in 4 years could light it up at MSJ, TMC, Bethany, etc., etc., etc.

The level of competition across D-III schools and conferences varies considerably, McNeil is a D-II talent who, when playing against top competition in Ky will face off against other D-I through D-III talent and (I'm confident) will excel.

I'm having a hard time seeing how the kid couldn't stand out in D-III IF he chooses to go that route.

I realize I'm in the vast minority but I don't think CVH is going to be a good college player. He used to be a lockdown defender who couldn't shoot outside the elbow and now he's added bad weight and can't guard athletes.

 

He'll finish a fine HS career but I think McNeil, Kunkel and Frederick are all better right now and will be much better college players. CVH peaked as a sophomore, maybe even as a freshman.

 

I realize this thread is about who will be the best this year and he's definitely top 5. But I don't think he's the best player on his own HS team at this point.

I'm not a huge CVH fan but I don't see as much separation among this group of 4. I think Frederick and Kunkel will turn out to be better athletes than CVH and McNeil, and therefore have more upside. That said, I think they all fit into the high D-II/low D-I range. Frederick and Kunkel could go mid-major - they have another year to play/get stronger.

And to be clear - this isn't intended to slight any of these players. People might disagree with my evaluation - but we can all agree these kids will get their college education paid for and that is a huge accomplishment and credit to all as players.

So you think that he would average more in D3 than he does in high school?

Yes - D-III ball is becoming a 3 point shooting track meet - and it's 40 minutes vs. 32 he plays now. He'd get 2x the shots he takes in a Cooper game, against roughly the same competition.

Is this a serious thread?

No sure your serious?

I don't disagree. I think it was Mark Cuban who said he thinks there's a better than 50/50 shot that Trump wins the popular vote, but loses the electoral college. If it happens, I can't wait to watch the reactions. Something tells me a lot of people will have different opinions than they did in 2000.

No way Trump wins popular vote - I think this election has the highest voter turnout ever, and the demographic shift kills Trump.

If I'm Clinton I'm registering everybody I can and driving them to the polling location.

I didn't know they were bring on a new coach to replace him. Bench seems pretty full with coaches already.

I heard CCH just hired a coach to oversee the concession stand, student section, and make sure the visitor's shower doesn't work. Their basketball budget probably exceeds TMC's.

Easily the most puzzling recruitment I can recall in a while in NKY.

If McNeil shows the level of athleticism many on this board feel he has, then his recruiting picks up significantly.

I could see coaches questioning whether he can play guard at the D-II level. He is a bigger kid who had to defend the post a lot last year given Cooper's lack of a true "big."

I think he is a good enough athlete - and player - to play at a school like Bellarmine and average 10-12 pts/game by the time he graduates. He could score 20/game at a D-III school.

He could go lower-level D-I - not sure he is athletic enough - or a good enough shooter - to succeed at the D-I level. I would think he'd get a look from WKy - can he really get up and down the court and shoot it well enough to fit at that type of school?

I'm assuming you mean that as a joke.

I do - saw the kid play last spring and thought he could start on CCH's freshman team at that time - maybe be their most effective player. Others on this board thought he was destined for the freshman team this year.

I think he starts JV and gets varsity minutes.

His older brother is very good - I think Michael will end up being a better basketball player.

I think AJ has a breakout year at QB. Kid has all the tools to be a D-I quarterback. If that happens it's possible he re-evaluates basketball as a priority.

Maher hands down the best incoming freshman in the 2020 class imo.

The CCH freshman team will be loaded this year .

St. Henry has some kids coming in who can play - Kaiser is very, very good , too.

St. Henry will be a team to watch - along with Beechwood - in 2 years.

What other incoming freshman are better? Mayer is a mule at CCH but different positions. Who is better in that class?

Mayer could be the best player from this class in 4 years. Talent + makeup + CCH coaching and development - great opportunity for him.

That is of course after he gets done playing freshman ball this year .

Jefferson is a very, very good player. Strong, great ball skills, high basketball IQ - but most importantly to me - fearless. It won't matter what gym Beechwood walks into - Jefferson will be ready to play and lead.

Beechwood is a program on the rise. They are 1-2 years away at this point, but they will be tough by year's end.

The key for Jefferson - as I believe it is for any lead guard - is whether he can develop a consistent jump shot, and whether he can make contested jump shots. As good as he is, I don't believe he is or will be the most athletic player at his position in the area. He will still get to the rim, but he will also have to pull up and score more than he has to date.

He has the strength and physical skills to develop that game - better sooner rather than later.

In no order:

CVH

MCneil

Fredrick

Kunckle

Bradfield

Meyer

Hall

Hemmerich

Moeves

Hendrix if he plays

If Hendrix doesn't play it will be a huge blow to Cooper. Kid can change the game without scoring a point (but has enough athleticism and skills to manufacture 6 -9 points/game). With him Cooper is my pick for state - without him they will still be very good but won't be as strong defensively.

I know he is also a fantastic football player - has there been any discussion he won't play basketball after the football season ends?

Kid has some skills -

As a 5'7" guard he will have a height advantage on the perimeter and be able to create his own shots.

Hemmerich from Conner should be on the list - kid can score. He's not better than any of the players you listed, but top 10 IMO.

I'm also interested in people's thoughts on breakout players for 2016-2017.

You're right. That class is definitely a solid group. Wishing all of them success. No individual player can succeed without the help of the whole team.

So much talent in the 9th Region. ESPNU should look into televising the CCH/Cooper game - won't be nearly enough seats to accommodate everyone for what could be a classic.

I've seen all these kids play - this is the year for Cooper to take the next step as a program by winning the 9th and going to State. The only way that happens is if McNeil and Kunkel lead them. They have a ton on talent but no champions at this point - their best players have to step up.

Personally - if Cooper stays healthy - I think this is their year. McNeil's legacy is cemented and Kunkel asserts himself as the best 2018 player in the 9th region, and one of the best in the state.

I wish the season could start tomorrow...

Are there some people who (still) think Mayer plays freshman ball this year?

Kid is a very, very good player on his way to being a great player. Having watched both I think he is a more natural player with more upside than his older brother.

Wow - what a lineup...worth the price of gas and admission to see CovCath and Cooper play. That will be a tough ticket in NKy.

New era for Conner basketball. Otte will have a nice pipeline of talent to develop and work with.