This event will be held January 9, 2010 at Lexington Christian Academy in Lexington Kentucky and offers a terrific trio of games.

5:00  PM  Scott County  vs.  Louisville Male

6:30  PM  Lexington Christian Academy  vs.  Clark County

8:00  PM  Findlay Prep  vs.  Mt. State Academy

I will add more details later about the top players scheduled to participate in this event.

Lexington Catholic hosts one of the best girls' tournament around in December at Lexington Catholic High School.  David Gadberry of Lexington Catholic sent me a list of teams expected to participate this year and the field is very strong.  I will give exact dates and pairings at a later date.

The teams entered ar as follows:  Assumption, Ballard, Betsy Layne, Bowling Green, Breathitt County, Bullitt East, Christian Academy of Louisville, Clay County, Community School of Naples, Conner, DuPont Manual, Elizabethtown, Grayson County, Harlan County, Highlands, Lexington Catholic, Lincoln County, Madisonville North Hopkins, Marion County, Mercy Academy, Montgomery County,  Nelson County, Newport Central Catholic, North Hardin, Owensboro Catholic, Rowan County, Ryle, Sacred Heart Academy, South Laurel, St. Joseph Central Catholic, Wayne County, and Webster County.

I will update this blog later and add details about some of the outstanding talent scheduled to participate.  I would strongly advise college coaches put this event on their calendar as the field is loaded with talent from seniors expected to be strong contenders for the coveted Miss Basketball award to some outstanding young talent.

Rick Bolus has announced the pairings for the 8th Annual High Potential Hooparama Showcase that will be held at Bullitt East High School on Saturday November 21, 2009.

8:00   AM  -  Bullitt East  vs.  Assumption  (JV Game)

9:00   AM  -  Bullitt East  vs.  Assumption  (Varsity)

11:00 AM  -  DuPont Manual  vs.  Clay County  (JV Game)

12:00 PM  -  DuPont Manual  vs.  Clay  County  (Varsity)

2:00   PM  -  Christian Academy of Louisville  vs.  Owensboro Catholic   (JV Game)

3:00   PM  -  Christian Academy of Louisville  vs.  Owensboro Catholic  (Varsity)

5:00   PM  -  Sacred Heart  vs.  North Hardin  (JV Game)

6:00   PM  -  Sacred Heart  vs.  North Hardin  (Varsity)

8:00   PM  -  Mercy  vs.  Nelson County  (JV Game)

9:00   PM  -  Mercy  vs.  Nelson County  (Varsity)

The first team listed is the home team.

*Varsity games will be two 20 minute halves for a total of 40 minutes with the clock stopping on dead balls, free-throws, etc. (Note: Due to KHSAA rules, the scoreboard will be erased at halftime.)

* The JV game will consist of two 20 minute halves for a total of 40 minutes but the clock will be running time in order for the JV players to join the varsity team by varsity tipoff time.

Rick Bolus listed some of the top players scheduled to participate in the event.  These players are listed alphabetically:

Destiny Bramblett            5-11  Sr.  North Hardin

Anna Marie Campbell       5-11  Jr.   Sacred Heart

Morgan Clements            5-10  Jr.   Sacred Heart

Malisa Cruz                     5-8   Sr.   Mercy

China Dow                      5-8   Fr.   Christian Academy of Louisville

Samantha Drake             6-3   Sr.   Nelson County

Molly Ernst                      6-0   Sr.   Assumption

Becca Greenwell             5-11  Fr.   Owensboro Catholic

Jackie Hafele                  5-11  Sr.   Sacred Heart

Lacy Hagan                    5-8    Sr.   Nelson County

Whitney Belle Jackson     6-1     Jr.   Clay County

Allison Karst                   5-10  Sr.   Christian Academy of Louisville

Zakiyah Martin                6-2    Sr.   DuPont Manual

Sara Minogue                  5-9    Jr.    Assumption

Therese Montano             5-9    Sr.   Mercy

Jessica Philpot                 5-5    Jr.   Bullitt East

Shelby Romine                5-10  Sr.  Bullitt East

Antonita Slaughter           6-2    Sr.  Christian Academy of Louisville

Jennifer Smiley               5-5    Sr.  North Hardin

Autumn Miller                  5-6   Sr.   Sacred Heart

Kayla Thacker                 5-10  Sr.  Bullitt East

April Wilson                     5-7   So.  DuPont Manual

Other details will be added as they become availiable.

