Bluegrassrivals

Yes I know I am a coach at Mullins, and what I'm about to say may not be taken the best by some. However, I gradulated from Betsy Layne Grade School and High School, so as much as I love Mullins and enjoy all of the chances they have given myself and Coach Kidd the past couple of years, a part of me will always bleed blue.

I just spoke with Coach Kidd, who went down to support all of the mountain teams. I wanted to go with him this weekend, but a family emergency instead brought me to Louisville. We talked for about a hour about everything, and I wish I could have went and seen what happened for myself. From what I was told, Dylan Hamilton planned like a man among boys with refs that will let you beat and bang. He was out sized the whole tournament, even being isolated according to Coach Kidd by boys well over 6 foot tall but he never backed down and got the best of them.

However, they did fall short in the final four to Crosby (who lost in the championship game by 2 points), a Louisville grade school. Betsy Layne should not hang there heads for falling short, because how many schools can say they ever make it to the final four? It was only a four point loss too, which means on any given night either of those two teams could've beaten each other. It just wasn't meant to be though, but Betsy Layne made a run to be proud of.

To all of those who jumped on Betsy Layne for holding kids back, this is why they did it! Every major school in the state does this samething and look at the rewards! This team was one of the best in the state all year long, so please drop all hatred you might have for this team and give them the credit they deserve! This is a very special group of boys that played there hearts out against schools that have hundreds of boys to make a 12 to 15 man roster, compared to what 15th region teams have to work with. Everyone in our area should support this bunch right now, and any other group of boys in the future that make this kind of run, no matter which school they represent.

To Mike Howard, I know you and your boys have caught a lot of flack this year from other schools and even parents at your own school. I hope this makes everything you had to go through worth it! I know a lot of people have said this team wins on talent alone but I do not believe that at all! With talent comes egos and selfishness! It takes a great coach to pull all of that talent into a system that works together to win and my hat goes off to what you have been able to do! I really believe you do not get as much credit as you deserve when it comes to this team.

To Dylan Hamilton, Chase Hall and Blake Spencer! You boys have had a great career at Betsy Layne Elem, and its something you should carry with you the rest of your lives! But do not settle for success at this level! Push yourselves so you succeed in high school as well and hopefully on into college. Take it from someone who wishes they could relive there grade school and high school days, what you do now and for the next few years will be over before you know it but the glory of what you do lasts forever!

To the kids that are returning, you know what it feels like now to get so close and to have it slip away! Let it drive you to win State next year. Don't settle for we got there once we can do it again, because everyone is going to be working harder to do what you did this year. Work hard enough to not just get back to the final four next year but to win the whole thing! You know now its not impossible, its there for you to take if you want it! So go out and win it!

To Betsy Layne, congratulations for all that you have accomblished not jsut this year but over the past few years. Its really had to build a grade school program without coaches that are willing to put these kids nearly first in there lives, especially in Mike's case when none of them are your own! Its hard to find kids who are so driven to win, that they work hard enough to become this talented. But lastly, it takes the support of the family and friends of these kids to bring it all together. These coaches and players could show up and play for a empty house and they would not care, but having a gym full of parents and friends cheering in support can really drive you to be better then you are. Congrats once again on your run to the State Final Four, and good luck to all of these kids in the years to come!

Thanks coach, real nice words for team and also for Dylan,Chase and my boy Blake. coach Kidd was there at every game and our boys thank him also. also thanks to Coach Howell and his team for there good words. Thanks to everyone who has ever had a kind word to these boys and sorry to the ones who are haters, but I also would like to say iI love these boys and Thanks to coach Howard...Please if you have any bad comments about this team or these boys dont do it here....Thanks again

Betsy Layne had a great Tourney! A break here and there and they would have been playing for the title! Great run and great season!

Congrats to BL on a great run at the state title and an outstanding year. I like to see our mountian teams do well where ever they play. The players and coaches have worked hard to make this program not only the best in the mountains but one of the very best in the state. Like an earlier poster said, enjoy this guys it will stick with you the rest of your lives.

I was very impressed with the bobcats will to win this weekend. I went to every game to cheer for these boys (where I grew up) and they didnt disapoint. This is a very special group not onlu players but coach's. Coach Howard is one of the greatest people I know, he will always have my respect. I joked with a parent about how special this group is, its not everday you find a group that will give it everything they have regardless of the score or how they are playing and do it as a team. With all the talent they have they really put it together and showed everyone that teams from the mountains can compete at that level. Congratulations Guys
Coack Kidd

These kids could really be something in High School. I hope they continue to work hard, and continue there success.

You are correct with Coach Howard not getting enough credit. I have a child that plays basketball in Floyd County and Coach Howard could coach him any day. He does has a lot of talent, but manages egos extremely well. His kids are never disrespectful, and are very intelligent. Kudos to Coach Howard.

Our boys were beat and banged up but never gave up. They knew they had something to prove. You have made us all proud and you have showed that you can make a difference one game at a time! You had it in your hands so now boys don't stop working. Never let good be good enough!

Great job Bobcats!

Congratulations to all of the players that played in the tournament, as the Coach Howard said: be positive and let your work ethics do the talking and your play on the court and in life itself. You are representing your parents, your family, your community and your team and I for one am proud of you.

Great work young men!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do agree that betsy layne is a very good and talented basketball team and did do very well down at the kba state tournament,they are not the best team in the mountains,the two best teams around this area are hazard &johnson central.i don't mean no disrespect to anyone at betsy layne,these two teams are just superior to everyone else in this area.betsy lane is probably #3 in this poll but has nothing to hold there head down about,very good ball team,and very talented.good luck next year to all mountain teams.

