letabrotherspeak

DT did Adam Howard dirty and ultimately the NCAA got to Howard. Unfortunately, DT who I think is a tremendous coach and is guilty as can be.

Congratulations to the Red Devils. Just like the 1980 championship season they took out a 9th Region foe in the semi-finals. In 1980 Dwight Higgs and the Red Devils beat the Dicky Beal led Holmes Bulldogs in the semis. I can still remember that game. Holmes played the late game on Friday night and beat Ashland something like 97-92 and it may have been an overtime game, but not positive. The Bulldogs got in late and had to rise early the next morn, but OHS was too much. Excellent run by the Red Devils.

This move was decided for almost a year. It was common knowledge around these parts from the D1 coaches, that this job was gonna open and that there was a leader in the clubhouse.

Congrats to CovCath on the victory and best of luck in Rupp next weekend. Congrats to the Holmes seniors on a heck of a ride over the last week and best of luck to James Bolden going forward. He may not have played his best game tonight, but there hasn't been a player come through the region in a while that created quite a buzz like he has the last three years. He is the one player who impartial fans would come to see play because of his game. There have been some very good basketball players to come through, but none who created "must see" play like Bolden created for the fans over the last three plus years. I look forward to watching him continue his career at West Virginia. As for the game, Holmes has to be kicking themselves for not creating a little bit of a cushion in the first half. Some have already mentioned it but ultimately that was the killer. In general, throughout the second half you kept waiting for one team to hit that one shot or make that one play that would be the tipping point. Actually, you were waiting on CovCath to make that one play and they had some chances to do so mid third quarter forward but it didn't come until mid fourth. Tip of the cap to Coach Listerman. Holmes broke out the zone defense and aside from an early flurry by the Colonels, the zone stymied the Colonels. Conversely, I was stunned to see CovCath open in man to man considering the success they had in the district final with their zone. Holmes was able to get some early penetration and put pressure on the CovCath defense. Holmes contained CovCath and kept them from getting into transition. Holmes was also terrific on the defensive glass and was really scrapping and getting to loose balls. They missed a golden opportunity to get a bit of a lead, but never quite did. Once CovCath settled into the zone the tide shifted for them and it became a rock fight. The Colonels were able to get shots closer to the basket and Holmes took some tough 3's. Bolden was just long with everything. How about the one sequence where he drove, floater long, gets offensive rebound and another floater long, but scraps and gets another rebound and McClendon misses a three long. CovCath became more patient and got some good looks and converted. Very few long shots in the second half which could result in outlet passes in transition opportunities for Holmes. Fun game to watch and both teams left it out there and a tough one to swallow if you were for the red and white tonight.

Three pages in and people have yet to give kudos to the job that Andrew Arnold did on McDonald tonight. Arnold giving up 7 inches and very little rest kept McDonald off the block most of the night and simply did not back down. It may not show up in the stat line but Arnold was simply terrific guarding McDonald. For a large part he guarded him straight up with some help. McDonald was forced to kick it out. Weyer had Avery on him and he is not going to see kids with that much length guard him out on the floor. I thought a key sequence in the game is when NCC went to a zone for a stretch. Bolden left open and drills a 3. I believe he hit another as well and they threw a lob in that sequence. NCC went back to man and behind and McClendon and Bolden controlled the ball. Avery had a few offensive rebounds in the 4th to keep possessions alive and ultimately the ball game. Holmes did a terrific job on the glass and Arnold kept McDonald off the offensive glass and negated stickbacks. I just think that the two Holmes guards outplayed NCC's backcourt. McClendon really played well. Hit open shots and dogged Pangallo all over the court. Why does this happen to NCC at the region? I think they just play too tight but much of it is matchups. Unfortunately, its a bitter pill to swallow for the Breds but they have some classy kids and a classy staff.

Boys region will not be played during Girls Sweet 16, because I doubt Julian Tackett will allow that in my opinion.

Was this the final game for Nell Fookes? If so, what an outstanding career!!!

How does Morgan County get all of these transfers?

What kind of physical condition is Mullins in and how long has he been back?

When CovCath shoots the ball like they did they are going to be tough to beat. They played well and hit open shots. Holmes got down in the first quarter and had an uphill climb the rest of the night. They missed a bunch of free throws in the first half and CovCath hit their free throws and got to the front and stayed there. I thought the VonHandorf looked much more assertive on offense than I have seen him in the past. Really solid scorer going to the basket on the left hand side. Flood hit a couple early threes that got the Colonels going and they did a really good job on the boards. On offense, Holmes missed a couple chippies and couldn't get a perimeter shot to fall. CovCath played a lot of zone and went away from their faceguard deny of Bolden which had become the norm for them when they played Holmes. CovCath did a much better job than Holmes in transition and converting while Holmes had some miscues pile up on their end. The game got really chippy and physical particularly in the second half as Holmes started scrambling trying to force some turnovers. I don't think there was anything real dirty just two teams competing and wearing their emotions on their sleeves. A lot of bodies colliding, reaching, woofing, grabbing, swinging elbows, a forearm or two above the shoulders on drives. CovCath is the better team and their depth is a weapon.

