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.

Last year at this time LCA was coming off a 34-3 season and the defending state champions.  The lady Eagles returned four starters and many expected them to make another title run.  However they finished 22-7 and were knocked out in district play.  They suffered another loss this year when 6-1 center Clara Mitchell transferred back to East Jessamine for her senior season.

Coach Jason Seamands returns a lot of firepower this season and will be expected to capture the 11th region title and will be considered on of the best teams in the state.  5-9 Sr. Anna Martin is a smooth guard with the stregth to get to the basket and has great touch and range on her jump shot.  5-10 Sr. Courtney Clifton is an aggressive scorer who can put up points in bunches.  6-1 Jr. Sarah Beth Barnette is a versatile performer with an excellent outside shooting touch.

Other players expected to contribute include 5-4 Fr. Kelli Mitchuson, 5-10 Sr. Caitlin Dorton, 5-5 So. Rachel Cox, 5-11 Fr. Olivia Eastham, 5-9 Sr. Mimi Purdy, 5-5 Sr. Caitlin Panter, and 6-0 Fr. Kristin Jacob.  The Lady Eagles will miss the inside presence of Clara Mitchell and will have to develop a player rotation and achieve team chemistry.  The upside is that not many teams in the state can match the offensive firepower of Martin, Clifton, an Barnette.

Last year at this time Scott County was coming off a 34-2 season and the defending state champions. However the Cardinals had a brutal schedule and 6-4 Sr. Bud Mackey was unable to play due to off court problems and the Cardinals finished with a 20-12 record.  Scott County also graduated severa talented seniors from last year's team.

Coach Billy Hicks has some excellent talent returning and the roster was bolstered by some high profile transfers over the summer.  Chad Jackson, Dakotah Euton, and Robbie Barber transferred from Rose Hill and Austin Flannery transferred from Boone County.  6-5 So. Tanner Shotwell transferred back to Scott County from Lexington Christian Academy but may be inelgible this season.

6-7 Sr. Richie Phares scores well in the paint and can step out to nail the jump shot.  6-2 Jr. Ge-Lawn Guyn excels in the open court and can score in a variety of ways.  6-2 Sr. Aaron Ford is a solid guard who will earn a lot of minutes.  6-8 Jr. Dakotah Euton will not be outworked, rebounds well, and has three point range on his shot.  6-4 Jr. Chad Jackson is athletic, hard to defend off the dribble and is a lock-down defender.  6-3 Fr. Tamron Manning is one of the top freshmen in the state and logged quality varsity minutes last season.

Opponents don't get much of a break when Coach Hicks goes to the bench.  6-2 Jr. Austin Flannery is a deadly outside marksman and 6-2 Fr. Isaiah Ivey could be another special player down the road.  Other players expected to contribute include 6-2 Sr. Ryan Walker, 6-0 Jr. Hayden Willoughby, 6-0 Fr. Avery Ford, 6-3 So. Robbie Barber, and 6-6 Jr. Will Schu.  Scott County will also have receive the services of promising 5-11 Fr. point guard Josh Walls who has starred  on the gridiron this fall.

The 11th region is brutal and the Cardinals will have some worthy contenders in Paul Dunbar, Franklin County, Bryan Station, and Lexington Catholic.  However Scott County is talented, deep, have the advantage of an excellent tradition and facilities, a loyal fan base, and an experienced coach who knows how to win. Scott County received a lot of publicity because of the number of transfers, plus nobody loves the favorite and unfortunately will be expected by many fans to win every game by 20+ points.

While this team has a giant target on their back it will take a great effort to beat them on the court and they will be battle-tested for the 11th region wars because of a very tough schedule.

Lexington Christian will hold 2^nd Annual Lexington Christian Basketball Classic January 2^nd and 3^rd, 2009.

Lexington Christian Academy will host a two day Basketball Classic on Jan. 3^rd and 4^th, 2009.  This event will feature many Division I recruits and commitments.

