UHA’s Hopson mostly mum on recruiting

Throw Scotty Hopson the ball on the wing, and he’s pretty good at sidestepping defenders and attacking the basket. Ask the University Heights Academy star a question about his recruitment, and the 6-foot-6 senior star is pretty good at sidestepping questions and blunting reporters’ curiosity.

All of Hopson’s skills were on display at the Touchstone Energy All “A” Classic in Richmond on Thursday as UHA ripped St. Henry 76-50. After playing with pep and purpose, and posting an impressive stat line (28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 turnover in 28 minutes), Hopson (shown at right in photo by Tim Webb) faced TV lights and reporters’ notebooks. He’s seen all this before, wherever he’s gone since the November signing period passed without him putting his name on a letter of intent with Mississippi State, the school he commited to last summer.

When asked his status on Thursday, Hopson said his family and UHA Coach Randy McCoy “are taking care a lot of the recruiting right now. I just play basketball, continue to help my team and have fun.”

McCoy said he’s heard from “a few people, a couple SEC schools. It’s what all you’ve heard, and what all I like to read on the gracious web sites . . . I get all my information there. They seem to have the inside to everything.”

Tennessee and Louisville are supposedly are wooing Hopson to some degree. Kentucky is in the mix, but apparently isn’t applying the full-court press. Word is that Cats Coach Billy Gillispie isn’t personally involved, which is a curious approach if UK really wants Hopson.

Then there’s UHA’s other star, 6-4 senior guard Tyshwan Edmondson (shown at left in photo by Tim Webb), who lit up St. Henry for 23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Blessed with quickness, jumping ability, a nice jump shot and fearless attitude, Edmondson looks like a Division I prospect. Except that he’s generated little notice among the big schools. He has several offers from mid-majors, such as Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky, along with NAIA Georgetown College. He said Tennessee is showing a little interest. McCoy sees Edmondson as a big-time prospect. “No doubt in my mind,” he said. “I don’t know where the rest of the world’s at. I think he’s proved himself. I thought with technology today, ’sleepers’ were over with. I guess I was wrong.”

McCoy is amused more than irritated by all the recruiting hoopla simply because there’s really no news, and won’t be for a while. “The recruiting process is going to go on, and people are going to inquire about (Hopson and Edmondson). But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen kids handle the so-called pressures of this the way these guys have. It’s not talked about in the hallways. I let them know who calls, and they tell me if somebody calls them. That’s about it. Nothing’s going to happen till the season’s over with because there’s no time for it.”
..

This week in Kentucky high school sports history

1965

Lexington Dunbar edges Louisville Central 52-51 on Ronald Young’s free throw with five seconds left, giving Bearcats Coach S.T. Roach his 500th career win in front of 7,500 fans in UK’s Memorial Coliseum. James Hamilton’s 17 points lead Dunbar . . . Hazel Green runs its record to 17-0 even though 6-4 center Paul Andrews is out with a fractured thumb . . . Meade Memorial 6-6 star Alvin Ratliff returns to action after missing four weeks with a broken hand . . . Mike Casey has 18 points to lead Shelby County past Oldham County . . . Wurtland doesn’t miss a shot in the first half — but it takes only two as it tries to freeze the ball against Raceland, a team it lost to 89-56 earlier in the season. Wurtland’s strategy doesn’t work as it trails 14-4 at halftime and loses 32-12 . . . Mort Fraley of Lexington Catholic leads the city in scoring with a 21.2 average, just ahead of Dunbar’s Bobby Washington (20.3) and Henry Clay’s Bobby Atkinson (19.9).

