The Scribe
11-26-2007, 01:22 AM
BGP 7th Region Boys' Preview
Special to Bluegrasspreps.com
Don’t look now but there could be a new kid on the tough Seventh Region block this season as Manual High School tries to break into the elite group.
Ballard and Jeffersontown have played in the past three regional title games and are still favored to be at the top of what many believe is always one of the state’s toughest region again this season.
But Manual is the team garnering a ton of the preseason hype.
The Crimsons have four of the top players in the Louisville area and a new coach as Jimmy Just comes back across the river from Jeffersonville (Ind.).
Male, Trinity and Eastern are among the other top contenders in the region.
Here’s a closer look:
MANUAL – The Crimsons are still young and do have a new coach, but there’s so much talent in the fold they have to be considered one of the state’s top 10 teams.
The talk surrounding Manual has to start with Just, who proved to be one of the state’s top coaches when he built Iroquois from nothing to a regional champion. He spent the past two seasons at Jeffersonville.
Sophomore guard Aaron Cosby has already committed to play hoops at the University Massachusetts, while freshman Tony Kimbro Jr., is considered one of the top 50 freshmen players in the nation. The latter is the son of Kentucky’s 1985 Mr. Basketball award winner Tony Kimbro.
Junior Jacob Jenkins averaged 14.5 points a game last season, while senior guard Aaron Williams averaged 13.7 points and five assists as a junior.
The Crimsons also have several other players that Just will count on for productivity, including 6-foot-7 sophomore Aleksandar Nikolic and seniors Derrance Lawson and James Britt.
BALLARD – The defending state runner-up Bruins graduated a ton off last year’s roster, but still has plenty of talent left to be a state contender.
Ballard graduated eight players from that team and senior Jamal Crook was ruled ineligible by the KHSAA for the season. But coach Chris Renner has three of the best guards in the Louisville-area in David Stanley, Josh Chiles and Wesley Cox.
Stanley is one of the best shooters in the area, while T.J. Pryor, Andre Gardner, Justin Morris and Luke Allison are other top players back in the program.
Without much height, Renner will rely on his team’s defensive pressure and its quickness to force the tempo and try to outscore teams.
JEFFERSONTOWN – The Chargers won the state title two years ago and made it back to the regional final last season.
One key piece to those teams is still around in senior sharpshooter Nick Gagel, who is one of the best shooters in the state. He averaged 13.5 points as a junior.
Brandon Casson, Thomas Jackson and Richard Kennedy are three other key players that will contribute for coach Jeff Morrow. J’town also has a huge new addition in Russell Dillard, a transfer from Christian County.
TRINITY – The Shamrocks have one of the best underclassmen in the state, sophomore Josh Sewell, and some other pieces to a solid team.
Sewell is a 6-4 guard who is ranked among the top 100 players in the nation. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds a game as a freshman.
Senior guard Matt Chambless averaged 12.9 points as a junior, while Aaron Tierney is another senior guard and football players Sam Robey and Alex Kupper give the Shamrocks some strength in the middle. Robey is the son of former University of Kentucky All-American basketball player Rick Robey.
MALE – Coach Tom Crews saw nine players graduate from a 27-win team last winter but there’s still hope on Preston Highway.
All-State football player Dexter Heyman is one of the state’s most dominating players when he’s healthy. He missed much of last season with a broken right foot but is expected to be the leader for the Bulldogs.
Senior guard Rodd Lanon will be solid at the point, while Crews has a lot of talent in the younger grades including 6-3 sophomore James Pillaschafske.
EASTERN – The Eagles have one of the top post players in the area – Darrin Williams – and some other talent in the fold for coach Jason Couch.
The 6-7 Williams averaged eight points and six rebounds as a junior and improved a lot during the summer months.
Senior guard Steven Ferguson is a talented quarterback in football and will be the leader and likely go-to guy in crunch time on the hardwood.
SENECA – The Redhawks lost Deonte Maddox, one of the top sophomores in the area, but still have a lot of solid, young talent.