2009 Lexington Christian Basketball Classic Participants

Lexington Christian (Boys)

Lexington Christian (Girls)

Findlay Prep, Henderson NV

New Creations Christian School, Richmond IN

Mount Zion Christian School, NC

Montgomery County High School

Scott County High School

Bearden High School, TN (Girls)

North Canton High School, OH (Girls)

The following are some of the players that will be featured at this event:

Lexington Christian (Girls)

• Anna Martin- signed with DePaul University
• Courtney Clifton- signed with Western Kentucky University
• Sara-Beth Barnette- committed to Kentucky

Lexington Christian (Boys)

• Will Evans- recruited by Air Force
• Grant Sparks- recruited by Kentucky Christian College

Findlay Prep

• Avery Bradley- signed with University of Texas
• DJ Richardson- signed with University of Illinois
• Carlos Lopez- signed with UNLV

Mount Zion Christian Academy

• Karron Johnson-signed with Oklahoma State
• Curtis Loving- recruited by St. Johns, Temple, St. Joes
• Christopher Coleman- recruited by W. Virginia, Ohio State, Tennessee, Pittsburg
• Bawa Muniru- recruited by Indiana, Oklahoma State

Scott County High School

• Dakota Euton- committed to Kentucky
• Richie Phares- recruited by Xavier, Cincinnati, Western Kentucky
• Chad Jackson- recruited by Kentucky, Louisville, Xavier
• Ge-lawn Guyn- recruited by Louisville, Xavier, Cincinnati

Bearden High School, TN

• Mary Hirst- recruited by Western Carolina, Belmont, Furman, Davidson

North Canton Hover High School, OH

• Jessica Carpenter- committed to Baldwin College

For more information regarding this event please contact Brad Carter @ 422-5781 or bcarter@lexingtonchristian.org.   

SWEET 16 CONTENDERS AND A FUTURE WILDCAT HIGHLIGHT THIS YEAR'S KENTUCKY BANK SHOOTOUT!!! 

            You might just see the next boys' state basketball champion in action at this year's Kentucky Bank shootout.

            Defending state champion Mason County, the team picked to dethrone the Royals in the 10th Region (Clark County), 16th Region power Elliott County and Franklin County, a leading contender in the powerful 11th Region, are part of the field for the 6th annual Kentucky Bank Shootout.

            Among the individual standouts in the field is Vinnie Zollo, the Clark County sophomore who has already committed to play for Billy Gillispie at the University of Kentucky.  Twin brothers Ethan and Evan Faulkner lead an Elliott County team that also features rising sophomore prospect Timmy Knipp.  There's Louisville Doss' Cameron Clemons, rated by one service as the top senior in the Sixth Region, and Mason County's Russ Middleton, who has already committed to play for NAIA powerhouse Georgetown College.

            The shootout is slated for December 19 and 20 at Bourbon County High School in Paris, KY and features eight games over the two days.  Here's the lineup:

FRIDAY

6:00 p.m.       Paris girls v. Anderson County

7:30 p.m.       Bourbon County girls v. Bracken County

9:00 p.m.       Bourbon County boys v. Madison Southern

SATURDAY

12    noon       Paris boys v. Nicholas County

1:45 p.m.        Owen County v. Letcher County

3:30 p.m.        Franklin County v. Mason County

6:00 p.m.        Clark County v. Louisville Doss

7:45 p.m.        Elliott County v. Charleston, WV

For more information:   www.kybank.com

Friday November 14th

5:00  Sayre vs. St. Henry

6:05  Randall K. Cooper vs. Williamstown

7:10  Berea vs. Whitefield Academy

8:15  Assumption vs. Dunbar

9:20  Scott County vs. Sacred Heart

Saturday November 15th

8:30   Conner vs. Bryan Station

10:15  Holmes vs. Carroll County

11:20  Beechwood vs. Owen County

12:25  South Laurel vs. Holy Cross

1:30    Casey County vs. Louisville Eastern

2:35    Whitley County vs. Louisville Butler

3:40     Hart County vs. Pike County Central

4:45     Clay County vs. Nelson County

5:50     Southwestern vs Ironton OH

7:00     Knox Central vs. Shelby County

8:05     Fern Creek vs. Harrison County

9:15     Madison Central vs. Simon Kenton

Thirty-two teams answered the invitation to play in the middle school tournament at the Kentucky Basketball Academy in Lexington November 8th and 9th.  The championship game will be played November 28th at 1:30 PM at Rupp Arena.

The teams were : Beaumont, Anderson County, EJ Hayes, Meyzeek, Crawford, Lincoln County, Jessie Clark, Frankfort, Larue County, Martin County, Lebanon, AB Combs, Trigg County, Wayne County, Whitaker, Bernheim, Crosby, Middlesboro, Bryan Station, McNabb, Lexington Southern, Somerset Southern, Dorton, Whitley County, Bracken County, Verity, Clay County, McCreary County, Hindman, Ballard County, Elkhorn, and Elkhorn City.

