Adrian Woj Burner

Rumor on the street was out for the season… can anyone confirm?

Officially one week out from the regular season, so let's look at the first week of games. Monday: Eminence at Cornerstone Christian Williamstown at Gallatin County Beechwood at Grant County Simon Kenton at Covington Catholic Tuesday: Henry County at Anderson County Collins at Madison Southern North Oldham at Central Hardin Oldham County vs North Hardin South Oldham at Ryle Spencer County vs Seneca Eminence at Shelby County Trimble County vs Highlands Latin Walton-Verona at Evangel Christian Owen County at Western Hills Woodford County at Danville Christian Thursday: Anderson County at Burgin Trimble County vs Ludlow Spencer County at Oldham County Williamstown vs Powell County Friday: Eminence at Walton-Verona Henry County vs Nicholas County Collins vs Larue County North Oldham at Shelby County Carroll County vs Valley Saturday: H+W Dukes 5th vs 8th Region Showcase at Marion County Anderson County vs Green County Henry County vs Thomas Nelson Oldham County vs Central hardin Spencer County vs Taylor County Walton-Verona vs Marion County Owen County at Bourbon County (Kentucky 2A Tournament) Woodford County at North Laurel (Legacy Nissan Classic) Collins vs Beth Haven (Riverview Meat Tip-Off at Harrison County) A loaded schedule full of games in Week 1, here are some of my favorites: Williamstown vs Gallatin County (11/27) Two teams returning a lot of their core, Gallatin County losing less to graduation than W'Town. These two kicked off the season last year against each other, with the Demons winning by 7. Both teams looking to come out and make a statement on opening night, it should be a good one! Anderson County at Henry County (11/28) This game might not be at the top in many people's minds, but it might have hope to be a good one. Anderson County losing their top scorer, can be somewhat of a wild card. Henry County lost a few players, but have a strong core returning looking to make a statement win in the first week of their season. Oldham County vs Spencer County (11/30) Well folks, you can't get any better than this in the first week of the season. My pre-season top 2 teams in the region, squaring off in the first few days. Both star-studded squads with hopes of winning the region this year. The winner of this game will most definetly be early favorites to win it all. I will 100% be tuned into this one, as I am sure many of you will. H+W Dukes 5th vs 8th Region Showcase at Marion County As you can tell, we have many teams travelling down to Marion County to compete in the 5th vs 8th Region Showcase. I wish that I could make it down there, as many of the top teams in the 8th are squaring off against some of the top in the 5th. Hoping that the 8th can pull out some wins and represent us well!