Coach Steve Sergeant is in his third season and the record should be better than last year’s 14-14 mark. Seniors Dominique Burdette and Leron Sloan are the veterans, while sophomores Zach McElwain and Andre Hearn along with several freshman will give the Redhawks several options.
ST. XAVIER – Things have to improve after a 9-17 mark last season and they should for a Tigers’ squad that has two solid post players.
Senior Clay Naiser is 6-5 and getting some small-college looks, while 6-4 senior Patrick Ratterman joins him in the paint. Coach Joe Bergamini will need to get some solid guard play from seniors Will Brooks and John Evans.
Sophomore guard Wyatt Gray is talented but he’s the starting kicker on the Tigers’ football team and will get a late start.
WAGGENER – In his second season, coach Kevin Klein has the Wildcats’ program headed in the right direction.
The Wildcats won nine games last season and will improve. Junior Dayvon Sloan averaged 18 points as a sophomore, while senior Don Richardson is a transfer from J’town. Richardson, who will be eligible in December, was a key reserve on the Chargers’ 2006 state championship team.
MOORE – A young but talented group of Mustangs could stir up some trouble in the 26th District race this season for coach Larry Miller.
Brandon Pulce is a senior and one of the leaders, while the talent lies in the younger graders. Sophomores Reginald Breeden and Tim Harrison are solid players, along with juniors Kelvin Jackson and Mitchell Miller.
FERN CREEK – New coach Dion Layfield has already laid down the law, dismissing two stars – Eric Mosley and Lee McGee – from the program. Both players would have been top-10 players in the region for the Tigers.
Seniors Trent Duckworth and Hilton Bernard are the top players back for a squad that will be inexperienced.
ATHERTON – Three starters return for the Rebels, including junior Troy Weatherford who averaged 11 points, five rebounds and five assists a game.
Justin Cloud and Joe Lentz are also back for Atherton, which doesn’t have a lot of size but should be able to top last year’s 6-win mark.
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY – The Centurions are one of the favorites to win the All “A” Classic regional title with several key players returning.
Senior guard Blake Knotts averaged 14.5 points a game and led the team in three-pointers, while Addison Hobbs and Tim Henderson are also quality returnees.
KENTUCKY COUNTRY DAY – The Bearcats return three starters from a team that won the All “A” Classic regional title last season, including senior Brandon Greer.
Zeric Mason, Brain Cruse and Campbell Brewer are three other top seniors.
COLLEGIATE – The Titans graduated two good players but has six seniors on the roster and the experience should pay off in wins.
Rashad Masri averaged 11 points a game, while Max Kommor averaged six points and four rebounds and is a nice athlete.
WHITEFIELD ACADEMY – The Wildcats only won five games last season but the good news is there are three starters back and some good youngsters.
Tyler Fryling averaged 12 points as a sophomore and returns, while senior Kevin McCullum averaged eight points and five boards.
7th Region Players to Watch
*Dexter Heyman, Male
The 6-foot-4 Heyman is one of the most physically imposing players in the state; he’d be a Division I prospect if he wasn’t going to play football in college.
*Nick Gagel, Jeffersontown
The 5-11 Gagel is one of the best shooters in the state and his all-around game has improved since last season.
*David Stanley, Ballard
The 6-foot Stanley was the sharpshooter on last year’s state runner-up team; he’ll have to do more for the Bruins this season.
*Aaron Cosby, Manual
As a freshman, the 6-2 Cosby was so good that he has already earned a Division I scholarship to UMass.
*Josh Sewell, Trinity
The 6-4 Sewell is one of the top 100 players – nationally - in the sophomore class and will be hard to stop for most teams this season with his all-around game.
*Jacob Jenkins, Manual
The 6-3 Jenkins is a shooter and led Manual in scoring last season at 14 points a game.
*Aaron Williams, Manual
The third Crimson listed on the top-10 list and he could lead the team in scoring.
*Steven Ferguson, Eastern
The quarterback in football helped the Eagles to a winning season there and is such a winner will help the school on the hardwood also.
*Josh Chiles, Ballard
The 5-9 Chiles is the brother of former All-Stater Adam Chiles and has the same type of game. He’ll need to score more this season.
*Darrin Williams, Eastern
The 6-7 Williams is big and strong and will be a hard matchup in the region.
