crazy8s

I really like that- you have a very smart coach! You have to work on some part of your game every day if you want to put yourself and your team in a positon to be successful.

Sports have become ultra-competitive- that is the way of the world. In order to excel and keep up with the increasing amount of talent, that is gettting better at a younger age every year, you have work hard and put the time in - no way around that. I agree that there are too many kids that are pushed by their parents when they don't want it, but there are kids who want it and have some ability that need a nudge from their parents as well. A lot has to do with potential and you do need to be realistic but you also need to consider the fact that you can with hard work improve over time. I have seen a player who was told that they were not good enough, work their rear-end off and prove them all wrong. Wno had the last laugh there? As for the small high schools, I think they do encourage kids to play multiple sports within their schools, it is the club sports that cause the problems because they have schedules during other school sports seasons and it is them in many instances that make them choose their club team over their school team.

This topic can be confusing especially since they have been talking about it now for a couple of years. Your daughter should be fine though. Good Luck!

Very good advice here, I agree 100% with both Crunch Time & Retrpop.

The majority of the kids just do not want to put forth the time, effort, and work that is required. It's not easy to practice 6 day's per week and play a 6-7 month season while still meeting the rigors of the classroom. It takes a ton of discipline and a lot of kids would just rather not deal with it. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard "I have no desire to play in college so I would rather just enjoy high school instead of playing". How many promising young athletes have we seen that just decided to hang it up to do other things? BINGO!!!!!!

School ball is simply not enough anymore-IMO. The majority of colleges do not go to high school games and spring/summer aau ball along with some of the exposure events are the best way to get your name out there along with having success on your high school team certainly does not hurt you any especially if you can get to the state tournament. Camps can be good but be careful as some promise all this college exposure which can be overstated. Summer work on individual skills is also improtant because you have to continue to add to your game. There has to be a balance there because just playing games withouth skill improvement may not help you get any better. Lots of gym time working on the small fundamental stuff only adds to your skills when it comes to games.

Very well said!!! Parents do cause most of the problems and kids have big ears. We did the same thing with our daughter when it came to the car. She wanted to get a bball scholarship and we dedicated alot of family time and made sacrifices so that she could have a shot - we were fortunate enough to be able to do that for her and it was worth it. She worked her tail off for a scholarship and she earned every penny of it. BLOOO-SWEAT and yes tons of TEARS, because it is not easy and there are many obstacles, but in the end it has all been worth it.

One thing to think about when looking at scholarship opportunitites is to look at the number of scholarships available to players- some sports like basketball & volleyball can offer more $$ than softball and soccer for instance. Now don't get me wrong, any $$ is good but in soccer, most of the full scholarships go to the goalies and most teams have only partials to give to the rest. Pair that with academic money or financial aid and you can get a pretty good package. Just know that some sports have to "share" scholarship money and don't have as much to offer per player.

I totally disagree with this statement. At the middle school level it is still do-able and it gets tougher as they progress to high school. There are alot of "good' athletes that play just one sport and it is because they like that sport and excel at it. I would much rather have an athlete be very good at one sport than to play multi-sports and be marginal at those.

I understand your point about cutting but when you get to the middle school level you don't have much choice (numbers wise) as there are some players that have never even picked up a ball and have no business even trying out- but in the spirit of trying new things, they give it a shot. I blame some of that on the parents that they don't work with their kids in setting realistic expectations and kids get their feelings get hurt. Now when this happens, you can either quit trying or work hard at improving and give it a shot the next year. Most kids don't have the work ethic or desire to do it. The big influencer of all this, IMO, is that most of these kids have played some type of rec league where they got to play in every game-equal amounts most of the time, practice only night a week, get awards every game, and, most importantly, they are more excited about the snack afterwards than in learning new skills. Sorry!! Lastly, club sports have a big effect on girls teams as they begin to encourage them to play one sport- that starts in middle school and you lose alot of talented athletes that could do multiple sports but are encouraged at age 11 to go ahead and choose - IMO that is too early to make that decision but I see it all the time.

Not to stir the pot here and it is great that they did well at YBOA Nationals- CONGRATS!!! However, there is a difference in the level of competition between YBOA & AAU and there is another one where the nationals are in Chicago - name has slipped me for the moment- AAU by far has the highest level of competition and they have both a D1 & and a D2 division within AAU- D2 is usually held at Disney World so it can draw some D1 teams just because of the location and I have heard many parents say that the location makes it better because most people would rather go to FL than MN- easy to decide on that one. It really is a matter of preference and what they want to accomplish- very few 12 year olds are going to make much noise nationally- the exceptional ones, yes, but those players get seen no matter what event that they attend. My daughter has played in all 3 national tournaments - each has its advantages - you just have to know what you are looking for. If you want colleges to see you- you go the aau route- the other two are not near the competitive level and don't draw much of a college coach following. They are fun events and you get to play games in a national setting. To me if you win YBOA- why not take it up a notch the next year and go for AAU. If you have ever been to the AAU nationals, you will understand this- it is unreal the level of the competition that is there, even at age 12. PHENOMENAL. If you have not been, you really won't understand it but there really is a difference- a big big difference. Either way, at least they are playing - good for them!

