QueenoftheSouth

Was this a serious question?

If he has the desire/passion and wants to still coach, I would think he’d have to be in the conversation for any local openings. But if he jumps back in at this point, I’d have to think he’d be pretty selective. I can’t imagine that he’d want to have to totally build/rebuild a program. One would think West might be of interest. And there will likely be more spots come open over the next several weeks, so there will be other options out there to consider. Things typically heat up after the state tournament.

I didn’t realize they had solid middle school teams. That would make it more attractive than one would otherwise think, assuming they can retain that talent. But I’d be shocked if he’d take his kid out of the still current situation at Woodford.

Agree, unfortunately.

Didn’t he leave Frankfort (as head coach) for Woodford (to be an assistant)? I assume he did that to put his son in a better spot, and it definitley worked out. If that’s the case, why would he now go to East as head coach after just one year? Maybe I don’t have the facts straight. But if I do, I don’t see why he would be interested in making that move.

I do agree that Fraley has solidified himself as a top coach. Based on what he accomplished this year, along with his resume coaching in NAIA, I’d also include Mercer’s Keith Adkins in that group. And I think Coach Ryan Young is the best young coach in the region.

What Coach Fraley is doing at Pulaski is impressive. They lost two 20 PPG scorers (and 6 of their top 8 players) from last year’s team. Not that Fraley and Blankenship aren’t important pieces as they combined for 20 PPG last year, but that’s all of the experience they returned. And Fraley hasn’t been healthy for much of the year. Yet they won 22 games, were 14-4 in regional play, and are headed to Rupp. I’m sure that it would’ve been a highly competitive game under different circumstances. Regardless, Pulaski is very well coached on both sides of the ball. Congrats to Coach Fraley.

I think 2 of the top 4 coaches in the region made it to the finals. I expect both teams to be well prepared and I’m sure they will be a little tired. But they’re 15 to 18 year old kids, and many of them are used to playing 3 games/day with their travel basketball teams. I don’t think that will be a major factor come game time. I expect a great, close game. Somerset by 3.

Oh, I think he should listen for sure. I was just mentioning some of the downside that I see with the West job. I think there’s a decent chance that there will others that come open over the next month or two. And I too would expect that he’d be a very attractive candidate for any AD that has an opening.

Sounds like there’s a good chance West may be out of the 12th in the upcoming realignment. That could make things much harder for them to be in the mix each year. Also, what I’ve observed about West over the years is that they don’t seem to have much fan/community support. Even in their best years. I think the reason is that they are more of a bedroom community for Lexington. Just a very different feel than the communities from Mercer County and south, including the Pulaski schools. I obviously can’t speak for Coach Young but I would think it would be a factor for a lot of coaches.

West hasn’t had the same level of talent the last several years. They used to always have some transfers, mostly out of Lexington, and haven’t gotten those for a while. Or if they have, they haven’t played a starting role. I would guess that they’re one of the largest schools in the region. Anyone know?

I wouldn’t say that. This is just one year after four in a row. They could very well win the next four.

Watched this game on the live broadcast. Had a view of Coach Young most of the game. I can say that his team played with the same energy and intensity with which he coached. No quit in them. Great job Coach Young. Congrats!

DCA by 7.

Mercer by 5.

I tend to agree. Somerset went through a rough patch but seems to be playing as well as they have all year, and DCA’s last couple games haven’t been on the level of what they had shown previously. It does depend on how Somerset is shooting that night but, if they’re on, I think they may just beat DCA.

I believe Mercer won region at least once during that period.

DCA gets a hard fought win but they just haven’t looked the same the last couple of games.

I don’t think you understood what I meant. I was saying that I thought Boyle’s athleticism would give them the advantage over Pulaski. I was not saying that because they were athletic that they weren’t also skilled and good basketball players. I thought both teams had skilled basketball players but one was much more athletic, so advantage to that team. clearly, I was incorrect on my prediction.

There have been plenty of good Boyle teams outside of the Tyler & Imfeld years. Those 2 were elite players for the 12th region. They had unlimited range AND could create their own shots. They were the offense. Key being they could rise up over their defender on their jumpers. All this talk about Boyle kids not being shooters. Why is it that they struggle to shoot/score every year? Was Kason Meyers (who was not a football player) last year not a good shooter? He was a very good shooter. Turner is thought to be a great shooter, and Brown is a really good shooter. Quisenberry is at least an average shooter and is lethal from mid-range. Yet none of their percentages say that they’re good shooters. I see two issues affecting shooting percentages over the last two seasons. Their offensive sets - a lack of ball movement, motion and screens that I see from the better offensive teams. An offense that puts their shooters/scorers in a position to get open shots in the flow of the offense. The contrast between them and Pulaski (in that regard) last night was stark. And then shot selection. That has been a huge problem for them as well. I just hate continually hearing that Boyle players are just athletes, that they can’t shoot and/or aren’t skilled. It’s not fair to the kids because it’s simply not true for several of them. Yes, there are a few kids playing that fit this description, but plenty that don’t. So much of it has to do with the quality of looks.

I understand your point, but it needs context. If they had made this change last year I wouldn’t have had an issue. No disrespect to East but they are rarely good in boys basketball, and that’s been the case for a long time. When was the last time they made region? Not making it out of district isn’t unusual for that program so that shouldn’t be a trigger to fire a coach. So, they’re patient with this coach for 3 years. They go 9-21 last year (which was an improvement) and then improve significantly to 17-14 this year. Yes, they ended the season with a bad loss, but the trajectory of the program was clearly positive. And this won’t be a highly sought after job.

I would think this would be a very attractive job that would draw a lot of interest.

But 17-14 this season. Odd timing.

That’s an easy excuse that people like to throw out there as a generalization, and it’s true at times. Yes, the Boyle staff has definitely made the mistake of playing a few good football players the past couple seasons over more skilled basketball players. But that doesn’t apply to Brown and Quisenberry. They are very good basketball players. Skilled, not just athletic. I watched Mercer play the first game tonight. What would they look like if they had one of them? Or both? I’m sure Mercer’s coach would love the chance.

I can’t believe this score. Unreal. I kept thinking all year that Boyle would get it done. Just based on their roster. When you look at what could’ve/should’ve been for Boyle the last couple years, especially this year. Just wow. They were .500 last year and a game under this year, with first round exits both years. That’s hard to explain given the talent on those rosters. On the other side, as was pointed out, Coach Fraley’s teams are consistently getting it done. And watching them play, it is evident that they are well coached in every aspect of the game. Hats off to them and that program.