1977

The KHSAA puts tickets to the Sweet Sixteen on sale at $32 per set . . . Bo Lanter has 27 points to spark Woodford County past Richmond Madison . . . Allen Central, coached by Harold Wallen, beats Johnson Central, coached by Harold’s dad Wendell Wallen . . . Unbeaten Jeffersonville, Indiana’s No. 1 team, beats Ballard, Kentucky’s No. 1 team, 57-55. Jeff Lamp leads all scorers with 19 points . . . Bruce Jones’ 34 points power Bath County past Fleming County . . . Greg Todd has 34 points to lead Berea in a romp over Shopville . . . The KHSAA announces that regional tournaments in wrestling and gymnastics will be postponed because of the state energy crisis. Fayette County school officials lift a ban on athletics that was put into effect because of a request from Columbia Gas to conserve energy . . . Henry Clay plays for the first time in a month . . . Robert Newsome has 21 points as Virgie improves to 17-1 with a win over McDowell.

1993

Keith Ohr hits 7 of 10 three-pointers and has 27 points to lead Estill County over Madison Central . . . Darnell Burton has 34 points as Dunbar ends Bryan Station’s 14-game winning streak. Burton pushes his career point total to 1,931, making him the second-leading scorer in city history behind Mike Allen of Bryan Station . . . Charmain Bolton and Allison Tate combine for 31 points to lead Dunbar’s girls past Lafayette . . . Nicholas County, led by MVP Kim Denkins, wins the girls’ All “A” Classic title, beating Webster County in the finals . . . Dilce Combs wins the boys’ All “A” championship when Cavanaugh Trent hits a 10-foot jumper with six seconds left in overtime to beat Fulton County 67-66. Heston Beverly has 24 points to lead Dilce Combs and is named MVP . . . Mason County hits 21 of 28 shots in the first half in a victory over Scott County. Shawn Myrick’s 28 points pace the winners.

All “A” favorites: Paintsville boys, LCA girls

The Touchstone Energy All “A” Classic basketball shootouts are in Richmond this week. The small-school boys’ and girls’ state tournaments will be at Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena. The girls’ first round is Wednesday (Jan. 30), and the boys’ first round is Thursday (Jan. 31). The All “A” title games are Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 3).

(Complete tournament pairings are in left margin under “Upcoming basketball”)

Dave Cantrall’s Rating the State has Paintsville’s boys as the team to beat, with Hazard and University Heights Academy as the prime challengers. Coach Bill Mike Runyon’s Tigers have never won the All “A” but were runners-up in 1997. UHA has won the small-school title 7 times, and Hazard took the championship in 2004. Bishop Brossart won it last year. Mustangs’ Coach Mike Code is shown at right with the big trophy.

For the girls, Cantrall has defending All “A” and Sweet Sixteen champ Lexington Christian Academy as a solid favorite. Coach Jason Seamands’ Lady Eagles’ main challengers figure to be Middlesboro and Owensboro Catholic. LCA and Owensboro Catholic face off in the opening game of the tournament. Besides LCA, the only other former champ in this year’s competition is Louisville Holy Cross.

As for individual stars, the top boys include Scotty Hopson and Tyshwan Edmondson of UHA, Dakotah Euton and Chad Jackson of Rose Hill, and Landon Slone of Paintsville. The top girls include Anna Martin (shown at right) and Courtney Clifton of LCA; Kristen Rowe and Laura Fletcher of Cumberland County, and Sally Roberts of Shelby Valley.

Here’s how Cantrall rates the field for the boys’ All “A” Classic:

• 1. Paintsville (18-2) 76.6
• 2. Hazard (17-3) 71.5
• 2. University Heights (17-4) 71.5
• 4. Lexington Christian (9-10) 69.3
• 5. Bardstown (14-4) 67.0
• 6. St. Henry (11-9) 66.5
• 7. Murray (14-4) 66.3
• 8. Rose Hill (11- 66.2
• 9. Somerset (16-5) 65.8
• 10. Metcalfe County (16-3) 64.8
• 11. Gallatin County (16-4) 64.3
• 12. Pineville (19-2) 64.0
• 12. Lou. Holy Cross (15-3) 64.0
• 14. Bishop Brossart (11-9) 61.3
• 15. Owensboro Catholic (10- 52.6
• 16. Lou. Collegiate (9- 49.4