This a a valid point for numerous teams in the 8th this upcoming season- there are very few teams that are returning an experienced veteran squad. The nod would have to go to Simon & Anderson there IMO- they both lost some key players but have players who can step right in where those experienced players left off. I said it earlier, but the 8th is more wide open than it has been for a few years which does open the doors for some teams that are not usually dominant- I am not sure though if any of them can win the region- Anderson, Simon along with Shelby play pretty tough schedules which will hellp them immensely come tournament time.

Will the college women also be shooting from 20'9 or is it just for the men?

I posted on the other topic about Shelby Co. something very similar but I think that Simon Kenton and Anderson will be the dominant teams this year in the 8th. I think that Oldham has added a very experienced top new head coach, Larry Just, which will make them better but I am not sure about them talent wise this year. They do have some talented sophomores but I am not sure that they will be able to carry the load without the bigs that they have had inside the past 4 years They lost much in Melton who carried them in the 4th quarter to their district win over South Oldham and Huckvale who was a HUGE prescence in the paint. South Oldham has some key players returning from last year but the verdict is still out on them as to how they will adjust. Once they all adjust to their new roles, I think that they will suprise some people. They have a very large talented class of incoming freshman who are by far the best talent in the county this year. Last year, the most talented incoming freshman player transferred to Oldham eventhough she was in South's district. Shelby is lacking a dominant go to player that they have had for as long as I can remember- Marshall, Slaughter, Green, and now Gray. All D1 players and unless the younger Slaughter returns, which rumor has it may happen due to her mothers illness, they will be probably have a rebuiliding year. If she does return for her jr season, they will be in the running with Simon Kenton and Anderson. I think that Walton also will be a few years since they lost so many seniors. There were alot of teams that lost significant seniors and it really just depends on how those teams fill those spots and if the players can step up and get the job done. Other than Simon Kenton and Anderson, IMO it is extremely wide open this year. I just think that either of those teams will be too tough to beat this season- but who knows it is only summer and alot can happen between now and the fall.

I would have to agree that Anderson will be strong this year and Spencer came off their best season in several years but they are losing their coach and that will make a difference for them. I am not sure how well they will do under new direction. They have been building for this for awhile but I still do not think they will be at the top of the region. I would say that Simon Kenton and Anderson will be the dominant favorites as the top two teams this year. After that it is a toss up - several teams (Shelby Co, South Oldham, Oldham Co., & Walton Verona-just to name a few, all lost significant seniors and it may take a year or two to get their programs back on track. Shelby seems to always finds a way to be competitive but this year may be a down year for them. Zimmerman is a great coach but they don't have a dominant player like they have had for as long as I can remember- Marshall, Slaughter, Green, and Gray. I have heard rumors that the younger Slaughter(CAL) maybe returning to Shelby this year due to her mothers illness- not sure about that but if she does, they will be right back on top again as a strong contender.

She also hit the basket at the buzzer to put KY over 100. Congrats to the all the KY Allstars!:dancingpa You represented us very well and for those that don't know, this is the first time KY has swept the series since 1991. Coach Zimmerman and her staff did a great job.

This year will be a rebuilding year for the Lady Dragons- they lost a ton of varsity experience(5 seniors) and an exceptional talent in Jones. They are returning two good players for the upcoming season, one senior, Reynolds, along with a junior, McGuffin, who both saw significant varsity minutes the last two seasons, to carry the load. They are young and have a large talented group of incoming freshman but what they lack is high school experience. I think this upcoming summer and season will be one of learning and gaining the necessary game experience to build for the future. They will take some hits but will also surpise some teams. The biggest problem for them may be scoring as Jones did a majority of the scoring for the last several years. It will be interesting to see who will take charge for them. A new name to listen for this year - Jasmine Whitfield(9th)- she has tons of talent and will be a BIG impact player for them. She and McGuffin will make a nice backcourt for the next two years - they should be fun to watch and bring a different game to the Lady Dragons.

She brings with her much, much controversy and not the good kind from what I hear. I don't know all the specifics but I believe she has not been allowed to coach high school for several years per the KHSAA and this will be her first job back from her suspension/leave of absence/ban- not sure what it was called. Not sure how that will work out for Eastern.....very interesting hire for them.

One name missing is Chelsea Tolliver from Simon Kenton....perhaps she is playing for her summer team?

Congrats Maggie! A great school for a very fine young lady. She will be a big help to them right away. Centre got a good one there!!

Congrats to Lacey and her family. :dancingpa I agree that Thomas Moore is getting a steal here....they have put together a very impressive recruiting class this year.

Good for her- she is a very talented player. Cumberlands is extremely lucky to get a player of her ability. She will have a great college career there and be an impact player for them right away.

A player that was part of the try out said she never participated in the work out on Friday. Maybe she came to observe? If she would have been there I would think that everyone would have been talking about it. I had heard several days before the tryout that she was not playing due to her knee and would not attend- the same with Chambers. Both are quality players that would have made the team IMO had they been able to participate.

Well said...I agree.

I would bet that a lot of coaches don't bother to vote as the Herald is not as far reaching as the Courier Journal. Maybe they don't get that paper so they don't care as much. I would also think that Jones from South Oldham would be another player worth mentioning and I agree with Tolliver, Behrens, and Hargett as well. How many votes do you suppose you would need to get to at least make honorable mention?