Congrats to the Bobcats.

SPORTS FANN Wrote:I do agree that betsy layne is a very good and talented basketball team and did do very well down at the kba state tournament,they are not the best team in the mountains,the two best teams around this area are hazard &johnson central.i don't mean no disrespect to anyone at betsy layne,these two teams are just superior to everyone else in this area.betsy lane is probably #3 in this poll but has nothing to hold there head down about,very good ball team,and very talented.good luck next year to all mountain teams.

You have your opinion and I have mine. Yes Johnson Central and Hazard both beat Betsy Layne this year but Betsy Layne beat both of them this year as well. Also, the team which dominated Johnson Central at KBA, Betsy Layne handled pretty easily this year when they played. I'm not sure off the top of my head who beat Hazard out but the fact is Betsy Layne made the final four, and should have won the game against Crosby. Then LTMS only beat Crosby by two, so there is no doubt in my mind Betsy Layne is not just the best team in the mountains but also one of if not the best in the state as well. Not saying Johnson Central or Hazard wasn't in the same league as Betsy Layne, but Betsy Layne showed how good they could be.

Johnson Co. was not dominated as you would say. They were down 2 with 4 minutes to go and had shots to tie. Don't let the final score mislead you. JC did beat Betsy Layne 4 out of 5 times, including 3 out of 3 at their place. Don't drag us down to build someone else up.

SPORTS FANN Wrote:I do agree that betsy layne is a very good and talented basketball team and did do very well down at the kba state tournament,they are not the best team in the mountains,the two best teams around this area are hazard &johnson central.i don't mean no disrespect to anyone at betsy layne,these two teams are just superior to everyone else in this area.betsy lane is probably #3 in this poll but has nothing to hold there head down about,very good ball team,and very talented.good luck next year to all mountain teams.

I totally respect your opinion, 100%, but to say that betsy layne is the #3 team in the mountain is ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, i'm not putting down hazard or johnson central. I think both of those teams are filled with great talent and they are totally deserving teams. BUT betsy layne makes it to the final four in the STATE tournament and you say their still not the top team in the mountains. What more does BL need to do to get the respect they deserve? They were the only mountain team to make it to the elite eight and play in sundays games. They defeaded last years state champs (who only lost 1 player from last years team) and made it to the final four. And although Crosby led most of the game against BL, BL cut it down to 2 pts with about 30 seconds left. Had they made some crucial free throws and tied the game, there's no doubt in my mind they would've went on to win that game. Those boys at Betsy Layne are great kids and they gave everything they had in that tournament, and it showed. They proved just how good they are and can be, and that they could be a true competetor to the teams in lexington and louisville. Everybody has one, but In my opinion, Betsy Layne is the #1 team in the mountains....
#2 Hazard
#3 Johnson Central

All three teams, BL, JC and Hazard could beat each other and are all talented and very classy. I don't think one is better than the other. It just depends on which day it is. I have enjoyed playing against and watching these teams. I have nothing but respect for the players and coaches of Betsy Layne and Hazard. We all think our team is the best and that is the way it should be.

I'm not trying to drag any team down, or make any team appear to be something they was not. I just took offense for someone saying Betsy Layne was not on the same level as Johnson Central and Hazard. And yes I do know Johnson Central won 4 our of 5, but Dylan Hamilton got hurt early in one of those games and didn't play in another. Could have been a much different story if he had played both of those games. And yes Betsy Layne did only beat them once, but they won the one that had the most importance which was in the 15th region tournament at the Expo. And when I said Johnson Central was dominated, I never meant they was dominated by Betsy Layne. I was talking about the final score between JC and Southern at the KBA which was one sided. I'm not saying any of these teams are better then the other when it comes to talent...but at the end of the day, Betsy Layne was the last one standing which is why I call them the best team in the mountains.

I also have wondered what Betsy Layne has to prove. It is OVER Betsy Layne BOBCATS has nothing at all to prove they proved it.

You know when Johnson C. won all these other years WE CHEERED don't forget that!

I only took offense that we were dominated by Southern. As I said we where down 2 in the 4th quarter. Once we got down 6 we had to foul and forced quick 3 pointers. As far as Betsy Layne goes, I have many witness that saw me cheering for Betsy Layne. The Scott Co. game has one of my friends in Portwood and I cheered for Betsy Layne. I even offered advice on at least 2 of their opponents, ask if what I said wasn't accurate. My kids have played with Hamilton, Hall and Spencer with Mountain Thunder. I have never said that JC was better than any one else, please show where I did. Congrats to Betsy Layne, and I would say that many of the parents of Betsy Layne will tell you that I really mean that.

[COLOR="Blue"]All 3 of these teams should be considered some of the best in the state.

Thank you very much Cart Man for all of your help and for cheering our kids on, we also were routing for you guys. would have been nice to meet in finals.

Coach Howard[/COLOR]

The better any of our teams do, the better we all appear. I do believe that either of our teams could have won the whole thing. I think that over the course of this year that both have proven they can play with anyone. Just like in the NCAA, at least 10 teams could win it. There is nothing better than watching that bracket get smaller and smaller. I bet after the win Sunday morning you start thinking we can win it all. That is a great feeling. Good luck to you and your kids in the future. Both teams will be back next year, and try it again. Coach, you at least maybe shut up any of your doubters. You don't go that far without great players, good coaches and good parents.