Bballjunkie

Spencer with a great rode win. Seneca was solid last year. I know their pg graduated but they still have dudes. Great win for the boys from Taylorsville

Well I missed both of these tonight. I feel like Lee Corso. Henry County and Walton Verona with really nice wins. Gonna be a fun year !!!!

Non region matchups last night 1. South Oldham beats a Ryle team that won 19 games last year and returned their best 3 players . Great win for the Dragons 2. Oldham County loses to Atherton in overtime. Atherton typically is not very strong. 3. Grant County loses to Beechwood by 14

Only region matchup last night. Easy win by Gallatin

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is finally here. Basketball season eve—- the most glorious time of the year. We have some fun matchups for the first week of the season with my humble predictions . let's GOOOOOOO Gallatin at Willamstown (Dec 2) both teams would love to start their season 1-0 ……. Gallatin wins by 10 Walton Verona at North Oldham (Dec 3)- good opener to see where these teams are at in early December …… North wins a very close one throughout Anderson County at Henry County- (Dec 3) veteran team vs a young team. Should be a fun matchup . Anderson wins by 15 Owen County at Williamstown(Dec 4) two teams looking to find their identity early on in the season. …… Owen wins in a close one Oldham County at Spencer County- (Dec 5) first region game in the Chris Renner era. Can they compete in a tough environment against a team that went to Rupp last year?….. Spencer wins by 10 South Oldham at Simon Kenton - (Dec 6) early battle of two teams that can win it all in the 8th region. Best game of the week ……. Simon wins in a high scoring very close contest Shelby County at North Oldham (Dec 6) Mustangs are tough to beat at home…… North wins easily Current Rankings Woodford County South Oldham Simon Kenton North Oldham Anderson County Collins Walton Verona Spencer County Oldham County Gallatin County Henry County Grant County Williamstown Shelby County Owen County Trimble County Carroll County Eminence

Any word on how it went?. I would think SK is on a whole different level than Henry

Nice , thanks for posting. Spencer has a great culture. Not surprised at all by the fact that they fought their way back into the game. Good to hear Looking at their schedule , their first region game will be Dec 5th vs Oldham. The game is at Spencer. Be a good measuring stick for both teams early. Spencer will def be my pick to win that early matchup.

Any news on scrimmage games in the 8th region?

Don’t know many stats but : Kyra Elzy, Oldham County mid 90s Scored over 3,000 pts in high school Played for the Legendary Coach - Pat Summitt and won a couple National Championships

I apologize if this has already been talked about this on here but it’s going to be interesting if this will actually be called ? NEW KHSAA ? RULES ? Faking being fouled is defined in Rule 4-49-1 as when a player simulates being fouled or makes theatrical or exaggerated movements when there is no illegal contact.

What a heavy top three. I agree with what had been said. It’s those 3 and then the rest. Only thing I will say is watch out for CAL and their youth. It might not be this year but they are coming. I know Jayden was mentioned but he may be arguably the 4th or 5th best freshman in the group. They have some studs if they all stick together. I don’t think they ever lost a middle school game (I could be wrong though).

I agree. I don't know Renner but I know he can coach based on his career.... I am hearing from OC friends that they have been hit with the injury bug.... Their big man from last year who is about 6'7 and could rip the rim off tore his ACL in the preseason and their other big man 6'6 broke his ankle a couple weeks ago... He might be back in January, from what I am told.

Thank you gentleman. Excited to hear how Anderson and SK look this early in the season.

Anyone have any info on scrimmage games coming up for 8th region teams?

I would not argue against against your picks at all and 100% agree with your comment .It’s about the jimmy’s and the Joe’s more than X’s and O’s.

I agree @St. Matthews Boy. Levitch has done a great job at NO. I ate my words last year big time. Going into the season last year I thought they would be way down because they graduated 4 starters from the previous year. Then they won 26 games lol. I will never count them out again. As for Collins, I believe Coach Gaither has one of the best basketball minds of anyone in the state. Big fan of his. So I would never count his team out either. Gonna be a fun season !!!!

My preseason top 10 on the girls side 1) Anderson County- gonna be my number 1 until someone proves otherwise. 2) Simon Kenton- that someone could very well be in NKY. These girls can play. 3) South Oldham- Madison Young is getting D1 offers all over the place . Can she lead her team to a regional title? She will need some help. 4) Grant County- really impressed with this group last year. They play 94 ft and can really score the basketball. Could be a sleeper to upset one of the favorites come Regional Tourney time. 5) Spencer County- graduated some key pieces from last years team but one of the best coached team in the area so who knows! 6) Walton Verona- could be the third best team in their district but has the talent to cut down the nets at the regionals if the ball bounces their way. Returning their 3 best players from last season. 7) Woodford County- 3 of their top 4 scorers are returning from last year. Yellowjacket’s will look to put together a winning season and make it to the regional tourney. 8) Oldham County- some young talent looking to improve on a 10 win season from last year. 9) Trimble County - some more young talent in Bedford . Their goal is to cut down the nets at the District tourney and advance to the region. 10) Gallatin County- it will be a tight race between Gallatin and Owen but gave the edge to the team from Warsaw.

