coachlee

Ouch, Rocky River must have had some pressure defense to get that many. I had a hunch Doss might be the surprise winner of the event. How many did Franklin end up with? Great player and capable of leading his team to a victory over most anyone in the state.

That is correct, his nickname is Big Mac or so the locals call him. He had 26 in their opener. The school has a huge following of fans and their are local to the area so Fern Creek better be ready as they are in hostile territory. They love going to watch the Mac Show. Interestingly, he has a first cousin that is a rapper name RiFF RAFF. I am not a listener or anything, but supposedly he is pretty famous. The basketball star, Mac, had 20+ D1 offers and was committed to Rutgers before changing to Georgetown. He is very athletic and jumps out of the gym.

Upon being sent to the consolation bracket Fern Creek was rewarded with a 9 AM game this morning and had to shake off a slow start to finish with a 55-40 victory. The score was 6-5 Science Hill after the 1st quarter before Fern Creek took the lead going into halftime by 11. Ahmad Price 16 and Anthony Wales 11 were the only scorers in double figures. Tigers get another 9 AM game tomorrow likely against Gate City HS, VA.

That makes sense, and I get that side too. I think for the teams that have a really good shot at making noise at state can use these Holiday trips as a dress rehearsal. It has the same feel with multiple games day after day. Staying in a hotel away from home. Eating as a team and just the preparation that you can't duplicate other than a trip like this. But for some it makes sense to have plenty of fun, I see that too.

Check the weather in Myrtle Beach this week....highs in the 40's and lows in the high 20's. The tournament is the draw to everyone this time of the year, not the beach. If the event was in South Florida then the beach works this time of year, but not SC.

Yes, a very good leader he is. He leads by example with his effort and by playing so hard he sets the bar for his teammates. But he also is becoming a very vocal leader that you can tell the rest of the team respects. He has a very good situation there at Cooper because undoubtedly he is the star of that team which I feel his guys are genuinely ok with that. But he has a good enough cast with him that can still carry their fair load. Teams can get set to stop AK, but then those other guys are still capable. Plus, if you plan to focus a game plan on stopping AK, you better bring the heat cause not an easy task.

There is a lot of truth to this. How a program manages these out of town trips with an agenda that is detailed down to hour by hour activities is very key. I know it sounds sort of archaic, but when I had to direct operations for travel teams there were a few rules the kids did not like which included giving up their phones at night. Ice baths and making them drink water instead of sodas did not make any friends either. But if you take on the expense of these trips and have a lot riding on it then the kids need to be able to accept a few things that are in their best interest. Bed checks are a given and no sleeping in until noon even if you have a late game. Everybody eats breakfast and gets up. I just feel without rigid structure it can go downhill quick.

If the Dogs end up playing Elder they will have a common opponent. Cooper blew out Elder by 30+ a few weeks ago. Based on the competitive game at the KOB with Cooper I would give the Dog a heavy favorite in that one. Hard to tell about the Florida programs, some are very good but others are so focused on football that the basketball program may not get that much attention from the better athletes. Good Luck to the Bulldogs, bring home the Championship.

Not a surprise to me at all, but I would agree that everywhere he goes this season he is leaving a mark as a serious Mr. Basketball Candidate. He is very hard to shut down, but still manages to make others on his team better.

I hate to hear that update for Hopkinsville, especially Cager. Whatever is going on and it is not important what that is....he is just a young man that you want to see get heading in a right direction. Basketball can be a path for that to happen and I hope he is able at some time in the future to get back on that path. As for Jalen my hope is they do not rush him back. If playing less than 100% risks further injury or not healing fully then I feel that his future interests should prevail. Get healthy and prepare for a post grad year that is always an option. He is too good of a player and young man to risk his future despite this being his senior year.

Thanks for the update, the khsaa scoreboard was the source for everyone's schedule and it is missing from that. Do you know who are some of the better teams down there? It would not surprise me if the Dogs came home with a championship the way they are playing.

Webb School of Knoxville is also a private school that goes for about $20K/year. Here is a link to the stats http://www.arbysclassic.net/uploads/6/0/9/6/60967633/2017game4-ferncreekwebb.pdf

1. I was not there, but I will get a report and share. 2. They have not played Ensworth and from what their website indicates they are now 13-1. But they seem to have played mostly private schools in TN and there is no telling how good any of them really are. Their loss was to the Baylor School in Chattanooga. Baylor School plays Ensworth later in the season.

Except Fern Creek lost to a very average (at best) team from Tennessee, The Webb School. Just when it seemed pretty clear after the KOB that happens. Scott County played a very good team and it is so tough to predict who is best at this time of the year. Covington Catholic beats Moeller, but Fern Creek beats Covington Catholic. Yet there are probably 30+ teams that would beat the team Fern Creek lost to. That is what makes the Regional tournaments and the Sweet 16 so fun, we get to find out who is the undisputed champ.