2023-24 8th Region Preview By: Adrian Woj Burner It’s Time! Here we go. After an outstanding season last year full of tense basketball, we hang up the shoes and move onto the next year. Without a doubt, the 8th Region was filled with some of the strongest talent that it has ever seen. It is safe to say that Woodford County (or WOFO as we now call it after the state tournament) put the 8th Region on great display at the KHSAA State Tournament to end last season. Coming into the tournament sort of underrated, they outperformed some of the strongest teams around the state, advancing all the way to the semis. Their magical run would end there, where they would lose to Warren Central, who would become state champions just hours after. Returning Talent It is without a doubt that the level of talent in the 8th is slighter than we witnessed last year, losing possibly more Division I athletes than ever before. With this, there is still some great talent coming back with hopes of an appearance in Rupp Arena to end the season. Here I will list 10 of the top guys returning to the 8th this year (not ranked). I am sure that there are a few that were missed, as this is just off the top of my head. Luke Erhardt (Spencer County) Without a doubt, Luke Erhardt will come out this year putting up great numbers just as he did last year. In his junior season he averaged 22.5 ppg, shooting a scorching 89.1% from the line. Erhardt will be one of the front-runners for player of the year. Travis Krohman (Simon Kenton) In his junior year, Krohman put up some impressive stats with some great talent surrounding him. Averaging 15.7 ppg and drilling 94 threes, he is bound to improve even more with some of the key guys from last year graduating. Max Green (Oldham County) Yet another senior guard, who is coming off an impressive season looking to make a statement in their last year. Putting up 23.8 ppg last season while draining 100 threes, Green led the way for the Colonels, just as I would expect him to do this coming season. Julian Miles (South Oldham) Being only a sophomore on a mid-level South Oldham team, Miles did not get the attention that he deserved last season. The shifty guard averaged 17.3 ppg while leading the team with 5 rpg. I would expect his name to be mentioned more often the next two years as this young South Oldham squad begins to gel. Kellen Dossett (Gallatin County) After leading his squad to one of the best upsets in 31st District history, Dossett returns for his senior year. The Gallatin County guard put up 17.9 ppg while grabbing 5.2 rpg last season. This matured squad might make some noise, and Dossett will be leading the pack. Brax Ward (Owen County) The big man in the middle for the Rebels will have a lot more weight on his shoulders this season. Last season he averaged 13.3 ppg while grabbing 8 rpg. With the departure of star Teagan Moore, Owen County will rely heavily on Ward to put the ball in the basket. Colton Feagan (Williamstown) The starting PG for the Demons did not get much credit last year, but he had an outstanding season. He scored 19.3 ppg while shooting just over 40% from behind the arc. I’d expect him to put up even better numbers this year, with his brother Gunner (15.3 ppg) graduating last May. Aaron Gutman (Walton-Verona) The Bearcats are returning a lot of talent this season, Gutman being their main piece. He came out of nowhere last year, putting up 17.5 ppg and grabbing 6.7 rpg. Now going into his junior season, he will only get better as he matures. Camden Cox (Spencer County) Playing behind Erhardt, Cox does not get the credit he deserves. The lengthy guard scored 13.8 ppg last season while shooting just under 40% from behind the arc. Just as his partner in crime Erhardt, I can only see him improving this upcoming season. Julian Dixon (Walton-Verona) When you talk about a perfect basketball build, Dixon has it. He put it to use last year putting up 15.7 ppg and leading the team in rebounding with 8.8. I would not be surprised to watch him average a double-double this season. Rankings With almost every highly-ranked team losing a load of talent this off-season, these rankings are bound to have major changes after just the first week. I would love to hear your all's thoughts on these rankings, as you know I am always open to discussion! 1 – Spencer County Bears Coming off a letdown loss to Collins in the 30th District Semifinals, the Bears are easily in the hunt for the regional championship this season. With a 21-8 record, they picked up some great wins last year such as Walton-Verona, Woodford County, and Oldham County. They are returning the two key guys to their team, star guards Luke Erhardt and Camden Cox. Last season the two averaged over 36 ppg, accounting for around 50% of their scoring. However, they are losing Jonathan Combs, the big man smothering the paint who scored just under 10 ppg and led the team in rebounding. After picking up some of the key wins mentioned above, Spencer County should have some solid momentum heading into this season. With the 30th being nowhere near the juggernaut that it was last season, the Bears have an easier path to the regional tournament this season. If they can make it there, they should be one of the favorites to win it all. 2 – Oldham County Colonels The story of the Colonels last season sure was a roller coaster, going on some big win streaks, falling into some losing streaks, picking up major wins, and losing some very questionable games. In John Leslie’s first season, they advanced to the 29th District Championship, where they would be blown out by North Oldham. They would then move onto the regional tournament where they would be blown out again by Simon Kenton. Obviously returning star guard Max Green, this Colonels squad has high hopes. However, they will have some big shoes to fill. Luke Amburgey, an athletic big manning the middle, graduated last spring. He averaged 13.