The Scribe
11-25-2008, 03:09 AM
Eighth Region Boys Preview
Special to BGP
Four different teams have won the Eighth Region title during the past five seasons with the one team that has won multiple times being Shelby County.
The Rockets claimed the title in 2006 and also last season, during a year when Mike Clark’s bunch made it all the way into the Sweet 16 semifinals.
Don’t look now, but the Rockets are back with another big-time chance to add some more hardware to the trophy case in Shelbyville.
Shelby County is one of the favorites for the regional title in the preseason but it won’t be easy because Anderson County also has a solid team returning. The Bearcats and Rockets are the two favorites in the preseason.
After the front two, there’s a little gap.
Gallatin County, North Oldham, Owen County, Oldham County, South Oldham, Grant County and Simon Kenton are other teams that could make a run for the regional title in a very competitive race.
Here’s a closer look at the teams in the region:
1. ANDERSON COUNTY (20-6) – Veteran coach Glen Drury will field a solid team with two of the regions top players in Penny and Russell.
The Bearcats will be gunning for their first regional title since 1997.
Penny averaged 21.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game as a junior and Drury thinks he might be the best player overall in the state. He has a number of Division I schools after him and will sign in the spring.
Russell, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, averaged 16 points and eight rebounds as a sophomore, while junior forward Will Ruggles averaged seven points, seven rebounds and five assists as a junior.
The Bearcats have a sour taste in their mouths from last season. They won 20 games but lost to Gallatin County in the first round of the regional tournament.
2. SHELBY COUNTY (25-9) – The Rockets lost a lot to graduation, but coach Mike Clark has a program that just reloads every seasons.
And usually they do it with a lot of talent.
Junior Donovan Johnson is the leader of this year’s team after averaging eight points and five rebounds as a role player last season.
Junior guards Boomer Beckley and Cache Tomlinson and junior forwards Nigel Beach, Eric Standafer and Matt Purdom will be other contributors.
3. NORTH OLDHAM (20-9) – The Mustangs are one of the newer schools in the state – up and running for less than a decade – but the basketball program is making huge strides towards becoming a regional power.
After a 20-win season, coach Danny Edelen has the team primed for a run at the regional title this season with a roster that is deep and extremely talented and athletic.
North Oldham is led by junior guard Alex Foley, who Edelen said can do it all as a leader for the Mustangs. He averaged 13 points and four assists as a sophomore.
Senior Tyler St. Julien, senior Dale Tingle and senior forward Kyle Feuquay are other players that will be major contributors for Edelen.
4. OWEN COUNY (18-10) – The Rebels might be the sleeper team in the region. After narrowly losing to Shelby County in the opening round of the regional tournament last season, coach Devin Duvall’s team returns four starters.
Leading the way for Owen County will be senior guard Collin Gamble, who was an All-Region selection after averaging 19 points a game as a junior.
Senior Drew Mason and juniors Jordan Shelton and Michael Colligan are the other top players returning. Shelton averaged 10 points and nine rebounds last season.
5. GALLATIN COUNTY (24-8) – The Wildcats won the All ‘A’ Classic Regional title and made it into the regular regional finals a year ago.
Coach Jon Jones has three starters back and the Wildcats will again be one of the top teams in the entire region, and a favorite for the small-school title.
Gallatin County has one of the top players in the region in 6-foot-4 senior guard Trent Maddox. He averaged 15 points a game last season and can score from the inside and from the outside and is getting some Division I looks.
Maddox underwent knee surgery in the offseason but is expected back.
Jared Carlton is another four-year starter, while junior point guard Zac Jones is back to run the show for the Wildcats.
6. SIMON KENTON (14-16) – The Pioneers are young and won’t have a lot of experience but coach Trent Steiner expects seniors Langdon Barnes and Darien Lanham to lead the way this season. Both missed last season with injuries.