Thank you theguru for correcting that.

Thanks…. I am a rookie so I have no idea why a ? popped up next to Spencer county. My fat fingers probably did that without me catching it.

The concession stand at Henry County High School ,aka The Roy, is getting prepped for another exciting season and a great regional tourney in one of the best gyms in the state. The folks in New Castle know how to host a tourney and every young man that plays in this talented region dreams of cutting the nets down in the historic gym. No team has won back to back Regional Titles since South Oldham did it in 2014. It’s been a wide open Region the last 10 years. This year will be no different , although some might say it’s a three team race between Woodford, South Oldham and Simon Kenton. Others will say there are 8 or 9 teams that have a chance to make it to Rupp. Only time will tell . Basketball season is so close that folks in the 8th Region can smell it. Some of the best coaches and longest tenured coaches in the state are found in the 8th region. Night in and night out you will see these coaches work the sideline in a masterful way. Whether it’s the hall of fame coach from Crestwood, Steve Simpson, with his high volume shooting or it’s the seasoned coach up north, Trent Steiner , calling the right set play (he has 40 of them) at the right time to get the exact shot he wants or whether its Chris Gaither getting the most out of his players, these guys can flat out coach. I could go on and on, so many great coaches in this region. Then you add one of the best coaches in the state over the last 30 years, Chris Renner. WOW!!! It’s going to be a great season of basketball. Preseason Ranking: 1) Woodford County Even though Jasper Johnson took his talents to OTE, the Yellowjackets are still a clear favorite to win the region this year. They will be led by a super talented Armelo Boone. The Western KY signee averaged 21ppg last year for Frederick Douglous. Armelo has had a ton of experience over the last two years in really big games for FDHS. His ability to create his own shoot will take Woodford a long way and they will be riding his shoulders all the way to Rupp Arena. Look for Armelo to be one of the leading scorers in the state this year. However, Armelo doesn’t have to do it all on his own. Talented Soph guard, Omari Joiner, will look to be the lethal second option for the Yellowjackets. Omari averaged an impressive 12ppg last year as a freshman. Carson Probst could be the most underrated player in the region. The 6’11 senior post player worked hard over the summer in the weight room to give Woodford a presence inside. Carson will benefit and get a lot of easy dunks this season because of all the attention that Armelo and Omari will be getting. The Yellowjackets have some talented young men rounding out their starting lineup with Nolan Asher and Wyatt Peters. 2) South Oldham Anytime you have a super athletic and intelligent lead guard you have a chance to be special. Julian Miles will run the show this year not only creating his own shot but also setting his teammates up for open looks. Julian made one of the greatest plays in the history of the District 29 tourney last year when he stole the ball from Max Green, arguably the best offensive player in the state , and scored to eliminate the Colonels. Julian, however, is not the only Senior on this veteran team. William Burnside a tall stretch post player can shoot the lights out along with Jake Fithian and Brooks Bee, who both can fill it up from behind the arc. This will be a typical Steve Simpson team that shoots a TON of threes. The hall of fame coach is excited to coach this group that has a lot of kids that can put it in the hole. Lastly, Julian will not be the only Miles that will play a large role on this team. Younger brother, Adrian, is an athletic lefty who can get to the rim with best of them. South will have the veteran leadership you need to win games in late February and March. 3) Simon Kenton Trent Steiner was 6 pts away from taking his team to Rupp last year in a game that could have gone either way. He will have a group of Seniors that are hungry to get back to the region finals and win it. Jay Bilton will lead the Pioneers this year coming off a strong junior season. However, the other 4 seniors play their role very well. Bode Stone is a 6’7 game changer down low. He averaged almost 10 rebounds a game last year. Look for him to avg a double double this year. Braydon Polly, Jordan Bach and Marty Taylor will bring a ton of experience for this group. The veteran group worked hard in the off season in hopes that they can get over the hump this season and have the feeling of running up and down the floor at Rupp. Coach Steiner loves this group and I know he has his eyes on cutting down the nets down I71 at The Roy. This group will be able to put points on the board but more importantly, they can guard their opponents and make it hard on any team they line up against to score. Look for the Pioneers to make a push late in the season and contend for the Regional crown . 