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Logan Sletcher is another name gone, the ideal role player that any coach would want on their team. With the senior duo of Green and Abram Stineburner, they should be led well. If Coach Leslie can find some younger guys to fill their other roles this team has the capability of making a run deep into the postseason. 3 – Walton-Verona Bearcats Last year the Bearcats were somewhat of a wildcard. Losing some major scoring, no one knew what to expect. They came out of the gates hot (as they always do), putting up unreal numbers in the scoring column and getting off to a 5-0 start. However, they hit a little cold streak which hurt their record, finishing 20-11 with a loss to Grant County in the 32nd District semifinals to end their season. This team is dangerous, returning 4 of their 5 starters. All of which averaged double figures, combining for 55 ppg. The one major loss to their squad being Carter Krohman, a veteran guard who was an absolute sharpshooter. While Krohman is a big loss for the Bearcats, Coach Hester will always have shooters. The 32nd is somewhat down compared to past years, I would expect the Bearcats to be playing in The Roy come postseason. It is almost without question that they will come out of the gates on fire. The question is, can this veteran group stay hot for the entirety of the season, something that they have struggled to do in recent years. 4 – Simon Kenton Pioneers Coach Trent Steiner is now entering his 20th season as the head coach for the ‘Neers. He has won 10 district titles since joining the 8th Region in 2005 and has 8 regional wins in 15 appearances. However, he is still missing a regional championship. It felt like last year could’ve been the year with their stifling defense, but fell short yet again with a 10-point loss to Collins in the semifinals. That stifling defense was based around 7 feet+ center Gabe Dynes, who is now playing for Youngstown State in his freshman year of college. Losing Dynes is detrimental to the ‘Neers defense, but they should be okay offensively. Most of their offense will be based around senior guard Travis Krohman, who has had a great career for Simon Kenton. The Pioneers are competitors to win the region year in and year out. Could this be the year they finally get it done and make an appearance at Rupp Arena? Majority of this will rely on how Coach Steiner builds their defense back up to what it was last year, and if they can improve on the offensive end. 5 – Collins Titans It is safe to say that Coach Chris Gaither has been nothing short of outstanding for the Titans since the school opened in 2010, appearing in the regional tournament every year. It feels that Collins always has the athletes to compete for a regional title, however they will have a ton to replace this upcoming season. Kenyon Goodin and Quintin Simmons, 2 of the Titans “Big 3” last season graduated in the Spring. The two combined for just under 30 ppg, just around 50% of their scoring. The other third of this group was Isiah Cochran, who averaged 11.2 ppg while grabbing 5.2 rpg. Cochran has transferred to Adair County. There is no doubt that Gaither has his hands full this year replacing all 3 of their key pieces to their successful team last season. One name that I expect to hear a lot of is Kade Goodin, a freshman guard that saw the court plenty his 8th grade year. Collins is always competitive, and always has young guys ready to fire at the varsity level just when they lose their stars from the year before. Can Coach Gaither string it together yet again and develop a team to compete for the region? 6 – Woodford County Yellow Jackets As the Yellow Jackets walked off the court of the State Tournament last season, I said to myself “they will be right back next year”. The honest truth is, it probably wouldn’t have been close. Losing only John McCrear and Aden Nelson, it was without a doubt that Jasper Johnson and company would sail right through the 8th Region this year. However, things have changed. Johnson, the #1 PG in the nation has decided to attend Link Academy; a prep school in Missouri. Losing Johnson was detrimental to WOFO, but they have some reinforcements. Coach Brown has picked up some transfers, along with Jr. duo Santonio Wade and Makhi Smith both returning to the team. Both Wade and Smith were huge pieces to their team down the stretch on their deep run into the postseason. The Yellow Jackets are a huge wildcard going into the season. How will their transfers impact the team? Can Wade and Smith pick up the slack of Johnson and McCrear being gone? Woodford County will be an interesting team to watch this first month of games. 