12thRegionFan

Top returning players 12th region 48th District Southwestern Payton Gover 19.3 ppg* Sr. Peyton Cundiff 8.3 ppg* Sr. Hunter Stephens 6.6 ppg* Jr. Logan Dykes 5.1 ppg* Jr. Wayne County Jackson Baker 8.3 ppg Jr. Logan Brett 7.1 ppg Sr. Clay Shelton 5.0 ppg Jr. McCreary Central Hunter Jones 14.1 ppg Jr. Devon Hamilton 11.8 ppg Sr. Devin Strunk 9.0 ppg Jr. Brandon Troxell 6.0 ppg Jr. Raya Jones 4.2 ppg Jr. All ppg averages taken from KHSAA website except where noted. *Team did not submit complete stats to KHSAA website, ppg averages taken from line scores submitted to the Lexington Herald Leader newspaper, KHSAA website or a combination of the two.

Top returning players 12th region 47th District Somerset Kross Grundy 17.2 ppg Jr. Trae Harmon 14.3 ppg Jr. Jake Cothron 11.5 ppg Jr. Austin Dick 10.0 ppg Sr. Casey County Jacob Smith 19.6 ppg Sr. Colin Miller 15.3 ppg Sr. Breece Hayes 7.6 ppg Sr. Max Reyes 6.3 ppg So. Rockcastle County Lucas Gentry 22.0 ppg Sr. John Cornelius 14.5 ppg Sr. Carson Noble 13.6 ppg Sr. Thomas Burdette 6.8 ppg Sr. Pulaski County Steven Fitzgerald 21.5 ppg* Jr. Landon Powell 17.1 ppg Sr. Treyvon Sylvester 14.8 ppg Sr. Danny Butt 9.0 ppg* Jr. Hagan Elmore 8.1 ppg Jr. All ppg averages taken from KHSAA website except where noted. *Team did not submit complete stats to KHSAA website, ppg averages taken from line scores submitted to the Lexington Herald Leader newspaper, KHSAA website or a combination of the two.

Top returning players 12th region 46th District Burgin Jordan Hurst 8.4 ppg Sr. Micah Dunn 6.8 ppg Sr. West Jessamine Isaiah Okesson 13.9 ppg Sr. Kendall Peters 7.9 ppg Sr. Dalton Bruner 7.4 ppg So. John Davis 5.6 ppg Sr. East Jessamine Nathan Harper 18.3 ppg Sr. Logan Gayheart 7.0 ppg Sr. Drew Cook 5.9 ppg Jr. Ben Thompson 4.4 ppg Jr. Yallen Woods 4.2 ppg So. Mercer County Trevon Faulkner 18.6 ppg Sr. All ppg averages taken from KHSAA website except where noted. *Team did not submit complete stats to KHSAA website, ppg averages taken from line scores submitted to the Lexington Herald Leader newspaper, KHSAA website or a combination of the two.

Top returning players 12th region 45th District Danville Jared Southerland 5.2 ppg* Sr. Lincoln County Noah Young 16.8 ppg Sr. Devin Alcorn 10.3 ppg Sr. Tanner Mcaninch 5.1 ppg Sr. Chase Phillips 2.5 ppg Jr. Boyle County Bryce Slone 12.9 ppg Jr. Jason Alexander 9.4 ppg Jr. Garrard County Jacob Baker 5.6 ppg Sr. Parker Daily 5.1 ppg Sr. Justin Preston 3.8 ppg So. Kentucky School for the Deaf Irvin Herrera 9.0 ppg Sr. Jimmy Davis 6.7 ppg Jr. All ppg averages taken from KHSAA website except where noted. *Team did not submit complete stats to KHSAA website, ppg averages taken from line scores submitted to the Lexington Herald Leader newspaper, KHSAA website or a combination of the two.

