coachlee

I was one of those that mentioned that and this does signal DeSales is on the upswing. Pre-season they were expected to be pretty good and then they started slow. The big takeaway is this shows how deep the 6th region is with solid teams. The 6th and 11th regions are very deep with really good teams this season.

I do not recall a year when the 2nd and 4th regions have been so down. The 1st region is making a case to be the toughest out in Western KY this year. I like Paducah as the #1 team in the west.

Boone is a "Boss". Not many in the state play as hard and under control as this young man. He knows the game very well and is a great finisher around the basket. Great job "Boss".

Great questions and I do not have a dog in the hunt not being from the 9th. I do however put a lot of stock in where kids are recruited to play. AK and CJ were both recruited with many D1 scholarship offers. The other two are likely going to end up with D2 offers. All that means is their respective games translate at the next level to different divisions. D1 > D2 obviously. As far as high school players and POY, does that really matter? If POY equals highest ceiling at the next level then CJ & AK are far and away the frontrunners. If it is most valuable to your team then you can make a case for them each. The catch 22 when you play with more talented players around you is that you saturate your production with other players also getting their fair share. If you are the lone wolf, your stats will be influenced because your team needs you to be ball dominate. I look for a blend and it starts with being a winner. Do you make your team a winner at a high level. It starts there with me and AK & CJ have the leg up there with playing on the best teams. THey each are the dominant player on their team, but AK really does not have any other players like CJ does that shares the spotlight. POY is just an award that has no defined criteria, you just get a feel for who deserves it.

This is true and illustrates that the SETH scoring system although with faults does do a good job overall getting the best teams. The LIT committee opted to drop from 20 to 16 teams this season to invite and DeSales is the last team in who I feel is better than both of those teams. To consider that the 16th team in DeSales beat BOTH Bowling Green & Warren Central who are 2 of the top 3 teams in the 4th region lets you know how tough the combined 6th & 7th regions are this season. 11 teams from the 6th are in it and the last team in from the 6th is 2-0 against the top of the 4th region. That is sort of crazy when you think about it.

I really wish Seneca would have made the LIT and been rewarded for playing the tough schedule they have taken on. I always have looked beyond the record and judged a team on who they have competed against. I was also pulling for the Collegiate team to make it as the David against the Goliaths. However, to be fair the list of opponents that make up those 14 wins is not as impressive as the willingness of Seneca to take on the tough schedule they did. If Seneca had to miss out, I think Collegiate probably did too. Great job by the new Collegiate Coach just changing the culture to compete. Maybe they can make some noise in the All A Classic. Good reading on the recap for all the 7th region teams. Ballard and Trinity will likely meet in the LIT semi-finals unless Butler beats Ballard. Both of those potential games will be great matchups to see if they both advance to meet up.

The scoring system is not perfect, it is a contention for all of Metro Louisville HS BB fans to pick it apart. However, it is a system that is in place. Coaches can choose to exploit the scoring system or just schedule as they feel best for their team in the long run. After all, it is just a seeding and criteria to get the top 16 teams. In the past few years, 20 teams were in it and there were byes awarded. I agree with the Top 8 although Butler and Doss switching may have been more reflective of their season's efforts. The 6th is really loaded this year and that is a bit unusual for such a ratio of 11/5. I agree Seneca should have been rewarded for their willing to play the best. Don't expect a Trinity & Fern Creek matchup. This event is known to produce an upset of the top seeds, it almost inevitably happens.

I believe many holiday tournaments are the same format. Good way to comeback from a first game loss and play your back to a good ending.

