5wide

:confused: Are you serious? All he did with talent was compile a 106-22 record over the past four years. That's an .828 win percentage. Also, EC was 86-13 vs. the region during that span for an .869 clip. They improved every year. EC's win total went up and it's loss total decreased every season for the past four years. 05/06 23-8 Overall Lost in 16th Region Finals 06/07 25-7 Overall Lost in State Quarterfinal to Warren Central 07/08 26-4 Overall Lost in Sweet 16 opening round to eventual champion Mason County, 66-62, after losing to them 90-61 earlier in the year. 08/09 32-3 Overall Lost in state semifinals to eventual champion Holmes, 67-57. They lost to Rose Hill two years ago in the All "A" region. This was before the departures of Jackson and Euton. Also, lost to eventual All "A" champion Shelby Valley in this year's tournament. And, they finished third in the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina. I'm not sure what more you want from a coach. The fact is Elliott County lost to teams that were better than them in the state tournament, as evidenced by losing to the eventual champion in the last two tournaments.

:thumb: I do think they'd benefit from taking the schedule up another notch. They've got a good core coming back. They have a pretty good shot to be one of the top rated teams in Rupp again next season. They need the big guys to provide some solid presence with defense and rebounding and it wouldn't hurt if they had some young talent that could give them some quality depth so Justice and Hatfield could get some rest when necessary. But, almost every team has some questions to answer heading into a season. I'd say not having any questions at PG or SG is nice, and throwing in your leading rebounder to boot can't hurt.

I have no idea. I just threw it in my post because several people mentioned that as a rumor. All I'm saying is that if Knipp is still at EC next season and they can develop a solid PG and a second scoring option (could be the same player), then they should be a legit 16th region contender next year. However, if there is something to the rumors and Knipp is gone, they won't have a chance to defend their title.

I suspect there will at least be a couple of teams that could potentially be a stumbling block for Holmes. They were a pretty strong favorite in the pre-season and really had all they could handle from Boone County this year. Additionally, with the way the 9th region teams like to slow things down and grind it out, it gives them a chance to keep the games tighter which means a couple of bounces here or there could be the deciding factor. Holmes will certainly be a strong favorite again and they should make it back to Rupp. I'm just saying, it's high school basketball and you never know. Anything can happen and that includes somebody knocking Holmes out of the regional tournament next year.

I like it the way it is. I've thought about this and I can't really see any way to change it for the better. Personally, I like the way they play the semi-finals and finals on the same day. I like the finals being played on Saturday night. The only possible change would be to start the tournament a day earlier, IMO. That way you could play the semis on Friday night and the finals on Saturday night. I do not like the idea of playing the finals on Sunday.

:thumb: My main complaint with this region. They always find a way to lose. They had a golden opportunity and scored one point in 13 minutes to close the game. I've seen Hazard, PCC and others play with some strong teams during the season. It's like their whole attitude changes at Rupp and they don't believe they can win or that they even belong. That has to change.

If Timmy Knipp is still there and if the Faulkner kid turns out to be a good PG, they should contend for the 16th again. Knipp will probably end up being better than any of the seniors that just graduated, so he can definitely make up for some of the lost production. Again, if the Faulkner kid can produce at the point, I figure a solid PG combined with Knipp will be enough. Especially considering EC was light years above the 16th this season. Yes, they lose a lot and they'll have to battle it out in the region now rather than running on cruise control. The key is Knipp staying. If Knipp leaves, forget about it.

Possibly. They certainly have a chance...but Hazard or PCC typically play their best in the postseason and any team that wants to break through likely will have to beat them both to get there. I'm not discounting KCC chances. I just wouldn't pick them. Of course, its a little early to say. Hazard and PCC aren't above having down years and these teams rosters may end up looking different than we project.

They should be proud that they aren't leading the charge of crybabies trying to get the rules changed to suit their needs or preferences. The 14th region title drought isn't as big a deal to me as their poor performance year after year in the Sweet 16. They're not always the worst team, but they almost always lose. They have to get it in their heads that they can compete instead of just being happy to get there. Hazard made it to the semifinals in '86 and by most accounts I've heard, probably could have made it to the finals were it not for some questionable officiating. The fact is that they aren't going to compete on a yearly basis like regions 6, 7, and 9-11. But, they'll have their chances. Like Paintsville in 1996 who got it done, or Elliott County this year who didn't. It's just the way things are right now. Just like way back when mountain schools were consistently among the best in the state...times change.

Here's the percentage of production they return next season... Points - 69.9% Rebounding - 67.0% Assists - 77.0% Steals - 71.7% Blocks - 26.6% I'd say most coaches would take that when it includes a backcourt like Justice and Hatfield. The only thing they take a big hit on is shot blocking, but as I said, they return a couple of guys who are 6'5 that should be able to step in and give them some inside presence. They won't need a ton of scoring from them anyway. I like what they have back.

SV returns plenty next season. They lost three seniors (two starters). Devan Adams, 6'10, C - 10 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.1 bpg Logan Bryant, 5'10, G - 6.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg Curby Tackett, 6'7, C - 5.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg Returning... Elisha Justice, 5'11, G - 17.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.1 apg, 3.6 spg Ashley Hatfield, 6'6, G - 12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 spg Taylor Newsome, 6'3, F - 8.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg Tyler Newsome, 6'5, G - 7.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg Cody Varney, 6'1, G - 4.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg They have a couple of guys who are 6'5 who saw some PT this year, along with a few others. Considering they return one of the top PG's in the state (Justice), their two best players and their leading rebounder, along with a couple of strong contributors from the bench, and a couple of guys with decent size...I'd say what they have coming back is better than the majority of the state. They should be a contender again next year.

