I attended this pre-season event at the Basketball Academy in Louisville on November 22nd and I will have complete coverage on my website.  However I just wanted to give a few personal observations on the teams and players.

BULLITT EAST - The Lady Chargers were missing several players but were still quite impressive.  5-9 Jr. Kayla Thacker showed the ability to get to the basket as well as nail the three-point jump shot.  5-10 Jr. Shelby Romine and 5-8 Jr. Jackie Stevens were effective in the paint.  6-2 So. Lindey Young also displayed a lot of potential.

PARIS - 5-8 Sr. Emily Hinkson can score inside and out and is a ferocious rebounder for her size.  She pulled down 19 rebounds against a much larger frontline of Lexington Christian Academy in a game last year.

IROQUOIS - They were missing Adia Mathies, Asia Mathies, and Kayla Hickman today but will contend for the state championship when at full strength.

HIGHLANDS - I like this team.  Coach Richey's  squad is still relatively young but has the talent to be very dangerous down the road.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY of LOUISVILLE - Coach Rice has some  shooters on this team.  6-2 Jr. Antonita Slaughter, 5-10 Sr. Clair Buchanan, and 5-11 Sr. Hannah Bowman can all put points on the scoreboard.

OWENSBORO CATHOLIC - There is some good veteran talent on this team including 5-8 Sr. Rachel Greenwell and 5-8 Sr. Hannah Gerteisen plus a 5-10 8th grader Becca Greenwell who is on a collision course with stardom.  Watch this player in the future.

DUPONT MANUAL - Coach Stacy Pendleton has a deep talented squad including three girls in the 6-1 to 6-2 range who can play (6-2 Jr. Zhakiyah Martin, 6-2 Jr. Brittney Turner, and 6-1 Sr. Avery Jones).  The Lady Crimsons also has an extremely strong freshmen class led by 5-10 Kara Wright and 5-7 April Wilson.

HART COUNTY - 5-9 Sr. Lindsay Highbaugh is an excellent long range shooter and 5-11 Fr. Lindsey Burd is a vastly improved forward/center with a bright future.

BUTLER - Coach Eddy Wilson gets scoring from several players and 5-11 Sr. Tiara Hopper creates match-up problems in the paint with her athleticism.  5-7 Jr. Whitney Reed displays good all-around skills and always seems to find the open player.

SACRED HEART ACADEMY - 5-6 Jr. Autumn Miller could always shoot but has improved other areas of her game.  5-11 So. Morgan Clemons is a young post player who tends to collect double-doubles (points and rebounds).

NELSON COUNTY - 6-3 Jr. Samantha Drake played well tonight-scoring, rebounding, and ran the floor extremely well.  5-8 Jr. Lacy Hagan shot the ball well tonight connecting on six three point baskets.

MERCY ACADEMY - Coach Evans' squad could be extremely good if they can get healthy and stay healthy.  5-9 Jr. Therese Montano is coming off an injury from last season. Miss Montano is "old school" preferring substance over flash and makes everyone around her better.  If 5-10 Jr. center Madison Hardy returns 100% healthy the Lady Jaguars will be hard to handle.

Rick Bolus and Chris Stallings did an excellent job with this event and the staff at the Basketball Academy does a great job.  As usual I was impressed with all the coaches and the way they approach these scrimmages as a teaching tool to make their teams better.