Overtime final at the Arby's Classic in Bristol, TN. Upset in the 1st round as the hangover from winning the KOB must have done in the Tigers. No stats available at this time, but it was a last second shot at the buzzer. Not to discredit the Webb School, but they were not a Top ranked team or anything in Tennessee. This was a big upset and settles any talk about anyone being capable of beating Fern Creek. They are absolutely a good team, but not so good they can walk on the court and win as they learned today.

Another takeaway for me was that what this state may lack with an abundance of talented big men, the state is loaded with exceptional guards. In lieu of naming individual elite guards in the state, I will provide my top tandem of guards from teams that were there. There may be better individual guards that I fail to mention, but I am only picking three of the top backcourts I saw.............. Fern Creek's- MVP Anthony Wales & All-Tourney Ahmad Price form a dynamic duo that few guards can match in experience or # of wins over their careers as they each started in their freshmen seasons. This tandem is battle tested and come up big in crucial moments. I did not see a PG capable of being able to control the pace of a game or as quick to penetrate the lane creating either points for himself or shots for others than Wales. Price is simply relentless going to the rim while able to finish in traffic and rebounds better than any other guard I was able to see. Wales has signed at a D1 school and Price is going to land as well at that next level. Covington Catholic's- All Tourney CJ Fredrick & All Tourney Aiden Ruthsatz represented NKY well in contrasting styles than the Fern Creek backcourt mates. CJ has a solid pull-up and 3 point shooting game that some may refer to as "old school" in a very complimentary way. He is an intense competitor who will battle to the end. Aiden is so efficient with his shots, it seems every 3 point shot is going to go in if he is left open. He makes his free throws and is surprisingly good with penetration as neither his size or speed sets him apart. He is so skilled and heady as a PG. CJ is headed to D1 Power 5 school and Aiden a strong D2 program. Trinity's- All Tourney David Johnson & Sophomore Justin Powell are simply a load with their size and skill. Both can play PG or shooting guards as they excel in both with their elite shooting and ability to create with assists to follow. What is crazy to think is they will be better as they both have seasons to play after this. These two will go the highest level in college as Johnson was committed to U of L and Powell has multiple D1 major offers already.

That is great news as this seems by all accounts an exceptional young man with a bright future on the gridiron at the next level in front of him. That leads to the tough decision many football stars have that also play high school basketball....When they are destined to get their college educations paid for playing football at the D1 level, is there any thought to potentially sitting out the basketball season to focus on getting ready for their freshmen season in college? You never want to fear injuries playing any sport, but it happens as it did with not only AJ, but the Doss two sport star, Terez Traynor (WKU WR commit) broke his foot in a BB game earlier this season. I understand the desire to continue your last season to play a sport you love as well, but it has to be a consideration when you excel so much at the sport that your future is tied to.

At least this year there should not have been any scheduling conflict as the played a couple of home games in the days preceding the KOB start. A field of teams and environment like this event can only help prepare you for March and a run for Rupp. I would not go so far as to say that Scott County will not be prepared as they opened with Ballard on the road, play in the ultra competitive 11th region, and they head to the Beach Ball Classic in SC after the KOB. But I still would jump at the chance to provide my kids the experience of what is had at the KOB. If invited, I can't imagine why I would turn it down if there is not any scheduling conflict as was the case this year. I do agree Scott County is a serious contender for winning the tournament, but sure had hoped they would have been there along with the other Top 5-6 teams.