Junior Casey Sorrell is an excellent outside shooter, while senior Grant Schneider and junior Zach Bishop will have to give the Pioneers some depth.
7. GRANT COUNTY (11-17) – The Braves return four starters from an 11-win team, including Cody Kinmon and Cody Thompson.
Kinmon averaged 10 points a game and Thompson averaged nearly 20 points a game in the postseason a year ago. Jarrett Livingood and Caleb Kinmon are two other players back in the fold for the Braves.
The Braves likely will be the most improved team in the region and should be the best of the 32nd District teams.
8. OLDHAM COUNTY (10-15) – The Colonels suffered only the school’s second losing season in 20 years under coach Gary Forrest last winter.
But expect the Colonels to rebound this season, returning a number of key players including senior guard Eric Dunlap. The 5-foot-10 Dunlap averaged 14 points, four assists and four steals a game last season and is the prototype point guard.
Senior forward Brandon Mason, junior guard Brandon Cook and junior center Matt Masters are the other major players back in the fold for Forrest’s team.
Forrest is also excited about some of his newcomers, including sophomores Dylan Sims, Nolan Denise and Blake Payne. The freshman team went 18-3 last season.
9. SOUTH OLDHAM (18-14) – Ninth-year coach Steve Simpson will field another competitive team with this squad built around a solid perimeter game.
The Dragons might be the best shooting team in the region and will be able to beat a number of teams with their three-point prowess.
Senior guard Drew Kraemer averaged 11 points a game last season, while senior swingman Casey Jackson is the other returning starter for the Dragons.
Austin Bowling, Brice Jewett, Carson Fields, Zack Seitz and Jacob Adams are other players that will log quality time this season.
10. WALTON-VERONA (14-16) – The Bearcats return no starters and no seniors, so the lack of experience will be a major factor early on.
Sophomore Vance Sullivan is a player that could be a leader for the Bearcats, but coach Kyle Bennett will need some other youngsters to step up.
11. TRIMBLE COUNTY (10-15) – The Raiders return five starters and more than 90 percent of their scoring and rebounding from last year’s team.
Fourth-year coach Bob Lauster believes his team will be dramatically improved and a contender to win the All ‘A’ Classic regional title.
Seniors Christian Courtney (12 ppg, 5 rpg), Larry Sullivan (10 ppg, 6 rpg), Aaron Law (11 ppg, 4 rpg), Cody Kidwell (8 ppg) and Cory Turner (5 ppg, 3 rpg) are the top returning players. Sophomore Justin Webb is a transfer from Eminence.
12. HENRY COUNTY (7-19) – Cody Hinkle and Steven Tillett are the two top scorers back from last season as the Wildcats try and get double digit wins.
Tillett hit almost 50 percent from three-point range, while Hinkle averaged 13 points and nine rebounds. The Wildcats must get some key minutes from several other youngsters on the roster to be successful.
13. CARROLL COUNTY (7-19) – Carroll Yager is the new coach for the Panthers, who return 85 percent of their points from last season.
Senior Chris Hendrick, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound, averaged 12.9 points and 11.3 rebounds a game as a junior and will return to man the post.
Junior Will Yager averaged 10 points and will also return, along with senior guard Casey Cable (8.9 ppg) and junior guard Jesse Proctor (5.9 ppg).
14. SPENCER COUNTY (14-16) – The Bears will be young – starting one senior, three sophomores and an eighth-grader – but still should be improved.
Coach Jacob Barmore has a squad that will be led by sophomore forward Logan Dunbar, who averaged 10 points and eight rebounds a game as a freshman.
Sophomore Brian Thacker and Trey Wyatt and senior Johnny Thacker will also be key performers for the Bears.
15. WILLIAMSTOWN (4-20) – The Demons have won only nine games combined the past three seasons, but should be improved this winter.
The top players back for the Demons will be guards Zack Anglin and Patrick Spoonamore. The Demons should show some marked improvement this winter.