You are right, I got mixed up. McClendon was very good and surprised she didn't make the all-tournament team.

They are just so well rounded as a team. Granted I have only seen a few girls games this year and have not seen Highlands or NCC, but I think they have to be favorites. Forgive me if I am wrong but I believe it is Ally Mayhaus who is the starting center? She's tall and long and finishes well around the rim and uses her length to disrupt shots in the paint without fouling. Does NCC or Highlands have height to combat what she brings to the table? Englemon is a poised point guard who plays angles really well and is always in control. I think she is the most important piece for Holy Cross. She was terrific tonight. Turner is a solid scorer and can knock down 3's. Tucker plays under control and will make open shots. Hassert sp? plays her role very well. One chink in the armor for Holy Cross that I see, is I don't think they are very deep. They just are hard to guard if they make perimeter shots. They can stretch you and open up the paint for Mayhaus. Plus they have the experience. Region finals last year? Won the All-A this year. Experienced group.

If you can't score you can't press. Simple as that. Holmes really struggled versus the 1-2-2 or 3-2 that Holy Cross employed. I don't think that Holmes scored a field goal in the 3rd quarter and the Mayhaus twins caused a lot of issues for Holmes in the paint. The Lady Bulldogs seemed to be too passive and didn't move the ball very well. Englemon played well for Holmes, but the rest of the crew had an off night. Tubbs is nowhere near where she was earlier in the season before her injury. That hurts them in the halfcourt. The Bulldogs are a very young team and are entering uncharted waters and playing in pressure packed games. They should learn from this. Credit the Indians who just ooze experience and have everthing you need and the look of a region champion. Mayhaus was big one both ends of the her sister who doesn't play as much played well too. Englemon ran the offense and played really well. I was very surprised to see she didn't make the all-tournament team. It will take a yeoman's effort to knock Holy Cross off in the region.

I can see some of the angst in regards to media credentials and the like, but from the sound of things, it has gotten a little loose. One item that is devoid in Northern Kentucky is a radio station to carry games on the radio. That's what makes Kentucky basketball unique in the smaller areas across the state. Getting to listen to Danny Weedle call games on WFTM out of Maysville is fun and you see it in many regions across the state. Heck most every team in the 16th Region has a radio station that broadcasts their games. I can see where the online only broadcasts can cause some problems and I understand it is a newer outlet to cover games for schools and I'm sure the decision was not made lightly. The 9th Region at BOKC is a boon for the participants. The 9th Region Tourney makes more money than any other regional tournament in the state and I don't think it is fairly close. In reality, it is a great experience for the participants and it should be all about the players. Schools profit very well in times in which money is tight, especially for the participants. They payouts I would believe are very welcomed by the participating schools. Going forward I can see how it can get a little cramped on the press row with all the internet broadcast teams so sending them to one of the endzones should not be that bad. Sure the sight lines are not as good, but you still get to provide the service that you are there for. The BOKC is what it is and it would be nice to have a different set up for the opposite side of the floor where the high roller seats are, but there is not need for one at the BOKC with NKU. Maybe going forward they can carve that out in the future. Sure there are some things that can be adjusted in the future, but it is far better holding the tourney there than at a high school gym.

Questionable shot at the end for UC, but the foul 18 feet from the basket on a non-penetrating pass in inexcusable. Props to the XU frosh for hitting the FT's. I thought UC locked in on defense and Xavier got a little passive with the lead. Fun game to watch.

After all of these years you pretty much have to take what Pitino says with a grain of salt. When he was at UK he was known for hyperbole and as time wore on even with the Celtics, it didn't mean a whole bunch. Remember David Padgett having a season ending injury? Chane Behanan suspension? He did a total 180 from the pregame to postgame interview tonight. Pregame--"I don't know if he will make it back at all"...something to that effect. Postgame--"He got the outside stuff cleared up and he needs to do what the assistant coaches had him set up to do." Meaning, he will be playing this weekend. I'm guessing he got busted doing something and the university nailed him and then the coaches gave him some things he had to do. If he does it then he plays.

I liked the fight and toughness Holmes showed in the paint tonight. I thought that Arnold did a heck of a job on McDonald and he worked his butt off doing it. I thought we saw some flashes out of Jaiden Greene who had a nice little turnaround bank shot. Without Avery, Holmes was a bit limited in scoring options and struggled to get clean looks from the perimeter. Other times they would drive into the meat of the defense and force up contested shots. If Bolden was sick he really didn't show too many effects. The kid should be POY in the region. He gets double-teamed night after night and still produces. Weyer for NCC is a heck of a player. He may be the best player NCC has. Pangallo is really solid and probably look to score more than he does. You can see that he has really developed his body over the last few years. Going forward, NCC better cut down on their turnovers. NCC has the best combination of talent heading into the region, but can they string some games together and win it?

Rosie and Lucy Pinder do good work. Many people mistaken your avatar as a picture of Katy Perry.

