The Fossil

When St John is out, they may be looking to become "Wrights Runts". Hey, it worked for a guy named Rupp...

Corbin will be playing Scott County. Id say thats some good competition.

Hold on there...what about LSU. Auburn is good but they're not an elite team. I dont want that bandwagon to tip over. Congrats to UK!

Your points make perfect sense but my reason for "advantage Corbin" is due to the size advantage that Corbin will have over the 4 guards that South will put on the floor most of the time. Youre right about Crawford and J.Smith but Corbin had a bunch of really good JV players last year that had to sit because of all of the senior talent. Corbin's JV only lost 1 game after getting all of their players back from football and injuries plus they had the task of playing against those seniors in practice everyday. Besides Wilson, Corbin will have 3 or 4 people capable of handling the ball when needed. It will be a very competitive game each and every time these guys play.

My guess is... Madison Johnson, Isaac Wilson, Aaron Manns, Josh Hopkins, Travis Smith with Mathew Taylor, Luke Stewart, Brody Freeman, Hunter Sizemore and others coming off the bench. Of course, if Caleb Watkins were to have decided to play this year, he would be in the top 7 for sure. He will be greatly missed by his teammates this year for sure.

Ditto Les...Manns will be very aggressive and is probably the only guy in the 13th that can effectively guard St John. Thats why I think it will be a 4 on 4 game between South and Corbin...advantage Corbin.

I heard this is the most depth South's had in a few years. The only spot to fill is at the 4 spots. South, is stacked at guard with the addition of Carr and the KC kid. It will be interesting to see how Wright, handles his young freshman guard and the Smith kid with this much depth. Who do you see in the starting rotation? I see South playing 4 gaurds and St. John. I see some benefits with the ball handling and tempo but you cant run ahead of your go to guy. Id say Corbin will start 4 guys at 6'3"-6'5" which should create some matchup issues in itself for South...especially in the paint. One thing is for sure, it will be some good basketball when these 2 meet.

With Hooker out this season, I drop Clay to 3rd-6th with Corbin and South battling it out for the Region Crown. Corbin and South are probably more equal this year than at any time before. The home team will have the slight advantage each time they play each other. I give Corbin a slight edge in bench depth/ experience.

The top 3 in the 13th this season will be Clay, Corbin and South...in that order. As for depth, Id put Corbin and South at a tie with Clay not far behind.

Thanks for the updates. Great Job!

I agree. As for Watkins, I believe he will get more attention as the season goes on. Corbin's watered down schedule doesnt help anyone get noticed but yards per carry does. Watkins will be a good pick up for any school and we wish him good luck. Hopefully we'll see him in Wildcat blue.

You can say the same for Caleb Watkins at Corbin High school (2A). He plays on both sides of the ball for the entire game.

Heard the other day to not be too surprised to see a certain coach from Scott Co. coaching at KC. You never know...:ohbrother:

My two cents worth would be... G- Wilson G- Smith W- Johnson F- Hopkins C- Manns with Stewart, Freeman, Jones, Taylor, and others seeing time. The Hounds will have the ability to go with a big lineup or a small, quick lineup.

I dont think Coach P was sending any messages or punishing Caleb, he just felt that he was doing what he needed to do in order to continue winning. He doesnt like to change what is working. There are plenty of players (and their parents) who felt like they should have gotten more playing time but after reflecting upon the season, things went pretty well at 29-4. Without players like Caleb and several others, the Team would not have captured the Region Crown and played in Rupp. I hope Caleb and the others who wanted more PT last year, choose to look forward and not backwards and return to play next season. The team definitely needs Caleb and others to shine next season in order to repeat as the Region Champs.

Agreed but depth may be an issue.

Doesn't the majority vote decide the venue or in this case, change in venue?

Pepper II, I like London's dining choices as much as the next guy, that's one of the many reasons why I live in Laurel County. No matter how you slice it, The Arena is better for the majority (not all) of the attendees of the 13th Region Tourny. Besides convenience factor for most, the Arena will also share some revenue with all schools participating instead of only 1 school getting all of the revenue.

Lets see what all of the folks from Laurel, Clay, Whitley, Knox and Bell Counties have to say too. They just may like having a shorter drive, better dining choices, better seating, not emptying the gym between games, parking close to Arena and etc... The players may also like the oppurtunity to play on a college size floor in a larger building (like they will see the following week at Rupp). Maybe we need a Poll on this subject along with the pros and cons.

I was hoping that too but then I realized that Billy G replaced Marta who was secretary for all UK coaches in recent history. She may have been the only one who knew how to retrieve the faxes in memory.:confused:

Spoken by someone who has been there and done that, thanks Gold Sunrise. No doubt that Harlan Co finally got themselves a nice facility but as they say in real estate, location, location, location. The new Corbin Arena is a much better located site for the vast majority of the Teams and their supporters of the 13th Region. I believe once the Harlan holdouts experience The Arena, they will be happy.

Bubba, Im just preaching to the choir but Im adding so more reasons, with stats! Not to beat a dead horse, but Im still trying to figure out a logical reason for the opposition to the new arena hosting the Tournament. Obviously, the school hosting gets the "no travel" week however, 14 (girls and boys) other teams, band, students, parents and fans must travel. If you do the math, 87.5% of the 16 teams and supporters will have a better experience because of a closer drive, better seating, better parking, more dining choices, and will not have to leave the gym, buy another ticket to re-enter. Oh and how many teams will get the chance to play on a NCAA Final Four floor? This floor was used at the Final Four at last years Tournament.

Well, if you read my post a little closer and some of the other posts about this subject, you'll see that ALL schools will share in the revenue each and every year. You will also see that I said that having the tournament at the new arena will be more convienient for most (not everyone)people. For 14 out of 16 teams (girls and boys) that participate in the Region Tourny each and every year as well as their fans, the Arena will be a more enjoyable experience before, during and after the game. The 2 teams that would have got to play on their home court may or may not feel that way. My vote is that majority rules. As for Corbin practicing on the new arena floor, they may get to but it will be because someone (private sponsor/donor) paid the arena management company a hefty sum to do so. Any team in the region or state would have the same right as Corbin.

IMO there should be 2 eruption zones (1 in each endzone) for students and band, media stays behind goals (as they are now). UK Radio, Network TV, Official Scorers and teams all on same side of court. There should be 3-5 rows of courtside seating on opposite side of court from teams for big donors. All side seats reserved for moderate donors. Luxury boxes separating upper and lower levels with 12-24 mezzanine seating for the really big donors. UK has the right to re-assign seats each season depending on level of new donors each year.This is my wishlist.

Playing the 13th Region Tourny in the new Arena is a no brainer. The facility, parking, accessibility, convenience (for the majority of fans), concessions, close restaurants and about anything else that you can think of makes this the best choice. Corbin wont be practicing there and unless the Varsity Club is able to afford moving the Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament there, Corbin and other invited 13th Region teams wont be playing any games there. If your school wishes to stay in the dark ages, then so be it. The University of KY's home court advantage never kept Gardner Webb or VMI from winning at RUPP did it? If Corbin played every home game there, it really wouldnt give them any advantage after the pre game warm ups are over.