7 – South Oldham Dragons It is safe to say that Coach Steve Simpson has had his fair share of success. The longest tenured coach in the 8th Region has over 500 wins, including 3 regional championships. It has been a few years since the Dragons have been true competitors in the 8th, but they might be a dark horse to make some noise this year. With the return of Jr. guard Julian Miles, they have their main player back on the court. Along with him they have Jake Fithian, a sharpshooting guard, and a stretch big by the name of William Burnside. However, they lost 2 of their top 3 scorers to graduation, so Fithian and Burnside will have to pick up their part. Now that this young squad has gained some experience, can they piece together some wins and make some noise in the 8th? It will be interesting to see if Simpson can string together another run into the postseason. 8 – Williamstown Demons The Demons of Williamstown had a roller coaster year to say the least. Starting off the season hot, with hopes of surprising some people in the brutal 32nd District. However, they fell off towards the end, resulting in a 35 points loss to Simon Kenton in the 32nd District. Coach Cheeseman should be excited with the team that he has this year, returning star guard Colton Feagan, who averaged 19.3 ppg. Alongside Feagan they have Honore Yangoua who was right behind him averaging 16 ppg. The one major loss to the Demons would be Gunner Feagan, a sharpshooter who drained 103 three’s last season. Williamstown has not appeared in the regional tournament since 2016. Can they find some players to assist Feagan and Yangoua and find themselves back at The Roy to end the year? 9 – Gallatin County Wildcats Coach Vance Sullivan had his hands full last year. Starting 4 guys with little-to no varsity experience no one really knew what to expect. They did not get off to the best start, dropping 6 of their first 7 games. However, they ended their season with a bang. Upsetting Owen County in the 31st District Championship, but would go on to lose to Collins in the first round of the regional tournament. Hopes are high for this squad, returning all 5 of their starters from last season. Led by Kellen Dossett (17.9 ppg) and Matthew Griffin (15.9 ppg) this squad will have the experience to compete with some top teams in the region. I would put them as heavy favorites to repeat as 31st District champions, with it being even weaker than it was last season. The real question is will they take the next step and be competitors in the regional tournament like they have been in many years past? 10 – North Oldham Dragons It seems like it has been ages since Dallas Roberts was not manning the backcourt for the Dragons, but this will change this year. North Oldham graduated 3 amazing players last May: Dallas Roberts (17.7 ppg), Luke Anderson (11.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg), and Ian Higdon (10.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg). Along with these three graduating is Jack Scales, one of the purest shooters that I have ever seen who missed some time last year, but averaged 10.9 ppg. Coach Levitch is in a different spot than he has been in recent years. North Oldham was a top dog in the region for the last 2-3 years, and now will take on an underdog role. With Grant Neal and Jack Fischer taking over the main roles in their offense, they will have some big shoes to fill. I will look for Levitch to take some baby steps within this season, getting some new guys comfortable with the varsity level. Do not be surprised if they can pull off an upset or two, these players have been involved in some huge games. 11 – Anderson County Bearcats Heading into last season there was not a ton of hope for Coach Bryan Hyatt and the Bearcats. With little talent coming up, and a program that was heading south. However, Coach Hyatt and his team turned things around. Going on a massive winning streak throughout the middle of the season, ending with a 19-10 record. During that time they had some big wins, including an upset over Collins. The Bearcats will return 3 of their top 5 scorers in Carson Sutherland (11.5 ppg), Calvin Ruble (8.4 ppg), Brady White (6 ppg). However, they will be losing their #1 option in Joey Frasure who averaged 14.3 ppg. The outlook on Anderson County is a little weird. Their hopes for the season will depend on how both Collins and Woodford County look. If both programs take a step backwards, do not be shocked to see the Bearcats dancing in the regions like they used to. 12 – Grant County Braves Coach Joseph Utter has been tremendous during his tenure at Grant County, making them competitors in the 32nd District year after year, and even the 8th Region a couple years. His teams will play true blue-collared basketball, with aggressive defense and hard-nosed fast offense. However, this is a true challenge for Utter. With the departure of maybe the best basketball player in Grant County history Dylan Hammonds, they will have a huge role to fill. In his senior year Hammonds scored 25.6 ppg while grabbing 13.3 rebounds. Along with him is Micah Willis, the big man in the middle. Willis averaged 9.8 ppg and 5 rpg, along with being an extremely important piece to their defense. They will be returning a huge piece to their mighty squad last year, Spencer Breeden. The athletic guard averaged 13.7 ppg last year, and will be partaking in a much bigger role this year. If Coach Utter can find some big men to fill the spots of Hammonds and Willis, and Breeden makes a big stride forward on the offensive end, Grant County could be a fun team to watch. For now, I see them being in a #3 seed situation in the 32nd playing either Walton-Verona or Simon Kenton to get back into the regional tournament. 