Eight teams advanced to the quarterfinals on Sunday November 9th.  Lincoln County defeated Anderson County 30-24, Lebanon defeated Wayne County 44-30, Clay County defeated Hindman 35-32, and Crosby defeated Whitley County 46-42.  Lebanon defeated Lincoln County 44-38 in one semifinal and Crosby defeated Clay County 50-41 in the other semifinal game.

The championship game will pit Lebanon led by Makayla Epps and Kyvin Goodin-Rogers against Crosby led by China Dow. Epps is the daughter of ex-UK star Anthony Epps and Kyvin Goodin-Rogers is the daughter of ex-UL star Tic Rogers. Epps and Goodin led Lebanon in their semifinal victory with 19 and 14 points respectively while China Dow led Crosby in their semifinal victory with 25 points.

Some of the players scheduled to appear at The 7th Annual High Potential Hooparama Showcase on November 22nd at the Basketball Academy in Louisville KY are: Samantha Drake (Nelson County), Adia Mathies (Iroquois), Antonita Slaughter (CAL), Avery Jones (Manual), Tiarra Hopper (Butler), Asia Mathies (Iroquois), Rachel Greenwell (Owensboro Catholic), Kayla Thacker (Bullitt East), Katie Allen (Highlands), and Therese Montano (Mercy).

Other top players scheduled to appear include Shontel Bates (Butler), Victoria Brown (Iroquois), Clair Buchanan (CAL), Morgan Clemons (Sacred Heart), Hannah Gerteisen (Owensboro Catholic), Beth Gillis (Nelson County), Madison Hardy (Mercy), Kayla Hickman (Iroquois), Lindsey Highbaugh (Hart County), Emily Hinkson (Paris), Autumn Miller (Sacred Heart), Jessica Philpot (Bullitt East), Chelsey Smith (Bullitt East), and Bekah Towles (Highland).

The 7th Annual High Potential Hooparama Showcase will be held at the Basketball Academy in Louisville KY on November 22, 2008.  This is an excellent pre-season event with several excellent teams and players scheduled to appear.

10:00 AM  Bullitt East vs. Paris (JV-court 1)

10:00 AM  Iroquois vs. Highlands (JV-court 2)

10:30 AM  Bullitt East vs. Highlands (JV-court 1)

10:30 AM  Iroquois vs. Paris (JV-court 2)

11:00 AM  Bullitt East vs. Paris (Varsity-court 1)

11:00 AM  Iroquois vs. Highlands (Varsity-court 2)

Noon        Bullitt East vs. Highlands (Varsity-court 1)

Noon        Iroquois vs. Paris (Varsity-court 2)

Noon        Louisville CAL vs. Owensboro Catholic (JV-court 3)

1:00  PM  Louisville CAL vs. Owensboro Catholic (Varsity-court 1)

2:00  PM  Manual vs. Hart County (JV-court 2)

3:00  PM  Manual vs Hart County (Varsity-court 1) 

4:00  PM  Butler vs. Sacred Heart (JV-court 2)

5:00  PM  Butler vs. Sacred Heart (Varsity-Court 1)

6:00  PM  Louisville Mercy  vs. Nelson County (JV-court 2)

7:00  PM  Louisville Mercy vs. Nelson County (Varsity-court1) 

Kendall Noble is a 5-10 guard that has helped lead Breathitt County to the girls state basketball tournament at Bowling Green the last two years.  She averaged 11.3 ppg and 9.9rpg last year.  Kendall led the team in steals and assists, was second in rebounds and blocked shots and third on the team in scoring.  She has excellent court awareness and did I mention she will actually start high school this year.  Yes, that is correct all her acoomplishments so far have been in the 7th and 8th grade.

Noble shot 53% from the floor last year and just seems to genuinely enjoy the game.  I first saw her play at the KBA in Lexington a few years ago in an AAU game playing on a boys' team.  She led the team in scoring that day also.  How good can Noble be down the road?  Who knows but judging from her beginning she could be very special.  I have also been impressed with her team first attitude.  Her success to me has never been measured in just scoring or any one stat but the complete stat line at the end of the game and in team success.