vbtalk

45 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

Wow.  Dynamite hire, IMO.  As noted above, he's been wildly successful at TMU.  And I think he was on Coach Winstel's staff at some point in the past.

Correct. He was a grad assistant in 2000ish. 

1 hour ago, theguru said:

You nailed it @vbtalk, from Lance McAlister on Facebook:

Wow.... Northern Kentucky University Women's Basketball hires Jeff Hans from Thomas More.

How about his resume with the Saints?

339-42 record (.889)

8 conference regular season titles, 8 conference tournament titles, 11 national tournament berths, 2 NCAA Division III National Championships, 1 NAIA, National Championship, 2 NAIA National Runners-up.

Could not be happier. A really good dude!

This is an absolute home run for NKU. I couldn’t be happier with this hire. Coach Hans is a great basketball coach and leader. But he might be an even better person! Congratulations to all involved!

I don’t know anything about the former coach. But I do know they should have hired Jeff Hans by now. If he’s not on their short list, time to reevaluate who’s doing the hiring. 

31 minutes ago, Sir_Chiefton said:

Also, instead of assuming I’m some disgruntled parent who is throwing a tantrum, maybe check to see if what I am saying is accurate.  Why don’t you ask each and every kid on that team about that man.  

My experience tells me that any time someone says something as generalized and opinionated as “his reputation is seeping down levels”, it’s a disgruntled parent who is throwing a tantrum. Could I be wrong here? Absolutely possible. If I’m proven to be wrong I’ll be the first to admit it. But your hyperbole isn’t helping your credibility. You can certainly speak about your daughter’s feelings with some authority. But you can’t speak for every kid on the team. If every kid on the team has come to you to complain about Kez, and you allowed it to happen, you’re part of the problem. “Culture of fear” is almost always helicopter-parent speak for culture of responsibility and accountability. What are they afraid of, getting benched? GOOD! THAT’S COMPETITION! Kez has trained too many athletes successfully and been too good of a coach for too long for an entire group of kids to just absolutely hate him, as you claim. Could it be that his style isn’t clicking with a group of kids (and more likely - parents) who want to run fast and shoot 3s from the logo like the Iowa player? Maybe. Is he a bad human being who does mean crap to spite children and make them bend to his will? Absolutely not. 

1 hour ago, Sir_Chiefton said:

As a parent of an NDA basketball athlete, it’s a Kez problem.  He has created a culture of fear.  Not only did rosemary leave and Kirtley quit, but we had 3 juniors not return to the team because of him.  Further, we have to pull 8th graders up to Freshman because his reputation is seeping down levels.

Welcome to BGP. Sorry your daughter doesn’t get the playing time or accolades you believe she deserves. 

2 hours ago, UKato91 said:

 We agree on a lot of things, but you keep trying to put words into my mouth.  Player retention is obviously an issue and suspect it could be again next year.   It could be a school culture problem, administrative problem, financial problems, parent problems, mental health problem or some other problem that I'm not able to think of.   But you keep coming back to Kez and act like I'm accusing him of some sort of treachery.  I have not accused him of anything.  I just said it should be looked into.  I would hope you would agree.  And once the problem is identified it is dealt with.    

Fair enough. And I agree, if there’s a problem it should be evaluated. 

8 minutes ago, UKato91 said:

We can all agree on that.

But I write no checks to NDA nor have kids there.  Just an outside observer who knows a lot of basketball families and that basketball program has a glaring flaw with player retention and my points show it. It is an issue that should be looked into.  I never brought Kez's name up but when it was, I addressed it and for that matter complemented him on being better than the prior coach.     Obviously, you like Kez and that's great.  You don't see or don't want to see the things I do and that's okay too.  I have no skin in this game, and it doesn't affect me in the least if he stays or goes nor will it.  Have no worries, I'm not from the "wrong" family so this conversation will fall on deaf ears.   