As we turn the page and enter the 2018 part of the 2017/2018 season, the 6th region has made a pretty convincing showing that this is the toughest region in the Commonwealth. It would take some convincing to dispute that any region can put up 6 teams as strong as the Top 6 teams in this week's rankings from the 6th. Case in point, the #1 ranked Tigers are the KOB champions who beat the #1 & #2 teams in the state rankings on their way to their 1st ever KOB title. The 6th ranked team this week is Doss who has only lost to Fern Creek, Christian County, and Lafayette who is doing very well themselves. Doss is a very good basketball team to be outside the top 5 within their own region and could very well be a state tournament team in any other region except a few. Rankings are: 1. Fern Creek (10-1): After the Trinity loss, Fern Creek has went on a 7 game winning streak and if that is not impressive enough, examine who they beat in doing so. They beat 2 teams ranked at the time they played who were USA Top 25 ranked teams in Webster Grove, MO and Covington Catholic. They avenged their only loss beating #1 ranked Trinity. They won the prestigious KOB for the first time ever with Anthony Wales earning the Tourney MVP joined by Ahmad Price and Clint Wickliffe on the All-Tourney team. Tony Rogers who is very good in his own right dropped in 19 in one of those games at the KOB so the depth in scoring makes them tough to defend. They head to the Arby's Classic this week in Bristol, TN where Trinity won the championship last year. They will likely play NORTH MECKLENBURG, NC whose only loss on the season was to Huntington Prep, WV in a close game. 2. Butler (10-0): The Bears continue to be a solid 2nd in the rankings right now as they took home 1st place in the Warren East Holiday Hoops event in Bowling Green. The only tough game was in the championship which was a very low scoring affair with North Hardin 36-29. North Hardin was 3-6 at the time so it was a bit of a surprise. Still Butler is winning and should be a very high seed for the LIT when teams are announced after the first of the year. Maurice Tolley continues to lead in scoring with 15, with both Pendergrass and Wales averaging 11. Center Michael Burns is closing in on double figures as well. Next up for the Bears is the Holiday tourney at South Oldham where they open with a tough opponent in St. X from the 7th region. 3. Pleasure Ridge Park (8-2): The Panthers went 3-0 this past week as they won the Smokey Mountain Classic in Tennessee. There was not any team that jumped out to challenge the Panthers in this event, but that should change as they travel to the Northwest Florida Shootout before the New Year. Gerald Gray leads the team in scoring followed by BJ Robinson & Trey Hill. 4. Fairdale (7-3): Fairdale Bulldogs are for real, they played a very tough 4 game stretch this past week in their very own KOB which they do a remarkable job hosting. After struggling in this ultra competitive event the past several seasons, they made plenty of noise going 2-2. They easily handled Bowling Green and played competitively against a very good 9th region team Cooper who came in 3rd. Fairdale then beat a solid Lexington Christian Academy team by 5 before falling short to Ballard despite scoring 93 points. No doubt Fairdale can score with the best as evidenced by Craig Ashe, Markelo Sullivan, and Glenn Queen all scoring 20+ points against Ballard. Fairdale is off until they play Doss on 1/5. 5. Valley (6-3): The Vikings went 2-1 as they traveled to Paducah Tilghman and came in 2nd place behind the host school. They beat Hopkinsville easily and also pulled out a 5 point win against Mayfield. They fell 1 point short in the final, 67-68, as the top team in the 1st region won on their home court. Valley proves the point of the strength of the 6th region as they sit in the 5th spot but pushed the 1st region's top team to the brink playing on their home court. Valley plays at the Apollo Invitational this week. 6. Doss (8-3): This past week, Doss only lost to a strong Lafayette (8-2) team in the Peoples Exchange Bank Holiday final. Their only other season losses were to top ranked teams in their respective regions (Fern Creek/6th & Christian County/2nd), so this team is very good to be sitting in the 6th spot this week. They play in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington this coming week and it would not surprise anyone if they come home as the tournament champion. Doss has very balanced scoring with Stephon Franklin averaging 12, Taye Calloway w/11, and LaQuay Kennerly w/10. 7. Iroquois (7-3): The Raiders switch with Jeffersontown after going 3-0 with a victory over a battle tested Seneca team and then winning both games against Bardstown & Nelson County at the Hoops for Hope Classic. Keelan Kennedy is joining the reputation of the elite players in the region as he averages 24.5 PPG on the season. Iroquois travels to the Lake Cumberland Holiday Hoops Classic this week. 8. Jeffersontown (6-4): The Chargers were 2-2, but both losses were to solid teams. Spencer County is rising in the 8th region as the Chargers were defeated handily, but they came back and almost beat a Warren Central team, 56-57, who sits atop the 4th region standings. They rebounded with two wins over North Bullitt and Fort Walton Beach, FL. They travel to Edmonson County for this week's holiday event. 9. Bullitt East (6-6): Bullitt East worked their way back to a .500 season record. That effort helped switched their rank with Holy Cross by going 3-1 as they traveled down to the 3rd region playing in the Owensboro Invitational tournament where they beat Owensboro Catholic, Monroe County, and Apollo. They only lost to Owensboro HS by a score of 60-68. They head to Panama City Beach this week. 10. Holy Cross (6-4): While playing in Breckinridge County's Holiday event the Cougars were 2-1 with a win over Southern and Grayson County. They lost to the host school, Breckinridge County. Holy Cross travels to Daytona, FL this week to compete. 11. DeSales (4-6): DeSales went 2-1 this past week at Oldham County's event. A key win was over Warren Central 58-51. This is more evidence of the strength of the 6th region when a team not ranked in their top 10 can beat what is arguably the top team in the 4th region in Warren Central. DeSales was however beaten soundly by John Hardin, 59-78. They play at South Laurel this coming week. 12. Moore (2-5): Plays at South Oldham's event this week. 13. Southern (4-4): Lost to Holy Cross this past week, 51-60. They are outside the Top 10 and will need to prove otherwise. They play in Carroll County this week. 14. Bullitt Central (8-3): Bullitt Central went 2-1 without any signature win and plays in Henry County at their holiday event this week. 15. North Bullitt (4-6): Went 1-2 last week and play in Daytona Beach, FL this week. 16. Western (1-10): 0-3 last week. Head to Middletown Holiday Classic hosted at Eastern HS. 17. Whitefield Academy (4-5): Went 2-1 at the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic. 18. Beth Haven (3-6): Went 1-1 last week. 19. Evangel Christian (0-8): Still looking for their 1st win. They play Beth Haven again on January 4th who they played to a 6 point margin in early December.