Special to Bluegrasspreps.com
Don’t look now but there could be a new kid on the tough Seventh Region block this season as Manual High School tries to break into the elite group.
Ballard and Jeffersontown have played in the past three regional title games and are still favored to be at the top of what many believe is always one of the state’s toughest region again this season.
But Manual is the team garnering a ton of the preseason hype.
The Crimsons have four of the top players in the Louisville area and a new coach as Jimmy Just comes back across the river from Jeffersonville (Ind.).
Male, Trinity and Eastern are among the other top contenders in the region.
Here’s a closer look:
MANUAL – The Crimsons are still young and do have a new coach, but there’s so much talent in the fold they have to be considered one of the state’s top 10 teams.
The talk surrounding Manual has to start with Just, who proved to be one of the state’s top coaches when he built Iroquois from nothing to a regional champion. He spent the past two seasons at Jeffersonville.
Sophomore guard Aaron Cosby has already committed to play hoops at the University Massachusetts, while freshman Tony Kimbro Jr., is considered one of the top 50 freshmen players in the nation. The latter is the son of Kentucky’s 1985 Mr. Basketball award winner Tony Kimbro.
Junior Jacob Jenkins averaged 14.5 points a game last season, while senior guard Aaron Williams averaged 13.7 points and five assists as a junior.
The Crimsons also have several other players that Just will count on for productivity, including 6-foot-7 sophomore Aleksandar Nikolic and seniors Derrance Lawson and James Britt.
BALLARD – The defending state runner-up Bruins graduated a ton off last year’s roster, but still has plenty of talent left to be a state contender.
Ballard graduated eight players from that team and senior Jamal Crook was ruled ineligible by the KHSAA for the season. But coach Chris Renner has three of the best guards in the Louisville-area in David Stanley, Josh Chiles and Wesley Cox.
Stanley is one of the best shooters in the area, while T.J. Pryor, Andre Gardner, Justin Morris and Luke Allison are other top players back in the program.
Without much height, Renner will rely on his team’s defensive pressure and its quickness to force the tempo and try to outscore teams.
JEFFERSONTOWN – The Chargers won the state title two years ago and made it back to the regional final last season.
One key piece to those teams is still around in senior sharpshooter Nick Gagel, who is one of the best shooters in the state. He averaged 13.5 points as a junior.
Brandon Casson, Thomas Jackson and Richard Kennedy are three other key players that will contribute for coach Jeff Morrow. J’town also has a huge new addition in Russell Dillard, a transfer from Christian County.
TRINITY – The Shamrocks have one of the best underclassmen in the state, sophomore Josh Sewell, and some other pieces to a solid team.
Sewell is a 6-4 guard who is ranked among the top 100 players in the nation. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds a game as a freshman.
Senior guard Matt Chambless averaged 12.9 points as a junior, while Aaron Tierney is another senior guard and football players Sam Robey and Alex Kupper give the Shamrocks some strength in the middle. Robey is the son of former University of Kentucky All-American basketball player Rick Robey.
MALE – Coach Tom Crews saw nine players graduate from a 27-win team last winter but there’s still hope on Preston Highway.
All-State football player Dexter Heyman is one of the state’s most dominating players when he’s healthy. He missed much of last season with a broken right foot but is expected to be the leader for the Bulldogs.
Senior guard Rodd Lanon will be solid at the point, while Crews has a lot of talent in the younger grades including 6-3 sophomore James Pillaschafske.
EASTERN – The Eagles have one of the top post players in the area – Darrin Williams – and some other talent in the fold for coach Jason Couch.
The 6-7 Williams averaged eight points and six rebounds as a junior and improved a lot during the summer months.
Senior guard Steven Ferguson is a talented quarterback in football and will be the leader and likely go-to guy in crunch time on the hardwood.
SENECA – The Redhawks lost Deonte Maddox, one of the top sophomores in the area, but still have a lot of solid, young talent.
Coach Steve Sergeant is in his third season and the record should be better than last year’s 14-14 mark. Seniors Dominique Burdette and Leron Sloan are the veterans, while sophomores Zach McElwain and Andre Hearn along with several freshman will give the Redhawks several options.