Friday August 21

Lexington Catholic 43 Whitley County 33  -  Lexington Catholic rallied from a 33-19 deficit early in the final quarter for the victory.  Greg Raglin led the Knights on the ground with 212 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.

Bryan Station 56 Clark County 24  -  TB Tevin McCaden ran for 234 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries and scored on an 83 yard kickoff return.

Lafayette 34 Tates Creek 19  -  Eric Shaw Jr. led Lafayette with 137 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.

Anderson County 47 Garrard County 10  -  Dustin Combs led the victors with 130 yards with TD runs of 11, 11, 8, and 9 yards.

Male 66 Elizabethtown 14  -  Males's offense exploded for 66 points while their defense held the Panthers to -43 yards on the ground.

Russell 21 East Carter 0  -  Travis Jones ran for 176 yards and scored on runs of 1 and 4 yards on 21 carries to lead the Red Devils to victory.

Other Friday Scores

Adair County  21  Taylor County  6

Alcoa (TN)  42  Bell County  14

Ashland  51  Greenup County  7

Ballard  48  Pleasure Ridge Park  21

Berea  28  Clinton County  20

Boyle County  49  Johnson Central  7

Clay County  48  Lynn Camp  0

Covington Holy Cross  36  Bellevue  20

Dixie Heights  19  Newport Central Catholic  7

Fairdale  61  Iroquois  12

Franklin-Simpson  28  Russellville 27

Highlands  19  Manual  8

Hopkinsville  17  Paducah Tilghman  14

Kentucky Country Day 21  Paris  14

Lawrence County  54  Paintsville  20

Letcher County Central  34  South Laurel  6

Mason County  48  Danville  21

Mayfield  43  Marshall County  14

North Laurel  36  Pulaski County  33

Prestonsburg  28  Belfry  21

Ryle  34  Covington Catholic  14

Seneca  44  Central  26

Spencer County  35  East Jessamine  34

West Jessamine  28  Madison Southern  27

Saturday August 22

 Bullitt East  35  Paul Dunbar  7  -  Jonathan Bernard (186 yards) and Matt Husband (133 yards) combined for 319 yards on the ground to lead the Chargers to victory.

Other Saturday Scores

Breathitt County  58  Mercer County  24

North Hardin  41  Bardstown  33

North Oldham  20  Moore  19

Bowling Green  22  Christian County  3

Louisville Holy Cross  35  Franklin County  7

Montgomery County  27  Harrison County  26

Southwestern  32  Warren Central  18

Woodford County  27  South Oldham  12

Raceland 27  Boyd County  26

Glasgow  26  Warren East  14

 Rick Bolus recently sent me the top prospects for his 2009 boys' camps (30th  Annual Rick Bolus' High Potential(R) "Blue-Chip" Basketball Camp(R).  I will list the top 12 and have the entire list on my website at a later date.

Curtis Washington  6-9  Sr.   C  Elizabethtown KY

Aaron Cosby          6-3  Jr.   2G  Mt. Hermon Northfield MA

Lutrell Thomas        6-1  Jr.  2G  A. Maceo Smith Dallas TX

Desmond Dorsey    6-2  So.   PG  Jeffersontown KY

Jomari Bradshaw    6-5  Sr.   WF  Waggener Louisville KY

Sean Samsel          6-0  Sr.   2G   Manual Louisville KY

Reginald Breeden    6-1  Sr.   2G   Moore Louisville KY

J.C. Matthews         6-6  Sr.   C-F  Lake County Christian Ft. Worth TX

Jairen Hunt             5-11 Sr.   PG   Godwin Heights Wyoming MI

Wayne Simon         5-11 Sr.   PG   St. Joseph Westchester IL

Colt Barnhill            6-8   Sr.   C-F  East Carter Grayson KY

Kevin Kidd              5-9  Sr.    PG   East Central St. Leon IN

Watch for complete write-up and list.........