The top 6 teams in the 6th region are all very close, not a lot separates them. Fern Creek has now won 19 6th region games in a row between the last two seasons and until someone in the 6th knocks them off they remain #1. Butler deserves #2 after winning all of their games this season so far. But those two are not going to run away from the pack as this region is so very competitive at the top. When January comes around in Metro Louisville, everyone associated with High School basketball gets excited for the Louisville Invitational Tournament (LIT) that kicks off beginning the 2nd week of the New Year. In 2018 the 1st round of the LIT begins on January 8th. Leading up until then teams look to improve on the 1st part of the season and use the upcoming week to get a game or two in before the best 16 teams in Louisville square off for Jefferson County bragging rights. This edition will try to impart the highs and lows of the 1st part of the season and identify the seeding for those who received the invite to participate in this traditional event that the basketball community in Louisville treasure. 1. Fern Creek (11-3): The obvious high to the season is winning the ultra competitive King of the Bluegrass where they defeated both Covington Catholic and Trinity on consecutive nights after beating two power programs from Seattle & Portland as well. But they also have had victories over Pleasure Ridge Park, Doss, and the past state champion from Missouri in a showcase game held in St. Louis. The low was following up the KOB championship and going 1-2 at the Arby's Classic where their losses were by a combined score of 5 points. Both losses were to teams that had glossy records entering this very competitive holiday classic down in Bristol, TN. Despite having 3 losses, they remain at the top of the rankings based on who they have beaten this season. Fern Creek's competitive scheduling should pay dividends in the end. #2 seed in the LIT. 2. Butler (13-0): The Bears high point is sitting undefeated after 13 games to open the season. With DeSales and North Oldham next week before the LIT begins, Butler should be 15-0 before they open against St. Xavier who they already have beaten 61-43. This is a great start to the season and a testament that Butler is for real. The last time they were undefeated before the LIT they ended up winning the event. Will this team do the same? It is hard to find any low point when a team is 13-0, but if any questions remain it would be whether the Bears have been tested with their early schedule. The best teams on their schedule were likely a 1 point thriller over Valley to open the season and a 3 point victory over Newport Central Catholic in a holiday event. Neither of those teams are likely threats to win their respective regions, so the LIT will give a chance for Butler to test their team against a step up in competition. If seedings prevail, the Bears would need to beat Ballard, Trinity, and Fern Creek to win the LIT. If they do that, all remaining questions are off the table as they would have ran through a gauntlet to win the LIT title. #5 seed in LIT 3. Pleasure Ridge Park (10-3): The championship of the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic sits as the high point of the season for the Panthers as well as a good showing at the Northwest Florida Shootout where they only lost one game in overtime to go with 2 wins. They have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat in the remainder of their games. The low moments were the opening season loss to Fern Creek where they were dominated in the first half and also their 54-57 loss to district rival Valley. #7 seed in LIT 4. Doss (11-4): The Dragons had nice Holiday event showings going 5-2 over both events with only a one point loss to Rocky River, NC who played into the championship game at the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington. Doss also lost to a very good Lafayette team 40-48 in their other event so good progress is being made as they adjust to a new coach and teammate from Henderson County. The best victory in the season so far is a 70-67 win over Henry Clay. The lowest point is probably not being able to gain a victory over the toughest 4 opponents on the season....Fern Creek, Christian County, Lafayette, and Rocky River, NC. Doss is winning the games they should much like PRP, but missing a key signature win on the season. #3 seed in LIT. 5. Valley (8-4): The Vikings went 2-1 at the Apollo Invitational after doing the same at the Paducah Invitational so their Holiday outings were fairly successful. Each loss was very close (1 point) so the Vikings nearly went 6-0 over the break. The early district win over PRP rates as a very high point, and the low point was the 0-2 start which included losses to Butler and Waggener. Oddly 3 of the 4 Valley losses were by a single point so while that is encouraging they are playing teams close, there could be a pattern building of not being able to win the close ones down the stretch. #8 seed in LIT. 6. Fairdale (8-4): The biggest high had to be the competitiveness shown at their own Holiday tournament where they went 2-2 with wins against Bowling Green and Lexington Christian while falling to Cooper and Ballard. The other high is their discovery of a very potent offense as they scored 93 against Ballard. Their low may be the fact that they are not showing the defense that Coach Hicks is known to want to build his teams around. 5 times they have let teams reach 75 points or more. #11 seed in the LIT. 7. Iroquois (9-5): The Raiders went 2-2 at the Lake Cumberland Classic losing to both Paducah Tilghman and Pulaski County who each are top teams in their respective regions. The high for Iroquois is they have continued to improve under Coach Morrow each season and are a solid +.500 record at this point. The low is their 1-2 region record and an early loss to Atherton in the beginning of the season. #14 seed in the LIT. 8. Jeffersontown (9-4): The Chargers were the Caveland Classic champions going 3-0 including a victory over Adair County in the final. Their high point is they have now won 5 in a row and Coach Duncan is beginning to change their culture to a winning attitude. The low point was a blowout loss to Pleasure Ridge Park and a double digit loss to Valley. They have to find a way to beat the better teams still in order to contend in the 6th. #13 seed in the LIT. 9. Bullitt East (8-7): Bullitt East is showing life in their Holiday events going to the final in the Owensboro Invitational before losing to the host school. Their high point is winning 5 of their last 7 games. The low point is a 1-2 regional record with their lone win over Whitefield Academy. #10 seed in the LIT. 10. DeSales (6-7): The Colts went 2-1 at each holiday tournament they participated in. Their high point was a 58-51 win over Warren Central that is a team who figures to either win or contend for the 4th region title. The low point was losing 5 of their first 6 games of the season. #16 seed in the LIT. 11. Southern (7-4): High is a 5 game winning streak entering the New Year, but the low is 2-3 region record with losses to Doss, Fairdale, and Holy Cross and only wins against Western and North Bullitt. # 15 seed in LIT. 12. Holy Cross (8-5): High point is a 3-2 regional record. Low point is they still are not competitive against the better 6th region teams as seen with close to 20 point losses to Fairdale and PRP. 13. Moore (4-8): High point is win over Bullitt Central. Low point is a 1-4 record in the region with only the win over Bullitt Central. 14. Bullitt Central (10-4): High point was a win over Atherton. Low point was a 55-64 loss to Moore. 15. North Bullitt (5-7): High point was a very competitive game that they ended losing to Jeffersontown, 52-58. Low point is they are still looking for their first region win on the season. 16. Whitefield Academy (7-5): High point is 5 victories over their last 6 games. Low point is their 0-2 district record indicating another early exit when district tournaments begin. 17. Western (1-13): High point must be their only win over Atherton. Low point is the other games, 13 losses. 18. Beth Haven (3-8): High point is their regional win over Evangel Christian. Low point is their 3 other regional games resulted in losses (one was by 49 points). 19. Evangel Christian (1-9): High point is the lone win over Covington Latin. Low point was the loss to Beth Haven 48-54 which could have resulted in their first regional victory this season.

