coachlee

I agree he is a very good HS basketball player in the state. I am not sure he is underrated because he is very well known, and I feel he landed at a perfect spot for his next level of college ball. What he lacks in athleticism, he makes up for in skill & high BB IQ. He also plays with an extreme amount of confidence. In the 12th region I could see him being the 3rd best player, but there is a big gap between the first two spots and the rest.

I agree with Maniac here, HS BB is much more than getting to the next level and the fact is it will play a role in launching to the next level, but more so at the NAIA and D3 level versus D1/D2. D1/D2 needs to see how you perform against the players who also are going to move on to that next level. In reality there are about 20 HS players in KY that get their education paid for at D1/D2 with a basketball scholarship. It is so hard to project if your HS performance is transferable when you never face other D1/D2 players in your HS season. Jake was an exception to the rule and it was his performance at the State tournament when he competed against other D1/D2 players that put him over the top. College Coaches love live periods in April & July because they see kids playing against the same kids competing for the roster spots at the D1/D2 level in the elite tournaments held.

Thanks Pikeville Cat. Considering the multiple errors noticed in other region previews they did a pretty good job with these two except the listing of KCD twice. Hopefully the posters who follow these two regions can make comments. Several opinions from me include: *Justin Powell is ranked way too low in the 7th. He is a Top 3 guy along with his teammates. Trinity is loaded, they have the top 3 players hands down in that region. My #1 pick for the State right now heading into the season. *Ballard is ranked #2 which I feel is right where they belong, but interestingly they have no players in the Top 10 which I tend to also agree. Their system and coaching is what will make these very good players tough to beat. *Waggener is going to surprise some people, might be as good a record as last season despite losing two D-1 players. *DeSales big man in 6th, Ethan Driscoll, should be in top 10 but not sure who to move out as they are all deserving ahead of him. *Fern Creek deserves the #1 spot based on what they accomplished. Wales is a two time All-6th Region 1st team and Price was 1st team last year. Both have started their entire careers. We will learn quickly if that is the case as FC will be tested right out of the gate with PRP and Ballard on the road as their opening games. *Valley lost several top players so it will be an interesting team to watch to see if they can repeat the success from last season. I would swap Lewis and Wilson in the rankings, Lewis does it all.

Appreciate it if you can.

This is beginning to sound like the standing joke at U of L about "is Earl Clark on campus" because I heard via a HS coach here in Louisville that both were indeed at Doss. The road to Rupp would be much easier in the 2nd than the 6th region, but previous posts made it sound unclear if they were able to play at Henderson. As odd as it sounds, maybe they are getting a second chance to turn things around at Doss. You have to commend their families that they would uproot from everything and move to Louisville to allow their sons this second chance that might not have been available back in Henderson County. Few families would do that, so kudos to the the parents for putting their kids first if indeed they have moved to Louisville.

There is not anybody on this list that you can pick to move off and move someone else on, they all are very likely going to play D1 basketball. A couple that are right there with them are Isaiah Cozart out of Madison Central. Hard to project where he will end up, but this young post player already has defensive skills that will land him somewhere in D1. If he continues to grow, look out. Another in the same 2019 class that is an equally solid young big is Delonte Miles out of Walton-Verona. He is another whose offensive game will catch up to his defensive skills that are already really good. As far as pass first point guards, few have matched the ability to lead teams to victories as Anthony Wales out of Fern Creek. He has been a starter there since freshman year and has been 1st team All 6th Region in both of the last 2 seasons. In his junior season for both Fern Creek (35-3) & Louisville Magic (8-0) he is a proven winner at the lead guard spot. A broken foot kept him out for the summer session for the Magic and his absence was felt. He has been committed to D1 Samford since before his junior season.

Here is the thing about stats that you have to put in perspective. There are kids that score 25 points per game that end up perhaps at D3 schools and there are kids who average 12 PPG who end up at a D1 school. If you play on a team that has several players that spread scoring around versus another player who lacks any other real scoring threats that kid is counted on to score more. But that does not make him the better player. As far as pure talent goes, the most obvious factor to me is what serious offers or where a kid signs to go play at the next level. College coaches recruit the best kids and usually the higher in the food chain you end up at the next level is pretty indicative of your talent. Those coaches are paid to evaluate and lose their hefty salaries when they miss on their evaluations. The exception is that if you are naming the best high school player which some kids talent playing in the state of KY allows them to be a very exceptional HS player that will not translate at the next level. So it depends on what you mean by best players. I tend to look at where they are going to play at the next level as the most clear objective factor.

Getting out of the 7th is not easy. When you come out of the 6th or 7th it is a battle and then you need to hit the reset button should you be fortunate enough to win it. Sometimes it is hard to get rolling again and if the draw is not kind to you there are always going to be some very strong teams that will be in your way. Trinity is going to be very tough the next two years.....very tough.

Yes, I would agree the knock at times in situation likes this is not always as it might seem. The fact they required Jay to sit an entire season to focus and improve his academics speaks volumes. For all I know perhaps he was not eligible due to GPA or whatever anyways, but I had heard it was a Trinity decision and not KHSAA call to have him sit. I wish him the best his senior season. If he can come out on top and finish with NCAA eligibility it is a great comeback story. The young man has immense D1 talent at the next level, he could be special.

