Fastbreak

Kyle Macy played for his dad in Indiana in High School and has fond memories of it to this day. He was an All American at UK, so I guess it was successful.

That's crazy... the nuns were right... I do feel hair growing on my palms...

I absolutely love this kid. He works his tail off on the court and makes good things happen. ODU is getting a hard nosed, blue collar workman that will contribute on both ends of the floor. Congratulations Stauffers on a job well done!!! :thumb:

Transy Coach Brian Lane picks up a great kid and a solid family. Congratulations all around! :thumb:

A quick update to not that Ryan Popp is not playing ball at Thomas More. I have no further information, but the kid is quick with tremendous handles, it would be a shame for him not to be competing somewhere. Also just learned that Chad Jackson has withdrawn from James Madison following his freshman season and has signed to play at Northern Kentucky University.

11 of 12 playing college ball and the one kid that could be playing at a lot of schools. Seven NCAA Division One schollys Two D-IIIs Two NAIAs I even know of one kid a grade behind these guys that played with the Patriots in a few events over a couple of years when his primary AAU squad was not in action that just signed to play D-II next year. These guys were good, from the parents, coaches and behind the scenes folks keeping things rolling, to the players themselves... and a better group of kids would be hard to find. This is a shining example of what is possible when people work together and do things right. :thumb:

Just learned some more on other former Patriots: Jordan Siebert - Ohio State Juan Staten - Dayton who just transferred Penn State Griffin McKenzie - Xavier Andy Earls is at Cincinnati State but not playing basketball... (...a shame to me...) They had some great kids and a tremendous program... Five (or more) state titles, numerous trips to nationals, and a majority of their players still competing in college ball pretty much debunks a lot of high school coaches complaints about AAU encouraging bad habits and not teaching team play. Granted, the Patriots weren't an average team, but they also prove that not all AAU ball is bad. :thumb:

I edited my previous post after you posted... "The last I heard is he was considering Cincinnati-Clermont and Wilmington, but don't know for sure where he ended up, or if he is still playing. It would be a shame if he isn't." Andy is a good kid who worked hard to develop his skills. I do hope he's still competing somewhere.

The following are the kids that come to mind from this AAU team. The information is current to the best of my knowledge, but may change at any time. Chad Jackson was at James Madison and may be looking for a new opportunity. Dakotah Euton was at Akron, and is now at Asbury Austin Flannery was at Asbury Kyle Bair was at Asbury Ryan Popp was at Thomas More Daniel Corbett was at Johns Hopkins Josh Sewell is at Miami Ohio Mikey Gabbard was at Western Kentucky but is rumored to be transferring to Erskine Andy Earls has to be playing somewhere. The last I heard is he was considering Cincinnati-Clermont and Wilmington, but don't know for sure where he ended up, or if he is still playing. It would be a shame if he isn't. There are several other kids that played with the Patriots at one time or another, but I have no information at this time.

Congratulations to Jake and his parents. Great kid, great family! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

I've seen both pros and cons in terms of player development. From my experience it has been almost entirely favorable. Spring and summer ball many not be essential, but it is invaluable for helping kids already with solid fundamentals improve their skills and thinking in actual game situations against very good competition. Under the right circumstances, this carries over to their school teams and into confidence off the court. Some of the very best coaches in the game, without time or credentials to coach high school ball have excellent summer teams. Of course there are some stinkers too. In terms of kids with the physique and skills to play beyond high school, it is almost mandatory for them to compete on a decent team in events attended my college coaches. Not many players - great or average - have the opportunity to play in the Sweet 16 at Rupp. Only a handful ever have a tourney like Mr. Hickey did this year. But a lot of good players can participate on summer teams that will play in events with more coaches present than ever attend the Sweet 16. I've seen more than 70 coaches at a single summer game, and over 300 at some tournaments. It's a numbers thing, and for good players, every bit of extra exposure is almost always a good thing. There are exceptions to the rule, but they are becoming increasingly rare. It's just too easy for college coaches to visit a handful of key events in July and see more talent than they have time or budget to see otherwise.

