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The Matchups
(Underlined teams will be the home team. All games are EST)
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4:30 PM: Clarksville (In) vs Louisville Holy
Cross (Ky) ·
6:00 PM: Nicholasville West Jessamine (Ky) vs Louisville
DeSales (Ky) ·
7:30 PM: Bowling Green Warren Central (Ky) vs Georgetown
Scott County (Ky) ·
9:00 PM: Fort Thomas Highlands (Ky) vs Louisville
Eastern (Ky) |
Official Hotel of the
"Blue-Chip" Shootout is Executive West Hotel.
Call 1-800-626-2708 or 502-367-2251
and mention the "Blue-Chip" Shootout for special room rates.
$ 1.00 for every ticket sold
will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Louisville, KY.
Ticket prices will be $5.00
in advance at the participating schools or $6.00 at the door.
This is the second year for this event and the inaugural shootout last year was a huge success. Rick Bolus, one of the top talent evaluators and camp directors in the business, along with legendary high school coach Stan Hardin, decided to attempt this venture and hopefully it will become an annual event. Last year’s feature game was a match-up between Indiana power New Albany and Glasgow Kentucky. New Albany won this battle 76-68 and was led by 6-2 Sr. guard Marcus Flynn with 24 points, 5-11 Sr. Brandon Stockton, who was named Kentucky’s “Mr. Basketball” for the 2001-2002 season, led Glasgow with 31 points. Other results for last season’s events were: North Hardin 56 Louisville Seneca 43, Elizabeth South Central (Indiana) 81, Meade County 38, and Russellville 58 Louisville Holy Cross 52.
Participating Teams
Clarksville (Indiana) – The Generals, coached by Steve Hatton, finished 6-15 last year but return seven of their eight top players. The coach’s brother 6-4 Jr. wing player David Hatton leads the way with 17 ppg and 9 rpg. 6-3 Sr. wing Luke Woblleb averaged 14 ppg last year. 6-1 Sr. forward Zak Appleby, 6-3 Sr. forward Matt Flanigan, 5-10 Sr. point guard Kyle Schuler, and 6-0 Sr. forward Brandon Oakes should contribute. The Generals also expect contributions from newcomers 6-2 So. Josh Spillman, 5-10 Jr. Leroy Wilson, and 6-1 Sr. Jason Gwin. The Generals are in division 2A and are considered one of the favorites in the Sectional 46 race.
Louisville Holy Cross – The Cougars finished 9-14 last season. Coach Jody Thornsberry takes over at the helm after the retirement of Stan Hardin, who notched two state championships in the early 1990’s at Louisville Fairdale. Holy Cross should be led this season by 5-10 Jr. Jeff Wachtel 5-9 Sr. Derek Lindsey and 6-3 Sr. Kenny Stevenson.
Nicholasville West Jessamine – The Colts finished 17-9 last season and Coach Matthew Yates returns ten seniors and enough talent to give his squad a chance of upending Lexington Catholic in the 11th Region this year. Among the senior talent up front will be 6-4 Scott Tarvin, 6-6 Brett Johnson, and 6-5 Joey Searle. The Colts should get excellent guard play from 6-2 Sr. Cameron Jackson and 5-10 Sr. Daniel Thompson. West Jessamine will get a lot of help from several players including 6-0 Sr. Andy Placido, 6-2 Sr. Ben Spann, 5-10 Sr. Luke Temple, 5-10 So. Michael Spann, etc. The Colts finished second to PRP in the State AAU Championship and played together at camps this summer to sharpen their games. Make no mistake about it, this team is for real and they have a talented, veteran squad who could make a run for state honors this season.
Louisville DeSales – Coach Tom Crews’ Colts finished 21-7 last season and should be a major challenge to PRP in the 6th Region this year. They will be led this year by 6-3 Sr. sharpshooter Bryan Miles who averaged 22.3 ppg last season and is a deadly three point shooter. 6-7 Sr. Chris Cahill is a force in the paint with ability to nail the jump shot. The Colts also expect key contributions from 5-11 Jr. Thomas Britt and 6-1 Sr. Michael Beasley.