This ought to get interesting.... Former Assistant Coach at Henderson gets job at Louisville Doss and two players from Henderson follow him to Doss? That could raise some eyebrows.

Way out of the loop and your off with your history. Jay was at Central his freshman season 3 years ago and did not play much if any. He transferred to Trinity his sophomore season and sat out to focus on his grades. Last season as a junior he played his first season of varsity basketball at Trinity. This is his senior season and 3rd in a row attending Trinity. He may have had some work to do this summer to keep the academics going in the right direction, but in my view there is not any story to be told if you know the history.

Indeed Trevon is as wonderful off the court/field as he is on. NKU os a great fit for him to continue his BB career. As his football coach, what level of college football do you believe he could have played had he decided on that sport?

Kunkel is on the list, but agree the Big Guy has vastly improved to where he should be high on the list. Not many 7 footers in the state and proof is the college program waiting for him after his HS ends. That is a big time program that doesn't chase anything but the best our state has to offer.

They will be a leading contender should Trinity slip up, but on paper they done't have enough to overtake them. Trinity is really good this year and clearly the 7th favorite if not the favorite in the state. I do feel St. X is very near the top of the rest.

Sounds like Hopkinsville really misses Jaylen Johnson. Had to be a big loss to not have him behind center.

Scrubb is there and they will be a Top 3 team if not the top all season. They are very good. Only thing they lack is a true post player, but not many teams possess that in the state beyond WV, Madison Central, and of course Cov Cath.

Yes, that miss was a bad one if you follow the 6th & 7th region which are two of the best regions in the state. If you list 15-20 schools and only 2 are from those regions you are under estimating the strength of Louisville area schools. Fern Creek was 35-3 last season and return about 75% of their scoring. They beat Ballard 4 times who lost their top 2 players and 50% of their scoring. I think Paducah will be a Top 15 team and PRP would beat many of those teams listed head to head. I don't think Bowling Green, Taylor County, Owensboro Catholic, or Barren County would be Top 5 in the 6th or 7th. BG lost a lot, but they might surprise me given the coaching.

Still in Hoptown or Louisville? What exactly does shopping his skills mean? Sort of odd unless I am missing something.

2 Kentucky players in back to back seasons is great to see. 2017 JR Mathis from KY Country Day is in his Plebe summer right now and will see action this coming season. I suspect Zach will spend a season at the Navy Prep School which is what a vast majority of Navy recruits do prior to officially entering the Academy in Annapolis. Very happy for the big guy, he deserves it and will fit in well.

I agree Wireman, but in this case Bexar County Judge Antonia Arteaga granted Auriantal and his wife, Nathalie Romao, conservatorship of Bassey, essentially giving them parental rights, on March 31. My guess is that as long as that court ruling is in effect then Coach Arteaga is pushing things. Adidas gave Arteaga's foundation Yes II Success a sponsored team to move this young man from NIKE so you can see Arteaga has a major say in what happens with Bassey.

I don't know much about the details or anything specific to this young players situation, but I do know this.....what the player says is not material. He has very little say in where he goes. As an overseas player who is now essentially adopted by the coach who was fired from this high school you can pretty much conclude that where he goes is being decided by someone other than his real parents over in Africa. The likelihood is that he is being shopped and despite what the young player says, he will end up where his legal guardian determines. It would be unusual for that person to leave him at the school that he was fired from. It is unfortunate, but these kids are pawns played in a game that adults tend to profit from.

Every situation is different and several of those mentioned went prep before their junior season. On the outside looking in exposure can't hurt. Heading into your senior season without serious options requires one to consider trying something different, especially when you have the talent but need to garner some additional interest. You probably are not going to gain any new school interest unless you have a really spectacular senior season i.e. Jake Ohmer. For seniors your time begins to run short for gaining new schools as those who see you typically have already evaluated you and are seeking your commitment if they continue to come watch you. Aspire will draw coaches who don't have Jalen on the radar, and all it takes is a couple of strong games against good competition for an offer to surface from one of these schools that would not likely even see Jalen @ Hoptown. I feel it's his family's call to determine if it is worth the investment to play at a prep school like Aspire in order to gain exposure and likely accelerate his growth as a basketball player. When is the last time a player from the Hoptown program signed and spent 4 years at a Div 1 school. Maybe they believed the odds for him were better going this route and any cost could be well worth it given a scholarship over 4 years could be valued well over $100,000 when it is all said and done.

Good article that highlights the talent that Aspire intends to acquire. Kentucky school president says Bassey expected to enroll - San Antonio Express-News

I don't think anyone can be upset towards Jalen or his family for doing what they believe is best for his basketball future. He is a senior to be and despite being a very solid D1 basketball prospect perhaps he wants to insure he gains more exposure than what he would have at Hoptown. It seems he had already decided he wanted to forego football in college and focus on basketball. If his options or offers to this point in basketball were not putting him in a position to reach his dreams, changing the course is absolutely something people must respect as his decision. Good luck Jaylen and pretty sure he can benefit from a change to his approach by attending Aspire.

I saw a play in Spartanburg in early July that convinced me Jake really has changed his game in a positive way. He slipped a high back pick coming back to the right side of the basket and jumped up to catch a lob from the top of the key throwing it down without hesitation. He just caught it one handed while in the air and slammed it. That was impressive and showed me he is continuing to do things on the court that he previously was not doing. Growth in many ways for the big guy.