wildcatfan

I haven't noticed Montgomery being very vocal in the past or this year. From the stands, Cotton appears to be vocal to his teammates at times, but it is hard to tell from there how inspirational/motivational his words are to them. However, it appears that overall the Boone players play hard, and effort isn't the main problem. Coaches can motivate players too. The quietness you see may be a reflection of the coaching style. He appears to be a pretty quiet coach and not a big "rah-rah" guy. Some players need that rah-rah support from teammates and/or their coach to play hard, and some don't because they have enough motivation from within. With a couple of exceptions, I've always thought that there is too much substitution at Boone, and it is hard for players to get into/stay in a rhythm. They go about 9 deep in every game. I say find your top 5 and play them and use 2 others to spell them. I still see not enough teamwork, and I notice certain players trying to get their points/stats by taking a bunch of shots, etc. Certain players don't seem to be able to see or be willing to pass to certain teammates when those players are open, etc. If Boone has any chance to do well, they need to work as a team, be motivated, and not worry about who has the best stats, or it will be an early exit in the post season.

Boone could not stop Stewart from scoring inside. Earls had a quiet second half. I like Brown and Earls on the floor together with Montgomery/Cotton, Gabbard, and Popp.

Matchup problem with the taller Highland's center?

Most of Highland's misses were when Boone had to foul to try to get back in the game. If they hit there free throws to begin with, they wuold not have lost the lead, and it might have been a totally different game. Regardless, the team that played better overall won.

Montgomery had the best game of anyone on the floor, finishing with 20 and 10.

Yes, Highlands missed a few late free throws when Boone had to foul, and left the door open, but Boone could not capitalize. Flynn stayed sitting.

Foster has made a huge difference for Newport this year.

Grubbs wasn't dressed.

popp played a little. He missed the last game. Sick this week?

He was yelling out instructions. Boone hits their free throws in the second half, they win.

Boone's JV won by about 7. Chase Stanley had about 17.

Boone's missed free throws in the second half were their downfall. Smith Keller also hit a couple of big threes. Montgomery looked good for Boone. He led them with about 20. I'm not sure if anyone else from Boone was in double figures. Boone was up about 7 early in the third quarter. They led by 1 at the half. Quiet game for Kowolonek and Gabbard. Gabbard had a chance to tie at the buzzer with a three that was short.

I remember that team and listening to that game, and without the injury, I think they would have done it.

Changing schools is not easy for most families. I think good coaches know how to adapt to their talent and to game situations. College coaches can recruit players to fit their system. High school coaches need to be flexible to deal with what talent they have to work with.

I've also noticed overcoaching by certain coaches. Sometimes you just have to turn them loose and let them play. There are certain kids/players who have had success at every level and in every situation leading up to high school. Why not let them play the way they know how to? There will be some mistakes but also a lot of nice plays. There is no need to micromanage players that have a lot of talent and try to constrain them to run particular plays/system all of the time. They start to play like robots and are afraid to make a mistake or turnover, lest they get pulled out. It also causes a lot of hesitancy/lack of confidence in their game. They try to run the play the coach calls, regardless of whether it is there, and they try to force the ball, often causing turnovers for which they get pulled. If they don't run the play as the coach instructs, they are pulled. The system and plays needs to be fit to the players' talens, not the other way around.

They will have to score more than they did against Ryle...

Ouch. This should shake the NKY rankings up a bit. Where was the scoring for Highlands?

May depend on how the refs call the game. Last year at Highlands it was extremely physical and the refs let a lot go. The regional matchup was not as physical, and the refs had a tighter rein. Brown is probably as physically strong as Grubbs, and Earls can match up with him and/or Watson too, just like in the regionals last year. Should be a good game.

It appears Popp and Gabbard weren't in the game last night, by the paper. Maybe Boone still has some players injured/sick? Isn't Grote still out for Highlands? The other matchup will be Keller-Smith vs. Cotton?

Didn't Rick Bolus rank him #1 in KY this year????

Fair enough. You could say the same thing for Boone and some other school's stats too. It's just one gauge or stick in the ground for a comparison.

I think a few of Boone's players have had better success in AAU ball and in a more up-tempo style, and that's where a lot of the college interest comes from in Boone's players that are being recruited.

I think Boone has the best talent they have had since 2004.

Just a correction. Boone has only been out of the district once since 2004.

The better teams have the better PLAYERS. Sure there are exceptions. But scoring is only ONE aspect of the game. Dixie is 8-9. What quality wins do they have so far? How many did he have against Highlands and Newport Catholic? Did they win? There are several upper classmen guards in NKY I would put ahead of Hatton in NKY at this point, including Gabbard, Foster, R. Johnson, McLeish, Popp, Pangallo, Armstrong, Smith, and Jolly. Are you saying he is better than all of those seasoned, experienced guards? Everyone one of these is capable of scoring in bunches, but they also do a lot of other things. Good luck to the young man. Hope he realizes your expectations for himself if that is what he wants.