Region2 Hype Man

Setting up a Caldwell UHA semi-final. This will be a high scoring affair in Madisonville.

Tim Haworth ended up in a better spot by being pushed out at Hoptown. What seemed to be a bad thing a year ago turned into him being in a great situation.

First back to back district tournament titles since 1994-95 for the Blazers. Now they look for back to back region titles for the first time since 2004-2005.

That was a game between 2 great coaches and 2 great teams. Been awhile since neither of these teams were considered a "favorite" in the district/region, but you couldn't tell by the level of play on the court last night. I never leave a gym disappointed when I see these 2 teams play. Always stinks that 1 of the 3 city teams has to stay home and not get a chance to play at Region, but that's just how it goes. It came down to who hit their shot last, and CC got it done. Never doubt a Kerry Stovall coached team in the tournament. They played a brutal schedule and are led by 3 good seniors and do not doubt that they could make a run at the R2 tourney. Larry Miller deserves credit too. Took over a team in turmoil after last season, but still put out a solid product. They did not have the usual "run-N-gun" talent of the past, but he adjusted and made them a very good defensive team.

Yes it was and I don't think there's a close second. At least from a UHA perspective. Maybe the highest scoring I've seen in that gym. Caldwell matches up well with UHA. I think other R2 teams with size can stop Caldwell, but they can put up the points to beat UHA. A classic trap game as the Blazers swept their district opponents a week ago and locked up the 1 seed and are looking ahead to their district title and region draw a week and a half away. Caldwell on the other hand, wanted this game bad. UHA did their best job of holding off the Tigers. I know that Caldwell will be a region tournament contender forsure that can play with anyone. Maybe won't win, but have a chance to pull an upset.

The Blazers just play like winners this year. They make the plays they need to make at the right time. They just have the look of a team that can make a run. It all feeds off those 3 senior leaders. They set the tone and the rest of the guys follow. Will be hard to find a better trio or skill and character to ever match Tandy, Hollowell, and McGowan. Madisonville basically knows what they are prepping for and that's the one game/goal in mind. They want revenge on the Blazers. They want that region title. That is the matchup everyone wants to see. Hoptown showed that they have what it takes to compete, but maybe not enough to finish off the top 2 teams. I had a heck of a time watching that game Saturday. Larry Miller is as impressive of a coach as there is in Western Kentucky. Kerry Stovall is a tournament coach. This may have been his best coaching job he's had to do at CCHS. These kids have rounded into form and are ready to go with the tournament on the horizon. Hoptown/County haven't had a first round district matchup since 2009 and that game went to overtime. Hard to think of a better opening round district game in the state. Caldwell has circled this week on their calendar. They want UHA. There has been some trash talking on social media from fans towards the Blazers from Caldwell fans. That may be motivation the Blazers need to play at their highest gear this week.

I can't figure Hoptown out. They play really good stretches, but then they can just get down and play down for a bit. Not having a true point guard will probably hurt them in the tournament. It looks like Sharp has developed some confidence and a better overall game to go with his size, that could be a game changer down the stretch as he improves. Christian County is following the traditional Kerry Stovall formula of starting to peak late in the season. These kids make up for a lack of star/scoring power with pure heart. That full-court press will always cause problems.

I'm proud of my Alma-mater for their great showing this weekend! I'd argue Hollowell made his case for tournament MVP yesterday. He held Rode in check and closed off their paint. He also provided points at key times. They won in a tournament where Kyky Tandy did not play out of his mind. Role players stepped up. As for the Sweet 16? We still have to get past Madisonville first. They are TOUGH. Then it will depend on our draw. With Tandy, I like our chances in any 1 game scenario. We still have some depth issues along with our lack of size. We did not sub 1 time yesterday because KJ Crump is still injured. Can we make a run at Rupp, no doubt. Now I really want to see where we stack up with the Scott County's of the world. Hopefully Scott and Trinity(Region 7) are on the other side of the bracket together.

Snow really killed a lot of travel and it being a new thing, not as much hype for it just yet. Had Dontaie Allen been healthy and got Pendleton to the tournament, it would have been a big time event. (I think they were eligible correct?)

I don't see any growing support for the games to move. Though we crown 1 state champion, district and region tournaments all over the state have bigger meanings. I think the schools would hate losing their district games. The district tournament in the 2nd region is always a big money maker for the schools involved. UHA vs. Hopkinsville vs. Christian County in a district game just has more feel to it then those teams playing Lyon (UHA), Madisonville (Hoptown), and Owensboro (Christian Co.) Not to mention the travel expenses that would go up for all the travel.