It's been my pleasure to know Mr. Hickey since his third or fourth grade year. A great kid and a terrific competitor. I wish him nothing but the best.

Goldie, I can honestly say, the highlight of my evening was finally getting to meet you face-to-face. GRC is very fortunate to have you as their #1 fan. GRC is the real deal. They have the size, talent and depth to be playing on the final Saturday in March. :thumb:

The King brothers are both great kids and competitors. Congratulations to Kyle, Luke and the whole family... job well done!

Home... in bed with a fever.

Way to go 'Cellus! I couldn't be happier for an outstanding young man from a fine family. IUPUI got a true jewel. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

I agree, Kellen is a great kid that would be an asset to many programs. Part of the problem at home is that Kentucky has fewer options than many other states. We have six Division I schools, that all compete at a high level... or intend to. This requires large and/or extremely athletic bodies (usually both.) There are many players right on that bubble with the size and athleticism to make these teams, but not quite the tools to be key players within those systems. They're faced with choosing to appease their egos and hype and going D-I, or being mature, and choosing a school where they will gain a great education and be able to have a greater impact for their team. It all boils down to what the kid wants. Some are content to sit the bench four seasons just to be a Wildcat, Cardinal or Hilltopper and only touching the floor during warm-ups and after a victory is well settled. UK has a long line of these players. Kids that were heroes on their high school teams, but lucky to get a minute or two on the floor for the Wildcats. Others understand that the NBA is a distant dream, and a solid education with no college debt is a wise choice. If they can do that in a program, where they will have a shot at being a key competitor for four years… all the better. Kentucky only has four D-II schools statewide, whereas other states like NC and PA have more than 20 each. In terms of recruiting, every D-II coach is looking for D-I caliber players. There are only four D-III schools statewide... (which I know cannot "technically" offer athletic schollys, but they do recruit players and put competitive teams on the court.) Some states have over 50 D-III schools. There just aren't as many opportunities inside Kentucky below the D-I level. The one area Kentucky stands out is the NAIA level with 14 schools. Some are highly competitive. Happy Osborne has built a career at Georgetown by welcoming disillusioned D-I recruits to the NAIA level. NAIA schools can offer athletic scholarships, but generally have much less money to work with than NCAA schools. NAIA coaches generally have to decide if they “really” want a couple of players, or if they need to spread the money between several, hoping that a couple rise to the challenge. The bottom line is, it takes a very special student-athlete to earn a “full ride” at any level. :thumb:

Kellen is a fine young man with a stong skill set and a good head for the game. I've had the pleasure of getting to know both him and his dad over the past several years. Great folks. I wish Kellen nothing but the best. Job well done Dad! :thumb:

Haven't checked this forum in a few days. I'm a little late to the party. Congratulations to Timmy! We're all really proud of you, and wish you the greatest success at EKU.