Here’s how Cantrall rates the field for the girls’ All “A” Classic:

• 1. Lexington Christian (15-4) 83.3
• 2. Middlesboro (19-1) 76.2
• 3. Owensboro Catholic (15-6) 73.2
• 4. Cumberland County (18-2) 70.2
• 5. Bardstown (18-4) 69.0
• 6. Paris (11-6) 68.9
• 7. Newport Catholic (9-10) 67.8
• 8. Elliott County (11-9) 67.3
• 9. Danville (11-6) 63.9
• 10. Shelby Valley (13-7) 61.3
• 11. Lou. Holy Cross (10-5) 60.4
• 12. Ballard Memorial (14-4) 57.4
• 13. Leslie County (9-9) 53.9
• 14.Crittenden County (9- 46.9
• 15. Trimble County (5-12) 43.6
• 16. Whitefield Academy (11-7) 38.6

High school hoops: still time to find glory road

In late January, 2001, Lafayette was unlikely pick to end up celebrating a state title.

Only 30 days until district tournaments tip off across Kentucky. Not much time on the calendar, but plenty of time on the court for teams to get their games in gear to make a run at the Sweet Sixteen.

Granted, in most seasons the eventual state champion has shown itself to be a title contender by late January. Eight of the last 10 boys’ champs have had no more than four losses on this date (Jan. 25). Last year at this time Scott County was sporting a 16-1 record. In 2006 Jeffersontown was 15-3, and in 2005 South Laurel was 15-3.

But there are exceptions that give hope to a lot of teams that are still trying to find their stride.

In 2004, Warren Central was a mediocre 10-7 on Jan. 25. But Tim Riley kept faith in his Dragons, and they were fire-breathers down the stretch. They won their last 21 games and a state championship.

In 2001, Lafayette was a mediocre 11-7 on this date, and a very ordinary 13-11 in mid-February. But Donnie Adkins kept faith in his Generals, and they closed the season by marching to 12 consecutive victories, including a Sweet Sixteen title.

Most coaches I’ve talked to think this March will be a wide-open shootout. Right now top-ranked Bryan Station, riding an 18-game winning streak, looks like the team to beat. But the Defenders will have to fight their way through an ultra-difficult 11th Region just to get to Rupp Arena. Ditto for No. 2 Lexington Catholic and No. 4 Scott County.

Looking across the state, I count at least 20 teams that, under the right circumstances and draw, could make a serious run at the Sweet Sixteen championship. This time a year ago, I could count the legitimate contenders on one hand.

This week in Kentucky high school sports history

1958

Superintendent Omer Carmichael is to meet with Louisville coaches and principals to address the issue of recruiting. “Several yelps have been made by some of the coaches because of good athletes enrolling at other Louisville schools,” Billy Thompson of the Lexington Herald reports in his Pressbox Pickups . . . Quarterbacks Tony Lanham of Corbin, Bill Straub of Highlands, Bill Ransdell of Elizabethtown and Harold Pugh of Owensboro are among those selected for the East-West all-star football game that will be played in late summer . . . The KHSAA puts Tollesboro on probation because Coach Harlan Tolle and some of his players gave “considerable verbal abuse” to referees during the Tollesboro-Deming game . . . John Burdette, Lexington Douglass’ high scoring star, sits out a game against Danville Bate because of an “unusual accident.” Burdette was trying to put a fan belt on a car when another person tried to start the motor. The fan nearly cut off Burdette’s little finger on his shooting hand . . . Scotty Baesler of Athens pours in 50 points in a win over Estill County. Baesler hits 23 of 42 field goal attempts, and boosts his average to 30 points a game . . . Russell County’s Ralph Richardson has 40 points in a 72-71 loss to Maysville . . . No. 1 Clark County, led by Paul Smith’s 20 points, runs its record to 19-1 with a victory over Scott County.

1972

Middlesboro’s 6-foot-8 Robert Mayhall has 41 points and 32 rebounds in a rout of Lexington Catholic. Sam Coleman adds 17 points and 15 rebounds for the winners . . . East Carter, in its first season of basketball after the merger of Hitchins and Grayson, has rung up 16 victories in a row to improve its record to 18-4 under Coach Roy “Doc” Murphy, who had coached at Hitchins. Phillip Keyes leads the team with a 25-point average . . . Danville’s Wayne Hawkins (21 ppg) tops the Central Kentucky Conference in scoring. Danville is unbeaten (14-0) . . . Gary French has 23 points, and Chuck Rawlings has 18 points and 13 rebounds as Elizabethtown upsets No. 1 Louisville Central . . . Maysville’s James Smith returns from a leg injury to score 31 points, and teammate Fred Walker has 34 in a victory over Johnson Central . . . Van Warren scores in the closing seconds to give Jessamine County a 54-52 overtime victory against Woodford County. The Colts rallied from seen points down in the last four minutes of regulation . . . Donnie Rardin’s 27 points and Guy Harris’s 23 rebounds power Sayre past Model . . . Danny Wilson hits a jump shot with four seconds to lift Henry Clay to a 66-64 upset of Bryan Station.

1981

Lexington Catholic stuns No. 1 Bryan Station 58-57 and Knights’ fans flood the court in celebration. Mickey Martin has 17 points for the winners, Mike Trigg has 14, and point guard Bryan Mitchell has 6 points and 13 rebounds . . . Clay County rips Rockcastle County 110-65 to improve its record to 20-0. Marty Roberts is averaging 17 points, and Russell Corum is averaging 16 points and 7 assists for Bobby Keith’s Tigers . . . Coby DeVary draws a charge with three seconds left to preserve Tates Creek’s 58-56 win over Ballard. Tony Harris leads the Commodores with 21 points . . . Clark County wins the girls’ Louisville Invitational Tournament. Sally Malley’s 17 points and Cindi Clay’s 14 spark the Lady Cardinals over Manual in the title game . . . Leslie Nichols has 23 points and 17 rebounds as Henry Clay’s Lady Blue Devils upset No. 4 Franklin County . . . Connie Goins has 25 points and 13 rebounds as No. 9 Western Hills takes out Lafayette . . . Alonzo Linner of MMI is avearging 28.5 points and 12 rebounds.

Bryan Station looks like No. 1

Ten days ago on this blog I warned that the boys’ basketball ratings were about to be scrambled by a bunch of games matching the state’s best teams against one another. But I didn’t forsee the top-to-bottom, 10-on-the-Richter-scale shake-up that did occur.

Twelve of the top 16 teams in the ratings two weeks ago lost at least once. Most of the casualties came in games pitting ranked teams against each other, such as then-No. 1 Mason County falling at home to No. 3 Scott County, and a week later No. 4 Bryan Station routing Scott County on the Cardinals’ home court (a victory thoroughly enjoyed by the Defenders’ fans shown at right), and No. 2 Lexington Catholic losing on a last-second shot to Mason County in UK’s Memorial Coliseum.

But the most surprising shake-up came Louisville where Manual, which wasn’t even in rated among the top 25, swept to the Louisville Invitational Tournament championship, beating Eastern in the finals. Eastern reached the title game by beating No. 7 Male and No. 8 Ballard. A week earlier the Eagles had upset No. 4 Jeffersontown.

Bryan Station was one of the few high-ranked teams to stay on an up-tick. Defenders’ star Shelvin Mack was spectacular (31 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals) in leading the No. 3 Defenders past Scott County 85-70. Bryan Station led by 25 points in the second half and cruised to victory over the defending state champs. If Dave Cantrall’s computer has all its gigabytes, the Defenders will be No. 1 in this week’s ratings. All they’ve done is win 17 consecutive games since a season-opening loss to Mason County.

(Cantrall’s new ratings are shown in the margin at right.)

Bryan Station will get a couple tests this week when it hosts Henry Clay (Jan. 22) and Tates Creek (Jan. 25). Other interesting matchups: LexCath visits Dunbar (Jan. 22), Ballard is at Manual (Jan. 23), and in the All “A” Classic 15th Region, there could be a showdown between Shelby Valley and Paintsville in the finals (Jan. 26).

Mason County and Bryan Station knock off Nos. 1 and 2

The top four boys’ basketball teams in the state were in action against each other Friday night. The co-No. 3 teams knocked off Nos. 1 and 2.

Mason County, rated No. 3 with Bryan Station, got a last-second basket from Darius Miller to beat No. 1 Lexington Catholic 74-73 in UK’s Memorial Coliseum.

Miller’s shot came after LexCath’s Taylor Stewart’s three-point play gave the Knights a 73-72 lead with 8 seconds left. Trevor Setty led the winners with 25 points. The Royals avenged an overtime loss to the Knights in LexCath’s holiday tournament finals.

Meanwhile at No. 2 Scott County, the defending state champs got trampled by co-No. 3 Bryan Station 85-70. The Defenders led by 25 points in the fourth quarter before cruising home for their 16th consecutive victory.

Shelvin Mack (shown at left drilling a jump shot) led the winners with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Dacoby Burnett had 17 points and Montell Morones added 16 for the winners. Richie Phares had 25 points and 9 rebounds for Scott County, which had beaten the Defenders six of the previous seven times they met.

Creekers hire Harmon as football coach

Mike Harmon, who has spent the last 7 years turning Lafayette’s football program into a consistent winner, is leaving the Generals to go home. “Home” is Tates Creek, where Harmon was an all-city lineman in the late 1980s and where he was an assistant coach before leaving to become the boss at Lafayette.

Harmon will succeed Mark Willoughby as the Commodores coach.

Harmon said leaving Lafayette was one of the most difficult decisions of his life, but that “family and home take precedence,” so he was returning to Tates Creek.

“It’s an unbelievable tradition here, and we’ve got to harness that,” said Harmon, who played under legendary coach Roy Walton and was an assistant under Walton’s successor, Joe Ruddell, the current athletic director.

Ruddell was he was “still in a cloud” about bringing Harmon back to Tates Creek. “It’s unbelievably exciting to have him here again,” Ruddell said.

Harmon won’t have any downtime from football. He’s also the new head coach of the Lexington Horsemen indoor team.

High school hoops news & notes

Notes, observations, opinions and stats on high school basketball . . . .

Defending state champ and No. 2-rated Scott County plays host to No. 3 Bryan Station on Friday night. Scott County has beaten the Defenders six out of seven times over the last three years, including a three-game sweep last season. Since a season-opening loss to Mason County, Bryan Station, led by Shelvin Mack (23 ppg) has won 15 in a row — the longest winning streak in the state. Scott County won at Mason County last week.

I plan to give live updates on Bryan Station at Scott County on my blog Friday night.

*****

No. 1 Lexington Catholic plays No. 3 Mason County in UK’s Memorial Coliseum Friday night. The Knights rallied to beat Mason County in overtime in their holiday tournament a few weeks ago. The Royals led by double digits most of that game before LexCath’s comeback, which was capped by Vee Sanford’s game-tying three-pointer in regulation. LexCath has beaten Mason County 10 out of 14 over the last 10 years.

*****

Paintsville senior Landon Slone (shown at right getting a rebound against Boyle County) is having a terrific senior year. He’s among the state leaders in several stats. He’s averaging 25.5 ppg, shooting 63% from the field, 88% from the foul line.

*****

The best matchups in the Kentucky Preps Classic at Montgomery County on Saturday figure to be Anderson County vs. Paintsville at 2:30, and Montgomery County vs. Madison Central at 7:15. Mr. Basketball candidates Darius Miller of Mason County and Scotty Hopson of University Heights are in the classic, but unfortunately aren’t matched up against each other. Mason County plays Fern Creek at 5:30, and UHA meets Danville at 9.

*****

The 14th, 15th and 16th regions haven’t made much of an impact in the boys’ Sweet Sixteen in recent years. So it’s nice to see teams from those regions rated among the best in the state: No. 7 Elliott County (16th Region), No. 10 June Buchanan (14th Region) and No. 21 Shelby Valley (15th Region) are good enough to make some noise in the state tournament if they get there.

*****

Elliott County kids must eat their carrots. How else to explain their sharp shooting eyes? The Lions’ Jonathan Ferguson leads the state in scoring (28.8 ppg), and is hitting 40% of his three-pointers (55-for-136). Elliott County also leads the state in scoring (89.1 ppg), and in free-throw accuracy (79%).

*****

Got to see Manual freshman Tony Kimbro play in the Louisville Invitational Tournament this week. Sure doesn’t look like a freshman. He’s 6-4 and already has a poised presence on the court. His dad Tony Kimbro was a star for Seneca and was Mr. Basketball in 1985.

*****

Jeffersontown senior guard Nick Gagel continues to prove he’s one of the best, if not THE best, shooter in the state. He’s hitting 49% of his threes (46-for-94), and leads the state in free-throw accuracy, hitting 94% (56-for-62).

*****

Aaron Cosby, a 6-2 sophomore guard, has transferred from Manual to Jeffersontown. He was sitting on J-town’s bench in street clothes during the Chargers’ first-round win in the LIT. Cosby commited to UMass and coach Travis Ford last fall.

 

 

UK recruiting unselfish stars

In this world of me-me-me basketball, it’s been refreshing over the past few weeks to watch three high school stars who don’t seem to concerned about their scoring averages.

Darius Miller (near right) of Mason County and DeAndre Liggins (below left) of Findlay Prep (Nev.) have signed with Kentucky. Jon Hood (far right), a junior at Madisonville, has a scholarship offer from the Cats. All are physically similar — 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7 — slender, athletic, with high basketball IQs, and unselfish, team-first attitudes.

Mason County Coach Chris O’Hearn said he’s been trying for four years to get Miller to look for his shot more, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. The Royals star seems to get more satisfaction out of making a nifty assist than making a 15-foot jumper.

When Liggins played against Western Reserve Academy (Ohio) at Lexington Christian a couple weeks ago, he looked totally content to pass instead of shoot. “I’m a pass-first kind of guy,” he admitted, noting that he’s surrounded by plenty of scorers.

My first look at Hood in the Louisville Invitational Tournament Tuesday night revealed another team player. Hood had a quiet 24 points, hitting 9 of 13 shots. He handled the ball a lot, and drove into the lane on several occasions, but dumped it off most of the time.

One curse of modern-day high school hoops, in my opinion, is the AAU or “elite” summer circuit, which has become more important to some players than their high school season. Summertime is when they strut their stuff for college coaches, and as a result fundamental team basketball often takes a beating from “hey-look-at-me” individual showmanship.

Miller, Liggins and Hood, however, seemed to have avoided falling in that ego trap. The top priority for Miller and Hood right now is getting their teams to the Sweet Sixteen. Still, they aren’t going to hog the ball to accomplish that goal, even if by doing so they might boost their team’s chances.
Brian Hood, Jon’s dad, noted that it’s difficult to make the transition from summer ball to high school ball. “If you spend the summer playing 75 or 80 games with and against nothing but Division I players, it’s a real adjustment to go back to your high school team where you may see another Division I player once a month. A good, decent kid doesn’t want to do too much for his high school team. He doesn’t want to be the kid who plays all three positions in the outfield in a baseball game. He wants to get his high school teammates to contribute, too. But then when he does that, some fans wonder why the star doesn’t do more. Well, he’s not playing to please the fan. He’s playing to help his team and be a good teammate.”

Amen to that.