16. EMINENCE (2-23) – Chris Nethery, a former Gallatin County assistant coach, takes over at his alma mater with a team that only won two games last season and hasn’t been a major factor in the regional race in a number of years.
But the Warriors do have several key players back.
Senior swingman Ed Berry is the top returning player and should lead the team in scoring, while sophomore Dre Banta and seniors Nate Hazelwood, Nick Lunsford, Brock Roberts and Michael Preston helping fill the voids.
Top Players in the Region
1. C.J. Penny, Anderson County, 6-5, Sr., G
Comment: Penny is one of the top players in the state, will sign a Division I scholarship and will be hard to stop in regional play.
2. Trent Maddox, Gallatin County, 6-4, Sr.
Comment: Perhaps the best inside-outside threat in the region; underwent knee surgery and should be OK for the season.
3. Eric Dunlap, Oldham County, 5-10, Sr., G
Comment: The top point guard in the region, Dunlap runs the show for the Colonels.
4. Donovan Johnson, Shelby County, 6-4, Jr., F
Comment: Could be another in a long line of Shelby County stars!
5. Alex Foley, North Oldham, 5-10, Jr., G
Comment: He’s solid on offense and will try to lead the Mustangs to a regional title.
6. Jacob Russell, Anderson County, 6-4, Jr., F
Comment: He sometimes gets overlooked by his teammate – Penny – but Russell is solid on both ends of the floor.
7. Drew Kraemer, South Oldham 6-0, Sr., G
Comment: A good leader and solid point guard; Kraemer will need to average more than 11 points a game this season.
8. Collin Gamble, Owen County, 5-11, Sr., G
Comment: Might be the best pure shooter in the region; Gamble averaged 19 points and four rebounds last season.
9. Jordan Shelton, Owen County, 5-9, Jr., G
Comment: Has some experience and could be the best pure big man in the region.
10. Chris Hendrick, Carroll County, 6-2, Sr., C
Comment: Hendrick averaged a double-double last season and should do the same for the experienced Panthers this winter.
Special to BGP
Four different teams have won the Eighth Region title during the past five seasons with the one team that has won multiple times being Shelby County.
The Rockets claimed the title in 2006 and also last season, during a year when Mike Clark’s bunch made it all the way into the Sweet 16 semifinals.
Don’t look now, but the Rockets are back with another big-time chance to add some more hardware to the trophy case in Shelbyville.
Shelby County is one of the favorites for the regional title in the preseason but it won’t be easy because Anderson County also has a solid team returning. The Bearcats and Rockets are the two favorites in the preseason.
After the front two, there’s a little gap.
Gallatin County, North Oldham, Owen County, Oldham County, South Oldham, Grant County and Simon Kenton are other teams that could make a run for the regional title in a very competitive race.
Here’s a closer look at the teams in the region:
1. ANDERSON COUNTY (20-6) – Veteran coach Glen Drury will field a solid team with two of the regions top players in Penny and Russell.
The Bearcats will be gunning for their first regional title since 1997.
Penny averaged 21.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game as a junior and Drury thinks he might be the best player overall in the state. He has a number of Division I schools after him and will sign in the spring.
Russell, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, averaged 16 points and eight rebounds as a sophomore, while junior forward Will Ruggles averaged seven points, seven rebounds and five assists as a junior.
The Bearcats have a sour taste in their mouths from last season. They won 20 games but lost to Gallatin County in the first round of the regional tournament.
2. SHELBY COUNTY (25-9) – The Rockets lost a lot to graduation, but coach Mike Clark has a program that just reloads every seasons.
And usually they do it with a lot of talent.
Junior Donovan Johnson is the leader of this year’s team after averaging eight points and five rebounds as a role player last season.
Junior guards Boomer Beckley and Cache Tomlinson and junior forwards Nigel Beach, Eric Standafer and Matt Purdom will be other contributors.