Bowling Green Warren Central –
Coach Tim Riley’s Dragons finished 28-4 last season and should be a force again
this year. 6-5 Sr. Leroy Wilson,
a very athletic combination forward, should lead the Dragons this season. He will get plenty of help from 6-6 Jr. Lonnell
DeWalt, who can shoot the mid-range jumper, take the ball to the basket,
and is an excellent rebounder. 6-8 Jr. Matt
Maresca has size and potential and should provide quality minutes for the
Dragons. 6-0 Jr. Ryan Anderson
passes well, handles the ball, and can shoot the trey. 6-1 Sr. Brandon Cummings is another
guard who can direct traffic and handle the ball. Cummings also has the ability to take it to the basket as
well as hit the jumper. 6-2 Jr. Brock
Whitney and 5-10 So. Troy McFarland should also be key contributors
this season. Warren Central has size,
athleticism, and some players who can shoot the basketball.
Georgetown Scott County – The Cardinals finished 25-6 last season but for the second consecutive season did not make the trip to the Sweet 16. Coach Billy Hicks has the Cardinals poised to make a return to Rupp Arena this season. Coach Hicks’ son Tyler Hicks, a 6-1 Jr. point guard, averaged 16 ppg last season and will direct the offense. The Cardinals have an experienced backcourt, including 5-11 Sr. Nick Reed, 6-1 Jr. Troy Harris, 6-2 Jr. Matt Jarvis, etc. The Cardinals have size in the middle with 6-10 Sr. Justin Lee and 6-10 Jr. Jared Carter. Lee is poised for a big senior campaign and appears to be over some nagging injuries. Other frontcourt players will include 6-3 Sr. Jeremy Nettles, 6-8 Jr. Zach Van Guilder, 6-3 Jr. Alex Cassady, 6-5 So. Anthony Coote, etc. Nettles had an excellent summer, can be a force in the paint, and has added range to his jump shot. Coach Hicks has size, quickness, and depth at his disposal and could be a force this season. He also has some good young players waiting in the wings, including a promising 5-10 Fr. guard, Jesse Thompson.
Ft. Thomas Highlands – The Bluebirds finished 23-8 last season but Coach John Messmer graduated five seniors including Derrick Moeves and Craig Forbes. Coach Messmer does return one of the best players in the state and one of the top candidates for “Mr. Basketball” in 6-8 Sr. Ross Neltner. Neltner averaged 18 ppg and 10 rpg last year and is very capable of improving these numbers this season. Neltner has good hands and is an excellent passing big man. He will get help from 6-1 Sr. Jeff Guidugli and 6-5 Sr. sharpshooter Kevin Gilles. Coach Messmer will also get contributions from several players plus he has some young talent that could factor in the equation. Highlands faces a challenging season as there are several teams capable of capturing the 9th Region crown.
Louisville Eastern – Coach Doug Bibby’s Eagles only finished 11-16 last year but they possibly have as much returning talent as any team in the state. They will be led by 6-0 Jr. Rajon Rondo who is jet quick and can take it to the basket at will. Rondo is the complete package, but must play under control to fully realize his tremendous potential. 6-6 Sr. David Cornwell, who transferred from Ballard at the start of the second semester, is another who must play under control. Cornwell is very athletic and has the ability to take over a game. 6-1 Sr. Russell Miller will be in the shadow of his highly touted teammates, but he has the ability to break presses, find the open man, and shoot the ball. The Eagles should also get help from 6-2 Jr. Jermaine Bentley, 6-0 Sr. Lee Morris, 6-3 Sr. Brandon Simmons, and others. Coach Bibby has a lot of talent at his disposal and if they develop the proper chemistry they could turn the always brutal 7th Region upside down and make a lot of noise in the state rankings.
This should be an excellent night of basketball including six teams that could be highly ranked starting the 2002-2003 campaign. There are also several players scheduled to perform that are nationally ranked as well as being among the state’s elite. Ft. Thomas Highlands’ 6-8 Sr. Ross Neltner has given a verbal commitment to LSU and is a candidate for “Mr. Basketball”. Louisville Eastern’s Rajon Rondo and Scott County’s Tyler Hicks are two excellent point guards. 6-3 Sr. Bryan Miles of Louisville DeSales is one of the top long-range bombers in the state. These are excellent early season match-ups and should give some of the ranked teams an idea of how they stack up against quality competition.
Please note that player heights vary from source to source.
Please check back for updates if and when additional team information becomes available. I will also provide game coverage of this event on my website https://www.angelfire.com/ky/prephoops. Please direct your comments to Ron Harrison at prephoops@yahoo.com.