When did the school district purchase the field? From what I understand it was only within the last two years. The prior upkeep was left to the city. They were concerned about spending their money elsewhere and that is their prerogative. Meinken has been in decline for years and with it sitting on an old landfill it didn't help matters. The field deteriorated to a point that was probably too expensive for individual upkeep and one had to rely on volunteers to take care of it. I do believe the district has maintained the field in certain respects, cutting grass and continuing to do so in the offseason, and manning the maintenance of the restrooms and so forth. I would imagine that those at Holy Cross did their fair share of work and did what they could to make the field as playable as possible. The bottom line is that the field was in serious need of overhaul and fortunately the school district was able to get this grant or whatever you want to call it and it should be a pretty nice facility when completed. The baseball fields at the FOPA complex use to be in pretty good shape. Have they deteriorated over the last few years?

Love the Rosie Jones signature pic GT.

How did they get the shaft? If it wasn't for the money from Holmes and the district back in the early 80's the present Meinken Field would never have been built. As time wore on original agreements between the school district and the city faded away or were chosen to be ignored, both schools seemingly became dual tenants which was not part of the original agreement. Since the school district now owns the field, and will be providing upkeep to the facility, then I would say they should get first rights for varsity, b-team, and freshman games plus practice on off days at Meinken. If time is open outside of those parameters, I would imagine Holy Cross could use the field.

You could smell something burning coming southbound on 75 near Florence just passed the Turfway exit around 8:00. As we got closer to our exit, you could see some smoke billowing east of the Florence Freedom field. My guess is that it is something over off of Industrial Road.

In regards to my earlier comments regarding CovCath's defense, it is a credit to Ruthsatz and company for making them a more physical team on defense. I do think in the games that I have seen them especially when they are face guarding, they do get away with a lot grabbing and holding. If they are not going to call it, then why stop? I thought Bolden was getting held a lot off the ball when he was making cuts, moves off baseline out to the top. Bolden has been pretty solid overall this year. For the most part he has faced doubles every game and still finds ways to produce. He is in a bit of a funk shooting right now, but he will come out of it eventually. Does Holmes have talent? Yes they have some but not 4 of the top 15 in the region. Outside of Bolden, each of the other three are limited in areas. CovCath collectively has all of the ingredients. Experience, size, ball handlers, scoring at different levels, accepting role players and a very tough mindset. Add a solid staff and you have a really strong team.

Are they not clearing the gym for this event? If not, what a disaster of logistics.

In general it was an ugly game. It didn't seem to have the emotion and energy that this game normally brings, it was just a dull game. Maybe the Conner/Ryle marathon snoozer had something to do with it. I don't think either team played very well and when they did, they both seemed to happen together. I didn't notice a lot of yapping either way, the only thing out of the norm that I saw was Schuh's chuck of the Holmes kid from behind during a dead ball. There was a double foul called later, but I didn't see what precipitated it. In regards to the CCH coaches killing the "overrated" chant by the students, no one on the bench stood up and quelled the cheer and I was sitting near the CovCath bench. On the flip side, who cares what they cheer. They are kids. Anyone with knowledge knows that Bolden is a D1 player and so be it and it just makes them look silly. I do believe there was one chant regarding bull poop, but may be wrong, but in general their cheers are kids just being kids. As for the game, Bolden didn't shoot very well against their zone and only forced a couple of shots. Someone mentioned he had 8 turnovers, but that does seem high. He has not really shot the ball well lately, but is a streaky shooter. I thought Arnold played well for Holmes and was really solid on defense. I thought Moore off the bench showed some promise and that will help going forward. McClendon played well in spurts and really dogged Theobald most of the night. I thought his ball pressure really created some issues for CovCath in the halfcourt. Last point for Holmes is that Mullins has to look to pass more. He tends to overdribble and doesn't find open shooters on drives. Schuh was in foul trouble, but that is the norm for him, isn't it? Romes was solid as usual, grabbing rebounds, keeping balls alive, making the extra pass. I have no idea about the reputation that CovCath is getting and it is probably a little overblown, but what they do get away with and its a credit to them because it hasn't been called in games I have seen them play and that is being allowed to use their hands and hold off of the ball. They have had some success with their face-guarding and in regards last night Flood was allowed to reach out and grab Bolden when he would work from the baseline out to the top. I have no problems with putting an arm bar on a player, especially in the post or stepping up to bump a cutter with your chest. By allowing teams the ability to reach out and hold grab and stick arms in the way through screens is a foul. It takes away from the freedom of movement of the offense. If I'm standing on baseline and I look to make a move to the top and the defender has both his arms around me as I make a move and grabs me with a hand or impedes my path, it is simply a foul. It is a hold. I understand that their is body checking and the sort in the paint and some hacking but on the perimeter and going through screens, when an arm/hand is outstretched on a body, it is and should be called a foul. In general, I think this is what most of the coaches complain about in regards to freedom of movement. Similar to the hand check on defense. Use of a forearm is and can be legal, but to allow one or two hands on an offensive body, the defender can control movement of a player. Off of my soapbox. I believe the district is at Holmes this year, isn't it and if so it should probably be a better environment?