Let me open with... I think Travis is a tremendous athlete. I'm confident he will play at the next level, and I wish him nothing but the best. :thumb: I'm not attempting to turn the thread or attention away from him, but all the talk about D-I vs D-II got the wheels turning. Whether D-I, D-II, D-III, NAIA or otherwise, earning the opportunity to compete at the college level is a big deal. Getting any or all of your schooling paid in return for your skills is a really big deal. From an academic perspective, some of the smaller schools offer better options. It all really boils down to what each student athlete's goals are. I would never tell a young man not to shoot for a major D-1 full ride… but I would also encourage kids and parents not to overlook the significance (and relative rarity) of scholarship money at any level. To better put this in perspective, I find it very helpful to look at actual numbers: There are about 104,373 boys attending 279 KHSAA member high schools. This is divides out to an average of 93.5 boys per grade level per school. Out of these, an average of perhaps 4 per senior class, (about 1-in-23) have the talent, work ethic and perseverance to compete in basketball at each school. This represents only 4.3% of all boys attending KHSAA member high schools. So, just making the high school team puts a young man in select company. Of an average of about 1,120 senior basketball players per year in Kentucky, maybe 50-80 (depending upon fluctuations in talent levels and recruiting interest from class to class) have the opportunity to compete for an official college team at any level. (D-I, D-II, D-III or NAIA) That’s only about 4% to 7% of all graduating senior ballers… and only about 1-in-500 graduating senior boys statewide. Of these, maybe 3 – 10 (depending upon fluctuations in talent levels and recruiting interest from class to class) actually receive a full ride at a D-1 school. That’s less than 1% of all graduating senior basketball players. This means that only 1-in-110 to 1-in-225 of all kids playing basketball in the state of Kentucky will ever have the opportunity to compete at the D-I level. Stretch this out to include all boys in each senior class and the odds leap to 1-in-2600 to 1-in-5200. Opportunities at the D-II level are only slightly higher with maybe 5-15 boys going to D-II schools. D-III schools technically cannot offer “athletic” scholarships, but will offer partial to full rides based upon academic achievement and financial needs. Very often, skilled athletes are able to procure “scholarships” but they are difficult to quantify on equal terms with D-I and D-II schools due to their differences in calculating scholarship money. Generally, D-III athletes tend to be really good students, or to a lesser degree, really good athletes from really needy families. While these kids have strong basketball skills, academics tend to trump athletics. The payoff is that D-III student athletes tend to get very good educations at some very good schools. NAIA schools capture the greatest percentage of graduating seniors, and though they do have the ability to offer full rides, many schools are faced with the need to stretch their scholarship dollars further, and generally only offer partial scholarships in varying degrees. The bottom line is, it takes a special young man just to play high school basketball in Kentucky. For over 93% of all basketball players, this is as good as it will ever get, and they should enjoy the experience to the fullest. For the 7% or less that get to compete at the next level, and the 5% or so who may receive any form of financial aid for their skills… congratulations are in order for using your God given abilities to the fullest of their potential. You represent only about 1-in-500 of all boys graduating high school in the state each year. ( Hopefully, your future bride and children will think you’re one-in-a-million. :thumb: ) Let your ego push you to be the best you can be, but don’t ever let your ego get in the way of genuine opportunity. :thumb:

Congratulations to Robbie and the whole Stenzel family. :thumb: Great folks all... EKU just increased their loyal fanbase. Robbie Stenzel has worked his tail off for this opportunity. I'm sure he'll do well.

I enjoyed a good dose of NKY basketball this summer with 7 or 8 seniors-to-be that I have no doubt could make lots of noise statewide... problem is, they play high school ball for five different NKY schools. Even so, they should get lots of attention as individuals, I just don't know what kind of teams they will have around them.

Austin Flannery earned a full tuition scholarship to Asbury University. Definitely a great accomplishment for a terrific kid. Congratulations to Cameron Hall! Another outstanding young man from a great family... ( well at least his mom's side... ) ( Just kiddng, Cameron's dad Jeff is pretty terrific too... I just wouldn't be expressing proper love to complement him straight up... :lol: I can say he and I both married up though. :thumb: )

Student athletes have five consecutive years of athletic eligibility upon starting college, with only four years of actual competitive eligibility. This allows one year for a "red shirt" season due to injury or other considerations. To the best of my understanding, Ferguson and others like him would have four of their five total years of eligibility remaining. So, barring injury or other incident, Ferg will be able to compete four seasons, just like a 2009 grad that was red shirted his first year. Also, by transferring down a level (D-I to D-II) rather than up a level (D-II to D-I) or to another school at the same level (D-I to D-I) the rules requiring a student athlete to sit out a season do not apply. I do not claim to be an authority on these matters, but since you asked, that is my understanding. :thumb:

I can tell you he's not as small in real life to "normal" sized humans as he may look in the team photo above... the kid he's standing next to, Tyler Hodges (11) is every bit of 6' 8", Jack Stewart (44) is 6' 8", Stauffer (31) is pushing 6' 7" and Barber (23) is 6' 4". :lol: Vollett (34) is 6' 5", Montgomery (22) is 6' 5"... Trammel and Flesch are both around 6'. Murphy is a very level-headed leader, with a sound knowledge of the game. He's been a great influence and mentor to these boys. Nick Dorning is ex-Air Force and absolutely top drawer in every aspect. He's another great influence on these young men. :thumb: