Warrior

Yes, the 16U Derek Smith All Stars - saw him play this weekend at the Simon Kenton Invitational. He's the real deal. Also, I think the son of Jeff Hall, another UL player on the '86 team, plays on that team. Cameron Hall must be playing up because I think he's only a freshman. However, he can fill it up and shoot the threes!

Any BGP members going to the 30th Anniversary of the McDonald's All-American Game Wednesday night at Freedom Hall? The Jam Fest slam-dunk contest was unbelievable on Monday night. Blake Griffin, an Oklahoma University signee, won the contest which was judged by Bill Walton, Denny Crum, Darrell Griffith and others. The Courier-Journal said that there were still some tickets available through the Freedom Hall ticket office and Ticketmaster. What a treat for any young girl or boy basketball player to see the best highschool players in the nation like Nolan Smith (Duke), O.J. Mayo (USC), Michael Beasley (Kansas State), Chris Wright (Georgetown), Nick Callathes (Florida), Jai Lucas and Patrick Patterson, plus seventeen others. Wednesday TV Schedule: 5:30 p.m., Girls' All-American Game, ESPNU; 7 p.m. Jam Fest (taped), ESPN; and 8 p.m., Boys' All American Game, ESPN.

The #1 Lady Trojans changed their typical style of play to adjust to the drastic size disadvantage and slower pace of Clay County's game. Even then, North Hardin outrebounded the Lady Tigers, 32-30. When Clay County tried to shut down Brown, North Hardin wisely shifted its offense away from her and went to Leavell, Prince and Linda Dixon who could either knock down 15-footers or drive to the basket. North may have had some lulls in the third quarter, but they maintained their poise and did what a winning team does...change its style of play, adapt, and keep its cool.

Way to go, Lady Trojans. Congratulations on a well-deserved win.

Hope Brown had a fantastic game tonight against E'town in the 5th Region Championship game. North Hardin wins it 57-55. Go Lady Trojans!

Don't know about Bath Co., but let's give Fairview a little credit. After all, look how well they played Elliott Co. Barker can put the ball in the hole and Hall, the freshman, is really coming on.

Just got in from the game and the air seemed electric during that time. It was great to watch the freshmen players hang in there and not fold. The Syracuse fans that were there seemed in shock - especially the ones around me that were taunting all the Card fans when Syracuse was 14 points up! Go Cards!

Absolutely. I'm proud to be a season ticket holder and I'll be there sporting my white-out shirt in Freedom Hall on Monday, January 22.

Kentucky does not require a coach in any sport to be a teacher even though some principals strongly disagreed with the decision.

I'll be there with bells on! I am so proud of my Louisville Cards...now the rest of the country is beginning to see one of the best kept secrets in the state of Kentucky. You know that UL football has arrived when Auburn and Alabama comes to it to try to find a coach for their program...which, incidentally, Petrino turned down! So, Card fans join me on the charter flight going down via YourSportsTravel out of Jeffersonville. Great package!

I remember it well. I was seated in the end zone about four rows up. Oddly enough, North Hardin had already beat Laurel County in the LIT by about 10 points earlier in the year. NH Coach, Ron Bevars, set up the same exact play in the final seconds of regulation in the state championship game as he did in the LIT championship game, not expecting Andrews' "Hail, Mary" shot to go in - but it did this time. It was like an eternity watching that ball head for the basket with the red light on. There are still NH fans today who have the game on VHS and believe that the basket should not have counted. Either way, it was an unforgettable moment in Kentucky high school basketball. North Hardin had an unbelievable team in '82, but its '81 team was even better. Three of its starting five went Div 1: James Jeter, UL; Robbie Valentine, UL; and Brett Burrow, Vandy. And the other players went to reputable Div II schools. NH's record for '81-'82 was 37 wins and only 3 losses - the maximum games that could have been possibly played when you account for the state tournament games. The two losses during the season occurred when its 6'11" center, Brett Burrow, was out sick. NH has not seen that kind of excitement in basketball since then. Its gym was always filled to capacity, and then some, plus closed-circuit tv provided for the overflow crowd in the cafeteria for home games. And many times on the road, North had more fans than the home team in the bleachers. Maybe one day we'll return to the "glory days!"

Way to go, Eagles!

EHS is my alma mater and our colors are indeed NW purple and Old gold; however, the manufacturers of uniforms and spirit attire often use a deep navy.

Was this Chase or Chad Jackson? I thought Euton and Chad Jackson played for the Patriots team near Cincinnati. Are they playing on both teams this year? Jackson really impressed me last year at KBA. They could really help any team they played on.

Bevars has been at North Hardin 25+ years and has had his pick of athletes. For a few of those years this school and Central Hardin were the two largest high schools in Kentucky. One would think with that kind of talent pool, it'd be fairly easy to dominate in basketball. In the early 80's he had three Div. I players on the same team with the other two players going Div. II...and still couldn't win a state championship. I'd think the criteria for a very good coach would be to develop players, teach the game, and then know how to strategize to win games. Even mediocre coaches can have winning seasons if they have the right players.

Brandi, we are so proud of you!

Arnika Brown and Brandi Rayburn really made quite a showing at Warren Central. Good luck in making the team!

I understand that she played volleyball and was a cheerleader in high school in southern Ohio.

Sorry. I was just told that she also worked in the Ashland Independent School System's Central Office.

I believe she was a hairdresser.

Do you have a name and number to call?

Hardin County schools do not allow out of district students? I bet they have recipricol agreements with every nearby district. There is only one district in the state that I know of that does not have open enrollment thats Boone County.This is why I feel the public arguement about privates getting students from multiple districts is absurd.I live in NKY and my kids can attend any school in NKY,or the state public or private,except for 2 in Boone County. And guess what if my kids choose a public school outside our district my state money follows me. News-Enterprise: "Elizabethtown Independent System and Hardin County Schools agreed 10 years ago [1993] to allow only 250 students to attend schools in each other's district. The agreement specified that both districts would discourage guardianships for educational purposes that have to be approved by Hardin District Court. Under such guardianships, students are placed in guardianship with someone residing in the district they wish to attend." According to heated discussions and board meetings since then, Hardin County maintained that many more than 250 out-of-district students were attending EIS schools and the agreement was readdressed. As you can deduct, the parents and local communities became very involved and vocal with the issue. As I understand it, the agreement is strictly being enforced. So, I don't believe that students can choose any public school they want to attend in Hardin County-Elizabethtown.

I noticed Coach Hall's banner was taken down in Rose Hill's gym the last time I attended a game. Was it relocated?

Actually, a lot of school districts are open-enrollment, and the kids do have a choice. Does anyone know if Hardin County schools are open enrollment? No, that's why I made the original comments.

1322 per KHSAA, including 663 boys. Central Hardin 1618, 824 boys Elizabethtown 716, 369 North Hardin 1411, 722 So don't these enrollments indicate that Central Hardin should be the better football team in Hardin County? Like I say, success breeds success and the newness of John Hardin must have had a huge impact on where the better athletes chose to attend school. In the public school systems throughout Kentucky, students are supposed to attend the school in which district they live, unless various exemptions apply to them, i.e. parents' employment in other schools, exchange agreements between systems, etc. When John Hardin was built, I understand that about the same number of students were taken from both Central and North Hardin's districts. Unfortunately, for these schools, there were many good athletes in the mix. So, if anyone would have "chosen" John Hardin when it was built, I think it would have been for their state-of-the-art performing arts center and not for the athletic programs.