This week was all about proving that it is not a UHA invitational tournament. UHA showed why they are the top team, but they aren't running away with it at all. Madisonville showed they are as good as UHA and that it's a tossup if they play in the regional finals. They aren't going away folks. Hoptown went wire to wire with UHA, just did not hit their shots down the stretch. This team is probably the best coached in the region and I would not doubt them getting better every game they play. Caldwell County has entered the ring as a legitimate tough out for any team that plays them on any given day. Christian County is finding an identity and Kerry Stovall will have them playing their best basketball come February. They still have a long way to go to be considered a contender, but they are showing signs of life. Can Henderson, Lyon, or Webster take the next step?

The clutch play is great, but you always like to judge a team by how good they can play without their top player. Kyky can carry us all year and he will have to, but if he has 1 bad game in region against HHS or Madville and I will be worried. I still say we win the region title, because we have the best player and that's usually how it goes in this region. But you can also call these 2 games poor efforts and we still won, but if these efforts keep happening it's a trend and not just a bad game. What will get us better long term are the high level teams we will play over the next month on top of good tournament experience at the All-A. Hoptown and Madville have more room for growth over the next 2-3 months than we do at this time. We aren't gonna get any taller. What would be crazy is if we won the district title, but ended up having to play Madisonville in the semi-finals and then Hoptown the next game. But unless you can find a way so somehow defend Tandy and contain him to around 30 points, no one has a chance. What's crazy is that Brody and Mathis at CCHS probably have the best defensive backcourt that could cause UHA problems, but they lack scoring and overall depth to even be close to them.

As we did Tuesday, we won a game we should not have won. Unlike the Hoptown game, I really feel like Madisonville was the better team. But I'll take the win. We still have that winning DNA and it showed with this region tournament like 2 games in 3 days. We got verrrry lucky, because I'll be the first Blazer in that gym to admit that we should not have been shooting free throws at the end. But we did and we won. My assessment this week is that UHA is still the Region 2 favorites, but it's no longer a lock. We have a once in a lifetime player carrying us, and that can work in Region 2 and hopefully the All-A tournament. But, Tandy and McGowan alone can't do this all season without help and expect to compete at Rupp Arena. We came on strong late last season. The tough schedule will get our guys better prepared late on.

This is a regional tournament type game Both teams coming off a tough game against a rival with only one day of rest in between. It's all about who can get up for the game. Blazers with the home court advantage 82-69

Beyond the dunk, UHA showed why we are the defending and favorites for the Region 2 title. UHA did everything they could to lose, and still won it in the final minutes. That's what champions do, they find ways to win games they shouldn't. Very impressive. The Blazers have no depth whatsoever nor inside play. McGowan and Tandy have to be the best scoring duo in the state. Hopkinsville looks like a contender in the region. This was the first I've seen them since their loss at PT 2 weeks ago and I was impressed with the work Coach Miller has done with those boys. As the 7 footer Sharp gets better, the team gets better. Nicholas is still getting a handle on being the guy, wish he was at UHA this year. I don't think this changes my assertion that UHA will run through the region, but I do believe if Hoptown can find some consistent scoring then they are very dangerous. Big game against the Maroons at Blazer gym on Thursday.

UHA just has the mentality of winners now. Last year they were trying to break through after years of losing. Once they vanquished Ware/Stovall/Haworth in the postseason, those kids finally believed they can beat anyone. Hoptown has strong post play and depth, but nothing in the back-court. County has pesky skilled-guards, but not a lot of depth or post players. If Hoptown can find a point guard they can be a really tough out in the post-season. Webster is always an interesting team. Well coached and Newton always has to do "more with less" per say. With R2 being down this year, I could see them being one of the better teams behind UHA and Madisonville.

It's been so fun in Blazer gym thus far. This group is special forsure. 4-year starters and D-1 Athletes. They lack height, but basketball today is more about skill and 3-point shooting and my Blazers have that no doubt. Depth may hurt them when it comes to playing the other top teams in the state, but they won't have to worry about that until the Sweet 16.