3. NORTH OLDHAM (20-9) – The Mustangs are one of the newer schools in the state – up and running for less than a decade – but the basketball program is making huge strides towards becoming a regional power.
After a 20-win season, coach Danny Edelen has the team primed for a run at the regional title this season with a roster that is deep and extremely talented and athletic.
North Oldham is led by junior guard Alex Foley, who Edelen said can do it all as a leader for the Mustangs. He averaged 13 points and four assists as a sophomore.
Senior Tyler St. Julien, senior Dale Tingle and senior forward Kyle Feuquay are other players that will be major contributors for Edelen.
4. OWEN COUNY (18-10) – The Rebels might be the sleeper team in the region. After narrowly losing to Shelby County in the opening round of the regional tournament last season, coach Devin Duvall’s team returns four starters.
Leading the way for Owen County will be senior guard Collin Gamble, who was an All-Region selection after averaging 19 points a game as a junior.
Senior Drew Mason and juniors Jordan Shelton and Michael Colligan are the other top players returning. Shelton averaged 10 points and nine rebounds last season.
5. GALLATIN COUNTY (24-8) – The Wildcats won the All ‘A’ Classic Regional title and made it into the regular regional finals a year ago.
Coach Jon Jones has three starters back and the Wildcats will again be one of the top teams in the entire region, and a favorite for the small-school title.
Gallatin County has one of the top players in the region in 6-foot-4 senior guard Trent Maddox. He averaged 15 points a game last season and can score from the inside and from the outside and is getting some Division I looks.
Maddox underwent knee surgery in the offseason but is expected back.
Jared Carlton is another four-year starter, while junior point guard Zac Jones is back to run the show for the Wildcats.
6. SIMON KENTON (14-16) – The Pioneers are young and won’t have a lot of experience but coach Trent Steiner expects seniors Langdon Barnes and Darien Lanham to lead the way this season. Both missed last season with injuries.
Junior Casey Sorrell is an excellent outside shooter, while senior Grant Schneider and junior Zach Bishop will have to give the Pioneers some depth.
7. GRANT COUNTY (11-17) – The Braves return four starters from an 11-win team, including Cody Kinmon and Cody Thompson.
Kinmon averaged 10 points a game and Thompson averaged nearly 20 points a game in the postseason a year ago. Jarrett Livingood and Caleb Kinmon are two other players back in the fold for the Braves.
The Braves likely will be the most improved team in the region and should be the best of the 32nd District teams.
8. OLDHAM COUNTY (10-15) – The Colonels suffered only the school’s second losing season in 20 years under coach Gary Forrest last winter.
But expect the Colonels to rebound this season, returning a number of key players including senior guard Eric Dunlap. The 5-foot-10 Dunlap averaged 14 points, four assists and four steals a game last season and is the prototype point guard.
Senior forward Brandon Mason, junior guard Brandon Cook and junior center Matt Masters are the other major players back in the fold for Forrest’s team.
Forrest is also excited about some of his newcomers, including sophomores Dylan Sims, Nolan Denise and Blake Payne. The freshman team went 18-3 last season.
9. SOUTH OLDHAM (18-14) – Ninth-year coach Steve Simpson will field another competitive team with this squad built around a solid perimeter game.
The Dragons might be the best shooting team in the region and will be able to beat a number of teams with their three-point prowess.
Senior guard Drew Kraemer averaged 11 points a game last season, while senior swingman Casey Jackson is the other returning starter for the Dragons.
Austin Bowling, Brice Jewett, Carson Fields, Zack Seitz and Jacob Adams are other players that will log quality time this season.
10. WALTON-VERONA (14-16) – The Bearcats return no starters and no seniors, so the lack of experience will be a major factor early on.
Sophomore Vance Sullivan is a player that could be a leader for the Bearcats, but coach Kyle Bennett will need some other youngsters to step up.
11. TRIMBLE COUNTY (10-15) – The Raiders return five starters and more than 90 percent of their scoring and rebounding from last year’s team.
