Mojocat

That’s interesting. I think by now, out of habit if nothing less, most folks would say North had the best player on the court.

This at North - I'll be surprised if it's close to be honest. My suspicion is Higdon + Anderson will manage to get Amburgey in foul trouble, and if that happens I don't know that OC has a plan B on the inside. Max will get his points, but not sure who else will score much, unless Abram manages to get off more shots than he's been getting. Was just looking at the South/OC box score, and it's one of those head scratchers you see sometimes - meaning, not sure how it was that close. South was outrebounded 34-17, and OC shot 22 free throws to 4. Seems like a recipe for a sound defeat. The power of the 3, I suppose, is the answer.......

I don't think North Oldham is really 34 points better than Lyon County, that margin was flukey. But still, it happened.....

Pretty good effort. First thing that jumps out is North Oldham beat Lyon County by 34, and yet.....

ColonelMike, you heard anything about Jack Scales’ injury? If his shoulder is even close to what I heard, I can’t see how he’d play the rest of the season…..

I didn’t get to see Seneca in the South Oldham Christmas tournament, but someone told me the kid from Seneca was a load…..

Surprisingly close score.

Yeah, I think it might be just that simple. They were up 26 in the 4th tonight. Last night, to be blunt, was bad. South was 5 for 31 on threes against Anderson County, and hit 45% of threes tonight.

Let me guess: your opinion is the one that is “real truth”? I’m not sure how good, or bad, South Oldham will be. It’s early. Is “horrific” 50+ points better than “absolutely awful”? Looking at their scores - losing to Eastern and Christian Academy each by 4 (I think), beating Beechwood by 20+ - doesn’t necessarily reflect ‘horrific.’ It sounds to me like you just don’t like the coach, and it’s impacting how you see this team.

Fairly shocking score. I’ve seen Lyon County a handful of times the last year or so, and they are always energized, play hard, are connected on both offense and defense. They were none of those things tonight. North Oldham looked great, and you have to give them some credit for LC’s poor play. But Lyon County was flat from the tip. Then, the team, coaching staff and crowd got so upset with the officiating that it soon seemed like a distraction for them.

I thought the length and athleticism of GC would be a problem for WC, but almost immediately it was clear that Warren Central was tougher, more physical and frankly better coached. At least today. The Unseld kid, a good 6-7 inches shorter than Moreno, put his foot in the ground and claimed the block, and usually several feet out from it. And Moreno couldn’t move him, at least not often. So the offense couldn’t work through the post, and quickly devolved into settling for perimeter jumpers. Warren Central was just tougher, especially on the defensive end, and I got the impression, or idea at least, that Great Crossing probably overwhelms most teams with length, and when that didn’t happen…..they really had no plan B. Fairly early they looked resigned.

I’ve watched the kid since the 6th grade. It’s a good story. He has gotten better every year, and is - obviously- a wonderful high school player. Smart, tough, great shot. I am skeptical that his abilities will translate to the high D1 level. First of all, I very much doubt his listed height of 6’2. And, mostly, he is not athletic - which means he’s I) going to have a hard time getting shots and ii) going to have a hard time defending his position. I don’t mean he’s unathletic, I mean he’s not high D1 athletic. Perhaps brains, moxie and skill can overcome his physical limitations. Hope so.

Could be. I said for years - and this is when he was going to Final Fours frequently - that the guy who followed Cal was going to have a rough first couple of years. Most of the roster leaves his final year, as it did about every year, and the new guy, whomever it was, wouldn’t fill the empty spots with 5 stars, like Cal did annually. Result: an awful next season. Maybe he’s figuring out a sort of bridge, a new approach that won’t result in falling off a cliff that way. As for Perry, I’ve watched him since the 6th grade. Really skilled, really smart. Might be 6’0, tops. And not much athleticism at all. He’s basically Richie Farmer. Unless Cal is really changing everything, hard to see him playing much at Kentucky.

I've yet to see anyone explain what this means: specify that no provisions are intended to override current rules and regulations adopted by the Kentucky High School Athletics Association, including transfers.

A successful coach who tends to wear out his welcome quickly. Was at Oldham County four seasons, made two trips to Rupp, and made it to the final 4 one of those years. Moved to Montgomery County for a season, where he went 29-3, and was fired. He coached the Shelby County girls team for 3 seasons (his daughter played there, I believe), then resurfaced at South Warren the last 2 seasons (?), and is moving on again. His preference seems to be a slow paced, defensive oriented game. A winning score of 45-42 kind of thing.

Greg McQueary - a 5th Region name of my vintage. Hadn’t heard it in a while….

Just a guess, but if the KHSAA passes the free transfer rule, I’d say we’ll see quite a few coaches hang it up. Especially some of the older school guys.

How did Roger Harden, of Valparaiso, Indiana, end up in the 8th region of all places. Interesting.

I had heard Willis was one of 3 finalists. So, not a surprise that he’d get the job. I still think promoting from within makes sense when the assistant was part of a wildly successful regime. For one perceived to be underachieving, it makes less sense.

I hear Ashland's coach is in the running for the Ballard job.

I’m still hearing rumblings about Gaither for this one. Usual caveat applies, believe half of what you see and none of what you hear…..

Goodness, that’s a thorough review! Thanks Mike, interesting stuff. Also, it occurs to me, taking your analysis at face value, we’re left with what is often the case in many different aspects of life: often, you can’t trust your eyes and instincts! Would be really interesting to see that kind of in depth review of all the regions….

So you see it like this, if I follow: Tier 1: 7, 9, 11 Tier 2: 6, 4 Tier 3: 2, 5, 10 Tier 4: 1, 3, 12, 8 Tier 5: 13, 14, 15, 16 i can’t quibble too much. The 5th is where I grew up, and honestly I don’t think of it as being much better than the 8th. Our team was pretty mediocre this year, and played the 2nd or 3rd best team in the 6th to the wire, as far as that goes. My bias and selective thinking is no doubt at play - when I think of the 8th Region, I’m thinking of the Oldham schools, Collins, Woodford, and obviously if you’re assessing a region you need to include all 18 schools.

So how do you rank them? I’ve not seen enough of the various regions to make an educated guess…..

It’s an interesting question. I tend to think of the 16 regions in two groups, you might call them the haves and have nots. Really, it’s tied to proximity to the metro areas, Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati. So my presumption is the 6th, 7th, 9th and 11th are the strongest. Beyond that, I’m not sure why there’d be much difference between the rest.