Big difference in losing a guy unexpectedly when you aren't prepared vs. knowing that from the get-go and having a whole summer and several months of the season to get someone ready. I'd go with Scott County at #1. Also, I think Shelby Valley should be in the top 5.

The 14th region will come down to Hazard and Perry Central again. As it almost always does.

1. Holmes 2. Scott County (with a healthy Phares) 3. Shelby Valley 4. Elliott County 5. Central 6. Eastern 7. J'town 8. Ballard 9. Christian County 10. Corbin You asked for it.

State tournament wins vs. the 14th region don't count.

Too bad Phares went down...I'd have loved to see Scott County in that bottom bracket with the rest of the chalk. I was really looking forward to seeing Scott County and Holmes.

Like I said, I wasn't there, so I can't say one way or the other on the call. But, I absolutely agree with you...that call didn't cost EC the game...even if they get that call, Holmes is still up 4. They may have lost either way. The fact is, they had their chances and just couldn't get it done, IMO. Holmes was the better team today and that's all that really matters. As for Knipp playing wrecklessly with 4 fouls, I don't think they had a choice at that point. They couldn't play soft and give up points at that juncture in the game...EC had to get stops and get points to get back even. That's a risk worth taking and it resulted in his fifth foul. Again, that's just my opinion. Congratulations to both teams on great seasons and good luck to Holmes tonight. I'm hoping they can finally get that elusive title and keep the trophy out of Louisville in the process.

Central has been underestimated this whole tournament. I would view Holmes as a solid favorite and they will win if they come out focused and take care of business. But, if they make the mistake of thinking they won the state title after beating Elliott County and take Central lightly, the game could be interesting and Holmes could be playing the bridesmaid again. You can't discount how much that championship experience is worth for Central, even if it is a football title. JMO I expect Holmes to finish what they've started and take care of business with a double digit victory. But, again, if they take Central lightly, they could come out of Rupp talking about what should have been. I honestly felt like Christian County may have been the team with the best shot to knock off Holmes, since they got them in the tourny opener. Come out hot and catch Holmes before they got comfortable. Seems like the Bulldogs have been comfortably in control since that point...

Cantrall's computers had the top 8 teams or so all rated within about 3 points and many of those matchups ended up being games that either team could have won with a couple of different bounces or shots here or there. His ratings are just as good as any other for KY high school hoops. All computer ratings are flawed and his is no different. But, they give you a pretty good base to work with. I just don't understand the hatred for Cantrall. All I can figure is people get mad because their team ends up being rated lower than they like at some point or other...and that's bound to happen for everybody at some point if you look at them every week.

Good luck to Holmes in the finals. I've always kinda liked Holmes for some reason or other...I think I thought "Covington Holmes" sounded cool when I was a kid or something. I was hoping EC could cut the nets down and get the storybook ending, but it wasn't in the cards. I'm hoping Holmes can finish the deal tonight. From listening on the radio, it sounded like to me fatigue did affect EC. And, Holmes length affected them. I think EC had their chance when they got the ball back down 4 and threw it away on that possession. I'm not going to debate whether Knipp's fifth foul was a bad call or not (the radio guys said it was), because saying that call cost EC the game is just frustration. They just couldn't come up with the plays in the end to get back even.

Almost time to put the talking to rest...

It's kinda funny. Holmes and Elliott County was all people wanted to talk about before. Now that they're finally about to play, EC's game ends late Friday night and they play in about 12-14 hours, so there is hardly any prime BGP time to discuss and build this game up. Ah, the irony. It's a good thing we had that hypothetical thread to break this one down beforehand.

Absolutely. If I've learned anything from the Sweet 16 and March Madness, it's this. You've always got a chance...

I think Central would stand the best chance, but certainly they have a shot. I do think Elliott County would be the best matchup for the upper bracket winner, mainly due to their draw, playing the late game every time and the fact that they only play 5 guys for the most part. Fatigue could be a huge factor at that point for a team that plays fast like EC and relies on jump shooting. Dead legs typically don't keep the nets hot. If Holmes makes it, the upper bracket winner is going to have a really tough time. I'm not sure WJ would even have a chance to win that game, but I do think Central would. Here's how I'd rate the upper bracket's chances for W... 1. Central vs. EC 2. WJ vs. EC 3. Central vs. Holmes 4. WJ vs. Holmes

I see a lot of stuff claiming that Elliott County can't beat Holmes if they run with them. That may be true. But, Elliott County averages 86 ppg...they are a running team. I guarantee they can't beat Holmes in a slow down game. Elliott's chance, IMO, is to play their tempo. Fast. They have to shoot well. And, IMO, they need to build a lead and play from ahead because I do think fatigue will be a factor as this game progresses and that will benefit Holmes. My guess is Holmes is just too much for the Lions. EC may play with them for a while, but at some point, I expect Holmes to take control of this game and pull away as EC wears down. I'll take Holmes...big... 85-68