June 26-28,2009 University of Kentucky campus - It appears that summer basketball is a blur anymore with all the events, camps, and tournaments dotting the landscape of basketball anymore.  However this event stands out because of the overwhelming talent organizer Clay Dade brings to the table.

The players are challenged to make a name for themselves and if this event is an indication the Class of 2013 should indeed be well represented.

The top 20 selected met in an all-star game in which the "White" squad defeated the "Blue" squad  by a score of 88-85.

The "White" squad members were 6-5 Drekalo Clayton (Orlando FL), 6-7 Alex Foster (Plainfield IL), 6-3 Justin Dotson (Central SC), 6-8 Jonathan Williams (Memphis TN), 6-5 Ishmael Wainwright (Overland Park KS), 6-3 Rodney Purvis (Raleigh NC), 6-0 Brent Scott (Ft. Wayne IN), 6-6 Nigel Hayes (Toledo OH), 6-4 Keith Frazier (Irving TX), and 6-1 Tadric Jackson (Ashburn GA). The "Blue" team members were 6-2 Nigel Williams-Goss (Henderson NV), 6-2 Shirmane Thomas (Dallas TX), 6-8 Tyrek Coger (Raleigh NC), 6-6 Christian Bradley (Melbourne FL), 6-2 Kasey Hill (Eustis FL), 6-6 Collin Hartman (Fishers IN), 6-3 Darryl Hicks (Shelbyville KY), 6-5 Austin Nichols (Collierville TN), 6-5 Nick King (Memphis TN) , and 6-1 Kendal Harris (Dallas TX).

The "White" team was led in victory by Justin Dotson with 18 points.  The "Blue" team was paced by Nigel Williams-Goss and Tyrek Coger with 17 and 16 points respectively.

Several awards were given out this week with Ishmael Wainwright (Top Prospect), Tyrek Coger and Drekalo Clayton (Top Big Men), 6-6 Malik Thompson (Orlando FL) (Top Rebounder), Shirmane Thomas (Top Defender) , and 6-1 C.J. Wilson (Conyers GA) (Top Passer) all receiving hardware.

Nigel Williams-Goss proved to be a versatile and consistent scorer and led the camp in scoring.  Kasey Hill has an excellent all-around game and has the ability to finish in traffic.  Ishmael Wainwright scores and rebounds and is athletic.  Rodney Purvis is almost unstoppable because of his ability to score off the dribble.  Drekalo Clayton is tremendously strong in the paint.  Tyrek Coger has the complete package inside and as an extra bonus has good range on his jump shot. Darryl Hicks has had an excellent summer of AAU ball and brings athleticism and an excellent three point stroke.  Justin Dotson is explosive in the open court and consistently gets to the rim.  6-0 Jahmel Taylor (Los Angeles CA) is an explosive scorer who can nail the three point basket.

There are far to many outstanding players to mention here which is a testament to the organizers and indictive of the talent level.  It has become quite popular to bash the gurus for ranking players at such an early age but it appears like more and more players are capable of playing at a higher level despite their relative youth.

This mini-camp was held July17-18,2009 at Georgetown College in Georgetown KY.  This was an excellent camp and the talent level was high from the senior class on down to the underclassmen.

The Camp MVP was 6-2 Sr. Antonita Slaughter (Christian Academy of Louisville KY) who impressed  with her all-around game and long range shooting.  5-10 Sr. Chassidy Fussell (Obion County Central Troy TN) has excellent all-around skills and is a playmaker with excellent court vision.  5-7 So. April Wilson (Manual Louisville KY) was named top underclassman and is a definite star even at this young age.  Watch out for 5-8 Fr. China Dow (Christian Academy of Louisville KY)-she will be a good one.

5-8 Jr. Kristen Stainback (Scott County Georgetown KY) displays a lot of heart and unlimited range on her jump shot.  When she gets in a "zone" she makes the game look easy.  5-10 Sr. Kayla Thacker (Bullitt East Mt. Washington KY) is an excellent overall player who understands the game. Look out for 6-2 So. Tia Nicholson (Clarksville TN) and 5-7 So. Jessy Ward (Clarksville TN) both young and talented.