Justin Edwards F Sr. Southwestern Ronnie Carson G Jr. East Jessamine Peyton Woods G Jr. Wayne County David Kapinga G Sr. Southwestern Jacob Conway G Jr. Lincoln County Cory Stearns F So. Wayne County Hagen Tyler G Jr. Boyle County Will Hager G So. Mercer County Russell Sims G Sr. Mercer County Ryan Dishman G Sr. Somerset Clayton Ray G Sr. Garrard County Trey Blevins G So. Wayne County Sam Pensol G Jr. Rockcastle Co. Isaiah Collier F Jr. Southwestern Josh Mason F Sr. Rockcastle Co. Austin Sebastian G Sr. Garrard County

Bitter much?

Some of the top assistant coaches in the 12th are: Greg Edwards (Boyle Co.), Daniel Sandlin (East Jessamine), Brad Pertey & Shawn Conley (Lincoln Co.), Jeff Cothron (Pulaski Co.), Andrew Cash (Rockcastle Co.), Kevin Burkett (Somerset), Jake Baker & Kevin Jones (Wayne Co.), Kevin Sisler (West Jessamine)

Unless they decide to line up and play football it would be hard to pick against the Warriors. Somerset couldn't have had time to do any real work with the football kids yet. It may be Jan. before we see the real Jumpers.

With Watts, and Polson followed by a large group of really solid high school players this could be one of the better Sr. Classes to come through the 12th recently. Normally the 12th and 13th regions play a Jr. All Star game, composed of next seasons seniors. I havn't heard anything about the date but when I do I'll pass on the information. It's normally sometime in late June.

West Jess. beat McCreary by a single possession in the finals and returns much more of that squad. At least to begin the season you would think that McCreary would be ahead of them as West incorporates new players into the system. That may change as the season rolls along.

Thanks, its not an exact science several teams at the bottom could be exchanged. I think the 12th will be stronger overall next year, next years senior class is far better than this past year.