I think it’s less of a problem than you do, that’s all. I do like Kez, and consider him a friend. But my first post was that he needs to be more flexible and understanding with the volleyball and soccer players if he wants them to be part of the basketball program. Every coach knows there’s a difference between a basketball player who plays volleyball, and a volleyball player who plays basketball. The kid at Conner (Anna Hamilton, maybe?) is a basketball player who plays volleyball. If she wanted to pursue volleyball in college, she could. The best (but not the only) way to do that is by playing club volleyball. Telling that kid she then couldn’t play high school basketball also would be wrong. Making kids choose one sport over another isn’t what’s best for kids. With that, I’ve shown that I don’t think Kez is above being constructively criticized. But saying he’s the cause of a problem that may or not even be a problem, or one within his control, is just unnecessary blame. Also, you don’t have to mention the coach by name when you question the program. Everyone knew exactly to what you were alluding. 

7 minutes ago, The Double Deuce said:

That is for sure.  They bow to the whim of some families on a very consistent basis.  If Coach Kayed learned one thing, don't keep a senior just to be nice but then think you'll get away with not playing her.

Fortunately for the entire NDA community, he’s on his way out. New president, new principal, hopefully a new culture where the admin supports the coaches they hire to run these programs. 

8 minutes ago, UKato91 said:

What is my narrative? I'm not sure what you think that is.   AGAIN, the prior coach was a train wreck.  They do not belong in the same category when comparing the two.   If that's the bar you want to hold Kez to that's an insult to Kez.   Now to address your other statement.   How many kids has Kez cut over the last 6 years?  I'm pretty sure the answer is 0.  It's not a matter of younger kids being better than the older ones and Kez being a great judge in talent.   It's not always that they are leaving for soccer or volleyball as seems to be the standard answer here.   It's not unreasonable to expect to have 3-4 girls stay all 4 years for each class at a school the size and caliber as NDA.  The other sports seem to be able to do that.  Why not basketball?  And for the record I have no kids at NDA.  

Your narrative is glaringly obvious. You’re trying to make Kez out to be either a bad coach or bad person. You’re very obviously implying two things: NDA bball has kids quitting at an alarming rate and that Kez is the reason. It’s well known that the principal there is easily persuaded by the families who make noise and write checks. If Kez was an issue, he wouldn’t be there anymore. 

1 hour ago, The Double Deuce said:

*biting my tongue*

Let it out! It’s unhealthy to keep it bottled up!!! 😂

29 minutes ago, UKato91 said:

Like I said above If you want to put Coach Murphy in the same category as the prior coach and compare the two then go ahead.   In my opinion they are not even close.  That was a train reck.   You're missing my point.  I'm not worried about getting "those" players.   I'm more worried about keeping the players we already have.   You mention they lost 2 seniors one to soccer and one to volleyball.  That's fine and it happens everywhere but what happened to the other 13-16 players year in and year out.   It should not be an unreasonable expectation to keep at least 3-4 players all 4 years. I'm not worried about titles.  Titles will come if you build your team top to bottom.   

 

You can’t just completely dismiss the status of the program when he took over because it doesn’t fit your narrative. The program is improving. He’s not going to keep kids just to be seniors if there are better, younger players in the program. THAT is exactly how you build a program. 

15 hours ago, Legacy26 said:

Yes, I was definitely clunky in my language regarding club volleyball and soccer. I was not intending to imply or state that it was the fault of the clubs in either sport. I was definitely not intending to say that. Just saying that choosing to play highly competitive club sports does create a schedule that can be tough to manage with basketball. That being said, there are absolutely many athletes and high schools that are successful making all of those commitments work. 

Thanks for the clarification! To be clear, I’m completely okay with blaming club soccer for all the world’s problems! Telling kids they aren’t allowed to play on their high school team should be a crime.

For those bashing Coach Murphy: what do you want? The trajectory of the program is way better than it was. As for the seniors this year, one chose soccer, another chose volleyball. The players who will eventually basketball over volleyball or soccer will mostly go to Ryle or Cooper. NDA is elite in volleyball and soccer. Really good in basketball, and way better than they were 7 years ago. Not great in softball. Kids choose NDA for a number of reasons - only all girls school in NKY, legacy, education, etc… if a sport factors into the decision, vball/soccer players will choose NDA, basketball and softball players might not. But Kez has NDA better positioned to get some of those players than they were before him. 