Male beating the #1 team in the 3rd region or in the case of GRC being the top of the 10th region shows how tough & deep some regions are, like the 7th in this case. Male will not contend for the 7th region title with Trinity and Ballard being a cut above. But they will be able to defeat many good teams at the top of their regions out in the state. It will be very hard for them to compete with a Trinity to advance out of the 7th though. I have to disagree that GRC blew out a good Eastern team. Eastern is not even one of the top 20 schools in Metro Louisville this year. Usually they are a top program, but way down this season. GRC is good, but that is a bit of a stretch to suggest they blew out a good team in Eastern.

Trinity and Ballard stand out in the 7th as the Top 2, with Waggener likely next. But Male is right after that with St. X in the top 5. Great win at the Middletown Holiday event. Male is going to be back and a load to deal with soon.

Backstory here is that Young Mac is a player that is not above talking a little smack when he is scoring on you. He is a prolific scorer and lets whoever is defending him know that they can't hold him. I have alway felt if you want to stop a player talking smack you need to stop him from scoring or at least take the ball right back to him and score yourself to talk a little smack back. The game had that going on and Fern Creek had one of their own scoring at a high clip too. What the Coach said is that if you don't play defense you will go to Georgetown to sit. Not defending the coach one way or the other, just giving the backdrop.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. These two are some of the best of a handful of 2018 young men that are worthy Mr. Basketball candidates. Perhaps the frontrunners even. But nobody can state unequivocally so and so is better than so and so. College Coaches are paid to make these determinations and there are some that would take one and some that would take the other. They both are really good but are different players that have plenty of things that made them attractive recruits at the D1 level.

Dognation is correct, not trying to say the 10th does not have good teams, all 3 of those teams could end up being seriously good. They just have not beaten anyone yet that warrants them being in the "head and shoulders" level the other four regions are in. To put them in that same category is not what most outside of the 10th region would view. That said, the 10th might be at the top of the next curve of teams like those in the 5th, 8th, or 12th. The 13th has two teams pretty good and the 1st as well.

Jury is still out for me on all three until there is a quality win that can be pointed to. The best win anyone of the three has is GRC with a win over Waggener out of the 7th region. Waggener is towards the top of the 7th, but they are a notch below the two big dogs of Trinity & Ballard. The 6th has at least three or four teams that are very tough led by Fern Creek and Butler. The 9th has two loaded teams in Cooper and Covington Cath (Cooper beat Campbell by 13 in the opener which was their best opponent to date). The 11th is loaded much like the 6th with Scott County, Bryan Station, and Madison Central (Madison Central beat GRC by 21 in early Dec which was their best opponent to date). I just don't see 10th region on the same level of regional excellence as the 6th, 7th, 9th, & 11th regions. If and when they beat some better competition I might see it, but not now based on their body of work.