5-9 Jr. Megan Cureton (Butler Louisville KY) and 5-6 Jr. Heather Wheat (Butler Louisville KY) play together in high school and were on the same team in camp.  Both are very solid players and have a good understanding of the game.  There were numerous players who impressed here during the two days and I will have other blogs as well as a complete write-up on the event within 2-3 weeks.

I was also impressed with some of the younger players who competed this week.  They, at times would be overwhelmed in the first game especially if they were playing against an upperclassman but it was amazing to me how fast their confidence grew and you could actually see them improve each game.  The future would appear bright for the girls' game in the state of Kentucky. Two young players in the state of Kentucky to look for in the future are 5-6 7th grader Alexis Brewer (LaRue County Hodgenville KY) and 5-9 8th grader Ivy Brown (LaRue County Hodgenville KY).

Later for more news............

The second session of the camp was held July 12-16, 2009 at Georgetown College in Georgetown Ky.

Several players impressed at camp this week: 6-3 Jr. Aaron Cosby (Mount Herman Northfield MA) was named Camp MVP.  6-2 Sr. Joe Staley (Chaminade-Julienne Dayton OH) was named Camp Runner-UP MVP.  6-1  So. Lutrell Thomas (A. Maceo Smith Dallas TX) was named Top Underclassman.  Joe Staley also swept all three shooting contests as he won the free-throw, hot-shot, and three point contests for frontline players.  6-3 Sr. Thomas Poston (Belleville East Belleville IL) won the slam dunk contest.

The "White" team won the Top 30 all-star game by a 136-125 score over the "Heather' team.  6-3 So. Jermaine Rutley (North Hardin Radcliff KY) was named "White" team MVP and led a balanced attack with 15 points.  6-5 Sr. Tony Hamann (Loveland OH), 6-2 So Desmond Dorsey (Jeffersontown KY), 6-5 Jr. Chancellor Armstrong (Trinity Louisville KY), and 6-2 Sr. Demarcus Collins (Nelson Co. Bardstown KY) added 15, 15, 14, and 14 points respectively. 6-3 Sr. Thomas Poston (Belleville East Belleville IL) was named Runner-Up MVP for the "Heather" team and scored 16 points.  5-10 Sr. Robert Owens (Daleville AL), 6-2 Sr. Joe Staley (Chaminade-Julienne Dayton OH), and 6-3 Jr. Stephen Atkinson (Marshall Co. Benton KY) added 14, 12, and 12 points respectively.

Team "Pennsylvania" won the single elimination tournament 79-63 over team "Massachusetts."  The "Pennsylvania" tournament MVP was 6-1 Jr. Dwayne Gallimore (West Orange Winter Garden FL).  The Runner-up tournament MVP from the "Massachusetts" team was 5-11 Sr. Tyler Whitman (Ooltewah TN).

The Junior Division Camp MVP was 5-11 8th grader Trenton Gilbert (Wolfe Co. Campton KY).  The Runner-UP Camp MVP was 6-4 Fr. Rasheed Dashiell (Harker Heights TX).

The "Heather" team defeated the "White" team 81-76 in the Junior All-star game.  The "Heather" team tourney MVP 5-7 Fr. Dylan Harris (Metcalfe Co. Edmonton KY) put on a shooting display as he scored 32 points including seven three point baskets.  5-11 Fr. Tanner Clark (Franklin-Simpson Franklin KY) added 19 points. 5-11 8th grader Trenton Gilbert (Wolfe Co. Campton KY) was named "White" team Runner-Up MVP and scored 11 points.  5-7 Fr. Robert Ristaneo led the "White" team in scoring with 12 points.

Team "Missouri" won the Junior Division tournament by a score of 61-52 over team "Nebraska."  Team "Missouri" tourney MVP was 5-7 8th grader Garrett Dunn (Wolfe Co. Campton KY).  The Runner-up tourney MVP from the "Nebraska" team was 5-5 8th grader Nick Norton (Epiphany Middle Bloomington IL).

There were many other players to numerous to mention here who impressed this week and I hope to  have my complete write-up of this session on my website within the next 2-3 weeks.

