[LOOKAYANNER]

Hometown24 streamed their 14th Region Roundball Preview for the 2023/24 girls and boys basketball season last night. It was taped on November 2 at historic Carr Creek’s gymnasium. You can go to their site on Facebook and rewatch it if you missed it. The crew of Manus Blair, Nathan Little, David Adams, Jamie Hughes, Brendon Miller, and James Sandlin did a fantastic job. The moderator, Winston Lee, kept it moving along. There were some laughs and funny comments made, and of course plenty of predictions and analysis. 

One observation made by Hughes though was a little puzzling to me. He said one thing that might hold Owsley’s girls back from winning the region is they rely on the 3 too much and to live by the 3 is to die by the 3. But a quick check of the KHSAA website statistics from last season and averaging how many 3 attempts were shot per game and divided that total by the amount of games played, Owsley ranked 11th of 15 teams in the region in 3 attempts percentage.

1 Wolfe 24.6 average
2 Breathitt 21.7
3 JBS 20.6
4 Perry 20.2
5 Buckhorn 19.0
6 Hazard 18.7
6 Lee 18.7
8 Leslie 18.2
9 Estill 17.0
10 Powell 16.4
11 Owsley 16.1
12 Cordia 14.0
13 Knott 13.5
14 Letcher 13.2
15 Jackson City 11.8

Owsley actually has well balanced scoring from outside and inside. A good portion of their baskets come on drives to the basket or getting the ball to the post players. In the loss to Letcher in the regional tournament they did take above their average 3 attempts (21) but they also made quite a few of them (Carly Smith was 8/11 from 3). What hurt Owsley most in the Letcher loss was not being able to get to the free throw line. They only had 5 free throw attempts for the entire game. Letcher took 19 and made 13. Owsley lost by 4 points. The first foul of the game on Letcher wasn’t whistled until halfway through the 3rd quarter! It’s hard to win a close contest when you can’t get to the line. And it wasn’t as if fouls were not being committed, they were, but most of them were simply judged ‘play on’. 
But getting back to the main point of this post….Owsley doesn’t live and die by the 3 point shot. 16% attempts per game is not living and dying by 3’s.

[Wincity]

Hometown24 streamed their 14th Region Roundball Preview for the 2023/24 girls and boys basketball season last night. It was taped on November 2 at historic Carr Creek’s gymnasium. You can go to their site on Facebook and rewatch it if you missed it. The crew of Manus Blair, Nathan Little, David Adams, Jamie Hughes, Brendon Miller, and James Sandlin did a fantastic job. The moderator, Winston Lee, kept it moving along. There were some laughs and funny comments made, and of course plenty of predictions and analysis. 

One observation made by Hughes though was a little puzzling to me. He said one thing that might hold Owsley’s girls back from winning the region is they rely on the 3 too much and to live by the 3 is to die by the 3. But a quick check of the KHSAA website statistics from last season and averaging how many 3 attempts were shot per game and divided that total by the amount of games played, Owsley ranked 11th of 15 teams in the region in 3 attempts percentage.

1 Wolfe 24.6 average
2 Breathitt 21.7
3 JBS 20.6
4 Perry 20.2
5 Buckhorn 19.0
6 Hazard 18.7
6 Lee 18.7
8 Leslie 18.2
9 Estill 17.0
10 Powell 16.4
11 Owsley 16.1
12 Cordia 14.0
13 Knott 13.5
14 Letcher 13.2
15 Jackson City 11.8

Owsley actually has well balanced scoring from outside and inside. A good portion of their baskets come on drives to the basket or getting the ball to the post players. In the loss to Letcher in the regional tournament they did take above their average 3 attempts (21) but they also made quite a few of them (Carly Smith was 8/11 from 3). What hurt Owsley most in the Letcher loss was not being able to get to the free throw line. They only had 5 free throw attempts for the entire game. Letcher took 19 and made 13. Owsley lost by 4 points. The first foul of the game on Letcher wasn’t whistled until halfway through the 3rd quarter! It’s hard to win a close contest when you can’t get to the line. And it wasn’t as if fouls were not being committed, they were, but most of them were simply judged ‘play on’. 
But getting back to the main point of this post….Owsley doesn’t live and die by the 3 point shot. 16% attempts per game is not living and dying by 3’s.