1. McCreary Central Key Returners: Aaron Watts (Sr.), Zack Roark (Sr.), Ben Wright (Sr.), Jacob Dixon (Jr.) Outlook: The Raiders were one basket away from a Regional championship in 2009, they return almost the entire cast and will be adding incoming freshmen big man Tyson Williams to the mix. They are the clear frontrunner next season. 2. West Jessamine Key Returners: Jarrod Polson (Sr.), Kyle Mefford (Sr.), Keston Bartholomew (Sr.), Jeff Zieman (So.), Dylan Pohl (Jr.) Outlook: The Colts will look to repeat their 12th region championship behind point guard sensation Jarrod Polson, they lost 3 major contributors off the State semifinalist team but look to have people in place to fill the gaps. Should McCreary stubble don’t be surprised to see them back in Rupp again. 3. Wayne County Key Returners: Kyle Hopper (Jr.), Ryan Hopper (Jr.), Austin Shearer (Jr.), Gavin Dunagan (Jr.), Dagan Shelton (Fr.) Outlook: The Cardinals return virtually the entire roster that took them to the semi-finals of the region, they have all been major contributors on the varsity since they were in middle school and this looks to be the year where they are ready to compete for a regional title. 4. Rockcastle County Key Returners: Jamie Todd (Sr.), Dustin Reynolds (Sr.), Matt Bullens (Sr.), Derrick Thacker (Sr.) Outlook: I know ranking the Rockets this high will raise some eyebrows but the 48th district champs return 4 starters, they are senior dominated and have good size. Experience matters just like with Garrard County last year. In order to compete with the big boys their guard play will have to improve. 5. Danville Key Returners: Duran Elmore (Sr.), Will Dunn (Jr.), Tevin Raines (Jr.) Jacody Taylor (Jr.), Cameron Burgess (Jr.) Outlook: The Ads return a loaded Jr. class that looks ready to bring Danville back to the top of the region. Lead by sharp shooter Jacody Taylor and lighting quick Duran Elmore they will need to develop bench depth but successful freshmen teams the last two years should provide that. 6. Mercer County Key Returners: Jamel Taylor (Sr.) Clay Cinnamon (Jr.) Outlook: The Titan’s seem to be a team in transition, Taylor and Cinnamon could form a great nucleus but they will need to fold some nice young players into the mix. Who the coach is and how that transition goes will determine how successful they will be. 7. Lincoln Co. Key Returners: Zack Hill (Jr.), Colby Long (Sr.), Dylan Allison (Sr.) Outlook: The Patriots where hit hard by graduation and easily could be ranked lower, but a Jeff Jackson coached team never seems to sink too low. Look for some youth to develop during the season and this team to over achieve. 8. Boyle Co. Key Returners: Conner Givhan (Sr.), Rees MacShara (Sr.), Logan Tritapoe (Sr.), Cory Jones (Sr.), Ben Carmen (Sr.) Outlook: Last season the Rebels never seemed to gel and struggled under a new system. They seem to have lots of good players and no great ones returning, I look for some improvement but if the football team has a long playoff run they may struggle again. 9. Somerset Key Returners: DJ Townsend (So.), JP Henderlight (Jr.), Josh Troxtle (Sr.), Taylor Gover (Fr.), Clayton Stringer (Jr.) Outlook: The Jumpers overachieved under new coach Don Daniel last season but still will be extremely young again. They look to be at least a year away from being back at the top of the region but look for Townsend to have a breakout sophomore season. 10. Southwestern Key Returners: Tyler Mayer (Sr.), Cody Epperson (So.), Justin Epperson (So.), Zack Fowler (Jr.) Outlook: The Warriors graduated their starting 5 but return a strong bench, while they will be young they have the talent to be much higher on this list. Post play could be a weakness but skill and court savvy will be a strength. 11. Pulaski County Key Returners: Chris Muse (Sr.) Tyler Jenkins (Sr.), Alex Abner (Jr.), Zach Eastham (Jr.) Outlook: The Maroons were a bit of a disappointment last season and will look to hire a new coach after Mark Flynn stepped down after only 3 ½ years. Expect some growing pains but the cupboard isn’t completely bare, Tyler Jenkins should have an outstanding senior year and Chris Muse gives them an experienced point guard. 12. East Jessamine Key Returners: Kyle Lamb (Sr.) Jordan Redd (Jr.) Outlook: Coach O’Bryan and the Jaguars graduated 6 seniors off last years high powered team and will go through some rebuilding this season. A strong JV team should provided the needed replacements but seasoning will be needed. 13. Casey County Key returners: Kyle Jeffries (Jr.), Jordan Spagnoletti (Sr.), Brad Jeffries (Jr.) Tyler Johnson (Jr.), Jordan Ellison (Jr.). Outlook: The Rebels made their first trip to the regional tournament in recent memory but the loss of the entire front line makes a repeat seem unlikely. Look for them to play a 4 guard lineup and shoot the 3 point shot a lot. 14. Garrard County Key Returners: Trent Prather (Jr.) Outlook: The Golden Lions enjoyed their most successful season in years but lose the starting 5 to graduation. 6th man Tent Prather will be what they rebuild around but expect it a slow process. 15. Monticello Key Returners: Derrick Peyton (Sr.), Aaron Dishman (Sr.) Outlook: The good news is the Trojans return virtually their entire roster, the bad news they were only competitive in a handful of games last season. Derrick Peyton is one of the top players in the region but he will need more help if they are going to be successful. 16. Burgin Key Returners: Timothy Riddle (Sr.), Logan Hill (Sr.) Outlook: The Bulldogs were the feel good story of the region last season, but the lose of 3 starters will leave them rebuilding rather than reloading.

Jeff Jackson's name was being thrown around at the State Tournament.

Not that big a shock, Rockcastle was the #1 seed, Casey Co. was the number #2. But your right this was a very even district, not a lot of difference between the four.