Note:  It was reported  to me on August 20th that Lutrell Thomas will actually be a Jr. for the 2009-2010 season.

July  9-11th Central Kentucky area - The majority of the games on Saturday July 11th were played at the Kentucky Basketball Academy in Lexington Kentucky.

Some of the top players on display this weekend included the following:

Chinenye Ogwumilke 6-3 2010 (TX) CY-Fair Shock Nike Elite AAU

Samarie Walker 6-1 2010 (OH) Sports City U AAU

Natasha Howard 6-4 2011 (OH) Toledo Waite High School

Ronika Ransford 5-8 2010 (DC) Tennessee Flight AAU

Alexia Standish 5-8 2011 (TX) CY-Fair Shock Nike Elite

Malina Howard 2012 (OH) Sports City U AAU

Marjorie Butler 5-8 2012 (TN) Tennessee Flight AAU

Lakeisha Crouch 6-0 2010 (TN) Tennessee Flight AAU

Several organizations including Tennessee Flight has several AAU teams and the talent was excellent on all the teams.  There were several players missing this weekend including the following who will be participating in other events this summer:

Stefanie Dolson 6-5 2010 (NY) Tennessee Flight AAU

Valencia McFarland 5-6 2010 (MS) Tennessee Flight AAU

LaQuinta Jefferson 6-0 2010 (TN) Tennessee Flight AAU

July 9-11th Central Kentucky area - This prestigious event was held in Central Ky with many of the games being held at the Kentucky Basketball Academy at Lexington KY.  I will discuss some of the top girls later but I just wanted to mention some of the schools that had coaches at this event.  I just managed to attend July 11th but the talent level was incredible.

Some of the schools I saw listed on the sign-in board included the following:Wofford, Marshall, Oakland, American, Clemson, Miami, Cincinnati, Memphis, Iowa State, Nebraska, Niagra, Indiana State, Toledo, Gardner-Webb, Bentley, Eastern, Pepperdine, Midway, Hillsdale, Youngstown State, SE Missouri State, Rhode Island, Richmond,Ohio State, Ohio University, Western, Dayton, UCONN, Purdue, Mississippi State, and Kansas.

Nort Carolina A&T, Arkansas, Kentucky Wesleyan, Indiana, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, St. Louis, Georgia, West Liberty, Wake Forrest, Sacred Heart University, Akron, Maryland, Marquette, Evansville, Ashland, Old Dominican, Xavier, Duquesne, MTSU, South Alabama. Mt. Union, Vermont, Boston College, Belmont, Kentucky State, Murray, and Missouri State.

Alabama, Cleveland State, Buffalo, Furman, IPFW, Longwood, North Carolina State, DePaul, Wright State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ball State, Illinois, Slippery Rock, Canisius, Green Bay, Miami Ohio, Nebraska, Lafayette, UNC Wilmington, UMASS Lowell, Kentucky, Samford, Southern Methodist University, Binghampton, Kent State, UTEP, and Northern Kentucky University.

Baldwin Wallace, Tennessee, Auburn, Wichita State, Southern Indiana, Michigan State, Florida State, Texas Tech, NJIT, IUPUI, Alabama, University Charleston (WV), Milwaukee, Penn State, Rice, Seton Hall, Gannon, East Michigan, Texas A&M, Texas, Pittsburgh, George Washington, Florida, West Virginia State, and Kennesaw.

Youngstown State, Washington University, Transylvania, Georgetown College, St. Louis, Tennessee State, Davis & Elkins, Purdue, Colgate, Western Michigan, BGSU, Wisconsin, Mississippi, ETSU, UCLA, Belmont, Morehead, Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State, Butler, Case Western Reserve, UT-Chatt., Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Saint Francis, and Syracuse.

I realize that I probably have duplicate schools listed, probably several misspelled, and missed many others that were probably in attendance but I just wanted to give you an idea of the magnitude of the event.

I was also impressed with the organizers: Tom Insell, Tucker Neale, Carlos Shea-Ron and the others who did an excellent job and were gracious in dealing with all the logistics and questions concerning an event of this magnitude.