3 hours ago, Legacy26 said:

To be clear it’s not Coach Murphy or the other coaches that create a single sport dynamic, it’s club volleyball and club soccer. Coach Murphy is very clear that he will work with other NDA sports, but it’s nearly impossible to work around the 9-10 month a year club schedules. 

 

 

 

 

 

To be clear, this is not correct. Nearly every NDA volleyball player plays club for an organization run by Julia Hunt’s Mom. Do you think Julia Hunt’s Mom makes it a point to ostracize multi-sport athletes when her daughter is arguably the best multi sport athlete in the state? My understanding is that NDA basketball players are not allowed to play club volleyball past their freshman year. And let’s not pretend like high school basketball had a succinct schedule confined to a few months, as does high school volleyball. NDA’s volleyball coaches and the clubs where their athletes play in the offseason, all promote and encourage multi-sport athletes. 
I can’t speak for club soccer, but I’ve heard they are a nightmare for kids who want to have a life off the soccer field. Club soccer very well may be an issue, but club volleyball is not. It’s fair to say club volleyball has a demanding schedule and kids don’t want to do both, but it happens every year at other schools. It’s up to the high school coaches to be flexible, understanding, and allow these kids to pursue a college scholarship in a sport other than basketball, while being on the high school team. 

3 hours ago, Runcible Owl said:

I haven't looked past next year, which I think is firmly in Notre Dame's hands. Short answer - no.

What do you think @vbtalk?

If any team will close the gap it’ll be Ryle. Cooper isn’t getting the vball players anymore, they’re all going to Ryle now. TT is an excellent coach so that’s not surprising. My dark horse is Beechwood. Matt Long is as good as they get and Beechwood has the potential to get some serious talent. If Highlands gets a few studs, Jim Delong will have the Birds in the mix. But he’s not magic, he can’t do it without the talent.
NDA winning the Region and State in 2024 is about as inevitable as we’ve seen in a long time. St Henry loses almost every stat leader, and NDA is losing no stat leaders. So next year, nobody is challenging NDA. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. Dyas, Portwood, and Larkins will be Seniors in 25 and you have to like their leadership and experience. But I don’t know many of the younger players aside from those three and Kondik.

Wow! I would not have picked this one! Congrats to Logan County!

Anyone have any insight as to why the 8th Region Tournament doesn’t rotate to different schools? I think we have it pretty good here in the 9th because no school is more than 20-25 minutes from another region member. However, Simon Kenton is 90ish minutes (that’s a guess, don’t crucify me if I’m off by a little) each way. They were probably not home until after 11 last night, went to school today, and had to drive another 90 to play for a ‘ship tonight. In the bigger regions, someone has to drive, there’s no way around it. But the schools in the 8 furthest from Eminence have to do it every year. Not taking anything away from OC - those kids can flat out play. Just thinking out loud that home court advantage should rotate. 

25 minutes ago, Runcible Owl said:

🏆 That was a really terrific match tonight; had me perched on the edge of my seat. High, high quality Vball play - everything we've come to expect between these two teams.

Congratulations St. Henry on another great season > ⚔️ ❗

Notre Dame will play the winner of tonight's 10th Region Championship ~ Scott/Campbell Co. in next week's State Tournament - Round 1. 

US #22 KY #2 NDA: 30-5 (R9 15-0) 

KY #6 St. Henry: 31-9 (R9 15-3)

Congrats to the Pandas! St Henry is no joke, folks. Their record is not at all indicative of how good they are. When they were fully healthy and all eligible (can’t roll my eyes hard enough at the fact that she wasn’t eligible from the get go), the Cru was absolutely manhandling some of the top teams in KY and Ohio. I point that out to say, as good as St Henry is, NDA just beat them in 3. This NDA team is as (or probably more) talented and deep as either of their last two State Championship teams. The vball Gods smiled upon us with this State bracket draw. We will very likely have Assumption and NDA in the finals. Assumption won in 3 a couple weeks ago at Assumption. But, NDA has won 4 of the last 6 matches vs the Rockets. In those 6 matches, NDA is 1-2 in matches played in Louisville, and 3-0 against the Rockets anywhere outside of Louisville. Last time I checked, GRC is in Winchester and Winchester ain’t Louisville!!

