crazy8s

Thanks for covering the game CM. Should be a good one!

South Oldham

Lauren Jones (05-08) 2106- both boys & girls record

Jasmine Whitfield (09-12) 1999

Ashley Trosper (01-04) 1679

Oldham County

Kyra Elzy (96) 3020

Ashley McMurtrey (10-14) 2000+ not sure of exact number

North Oldham

Emily Crutcher (04-08) 1000+ not sure of exact number

South Oldham

Lauren Jones 2005-2008

Jordann McGuffin 2007-2010.

Jasmine Whitfield & Mary Dye 2009-2012

Simon Kenton was very impressive. Niece is an awesome point guard and runs her team well. Congrats to them!

Highlands is a solid squad. Lots of weapons and South had no answer. Turnovers early set the tone. Team is still adjusting to the new coaches and style of play. They are getting better with every game and will continue to improve as the season progresses. To note on another post, Fern Creek is 5-1 with at 6'2 center and very good point guard. Game was close and lead changed several times. South had opportunities but the shots did not fall and had to foul which made the final score not as close. South has been upside down with the fouling though and are not seeing the types of games with tons of fouls. Fern Creek shot 20 ft's to 3 for South. They were not in the bonus in either half. They have shot very few free throws for the season and only been in the bonus maybe twice in 4 games.

Berger I believe ...

I can't argue your case for South being 6-8 in a preseason 8th Region poll. I only put them a little lower because I knew very little about this years line up and their new coach. I only know the VanZant girl and I really like her game. She was hard to stop in that game against Walton last year. (BTW, South shot the ball well in that game. If Walton didn't shoot just as well themselves, South wins that one. Both teams were lighting it up.)

That was a great game last year. South rallied back two different times from double digits to almost steal the game- the big no call "time-out" dilemma if you remember that. Both Jones and VanZant have been starters since their soph years and Wilson was a major contributor/starter last season. All three are very capable of putting up some big numbers and will be tough to guard. The seniors in addition to three solid juniors, two talented soph's, and several surprise freshman/middle school players will round out a team determined to prove the nay-sayers wrong.

I know this thread is a little older, and its been discussed some, but I thought I would drag it out of the archives. Teams start practicing in a couple of weeks and I am getting a little antsy. Besides, now that we have seen all the transfers get nestled into their new schools, and we know for sure who is where, I thought it would be fun to reassess the 8th region.

 

 

I will start....and I am basing my ranking on the obvious..."pre-season". No teams have played yet so I will base my opinion on who returns for who, who graduated, who transferred in or out, what kind of experience is present, and how deep a team may seem to be.

 

1.) Shelby County - They return a bunch, including a very good post player in Justus Martin and two of last seasons 8th Region all region team members in MacKenzie and Savannah Raizor. They had a quality season last year and it should only get better for them this season.

 

2.) Walton Verona - I know some may frown on this and that is okay, I don't care. Let's just say I am putting them here because I am a totally emotional illogical fan. You can move them last if you want to, it wont hurt my feelings any.

 

3.) Trimble County - (Okay, Ive probably lost more of you in the credibility department...I still don't care.) With the addition of the guard from Henry County, this team moves up in my ranking. It helps answer ball handling and point guard questions they may have had. Trimble lost their leading scorer in Page Black and she will be hard to replace for sure. They do however return the Clifford girl who can flat out shoot. They return Shelby Black, a very nice post player with great size and strength. She is athletic for her size and will absolutely light you up from 3 point land. They are ALWAYS well coached and will be balanced. Trimble's offense has phenomenal ball and player movement. It is hard to guard when they are patient.

 

4.) Anderson County - I know they lost McKee and Cann however, I know they still have some quality athletes, some shooters and ball handlers with experience. Obviously they come down from the place they were, but they will not fall of the map.

 

5.) Simon Kenton - (For many of you, if I haven't lost you yet, I have now for sure) Here me out....They lost virtually their whole team to graduation. I think it was 7 Seniors and 6 of them either started or played major roles. They lost the best point guard in the region IMO. They lost something like 90% of their scoring. The lost all the best defenders they had. Yes they have potential with the returning upper class men, who had mostly been just role players, some quality younger players, and the addition of Ally Niece, however, it will take time for them to get better. Perhaps the second half or later part of the season they can fill their potential. They have a lot of work to do. One thing that will hurt them is that there depth, is very young, small and inexperienced. There is no way they play defense early in the season like they did last year, which was certainly one of the things that group could hang there hat on last year. Can they be ranked higher - yes, but not before the season starts, they will need a lot of the season to improve, get experience and get better. This shouldn't bother anyone anyway, its the end of the season that matters and I am sure they will be squeezing themselves in when that time comes.

 

6.) Gallatin County - Returning Hannah Dossett, arguably the best returning player in the region. They also return Junior Autumn Bowen who after the graduation of Brook Dossett, will certainly see her scoring continue to go up. I watched Bowen go 6 for 6 from 3 point land in last years regional game against Shelby County.

 

7.) Grant County

 

8.) Williamstown

 

9.) Carroll County - Saw them play at SOAS last spring. They are working hard and getting better.

 

10.) Oldham?? South Oldham?? I am struggling on this one people.

 

 

Now...you all please reply. Chop it up...agree, disagree, rewrite your own, call me crazy if you want to, that is fine. Things are getting closer and I like to see the banter and discussion. What say you?

I cannot disagree with your top 5/6 - I might change the order some, but I would put South Oldham at 7 for now. Yes I know everyone thinks they are down, but they will bounce back this year. They took Walton to OT last year which proves that they can play. They have positive floor leadership this year in their players and they want to win! Add in new coaches that have team excited & motivated to play. Good combination for success.

She is developing into a nice player. My daughter had some workouts with her over the summer. Also, no one should rule out Oldham and South Oldham in the 8th. I'm sure by the time we hit the district tourneys, one or both will have things figured out.

Agreed! There are three seniors on South Oldham that can play with any of these top ten players. VanZant, Jones, & Wilson. The Cats Pause rankings are not anything I would hang my hat on, and this season, South will make some noise under their new leadership. The players listed are all nice players but are not the 10 best IMO. Team rankings are also way low for South Oldham. Owen County is not # ten- that should tell you something with these rankings. Again, time will tell. Shelby is loaded and Trimble is continuing to impress with the addition of a true point guard.

VanZant and Jones are both getting interest at the next level - and faired well at the recent Bolus showcase. Wilson will run cross country in college but could play bball.

bestshooterNthestate - a good point I overheard one of the college coaches remarking about one of the girls that was scoring well in one of the games, he basically said she is not getting back on defense or rebounding but hanging out at midcourt and "snowbirding." I was glad to hear that comment.

Amen to that REHS!

In regards to my comments about the # if players on a team- 12 is just too much. 10 is a good number with equal rotations. Yes cancellations do happen but IMO that gives the one team with only 10 an advantage over the other 3 that had 12. 12 people competing for 5 spots vs 10 for them. Just an observation. I would have rather seen 5 teams of 10 but I know that messes up the rotations, especially the way they did this showcase. If they had a second gym, they could have added more games which is really what the college coaches want to see anyway.

I too would hope that coaches notice the "snow-birding" and selfish play by some. Did they rotate on defense, play on the help line, etc. I would say the majority of those receiving the Outstanding Awards - especially the top 3 on each team were deserving - just curious as to what they based it on? The evaluation sheet that was filled out for each player, team coach input, director input, or by committee ? I know it is difficult and players get left off for a variety of reasons and every one sees the game differently. You can always look at any player and find a reason to not select them- that is the easy part IMO. There is so much more to the game that does not show up in the stat columns- those are the players that get missed and those are the types of players that every successful team needs. Congrats to all the players & good luck this season,

Bolus camps typically draw the D3 and NAIA schools. Good experience for the players for the most part. 4 teams- 12 on a team except one that had only 10. 12 is too many IMO. Each team had 5 players selected for the "All" team plus they had awards for FT, 3 Pt and Hot Shot- girls had fun with it. Above colleges mentioned did stay the majority of the day but I would have to agree with RCC9 assessment of these type events. Much to do with what team you are on and the combinations of the players with the different rotations. Cannot say that I would have agreed with all the Outstanding players awarded for each team- not really sure what they saw in some players but was told from another parent that most of teams are set up to showcase certain players who are already pre-selected on the "All" team and more or less have to play there way off. IDK- coaches talk about importance of "team" play but tend to award the "non-team" ie selfish players with the awards.

Did she play with Trimble this past summer?

Who are the twins that you are referring to?

They still do not have a coach at South Middle yet- been a tough year for girls bball coaches in South Oldham. East Oldham started their practice today. Both are feeders for South with the majority of the current East 8th graders slated for South instead of Oldham. Been a while that it played out that way.

That doesnt come out till late Wednesday/Thursday. Anyway coach was introduced to team/parents last night. Former Jessica Davis now Conner from Knox Central a few years back. 1999 Ky All Star and played ball at IUPUI. Worked at Butler University and other Indiana schools.

To my knowledge there has been nothing in the paper (CJ) but yes they did hire a new coach. More info to come tomorrow or Thursday from the local paper.

Rick Bolus rankings are and always have been a joke. Kids are left off his list if they don't attend his camp. It's that simple. The blue chippers make his list even if they don't attend his camp.

 

An rising senior elite player for Sacred Heart isn't on the list and is getting recruited by low D1 and D2 schools. She also was one of the integral pieces of SHA run last year, so I wouldn't get too caught up on who is on his list.

Been that way for years with his lists!

Rumors have been flying for days now.Not sure if it was a reliable source about announcing yesterday or today., Rice etc. Ready for this to be done. Am not sure if it is a woman or even if they have made a decision. Clock is ticking.....

Ouch! I hope you are wrong about Gallatin. I think Trimble will be solid also, this could be the year they finally advance out of the 29th District and make some noise in the 8th Region tournament.

Been a while for Trimble and if they end up the # 1 seed in the district, that puts South and Oldham match up for the district finals. Will be the first time in a really long time that either one of those teams to not advance to the region tournament. As for Gallatin- just my opinion and they could be up or down a couple spots like most of them. I think they will really miss their point guard - she really made things go for them. I agree that Dossett could be one of the top players in the region. She is fun to watch and I would imagine she will be "smothered" most of the year. Guard play will be key again for most teams - Trimble & Shelby have some serious height on their rosters. Gonna be interesting to see how it all goes.

I am hearing that is indeed Don Rice to take over at South Oldham and could be announced today or tomorrow.

He looks good on paper- had hoped they would go in a different direction.

Here is my take:

I think that Trimble will be a more of a contender this year - many count them out but this year could be a banner year for the Lady Raiders.

South Oldham is much better than where most of you put them - no coach or not. Three very good seniors who have much to prove so watch out.

Shelby County could be the team to beat IMO, especially with their new Coach.

1. Shelby

2. SK

3. AC

4. WV

5. Trimble

6. South Oldham

7. Collins

8. Gallatin

9. Oldham

10. Carroll or Williamstown

"No news is good news" probably doesn't apply to this story. It's definitely not an ideal situation for the players, and presents extra challenges for the new coach, whomever he/she may be. This has been one of the premier 8th region programs for over a decade, and is a sad commentary on the current state of affairs at South. Sad, sad, sad.

Could not agree more- taken way too long - just know that final interviews were to take place this week. Feel sorry for the 3 quality seniors- will be their 3rd coach in 4 years! At least they are doing summer work outs with former south coaches who volunteered their time to at least keep them in the gym. Were 500 in their summer games and will be in the running for another district title AND very competitive in the region despite what others think.

Got to see them play at Oldham County and they have a super nice team! Probably the best I have seen at Waggoner in a long time. Very talented, tall, well built post player with great hands, post moves, and finished well around the basket. Pretty nice group.

Over my biscuits and gravy and my daily old man's meeting this morning, my buddy swears that Rice is a finalist at South. I don't know if he has inside info or not, I have not heard anything from anyone else. Surely they will do something soon, it's mid-July???[/quote

Am hearing that South has narrowed the list down- please check with your breakfast buddies at DQ and see who the final two candidates are. Rice interviewed this go round- not sure he is a finalist but he did get an interview.

My info on the Shelby job was good......but understand the following info was spewed at an old man's meeting at the DQ. Someone said Don Rice (from CAL) was a finalist.

Am surprised that Rice would be a finalist with the current AD at Shelby being the old head coach when Slaughter switched to CAL when she was a freshman....interesting.

Any one hearing any thing on the South job? know they are interviewing non-teacher coaches.