Male is not in the Top 10 teams in Louisville this year, but they are just outside of it. They are young, that is why they sometimes might slide and lose games that make you scratch your head. But they have talent, 3 sophomores start and they are each very good. In time Male will be very good and this year they will show some glimpses. That said, if GRC is at or near the top of their region they should win this game.

I also love the fact the young man stayed in his high school when he could have went to any Prep School Basketball Factory in the country. He chose to stay with his team and friends in Rural Virginia. Hats off to him, I am now a big fan.

I am not sold on the team as much as McClung. If you stop him they really only have one more player named Irvin. In today's game Irvin had 21. After 3 quarters nobody else had even scored except those two guys. They ended up with 65 of the team's 70 points. 3 free throws were scored from others because FC was fouling them at the end to put them on the line. Somebody else scored on a missed FT putback. They are the epitome of a team with a superstar that carries the load.

Yes he is the real deal. Look how good Andrew Taylor and Adam Kunkel are here in the state of Kentucky scoring the ball, my choices as the state's best pure scorers. They are dominant players and have both earned great scholarships to Furman & Belmont respectively. Those are nice D1 programs, but this McClung is on a different level. He is going to Georgetown Hoyas for a reason. He is much like those two except even more explosive. His dunk the other night was the #1 Sportscenter Top 10 play and he is a 3 point shooter with unbelievable range. Fern Creek lost 2 games by a total of 4 points to teams that had each only lost 1 game apiece on the season. It was disappointing after winning the KOB, but not as bad as it looks on surface considering everything.

Another early game in the consolation bracket for the Tigers as they played a (6-1) Gates City HS out of Virginia led by Georgetown Hoya commit, Mac McClung. McClung lived up to his billing as he torched Fern Creek for 44 points which followed a 40 point performance in his previous game. If he scores 38 in his final game tomorrow he becomes the all time leading scorer of the Arby's Classic that has been around 35 years. It was a close game that Gate City prevailed due to hitting free throws down the stretch. Leading scorers for Fern Creek were Anthony Wales with 27, Clint Wickliffe with 17, and Ahmad Price with 14. A key play was a free throw violation with under a minute to go that wiped away a Fern Creek made shot. Still down 1 they needed to foul and Gates City hit both. Fern Creek goes 1-2 this week after winning the KOB on Saturday.

Any player who is the best player on a team is going to get the attention of the scouting report and usually the best defender assigned to guard you. That usually means you have to earn your baskets because there will be double teams and never letting you get good looks. But to suggest anything more sinister seems sort of tin hat to me. He gets no more physical play to slow him down as the next really good player on any other team if you ask me for what I have seen. A better explanation is that CJ is a warrior who plays so hard giving up his body to defend or score that he is going to be more prone due to his own willingness to sacrifice a blow to the face if it means getting to a loose ball or some other competitive move. I say you are way off base but just my opinion.

GRC may have looked very good and I guess I am raining on the parade a bit but it is not the Eastern HS as we typically have come to known them. In the 6th & 7th region there is a seeding of all 36 public & private schools in the KHSAA that determines which of the top 16 teams go to the Louisville Invitational Tournament held the 2nd week of January. Eastern has always been in the event and many times a Top 8 seed. To put their season in perspective they are a 26 seed out of 36 this year and will miss the LIT altogether. I am not sure when the last time an Eastern team did not play in a LIT, but this team is really struggling this year. Male will be a much better test. They are slightly down but are just outside the Top 10 this season in the seedings and will be very good in the future as they are extremely young. 3 sophomores all start for Male and are talented.

I am going to play along....6th, 7th, 9th, 11th & who? There is not another that sticks out to me on the level of those 4 but I could be missing one. If I had to throw another out there it might be the 12th, but I would not consider them with the other 4 at the moment.

Great matchup with two of the best in the 2018 class with Taylor & Faulkner. That will be a great game and matchup. It may come down to who has the better supporting cast as they both will be hard to stop.

I missed Franklin getting 32, big game from the PG. What happened at the end?