Shotwhisperer75

I have had the opportunity to watch Harney over the years and he is a smart player, athletic, experienced, and hustles his tail off on every play. He can get to the lane easy but will need to improve his finishing abilities and will over the next 3 years. He can hit the pull up 15 footer effectively but is not the shooter McGillis is but can hit the 3 if he's left open. He loves the drive and kick and his ability to get to the lane and kick to shooters will be huge this year with McGillis and Hussey on the wings. Lastly, because he is strong and athletic he can play strong full court defense and disrupt the best players on other teams. McGillis and Harney will be the best guard duo in the state beginning this year, and for the next three years. As for the starters, I'm not sure Bradshaw is a lock for starter. 7th or 8th man at best. When he starts to focus on playing defense and rebounding first and figures that's how he stays on the floor, he will be on the right track. I would say Stewart, Ruthsatz, or Noah Johnson has a better chance to start due to their ability to play defense, hustle, and rebound. The no. 5 starter will likely change a few times over the first quarter of the season is my guess. Early season prediction, Cov Cath will win the region and will compete for state this year hands down.

Great response! Makes sense to me!

Naah..just wanted to see if y'all were going to give a top 3 with some logical basis for why. It was apparent that isn't the case. That's OK, I like the scientific method of selection, view stats, head to head, competition, similar to the NBA Player Efficiency Rating (PER). If that were the case, the advertisement for "my guy" would be pretty compelling. There will be a head to head with Ipsaro vs. Sheppard in a couple weeks. We can all come back and do it again after that game. ??

It's over but this is likely representative example of what will happen with the acyual media and coaches voting. You hope it will be more organized. They will vote with their heart, which is fine, using some non-transparent or undocumented criteria to make their selection, ultimately ignoring facts and quantatative statistics. Either way it is for the kids but sports are competitive and so are debates. So it's all good! Good luck to all.

I definitely agree. Reed had a great AAU career but also had top 4 and 5 star players on his team with arguably the best HS coach in Ohio. I think AAU should not be considered. If you look at the matchups Ipsaro has and ho w well he responds against the top teams in the state and in nationally as Cov Cath plays the top teams nationly in Florida every year, Ipsaro hands down. Sheppard is deserving of it and is Kentucky's Favorite Son, but Evan Ipsaro should be Kentucky's Mr. Basketball. ??

The list was in the PrepHoops article that I was referring to. If there are others not on the list add to it.

So I was having a conversation last night with a die hard long time KY HS Basketball fan from Central Kentucky. We started chatting about finalists for 2023 Mr. Basketballl. He is a Sheppard fan like the rest of KY and I was telling him how Cov Cath held him to 1 point outside of a 3 pointer with under a minute left last week and that Ipsaro outshined him in a major way. I proceeded to tell him that Evan Ipsaro is the best player in the state on one of the top teams in the state. After giving him about a 100 examples of why Ipsaro is the best in the State, including getting robbed the MVP of the King of the Bluegrass in 2022, he rebutted with Jacob Meyer and that Reed Sheppard was the only McDonald All American from KY. Crazy enough I came across an article that basically said the same thing (maybe he was quoting the article). Either way, of all the candidates who are the top 3 candidates in everyone's opinion and why? And second, the fact that Reed is a McDonald's All American, mostly due to his performance on a national stage in AAU, is he the best Senior in KY this year? And should it be a foregone conclusion that Reed Sheppard will be 2023 Kentucky Mr Basketball? Is it fair? In my opinion Evan Ipsaro is the top player in the state and is most deserving of it hands down. Thoughts? Here are other considerations from each Region : • First Region • Jack McCune , McCracken County • Second Region: • Gerard Thomas , Henderson County – • Third Region • Brian Griffith , Owensboro Catholic • Fourth Region: • Chappelle Whitney , Warren Central • Fifth Region: • Casey Steadmon , Bethlehem • Sixth Region: • Keith Robinson , PRP • Seventh Region: • Gabe Sisk , Ballard • Eighth Region: • Teagan Moore , Owen County • Ninth Region: • Evan Ipsaro, Covington Catholic • Tenth Region: • Jerone Morton , GRC • Eleventh Region: • Reece Potter , Lexington Catholic – • Twelfth Region: • Cayden Lancaster , Pulaski County • Thirteenth Region: • Reed Sheppard , North Laurel – • Fourteenth Region: • Christian Collins , Breathitt County • Fifteenth Region: • Rylee Samons , Pikeville • Sixteenth Region: • Zack Otis , Bath County

It was apparent that Conner did their homework and watched tape on Cov Cath. Congrats to them and good work on a good win. Their defense was on point and they focused on the key areas that would beat of Cov Cath, which are: Slowing down Ipsaro because you aren't going to stop him. Move the ball quickly to expose Cov Caths often times unorganized Zone matchup defense. Hit shots. Conner did this. Assume that in game adjustments defensively by Cov Cath are few and far between. Ruthsatz sticks with his plan and doesn't really deviate or adjust well always. Make others score aside from Ipsaro Focus on the interior if you have a height advantage. Conner did this well. Hope Cov Cath is missing. This happened. The 9th region is competitive and super fun to watch this year. Although, I do believe Cov Cath will be the victor emerging from the region pretty easy. Why? Experience, the best coaching, and player buy in and believing what it takes to win. Not making excuses but the foul discrepancy was major and it was lopsided against the Colonels. I would much rather lose now versus later in the season. Losses expose weaknesses, which creates an opportunity for Cov Cath to improve. Count on this happening. Great game to Conner.