ST. XAVIER – Things have to improve after a 9-17 mark last season and they should for a Tigers’ squad that has two solid post players.
Senior Clay Naiser is 6-5 and getting some small-college looks, while 6-4 senior Patrick Ratterman joins him in the paint. Coach Joe Bergamini will need to get some solid guard play from seniors Will Brooks and John Evans.
Sophomore guard Wyatt Gray is talented but he’s the starting kicker on the Tigers’ football team and will get a late start.
WAGGENER – In his second season, coach Kevin Klein has the Wildcats’ program headed in the right direction.
The Wildcats won nine games last season and will improve. Junior Dayvon Sloan averaged 18 points as a sophomore, while senior Don Richardson is a transfer from J’town. Richardson, who will be eligible in December, was a key reserve on the Chargers’ 2006 state championship team.
MOORE – A young but talented group of Mustangs could stir up some trouble in the 26th District race this season for coach Larry Miller.
Brandon Pulce is a senior and one of the leaders, while the talent lies in the younger graders. Sophomores Reginald Breeden and Tim Harrison are solid players, along with juniors Kelvin Jackson and Mitchell Miller.
FERN CREEK – New coach Dion Layfield has already laid down the law, dismissing two stars – Eric Mosley and Lee McGee – from the program. Both players would have been top-10 players in the region for the Tigers.
Seniors Trent Duckworth and Hilton Bernard are the top players back for a squad that will be inexperienced.
ATHERTON – Three starters return for the Rebels, including junior Troy Weatherford who averaged 11 points, five rebounds and five assists a game.
Justin Cloud and Joe Lentz are also back for Atherton, which doesn’t have a lot of size but should be able to top last year’s 6-win mark.
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY – The Centurions are one of the favorites to win the All “A” Classic regional title with several key players returning.
Senior guard Blake Knotts averaged 14.5 points a game and led the team in three-pointers, while Addison Hobbs and Tim Henderson are also quality returnees.
KENTUCKY COUNTRY DAY – The Bearcats return three starters from a team that won the All “A” Classic regional title last season, including senior Brandon Greer.
Zeric Mason, Brain Cruse and Campbell Brewer are three other top seniors.
COLLEGIATE – The Titans graduated two good players but has six seniors on the roster and the experience should pay off in wins.
Rashad Masri averaged 11 points a game, while Max Kommor averaged six points and four rebounds and is a nice athlete.
WHITEFIELD ACADEMY – The Wildcats only won five games last season but the good news is there are three starters back and some good youngsters.
Tyler Fryling averaged 12 points as a sophomore and returns, while senior Kevin McCullum averaged eight points and five boards.
7th Region Players to Watch
*Dexter Heyman, Male
The 6-foot-4 Heyman is one of the most physically imposing players in the state; he’d be a Division I prospect if he wasn’t going to play football in college.
*Nick Gagel, Jeffersontown
The 5-11 Gagel is one of the best shooters in the state and his all-around game has improved since last season.
*David Stanley, Ballard
The 6-foot Stanley was the sharpshooter on last year’s state runner-up team; he’ll have to do more for the Bruins this season.
*Aaron Cosby, Manual
As a freshman, the 6-2 Cosby was so good that he has already earned a Division I scholarship to UMass.
*Josh Sewell, Trinity
The 6-4 Sewell is one of the top 100 players – nationally - in the sophomore class and will be hard to stop for most teams this season with his all-around game.
*Jacob Jenkins, Manual
The 6-3 Jenkins is a shooter and led Manual in scoring last season at 14 points a game.
*Aaron Williams, Manual
The third Crimson listed on the top-10 list and he could lead the team in scoring.
*Steven Ferguson, Eastern
The quarterback in football helped the Eagles to a winning season there and is such a winner will help the school on the hardwood also.
*Josh Chiles, Ballard
The 5-9 Chiles is the brother of former All-Stater Adam Chiles and has the same type of game. He’ll need to score more this season.
*Darrin Williams, Eastern
The 6-7 Williams is big and strong and will be a hard matchup in the region.