Oh and one more thing…. As good as the Pandas are this year, just wait till next year. They bring back 11 of 12 and at least the top 3 leaders in EVERY stat category! This team will be top 5 in the country next year and the best we’ve seen in KY since 2018 Assumption! 

This one has the potential to be an all time classic. NDA leads the season series 2-0. However, St Henry wasn’t at full strength in either of those matches. Skidmore looks to be as healthy as she’s been all season. Transfer Corrine Blackburn wasn’t eligible yet for either of those first two matches. St Henry is playing their best volleyball of the season right now. 
NDA is loaded in every rotation. Most teams have at least 1 or more rotations where they can “get stuck”, and can quickly lose 3-4 points and a ton of momentum when that happens. NDA doesn’t have that. They certainly have stronger rotations, but their “bad” rotations are not even close to “bad”.
My prediction is St Henry comes out on fire and NDA needs a set or two to get settled in. This looks like a 5 setter. If that happens will the senior leadership of St Henry be the difference or will NDA prove to be too deep and a bit more battle tested after having played the harder schedule? Only thing I know for sure is this should be a heck of a lot of fun! 

When was the last time they didn’t win their district? They were even more dominant in the 80s and 90s than they are now. Districts were a little tougher back then. I remember the 33rd being a gauntlet in the 90s for basketball. I assume it was the same for vball. NDA doesn’t have district championships listed on their website, so I’m not sure. 

On 10/1/2023 at 1:51 PM, Runcible Owl said:

 

If Round 1 is setup like last year, higher RPI hosts…

I don’t think that’s the case this year. I think the odds are traveling, and the evens are hosting. Region 1 winner will travel to Region 2 winner. 3 goes to 4, and so on. 

Draw is as follows for region winners at semi state round:

1@2

3@4

5@6

7@8

9@10

11@12

13@14

15@16

Dear KHSAA…. Just please let me seed this tournament. I promise it’ll be better if I do it and you’ll make more money! 
However in a nice twist of fate, the 7th (Assumption and Sacred Heart) and 9th (Notre Dame and St Henry) regions are on opposite sides of the bracket for the first time in a while so we could very well have the two best teams playing in the finals. 

Big win for NDA tonight as they win their annual rivalry match - Playing For A Purpose - against St Henry, 3-1. St Henry came out firing with a 28-26 win in the 1st set, and led most of the 2nd set until the Pandas put their foot on the gas. Set 2 was 26-24, NDA. Set 3 was 25-21, NDA. Set 4 got a little out of hand towards the end as NDA closed out the match 25-15.
Still looks to be a 2 team race for State between NDA and Assumption, but don’t tell Sacred Heart or St Henry that. They’ll each get one more shot in their respective Regional Tournaments. 

Mercy is really young and isn’t nearly as good as usual. However, I think NDA is clearly the top team in the state after winning at Sacred Heart, who then beat Assumption less than a week later. NDA and Assumption could cross paths at the LIVT. 
Speaking of LIVT… my seeding prediction is:

1. Mother McAuley (Chicago)

2. NDA

3. Sacred Heart

4. Assumption

40 minutes ago, vbtalk said:

Well, I was wrong in my way too early prediction. Assumption handled St Henry pretty handily last night. Scores were 25-21, 25-19, and 25-11. Assumption is back, folks. Notre Dame looks to be up to the challenge too. I haven’t seen Sacred Heart yet but they should be in the conversation. For now it appears it’s Assumption, Notre Dame, possibly Sacred Heart, then everyone else. 

3rd set was 25-15…. Not 11. 

Well, I was wrong in my way too early prediction. Assumption handled St Henry pretty handily last night. Scores were 25-21, 25-19, and 25-11. Assumption is back, folks. Notre Dame looks to be up to the challenge too. I haven’t seen Sacred Heart yet but they should be in the conversation. For now it appears it’s Assumption, Notre Dame, possibly Sacred Heart, then everyone else.