Cov Cath 32 Olympia 39 Halftime

CovCath will win this win by 10+ if Mr. Everything for CCH get's his open shooters the ball instead of taking contested shots. If not I agree with both assessments that CCH loses a close one. With that said, Ipsaro shoots a very high FG% and hits contested shots at a high rate but let's remember that he doesn't have the luxury of those offensive rebounders that he had last year, to get any 2nd shot opportunities for him and other teammates. The biggest challenge for CCH this year will be exactly that, Ipsaro's ability to get his team involved proactively versus passing when he is in trouble or not hitting his shooters early on the wing. If Ruthsatz can manage this over the course of the year CCH will have a very successful season. With Hussey and the McGillis boys who can all shoot at a high rate and were 9 for 13 collectively last game and 6 for 9 from the 3 versus Simon Kenton, getting them the ball will be the key to success. I heard Ipsaro started out super hot versus Simon Kenton but missed his last 7 or 8 shots when he had other players open. That may be the achilles heal for them. He ended up going 8 for 17, which is almost 50% and pretty good, before being taken out with the rest of the starters in the 3rd because of the blow out. The other concern is Aiden Jones ability to stay out of foul trouble. Given his brute strength, Cov Cath needs him in the game as he makes it very difficult for centers to move him on the block. This game will be a test for CCH early which is a good thing.

Strong list. It appears your list is influenced by some hype. I have watched several of the boys on this list play for the last 6 years and there are a few that you have missed, but I like to see how the cards fall this year and see who will be making some noise. Jayden Johnson is definitely a special talent and the top player on this list, and Cole Edelen is the best lights out scorer on the list. You are missing arguably the best point guard in the state who attends school in Northern Kentucky, and is a transfer from Cincinnati, in Athens McGillis. There are some others on this list such as Cash Harney and Donovan Bradshaw who are both Freshman studs and will be making noise. Several of the boys on your list had the luxury of having some top national players on their AAU team to provide some shade for them, but when it gets back to high school that cover won't be there and we will see what players from this group rises to the top. This is definitely a strong list and looking forward to watching several of these boys this year!

I concur with Kascyl having the name of the year. His brother Athens McGillis who is a Freshman for Cov Cath and should be a major contributor for them this year, might be the name of the year runner up.

I totally agree. Regardless of supporting cast, level of play by an individual player or abilities of an individual player from a losing team, the losing team should not get the MVP award. The MVP award should alwasy be awarded to a player from the winning team!! ALWAYS! This is a team sport, and regardless of how strong a supporting cast is or isn't, the MVP should go to the winning team. For those that disagree, basically you are saying that in the NBA if the GS Warriors win the championship versus the Bucks, but Giannis outplays Steph. Giannis should get the MVP? Yeah, not gonna happen.

After watching 5 straight days of great basketball and the top players in the state at the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic basketball tournament in Fairdale, KY, I was greatly disappointed in the outcome at the end of the day Sunday championship game. Am I disappointed that North Laurel lost, because Kentucky's pride and joy and current KY King of Basketball, Reed Sheppard, didn't bring home the 1st place trophy? Or that the State's most talented and loathed team, Covington Catholic, took home the championship in a dominant performance? Or that Reed just didn't have the talent surrounding him for the game to be more competitive? Or that in the last game on a neutral court Cov Cath was booed as they took the court? No, not any of the above. Actually, after watching Reed Sheppard over the last two years and over rhe summer in AAU and after watching Evan Ipsaro dominate the NKY/Cincinnati area in school and AAU since he was in 4th grade, I was just excited about watching these two players go toe to toe. With Reed at 6'3" and Evan at 5'10", with similar but different games, as Reed is methodical at orchestrating the offense and has super hero anticipation on defense and amazing offensively abilities compared to Evan's elite stop and explode pace, pull up jumpers, and tenacity on both ends! You can try to compare and pick their games and pick them apart but it would be very difficult my opinion to give either one the edge at this point in their HS basketball careers. Their Basketball IQs are off the charts! So again why ami disappointed? I'm disappointed that favoritism put a bad mark on a great 2021 HS tounrment! After CCH donated the competition over 4 straight games wirh Evan averaging 28 ppg, there is NO way he doesn't get the MVP of the tournament! Yes Reed, on the runner up team likely averaging 30+ ppg in the tournament gets the MVP? How? Why? Evan had 35 points in the championship game, and although they are both great players, Evan CLEARLY WON THIS BATTLE! He defended and frustrated Reed from the start of the jump ball to the final buzzer! Evan Ipsaro was clearly the best player on the court on Tuesday December 21st at Fairdale HS. It was a complete blow to the reputation of the King of the Bluegrass tournament and the selection committee for ousting Evan and taking away his MVP trophy! I'm not taking anything away from Reed, love his game! But HATE that they took this moment from Evan Ipsaro! As of right now, Ipsaro is the King of the Bluegrass and the only way he gets knocked off the throne is if Reed redeems himself when they play Cov Cath in February or he does it in the Sweet 16! Which is where Evan and Cov Cath will be! Again, shame on the King of the Blue grass for taking the MVP trophy from the Championship team and the top 1 or 2 players of the tournament, but top player in the final game by far! Keep favoritism out of HS basketball! Let's let some things remain pure!