Coach Thomas has certainly built them into a consistent program regardless of who is on the team. You can tell they not only are being taught the right way, but their effort has been solid every time I watched them play. I went down there Tuesday, and it looks like Hoptown has a long way to go during this rebuilding year. Now PT is a better team, but Hoptown really looked lost against the Tornado's defense.

Madisonville now is in their 2-year window to break the streak of 8th district teams going to state. They have the talent to do it and if they improve they can contend with UHA. A big thing to watch will be UHA trying to win their first All-A State Championship since 2008. When I was in school, we dominated and were a threat to win that tournament every year.

The first question for these guys is what will they do without a 5 time Region 2 Championship winning coach? Easy, they replace him with Larry Miller. Larry is a great coach and is a strong disciplinarian. Miller along with Carwhile bring a lot of experience and strong teaching/game-planning to the bench. I think the coaching will be just fine. They did lose Johnson and Cager, probably the best backcourt in school history. But, those guys did not play a lot last year. This Hoptown team had to have a lot of guys play big minutes last year due to injuries, so it is a very experienced bunch with a lot of good players. They have a lot of depth and size. Their front court is probably the best in the region, but their backcourt is largely unproven. I would put them 3rd in the Region behind UHA and Madisonville, and as of now I would say they are a distant 3rd with a lot of room for growth. It comes down to the growth of 7-foot tall Division 1 prospect Jamarion Sharpe's post skills. Last year, he had grown 5-6 inches to get to be a 6'11-7'0 player. He looked raw and very inexperienced at times, due to the lack of playtime and being thrown into varsity ball. He got better every time he touched the floor and has been working tirelessly this offseason to get better, while also playing against really good competition. A player of his height is an advantage that you can't really do anything about in high school, if he can rim protect and finish in the paint, good luck finding anyone who can guard him in this part of the state. James Nicholas is also a player to watch. Has division 1 interest and a lot of Division 2 offers. A 6'4-6'6ish range wing who can shoot 3's consistently. Battled the injury bug last year while having to play behind Cager and Johnson the last 3 seasons. I think this will be HIS team and he will be THE GUY for them scoring the ball. They also need to find out who is going to be their lead guard. Alijah Watts came on as a freshman and put up 20 points a few times and looks to have a solid 3-point jumper. Don Victor is also a very nice scoring option. Forwards J Burks and Tefrell Toliver have shown at times that they can be solid options, but not consistently.

Find a true scoring option. Last year they had a guy who could put up 40 points at will, but when he was shut down he didn't have much help(Ware). They also lose 3-4 other seniors from the lineup and rotation. Losing that kind of experience and talent is hard to replace. Fred Tandy seems to be the guy who can shoulder the scoring load. Mathis and Brody are a very disruptive force on defense.

Always good to see kids achieve their dreams at the next level. Some may not make it as far as others, but its always rewarding to see their hard work get noticed. Kyky is even more special because I've seen him grow as a player and a person. He's a really good kid with a work ethic like nothing you see out of kids these days. Very humble too. Good day for my Alma mater, Go Blazers!

They will be ready and fight hard the rest of the way. The problem is that they do not have another QB on the roster. They will really be running the ball every play with not threat to go vertical. They also have to install a new offense after almost 2 years of implementing their current system. Not only installing a new one, doing it midseason. They will have games against Calloway, Hop Central, and Greenwood. So they should be able to get some good practice running their scheme against some opponents they should have no trouble beating.

Yeah but that's hard to say what was going to happen. Hoptown was driving into CCHS territory when Bland went down and then basically played the rest of the game without a QB. Hard to say what was going to happen either way. CCHS just melted clock and stacked the box and the 2nd half was very bad. Hoptown has talent, but without a QB and an offensive system I do not see them winning more than 2 maybe 3 games at best the rest of the way (PT, Madisonville, and Logan will all be losses and then they have Hop Central, Calloway, and Greenwood as possible wins) Im looking forward to seeing CCHS matchup with Owensboro and Graves at home down the stretch. Should be some very good football at the stadium. Hopefully CCHS can get the #1 seed and get us some more playoff football down here. Always fun seeing how Coach Love gets his teams ready for the playoffs down the stretch. He hasn't gotten past the 2nd round in the last 7 years, maybe this year he can take an unexpected team past that hurdle that's alluded him since the Anthony Hickey team.

I asked and I believe that he isn't an option at the moment. I was told he is being converted into a QB for Freshman ball and was not a QB until this summer.