13 – Owen County Rebels Do you know the old saying history repeats itself? Well, it sure looks like that could be a possibility in Owen County. Remember the name Carson Williams? One of the most dominant players to ever come through the 8th, who wound up winning Mr. Basketball. After his graduation, the Rebels program went through years of rebuilding. That was until Teagan Moore grew up, and was the closest thing to Williams that Owen County had seen. Last year's 8th Region POTY ended his senior season scoring 31.7 ppg, shooting 63.5% from the field and grabbing just over 11 rebounds a game. The Rebels will be returning his partner, Brax Ward. He is a big man in the middle, who scored 13.3 ppg last season. When Moore missed time last year, Ward had some incredible games. If Ward can partake in a bigger role of the offense, and Coach Devin Duvall can find some pieces to add-on to the scoring and rebounding we could see them competing for a 31st District championship. 14 – Shelby County Rockets Coach Blake Traylor has had his hands full since he began coaching, struggling to find the athletes to compete in the brutal 30th District. There is some light at the end of the tunnel, as the teams around them are starting to lose some of that almighty talent that they have had in previous years. The Rockets return their #1 scorer, Dillon Ritchey. He is a very streaky shooter, who is in range as soon as he steps across half-court. Last season he averaged 16.6 ppg white drilling 99 shots from behind the arc. Along with Ritchey they return Michael Jones (9.8 ppg) and Dallas Mercer (6.4 ppg). Shelby County has 3 seniors leading their team, hopeful that their experience can help them compete in the 30th District just like they used to years ago. 15 – Carroll County Panthers Coach Roger Harden was practically thrown into a dumpster fire last season, taking over a program that hadn’t seen double digit wins in multiple years. They started off the year just like they had in previous, racking up loss after loss. But, after Christmas they seemed to have found somewhat of a stride. Winning 6 games in the second half of the season. The Panthers are returning everyone back to the team other than Austin Hicks, who averaged 6.7 ppg. The duo of Braden Stephenson and Landon Groves will be back for their senior season. After a positive second half of last year, Coach Harden is looking to turn this program around. With the 31st being down, they could have a shot at appearing in the regional tournament. 16 – Trimble County Raiders Following a 15-16 season, the future doesn’t look the best for the Raiders. With J.T. Wilcoxson graduating in May, they have some huge holes to fill within their team. However, they will have some other key pieces returning. Senior guard Ethan Horn who averaged 18.9 ppg will lead the way for Trimble County, with Brayden Wilson (8.1 ppg) being right behind him. Trimble County might not compete for anything big, but it would be huge for their program to pull off an upset or two and make it to the regional tournament for the first time in forever. 17 – Henry County Wildcats Following a 3-26 season, you can’t get much worse. It is safe to say that the Wildcats fell off the ship last year after having a few successful seasons in years prior. There is some hope for the future, and that will all rely on freshman Baylor Nolin. As an 8th grader, he averaged 12.6 ppg and made 77 threes. Nolin is a name that I will expect to hear more often in the next few years. The outlook for this season is fairly simple. Get these young guys some experience, compete in some games within the district, and keep building for the future. 18 – Eminence Warriors Coach Brandon Gabbard is going to have his hands full this season. After a successful 17-13 record last year, they lost to Gallatin County by 4 in the semifinals of the 31st District Tournament. Last year had a lot of hope, with some great athletes such as Josh Ruzanka leading the way. But, him and almost all of the key contributors around him are gone, and I would imagine Eminence is in complete rebuild mode. Hopefully Gabbard can keep his guys attached to the game, and string together a competitive squad for the season. That is all for now, I will keep everyone informed as we get closer to the games. I did not include the first week of games on here, but will post them in this thread in the next week or two. I am glad to be back, and can’t wait to hear what everyone has to say!