They have no idea about any of the teams in 56th district nor do they care to know. They will know more about them after this season. Owsley will wipe the floor with the blue bloods up that way.

[LOOKAYANNER]

Hometown24 streamed their 14th Region Roundball Preview for the 2023/24 girls and boys basketball season last night. It was taped on November 2 at historic Carr Creek’s gymnasium. You can go to their site on Facebook and rewatch it if you missed it. The crew of Manus Blair, Nathan Little, David Adams, Jamie Hughes, Brendon Miller, and James Sandlin did a fantastic job. The moderator, Winston Lee, kept it moving along. There were some laughs and funny comments made, and of course plenty of predictions and analysis. 

One observation made by Hughes though was a little puzzling to me. He said one thing that might hold Owsley’s girls back from winning the region is they rely on the 3 too much and to live by the 3 is to die by the 3. But a quick check of the KHSAA website statistics from last season and averaging how many 3 attempts were shot per game and divided that total by the amount of games played, Owsley ranked 11th of 15 teams in the region in 3 attempts percentage.

1 Wolfe 24.6 average
2 Breathitt 21.7
3 JBS 20.6
4 Perry 20.2
5 Buckhorn 19.0
6 Hazard 18.7
6 Lee 18.7
8 Leslie 18.2
9 Estill 17.0
10 Powell 16.4
11 Owsley 16.1
12 Cordia 14.0
13 Knott 13.5
14 Letcher 13.2
15 Jackson City 11.8

Owsley actually has well balanced scoring from outside and inside. A good portion of their baskets come on drives to the basket or getting the ball to the post players. In the loss to Letcher in the regional tournament they did take above their average 3 attempts (21) but they also made quite a few of them (Carly Smith was 8/11 from 3). What hurt Owsley most in the Letcher loss was not being able to get to the free throw line. They only had 5 free throw attempts for the entire game. Letcher took 19 and made 13. Owsley lost by 4 points. The first foul of the game on Letcher wasn’t whistled until halfway through the 3rd quarter! It’s hard to win a close contest when you can’t get to the line. And it wasn’t as if fouls were not being committed, they were, but most of them were simply judged ‘play on’. 
But getting back to the main point of this post….Owsley doesn’t live and die by the 3 point shot. 16% attempts per game is not living and dying by 3’s.

They have no idea about any of the teams in 56th district nor do they care to know. They will know more about them after this season. Owsley will wipe the floor with the blue bloods up that way.

Actually, the panel of 6 was very knowledgeable of the regional teams, but they were more aware of the lower region’s teams and players because all of them except Brendon Miller are from that part of the region. They invited the media/streaming crews from Powell but they were unable to be there. Brendon did a very good job of analyzing the 55th and 56th. 5 of the 6 picked Owsley to prevail and make it to Rupp. Most said they have to get over that hurdle of never winning it and take care of the little things that have cost them in the past. And the region will be held in the 56th at Estill County this year. All but one of the panel saw that as an advantage for 56th District teams. Brendon explained that Estill will not be a push over on their home court and, like Owsley, they have their entire team returning. They agreed with some of the preseason polls that have Smith, Terry, Caudill and Brown from the 56th in the top 10. Terry was left off the Catspause and they were critical of that, saying she is most definitely one of the better players in the region.

[DukeBoy]

You girls need to worry more about playing and stop worrying about who this or that person is saying the best players are. Most of the people that pick these teams are nerds that never played ball in their lives and have no clue. They pick a lot of kids based on buddy systems and their pals that coach here and there. Just worry about winning and getting better. People don’t remember losers no matter where the nerds ranked them.

[LOOKAYANNER]

You girls need to worry more about playing and stop worrying about who this or that person is saying the best players are.  Most of the people that pick these teams are nerds that never played ball in their lives and have no clue.  They pick a lot of kids based on buddy systems and their pals that coach here and there.  Just worry about winning and getting better.  People don’t remember losers no matter where the nerds ranked them.