4) North Oldham The Mustangs won 26 games last season. However, that team was the Grant Neil and Jack Fisher show. The two young men were a tough duo. Who will fill their shoes? Coach Levitch ,the Rick Pitino disciple, can flat out coach. Look for the Mustangs to run some great offense by spreading the court and shooting a lot of threes. Brooks Cargould and Gray Schmittle have been solid roles players in their career but will need to step out of the shadows and lead the team. With said, Jakobi McRoberts could be the key player for the North. McRoberts is the best defensive player who has improved his scoring over the summer. Look for Jakobi to have a big Junior season. North Oldham could have the best two shooters in the region. Sophomore Eli Green and Freshman Austin Sears can flat out shoot the rock. Those two boys are gonna to be 2 names that everyone will get really familiar with in the coming years. 5) Anderson County Some might be surprised with the high ranking of the Bearcats but I have a feeling Anderson will be the biggest surprise in the region. When you have a smart PG with a high basketball IQ you have a chance to compete with anyone. The Bearcats are hungry. Coming off a 16-13 season, look for the Bearcats to win 20 plus games and be a tough game each night especially when teams come to Lawrenceburg. Previously mentioned, Carson Sutherland is a throw back point guard that doesn’t do anything flashy but he gets the job down. Carson is a hard nosed guard that any coach would like to lead his team. The Bearcats will need the group of seniors to show the leadership on both ends of the court throughout the year if they want to get back to the region. Seniors, Treyton Hart, Calvin Ruble, Layne Hockensmith, and Will Powers are planning on using their experience to win some big games in February and March. Finally, don’t overlook one of the best freshman in the region to be the missing piece the Bearcats need to have a 20 win season. Noah Beasley has got game! 6) Collins Collins is led by one of the best coaches in the Commonwealth. Coach Gaither worked his boys hard this summer and they are ready to have a winning season and compete against teams that are bigger and more talented. They will have to out execute teams to win on the big stage. The Titans have one of the best athletes in the state in Kade Goodin . Kade can affect the game on both ends of the court . He is a walking triple double night in and night out . Collins will rely heavily on him to play big minutes thoughout the year, I know Coach Gaither prays he can get through the football season with no serious injury. Although Kade is by far the Titans best athlete, their best basketball player is Senior, Cole Harbin. Cole can score from anywhere. He will be one of the leading scorers in the region this year. Cole is a coach on the floor. He played for his dad growing up in AAU and has played against some of the best talent in the country. Speaking of playing for your dad, Coach Gaithers oldest son, Caden, will play a huge role for his dad’s team. Caden and Cole will stretch the defense with their ability to shoot the ball which will give Kade the lanes he needs to drive to bucket. Collins is a team no one will want to play come tournament time. 7) Walton Verona It feels disrespectful putting WVHS in the 7 spots but I just don’t think they have the role players to be any higher. If it were not for Armelo Boone transferring into the region, Aaron Gutman, would be the front runner to win Region player of the year. Mr Gutman will have to do everything this year. Look for him to be a top 10 scorer in the Commonwealth this season. He is a talented young man that plays hard on every play. The two kids that will be looked to prove me wrong and have monster year is Adam Gutman , younger brother of Aaron, and Senior Aiden Kerns. If those two have big years the Bearcats will be able to surprise some people, including me. 8) Spencer County The 2023-24 season was a magical year and one that Taylorsville KY will never forgot. Coach Jason Burn did a masterful job during the tourney coaching his boys to a huge win and punching their ticket to Rupp. But that was last year, their hopes of repeating as champs will be a challenging road. The Bears lost a boat load of points to graduation. However, the pantry is not empty for Spencer. Jack Armstrong and Jackson Combs are seniors who enjoyed their time at Rupp Arena last season and they want to go back. Juniors, Samuel Seawright and Brady Smith, had big summers and are excited about playing big roles for this team. Coach Jason Burns is really excited about the potential of the twins, Chris and Ben Armstrong. These talented brothers are big forwards that can score in multiple ways. Spencer will have to battle hard if they want to make it to the Regionals. 9) Oldham County The Colonels are starting from scratch. First of all, the Colonels will have the fill the biggest hole left in the state. Last season , Max Green scored or assisted on most of the Colonels points. Who will step up this season? Secondly, Chris Renner is taking over in his first year with the Colonels. The Hall of Fame coach has a totally different defensive style than the previous coach. Many people thought they could be a dark horse to surprise some folks in the 8th region but those hopes got crushed when their best returning player , Louis Nava, tore his ACL in late August . Will the Colonels have enough scorers to beat good teams this year ? That is the big question. They will rely heavily on their big guy Henry Marcum. The 6’6 senior has a chance to avg a double double this season. Will Hinkle is the best returning guard for the Colonels. He will be ask to handle the ball and run the show. Other key players will be Nolan Leite, Jeromy Harmon, and Tim Rankin, who will need to step up if the Colonels want to avoid missing the Regional Tourney in back to back years. 