Fourth-year coach Bob Lauster believes his team will be dramatically improved and a contender to win the All ‘A’ Classic regional title.
Seniors Christian Courtney (12 ppg, 5 rpg), Larry Sullivan (10 ppg, 6 rpg), Aaron Law (11 ppg, 4 rpg), Cody Kidwell (8 ppg) and Cory Turner (5 ppg, 3 rpg) are the top returning players. Sophomore Justin Webb is a transfer from Eminence.
12. HENRY COUNTY (7-19) – Cody Hinkle and Steven Tillett are the two top scorers back from last season as the Wildcats try and get double digit wins.
Tillett hit almost 50 percent from three-point range, while Hinkle averaged 13 points and nine rebounds. The Wildcats must get some key minutes from several other youngsters on the roster to be successful.
13. CARROLL COUNTY (7-19) – Carroll Yager is the new coach for the Panthers, who return 85 percent of their points from last season.
Senior Chris Hendrick, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound, averaged 12.9 points and 11.3 rebounds a game as a junior and will return to man the post.
Junior Will Yager averaged 10 points and will also return, along with senior guard Casey Cable (8.9 ppg) and junior guard Jesse Proctor (5.9 ppg).
14. SPENCER COUNTY (14-16) – The Bears will be young – starting one senior, three sophomores and an eighth-grader – but still should be improved.
Coach Jacob Barmore has a squad that will be led by sophomore forward Logan Dunbar, who averaged 10 points and eight rebounds a game as a freshman.
Sophomore Brian Thacker and Trey Wyatt and senior Johnny Thacker will also be key performers for the Bears.
15. WILLIAMSTOWN (4-20) – The Demons have won only nine games combined the past three seasons, but should be improved this winter.
The top players back for the Demons will be guards Zack Anglin and Patrick Spoonamore. The Demons should show some marked improvement this winter.
16. EMINENCE (2-23) – Chris Nethery, a former Gallatin County assistant coach, takes over at his alma mater with a team that only won two games last season and hasn’t been a major factor in the regional race in a number of years.
But the Warriors do have several key players back.
Senior swingman Ed Berry is the top returning player and should lead the team in scoring, while sophomore Dre Banta and seniors Nate Hazelwood, Nick Lunsford, Brock Roberts and Michael Preston helping fill the voids.
Top Players in the Region
1. C.J. Penny, Anderson County, 6-5, Sr., G
Comment: Penny is one of the top players in the state, will sign a Division I scholarship and will be hard to stop in regional play.
2. Trent Maddox, Gallatin County, 6-4, Sr.
Comment: Perhaps the best inside-outside threat in the region; underwent knee surgery and should be OK for the season.
3. Eric Dunlap, Oldham County, 5-10, Sr., G
Comment: The top point guard in the region, Dunlap runs the show for the Colonels.
4. Donovan Johnson, Shelby County, 6-4, Jr., F
Comment: Could be another in a long line of Shelby County stars!
5. Alex Foley, North Oldham, 5-10, Jr., G
Comment: He’s solid on offense and will try to lead the Mustangs to a regional title.
6. Jacob Russell, Anderson County, 6-4, Jr., F
Comment: He sometimes gets overlooked by his teammate – Penny – but Russell is solid on both ends of the floor.
7. Drew Kraemer, South Oldham 6-0, Sr., G
Comment: A good leader and solid point guard; Kraemer will need to average more than 11 points a game this season.
8. Collin Gamble, Owen County, 5-11, Sr., G
Comment: Might be the best pure shooter in the region; Gamble averaged 19 points and four rebounds last season.
9. Jordan Shelton, Owen County, 5-9, Jr., G
Comment: Has some experience and could be the best pure big man in the region.
10. Chris Hendrick, Carroll County, 6-2, Sr., C
Comment: Hendrick averaged a double-double last season and should do the same for the experienced Panthers this winter.