I think the Catspause Magazine and Riseup Sports Media base their ranking on the regional coaches ballots. 
But I agree that most rankings that are done by individuals are always subjective. Rankings are meaningless except for talking points and discussion as the season progresses. But they won’t put a championship trophy in the house.

[The Dogfather]

So you say that history doesn't matter....  Every year for the past 5 years or so, we see posts about how Owsley are the region's best team.  Let's take a look at the past 5 years.

18/19 District Champs; 0-1 Region lost to Letcher
19/20 District Champs; 1-1 Region lost to Knott
20/21 District Champs; 1-1 Region lost to Knott
21/22 District Champs; 2-1 Region lost to Letcher
22/23 District Champs; 0-1 Region lost to Letcher

Owsley can be HYPED up all they want, but in reality, they haven't proved anything.  I do have a lot of respect for the players as they are a solid team.  However, respect needs to be earned by cutting nets down.  Not preseason chirping.  Good luck to this team and to all 14th region teams this year.  Let's see how it plays out.

[DaBulls]

I have to agree with Dogfather and Dukeboy.     I have always found the local "experts" to be extremely biased to what ever school and area they cover.   Some of them do not even try to hide it.    The publications that are not from here have absolutely no clue.  I actually like Owsley and think they have a great team but all the excuses are pretty funny.   We didn't get any fouls?  Do you actually believe that officials from a different region gave Letcher all the calls?  Go back and watch the game...   there are tons of fouls on both teams that were not called.   Owsley shot a ton of threes...  Letcher drove the ball to the basket and played in the post...   Pretty obvious who is going to get more fouls. 

This season has a ton of parity and its honestly going to be who is playing the best and hitting shots to see who goes to Rupp this year.    Knott, Letcher, Owsely and Perry all have a very good chance of winning it.   As i have said before until someone can beat Knott and Letcher I think those two have a slight edge because they have a culture of winning that tournament.  As far as ranking players(which is ridiculous at the high school level) If the best players from Knott and Letcher are not at the top of that list you just might be ranking based on what you want instead of what is real.    

This is all JMO and i do think its going to be a very competitive and fun season to watch unfold.    Lets get it started and see where it ends..

[Streetoutlaw]

I have to agree with Dogfather and Dukeboy.     I have always found the local "experts" to be extremely biased to what ever school and area they cover.   Some of them do not even try to hide it.    The publications that are not from here have absolutely no clue.  I actually like Owsley and think they have a great team but all the excuses are pretty funny.   We didn't get any fouls?  Do you actually believe that officials from a different region gave Letcher all the calls?  Go back and watch the game...   there are tons of fouls on both teams that were not called.   Owsley shot a ton of threes...  Letcher drove the ball to the basket and played in the post...   Pretty obvious who is going to get more fouls. 

This season has a ton of parity and its honestly going to be who is playing the best and hitting shots to see who goes to Rupp this year.    Knott, Letcher, Owsely and Perry all have a very good chance of winning it.   As i have said before until someone can beat Knott and Letcher I think those two have a slight edge because they have a culture of winning that tournament.  As far as ranking players(which is ridiculous at the high school level) If the best players from Knott and Letcher are not at the top of that list you just might be ranking based on what you want instead of what is real.    

This is all JMO and i do think its going to be a very competitive and fun season to watch unfold.    Lets get it started and see where it ends..

Some Numbers
LCC took 33 2 point shots. Owsley took 29 2 point shots. 

Not as obvious as you say, may want to watch that film a little closer.  If you watch film Owsley attacked basket over and over.  Letcher went a half with 1 foul, I think.  No team plays that clean.  Owsley drivers were fouled over and over at rim.  

LCC shot 19 ft and Owsley 5.

---

So you say that history doesn't matter....  Every year for the past 5 years or so, we see posts about how Owsley are the region's best team.  Let's take a look at the past 5 years.

