coach4life

Whether Mikey lands a scholarship has less to do with what Boone did than what Mikey has accomplished in his 4 years both on an off the court. I think the reason people are talking about this is because we are shocked that he is not playing somewhere because of all of his accomplishments in both school ball and AAU ball. Plus, the fact that he is a leader on and off the court and has a very high GPA we know he would be a great pick up for any college team. He was offered a D2 scholarship prior to his senior season, and has had numerous interest from several small D1 schools and D2 schools throughout the year. I talked to him a few weeks ago and he named three decent schools that he was still talking to. I hope something works out for him because in all my years as a coach I have never seen a kid work so hard all of the time.

There is one at UK and another one at UL. I know the deadline is up for the one at UK, but I'm not sure about the one in Louisville.

Any results from the 16U?

I think Montgomery is supposed to play this weekend with the Bulldogs.

You are right about one thing...this kid it the hardest working kid I have known in my 12 years of coaching! Not only does he put the time in the weightroom, but you can always find him in the gym working on his ballhandling, shooting, footwork. I've watched him workout in the gym and was very impressed at how hard he works. He had a DII offer prior to his senior season, but he declined because he did have several other schools that had some interest in him (several small DI). I'm very surprised someone has not picked up this kid yet. You know what you are going to get with him...great kid, very good student (GPA over 3.5), superior basketball IQ and floor general, and a very hard-working athlete. I wish him nothing but the best because he has earned it.

JR did not have to sit out this year because he did not see any varsity minutes as a freshman.

There has not been any talk at the middle schools about starting football programs. It has to be through some other entity.

NKY Heat 16U made it to the final four of the Championship bracket of the Dayton tournament. They lost in the final four to the team that Team KY played in the Elite 8. Just like in their game, this team could not miss a shot. They shot the ball very well and most shots were 3-pointers. NKY Heat hung with them for the first half, but then they put it away early in the 2nd half. But, they still had a decent showing for their 2nd tournament, placing 3rd in the 17U division.

Yes, Doss went to Boone his freshman year and then transferred to SK for his sophomore year.

Pitts is playing really well right now. There still has not been anyone that has been able to match his quickness on the floor. There is a nice inside/outside game with him and Doss from SK. If they stop him from penetrating he just dishes to Doss inside. He is very fun to watch. Stephens played good defense as usual. He actually put the ball on the floor a few times and took it to the rim. I think his offensive game will come to him this summer. This team has been looking for another post player for a while and just picked up Hunter Hoskins from Holmes. He played with them this weekend. He played well today too. He is very athletic and strong and gives them more options with Doss/Stephens/Hoskins at the post positions.

NKY Heat 16u has most of their players back and went 2-0 up in Dayton today in pool play. They are playing 17U this weekend. The first game was a close one winning by 6. The game was tied with about 3 minutes left and Ja'Keith Pitts (Holmes) put the team on his back and scored two quick baskets. Tate Mullins (Ryle) made several free throws at the end of the game to put it away. The second game was a 30+ point win for NKY Heat. Very balanced scoring and total team effort in both games. They advance to the championship bracket in the 17u division. Team Kentucky and one of the Shining Stars teams are in this too. Anyone know how they did today in pool play?

Both of these players fit in well with the Heat team. They have 6'6 JR Doss from SK that starts at the center position and is capable of putting up big offensive numbers. Stephens is more of a defensive center but can give you 4-8 points a game off the bench (and has been so far). He really is committed to getting better this summer. JaKeith didn't play last year for Holmes, and regrets it. He is really working hard on his game and wants to play high school ball. He really hasn't missed much and had 20 points today with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Very good production out of the pg position IMO. What he lacks in strength he makes up for with effort. I've been very impressed with him in the games I saw. So far nobody has been able to guard him with the speed/quickness he has. He handles the ball very well with few turnovers and has very good court awareness. He does need to work on the intangibles of a pg...like being a floor general. Both players have played AAU in the past with the QC Prophets and Tarheels so AAU is nothing new to them. I believe they even played on a team that went to Nationals when they were younger, but I could be mistaken. I just think it is great that they are refocused and committed to doing what it takes to get better. It's a long summer so we will see how they progress.