What helps Fern Creek in a tournament setting like the KOB and the Sweet Sixteen in March is that they can win in many different ways. They do not need a certain type game in order to get the W. The only game they really struggled was the Oregon team and they shot 10% from the 3 point line in that one. They were outscored by 24 as the Oregon team shot over 50% from the 3 point line. In this one the Tigers turned around after playing the last game of the 1st round on Wednesday which might have ended close to 10:30 PM, but turned around playing the first game of the 2nd round at 4:30 the next day. For a team to be able to bounce back indicates a toughness or resiliency needed in multi games in back to back days. They then had to beat the #2 & #1 teams in the state in consecutive games also indicating a trait that come tourney time is valuable. They respect their opponents, but are not in awe of any team which come March is required to win it all. I sense it is just the senior leadership and togetherness the team has that makes them one of the favorites. Trinity, CCH, Cooper, and Ballard all could make cases for being favorites as well. Scott County still remains a favorite also. But Fern Creek made a statement that they deserve the same mention as what Trinity and CCH had been getting leading up to this event after winning the KOB in the fashion they did.

Paradox moment at the KOB........As mentioned above and agreed by all the Ballard Bruins had a smothering, intense, defensive pressure that never let up. The kids played quick and hard leading the event in creating turnovers by a large margin. Yet somehow Fairdale puts up 93 points on the Bruins. I sense Fairdale is a very good team and had something to do with that. I did not see that game so I am not sure exactly how Fairdale scored that many points against that intensity, but Ballard plays a high risk/high reward defense. If a team can minimize turnovers and make Ballard pay, there is reward awaiting. They really do not have a shot blocker who sits at the rim capable of protecting should their pressure get beat. It is not an easy task to beat that pressure, but if you do there could be easy buckets to be had.

I am not sure if in general the basketball community realizes what a gem we have in this event. If you love High School Basketball and what is good about the game, then this event delivers big time. The list can go on and on, but the feeling it delivers to the young men who get to play in this tournament is evident with how hard they play. Great basketball and the individuals at Fairdale, in particular Lloyd, have made this a first class event that the entire state can be proud of. One of my takeaways is that high level basketball was played and the young men who represent their programs have carried the torch well. Basketball in our state is special and all the teams were very solid.

They are two special players that have different games. CJ is a tough kid, lots of grit who is very skilled with a good basketball body. I see him as a very good shooting guard in college and I believe he performs his best when he has other really good players around him. AK has a Jason Williams like flair to him, flashy but still fundamentally sound. He will continue to get better and I see him becoming an elite PG in college. He is simply a killer, his demeanor is a great asset to his game. They both are special, but to say they clearly are the best two in the state diminishes some other outstanding players. Players like Trevon Faulkner, Andrew Taylor, Jay Scrubb, Mickey Pearson, Steven Fitzgerald, and Anthony Wales all have a shot as well as a few others. I believe this year the race for Mr. Basketball is wide open. The 2018 class has so much depth and will produce some great college players in the upcoming years. All of these young men are great kids too, this class is really special in that regard.

LCA is not in the space in my opinion. The OP said at the moment so you have to take that at face value. At the moment LCA is 4-4 with two losses coming from two of the best teams in Trinity & Scott County. However the loss to a not very good Dunbar team and then to Corbin who is not a Top 5 team simply can't be overlooked. Cooper may be in the conversation with Trinity, Scott County, Cov Cath and Fern Creek. At the moment, there is a drop behind those 5 that nobody else has made a case quite yet. That could all change though, I can think of a few like Butler and John Hardin that you can't count out by season end.

No doubt having the HC out of the huddle and directing the team hurt, it had to. But it is sort of like player injuries, it is all part of the game. Fern Creek has Price playing through a very sore ankle that limits his lift and mobility so there is always something that impacts the game with just about every team. I agree a team playing across the country would benefit from having the HC, but it didn't stop them from shooting the lights out. They hit 9 threes and shot 53% which I suspect is not their average shooting night. If so, they need to put up about 30 3's instead of the number they shot.