Mountain high school basketball enters 2nd Half

Even though it seems like we just started the 2007- 08 high school basketball season here in the mountains we actually passed the midway point last week when the WYMT Mountain Classic crowned it’s 21st champion in June Buchanan of the 14th region. The Crusaders beat a talented Knox Central team 73 - 58 in the first round who was lead by the best sophomore (6’ 5 ” Cody Miller) I’ve seen in several years, then embarrassed Pikeville of the 15th region 97 - 51 in the semi finals which set the highly anticipated match up with Hazard in the Championship game. The Hazard - JBS championship did not disappoint anyone. The game was tight for the entire thirty-two minutes with only a 2 to 5 point difference the entire game. The only real difference was that Hazard seemed to play a little more physical type game with more man to man defense and played a rotation of 9 - 10 players while JBS seemed to rely more on a zone defense while trying to get their talented guard duo of Clark Stepp & Tatae Cox in one on one and individual isolation type situations where they could create offense off the dribble for themselves and teammates. These two teams are in my eyes the class of the 14th region and in all likelihood should meet again in two weeks for the 14th region All - A - Classic Championship and unless some upset lightning strikes in their respective districts, should enter the 14th regional tournament as co favorites. The only scenario I see preventing a final third match up in the regional championship is if they draw in the same bracket. Anytime these two teams meet it will go down to whoever wins the 4th quarter will probably end up on top. Sophomore class impressive It’s been quite a few years since Eastern KY has seen a sophomore class as talented as this year is. Any coach would like to have this lineup of starters and reserves to coach: Guards - Josh Whitaker - 6’ 0″ Hazard; Tate Cox - 5′ 11″ JBS; Wing Forward - Cody Miller - 6′ 5″ Knox Central; Forward - Dakotah Euton - 6′ 8″ Rose Hill Academy; Center Forward - Ashley Hatfield - 6′ 6″ Shelby Valley, and if any of those get in foul trouble come of the bench with guards Aaron Watts - McCreary Central, Stuart Stamper - Knott Central and Madison Johnson - Corbin or wing forward Chad Jackson - Rose Hill Academy and for a solid sub inside Matt St. John - South Laurel . I sure would like to take this group on a summer tour and put them up against the so-called “quick athletic-type” player we see so often in today’s inner city and metropolitan areas. As we enter the 2nd half of the 2007 - 08 season here is an update of notes and items we’ve run across for our monthly Mountain High School notebook since we last visited with you: The 4th annual Gatorade-Adidas Appalachian All Star Classic will take place for the 2nd year in a row at Knott Central’s Morton Combs Athletic Complex on (Sat.) April 5th. This year’s format will feature a triple-header of boys’ games featuring the top players from KHSAA Regions 12 - 16 in all four grades. The 1st game will feature the top freshman & sophomores in a Future Stars Bronze Medal game which will be followed by the top juniors in a Future Stars Silver Medal game with the final game of the day featuring the always popular Senior All Stars Gold Medal game with a halftime 3-point shooting and slam dunk contest. Owsley Co. girls basketball coach Wallace Bates has resigned his position from the 14th Region school effective immediately. According to sources close to Tri State Sports Bates was very unhappy with the support he was getting from the school’s principal and other athletic support groups as well. Officials from the Harlan Co. School system have reportedly put together an impressive financial package for their new school’s head football coaching position and are pitching it at Dudley Hilton of Bell Co. who is supposed to give them an answer within the week. If Hilton were to leave Bell Co. he would leave behind one of his better teams that is returning this coming fall according to longtime Bobcat supporters on Log Mountain. Hazard’s new coach Al Holland got some good news last week when Robert Warren was ruled eligible by the KHSAA just in time to make a cameo appearance in the WYMT Mountain Classic. Robert Warren is the stepson of new Bulldog assistant coach Eddie Whitaker. Now Holland and the Bulldogs have received a late Christmas present when Fr. Eric Back who was the starting point guard at Perry Central reportedly became unhappy with the style of play for new coach Allen Hatcher and his role for the Commodores and enrolled at Hazard when the 2nd semester started back after the holiday break. Transfer papers were being processed by school officials at press time. Based on past experiences in this matter it could be anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks before a ruling is sent down from the KHSAA commissioner’s office. Over in the 15th region Shelby Valley and Paintsville are on a collision course similar to the one Hazard and JBS had at last weeks WYMT Classic. Only difference is they will have only two meetings this season and the first will be in next week’s All “A” Classic regional tournament to be held at Betsy Layne high school, that is unless Allen Central upsets Paintsville in the first round. My favorites to meet in the finals of the four eastern KY. Mountain All “A” Classic boys regional are: 13th Region - Cumberland - Lynn Camp; 14th Region - JBS - Hazard; 15th Region - Paintsville - Shelby Valley; 16th Region - Elliott Co. - Fairview. Pineville got a tough draw in the 13th and must beat Middlesboro & Cumberland both just to get to finals and Rose Hill got a similar draw in the 16th getting matched up in Elliott Co.’s bracket. Now that it has been established that Perry Central will trade host responsibilities with Leslie Co. for this year’s district-this means that all postseason play for the Commodores will be on their home floor, with it being their turn to host the boys regionals. PCC is in the midst of the school’s worst year record wise at 5 - 9, but it must be noted that 6 of those 9 losses were by single digits and all six of those losses were on the road away from the friendly confines of the John C. Combs Arena. Ask any coach in the mountains and you will see that they still respect the Commodores very much and their new veteran coach Allen Hatcher has a long impressive record in post season play plus his style of play which has been scrutinized by many so called experts is very effective for the highly pressurized tournament game atmospheres. Breathitt Co. high school’s boys basketball team entered the off-season last summer on a tremendous high note coming off a 21 - 4 regular season and a final four appearance in last years 14th regional tournament. It has been a rocky road for the Bobcats’ likeable coach, Steve Banks, since the summer. It all started when Banks had two guards to transfer to Owsley Co. and Jackson City at the end of the summer. Then the football team went deep into the playoffs which pushed the start of the hoops season back two weeks since several football players are key hoopsters and then several returning underclassmen who played last year decided to devote their time elsewhere after 3:00 o’clock each day.