He was a great pick-up for the Heat. He is a physically strong guard and a very smart player. Unfortunately he is injured and did not play much at all this weekend. However, he was there on the bench for every game supporting his teammates, which I love to see!

NKY Heat 16u Carter New - Highlands JR Doss - Simon Kenton Tyler Bray - Ryle Tate Mullins - Ryle Ryan Smith - Ryle Dylan James - Ryle Keenan Palmer - Boone Co. Tyler Cox - Boone Co. Carlitos Anderson - Walnut Hills David Irby - Walnut Hills JaKeith Pitts - Holmes David Stephens - Holmes

I saw this game tonight. They came out a little sluggish in the first half. Could have been some jitters as it was their first game together. They also have three players out and one of their guards went down early with an ankle injury. They fought hard but came up a little short. I look forward to watching how they progress as they get their full roster back and get a little more seasoned because they have some nice young talent.

NKY Heat is playing in this one. They are a 16u team. All players are from NKY except 2 players from Walnut Hills High School. They play Friday at 9:00 PM at Midwest Hoops.

Gabbard has a few other schools with some interest and an official visit scheduled for a school not on this list.

What are some of the better tournaments in this area this summer? I've heard about the KY Hoopfest. Any others worth checking out?

I'm not sold yet on Downs. He has had a ton of talent coming through the pipeline at Boone. I would like to see how he would do with a team with less talent than what he has had in his career at Boone. IMO a great coach is one that can take a team without a lot of talent and get them to a higher level and achieve success.

I would like to know what the free throw stats were in this game. It seems that Holmes converted almost all of theirs and Boone just couldn't seem to hit theirs. I bet they missed at least 10. IMO Gabbard played a great game and left everything out on the floor. His stat line is very good for a point guard (14 points, 6 rebs, 6 assists). I talked with him after the game and he told me he was playing hurt. He said there was no way he was going to miss this game. To have those numbers with the injuries he had is trememdous. Most kids would not have been able to play. I just think that is one of the guttsiest performances I have seen! I hate that Cotton had to play his last game with only getting about 3 mins of playing time. He too is a great kid and I hate that his career had to end this way. I wish Holmes the best of luck in the finals today. I think either team will represent the 9th region well at Rupp!

NKY Heat boys 15u and 16u will be having tryouts soon. They usually conduct invitation only tryouts, but this year they will be open. Not sure of the dates yet though.

I noticed he was frustrated, but IMHO it was because the last time he took it to the rim he was clobbered and got a no call. When the foul was called on him in the 3rd I think he was frustrated because it seemed like a ticky-tack foul compared to what he received just before that. I think the ref understood his frustration and that is why he didn't get the "T" for slamming the ball. I personally think any time a kid slams the ball down it should be a "T". I just don't think there is a true point guard in NKY that can beat him physically as he is the strongest I've seen. As far as mentally, we must have been watching different games. He was not even close to frustrated until after that no call. He was his calm-self up until that point. And even after that, he was able to calm himself down pretty quickly and continue playing the game, including making all of his FT's in the 4th. He is very mentally tough, which is part of the reason he is such a great point guard. He keeps his poise and composure in check.

I heard that it is Boone vs. SK at 6:00 at Cov Cath. The Frosh Championship game follows this one.

Ockerman 7th boys defeated Gray 7th boys. Camp Ernst 7th girls defeated Grant County 7th girls. In both games, the #1 seeds Ockerman boys and Camp Ernst girls came out very strong but both allowed the other teams to get back in the game late. However, in the Ockerman boys game, this was short lived as they put on some pressure, Gray couldn't handle it and the game was never in question after that. I think it was a 7 point game going into the 4th. Ockerman was just too much for Gray once they put the full court pressure on in the 4th. The Grant County girls I think pulled within single digits early in the 4th, but just couldn't hang with the Camp Ernst girls. I was very impressed with the talent on both the 7th grade winners advancing out of the 1st district. I think they will both contend for the championship in the regional finals.

I agree. I don't think Gabbard "got owned" by Hatton. I thought Gabbard had a great night running the offense as usual and getting the ball to his open teammates with several assists. He also was scoring when he needed to. It was nice to see him taking some outside shots. I think he also shot 100% from the FT stripe if I'm not mistaken.