10) Gallatin County Not many teams would be picked to win their District after losing 8 seniors to graduation but that is what Gallatin is planning to do this season. The folks in Warsaw love their basketball and they will be behind these boys to overachieve and make it to another regional tourney after cutting the nets down as District 31 champs. The Wildcats will rely heavily on senior guard , Matthew Griffin. Matthew will look to have a great senior season after average 18 as a junior . His senior buddies , Andrew Brinker, Landon Smith and Ian Wilson will look to end their high school career on a high note. 11) Henry County Sophomore, Baylor Nolin, has his sights on being one of the best Henry County basketball player in the history of the school. A talented young man who wants to lead his team to a district championship. Another strong sophomore Traevon Wright will help do his part to build on a 15-15 record from last year. Two juniors that plan on being big factors for the Wildcats success are Landen Tingle and Drew Cole. The boys that practice and play in one of the best gyms in the state are planning to make a run come tournament time. They are going to give Gallatin County a run for their money in pursuit of the district title. 12) Grant County First year coach, Tyler Jones, has his work cut out for him. The Braves lost their 1500 career point scorer, Spencer Brenden . They also lost their leader and all-time career assist leader in Jackson Utter as well to graduation. Coach Jones will have seniors to help him start building something special in Grant County. He has a vision of where he wants to go but it will take patience and hard work to get there. Three seniors can help get the ball rolling in his first tenure . Ben Bossee will be a big time scorer for this years team. Classmates Wyatt Hucker and Brennen Gordon will work hard to make sure this season is a successful one for the Braves. 13) Williamstown 19 wins last season made for an exciting season for Williamstown. Unfortunately, this year will be much harder. The Demons lost 48 combined points from Colton Feagan and Honore Yangoua to graduation. The boys will have to work hard this season to get to double digits wins. Javonte Yangoua and Owen Taylor will have to carry the load for Williamstown and younger guys will have to step up if they want to compete night in and night out. 14) Shelby County Even though they lost their best two players from last year, Coach Traylor really likes his team. They are going to be more athletic top to bottom so their defense is where they are going to hang their hat. They are hoping to use their defense to generate easy buckets on the offensive end. Unfortunately for the boys of Shelby County, they are in the hardest district in the region. They will compete every game and will not back down from anyone but they will finish last in their district. A double digit win season will be a successful season for the District 30 team out of Shelbyville . 15) Owen County The Rebels are another team that was hurt bad by graduation last year, losing 4 of their 5 starters. The lone returner, Malachi Medford , will look to have a big year for Owen County. A ticket punched to region will definitely be in their reach as their team will need the first part of the year to gain experience. By February they will be a totally different team than they will be in December. Kamdyn Beckham, senior, will be another huge piece for Rebels this year. Look for him and Malachi to both avg close to 15 ppg a piece. 16) Trimble County When you lose a 21 ppg scorer on a team that only won 7 games last year, you have to wonder where the points will come from for the Raiders this season. Ethan Keller, Junior , is ready to pick up the slack and have a big season for Trimble County. 17) Carroll County The boys from Carrollton lost all 5 starts off last years team that went 12-17. This season will be a learning experience for their young guys to gain experience and help the program move forward in years to come. 18) Eminence After winning just 4 games last year, Coach Brandon Gabbard feels good about his team and love the direction of the program. Junior Brady White will look to lead his team to a double digit win season. Preseason top 25 players (in no particular order) Anderson County - Carson Sutherland, Treyton Hart Collins - Cole Harbon , Kade Goodin Gallatin County- Matthew Griffin Grant County- Ben Bossee Henry County - Baylor Nolin North Oldham- Brooks Cargould, Jakobi McRoberts Oldham County - Henry Marcum , Wil Hinkle Owen County- Malachi Mefford Shelby County - Adwin McDuffus Simon Kenton- Jay Bilton, Bode Stone, Jordan Bach Spencer County - Jack Armstrong South Oldham- Julian Miles, William Burnside, Jake Fithian, Walton Verona - Aaron Gutman Woodford County- Armelo Boone, Omari Joiner, Carson Probst, Nolan Asher,