Shew... I forgot that I had posted this lol. Looks like you folks are ready to go. I plan on having the pre-season write up completed around 1 week before games begin.

As I am getting started on the season preview, just wanted to start a thread for some discussion. Who is your favorite this year? Top 5 teams? Top 10 players? Breakout players? Looking forward to a great season full of discussions, let's get it rolling!

Per the 10thregion Instagram page, the two brothers have been ruled eligible for this upcoming season. https://www.instagram.com/p/CylN8MjOvbK/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Looks like it was a great showing for the 8th region!

Saw this coming...

Yes, she lives in a small town called Vevay in Switzerland County Indiana. It is about 35 minutes from Florence, the first city on the Indiana side of the Markland Dam.

The amount of Lebron hate in these threads are comical... the 2nd greatest if not the greatest basketball player of all time, and this many people praying for his failure. I am very proud to say that I have embraced the greatness we have watched over this ridiculous stretch.

Johnson is now up to 17 D1 offers... I can only expect that number to grow within the next 2 years.

That is a fact.... but in their prime. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be surprised is Bron goes for a career night on Saturday, however I wouldn't necessarily expect it out of him. It has appeared that this year more than ever he has gained trust in his others guys (Davis, Reaves, Hatchiumura, etc.) to make plays, and he hasn't seemed to ball-dominant this series, however I could see that change in LA on Saturday night.

2.5 weeks in, if anyone is looking for a healthier lifestyle I 100% recommend this!

Congrats to Mr. WIllis! A big body that has some great touch around the rim, also seems like a great kid on and off the floor.

LOL, water weight!

Just a little update... 1 week in and down 12 lbs. I feel GREAT!

Congrats to Mr. Goodin! Although, this is somewhat surprising as I was told many times that we was heavily recruited in football, with basketball really being his 2nd sport.

I haven't really read into who everyone is returning, but just off the top of my head this is what I have got. 1. Woodford County 2. Spencer County 3. Walton-Verona

????

Figured I would start a thread to just have some discussion. Anyone hearing any rumors or moves? What is your outlook on some teams next year?

The tigers advanced to the quarterfinals yesterday on a 1-0 win. Shutout by UofL commit Ty Starke on just 82 pitches.

Just curious, what do you do there?

Defense or not, scoring 190 points in 32 minutes is beyond impressive.

NOTE: The Bengals are in the final 3 teams for Ezekiel Elliott. Do we release Mixon if we sign him? I do not see the point in having both.

I am starting a new nutrition/workout program within the first week of April called Body For Life. You eat 6 meals a day, and each one is portioned out. You must have 2 parts of every meal; a carb and protein. For 2 of these meals you must eat a vegetable with it. Serving sizes for each is the size of your clenched fist, or the palm of your hand. The workouts are where things get wild. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you are lifting for 45 minutes. There is no breaks, you are putting up 200+ reps every day of lifting. Each exercise is 12 reps at light weight to start off, and then you increase 5-10 lbs each time. Your number of reps in each set are 12,10,8, and 6. After you finish this part, they focus on a "high-point" in each different exercise, which is where you go as hard as you can for 12 straight reps 2 times to end it. The aerobics are pretty simple. You do some sort of cardio whether it be running, a bike, swimming, or any other. You base it off of personal intensity levels, starting at 5 and moving up towards 9 by 1 each minute. Once you reach 9 you go back to 6 and repeat. You do this until you are on your last rep of this, where you push yourself to 10 right before your 20 minutes are up. Personally, I love challenges and this seems like one of the toughest challenges imaginable for the human body. I am looking forward to it, as the results shown from this program are astonishing! The first week of April can't get here soon enough.