18/19 District Champs; 0-1 Region lost to Letcher
19/20 District Champs; 1-1 Region lost to Knott
20/21 District Champs; 1-1 Region lost to Knott
21/22 District Champs; 2-1 Region lost to Letcher
22/23 District Champs; 0-1 Region lost to Letcher

Owsley can be HYPED up all they want, but in reality, they haven't proved anything.  I do have a lot of respect for the players as they are a solid team.  However, respect needs to be earned by cutting nets down.  Not preseason chirping.  Good luck to this team and to all 14th region teams this year.  Let's see how it plays out.

18-19 district runner up.  Young team

19-20, 20-21 District Champs. Lost in semis. 

21-22 Beat Knott, Leslie in first and second round.  Lost in finals on last second shot to LCC. 

22-23 Lost a close Game to LCC

At a school with 200 students total over the past five years I think Owsley should be proud of their accomplishments.  And will be in conversation next 4 years.  Not a bad place to be sitting.  Could break through and cut nets anytime. 

I will say that LCC and Knott have a huge advantage in District they play in.  Play opposite each other every region.

[DaBulls]

I have to agree with Dogfather and Dukeboy.     I have always found the local "experts" to be extremely biased to what ever school and area they cover.   Some of them do not even try to hide it.    The publications that are not from here have absolutely no clue.  I actually like Owsley and think they have a great team but all the excuses are pretty funny.   We didn't get any fouls?  Do you actually believe that officials from a different region gave Letcher all the calls?  Go back and watch the game...   there are tons of fouls on both teams that were not called.   Owsley shot a ton of threes...  Letcher drove the ball to the basket and played in the post...   Pretty obvious who is going to get more fouls. 

This season has a ton of parity and its honestly going to be who is playing the best and hitting shots to see who goes to Rupp this year.    Knott, Letcher, Owsely and Perry all have a very good chance of winning it.   As i have said before until someone can beat Knott and Letcher I think those two have a slight edge because they have a culture of winning that tournament.  As far as ranking players(which is ridiculous at the high school level) If the best players from Knott and Letcher are not at the top of that list you just might be ranking based on what you want instead of what is real.    

This is all JMO and i do think its going to be a very competitive and fun season to watch unfold.    Lets get it started and see where it ends..

Some Numbers
LCC took 33 2 point shots. Owsley took 29 2 point shots. 

Not as obvious as you say, may want to watch that film a little closer.  If you watch film Owsley attacked basket over and over.  Letcher went a half with 1 foul, I think.  No team plays that clean.  Owsley drivers were fouled over and over at rim.  

LCC shot 19 ft and Owsley 5.

---

So you say that history doesn't matter....  Every year for the past 5 years or so, we see posts about how Owsley are the region's best team.  Let's take a look at the past 5 years.

18/19 District Champs; 0-1 Region lost to Letcher
19/20 District Champs; 1-1 Region lost to Knott
20/21 District Champs; 1-1 Region lost to Knott
21/22 District Champs; 2-1 Region lost to Letcher
22/23 District Champs; 0-1 Region lost to Letcher

Owsley can be HYPED up all they want, but in reality, they haven't proved anything.  I do have a lot of respect for the players as they are a solid team.  However, respect needs to be earned by cutting nets down.  Not preseason chirping.  Good luck to this team and to all 14th region teams this year.  Let's see how it plays out.

18-19 district runner up.  Young team

19-20, 20-21 District Champs. Lost in semis. 

21-22 Beat Knott, Leslie in first and second round.  Lost in finals on last second shot to LCC. 

22-23 Lost a close Game to LCC

At a school with 200 students total over the past five years I think Owsley should be proud of their accomplishments.  And will be in conversation next 4 years.  Not a bad place to be sitting.  Could break through and cut nets anytime. 

I will say that LCC and Knott have a huge advantage in District they play in.  Play opposite each other every region.

I am sure you have it correct.   It was the officials that cost Owsley the game.  haha.    Same ole story.

[LOOKAYANNER]

I have to agree with Dogfather and Dukeboy.     I have always found the local "experts" to be extremely biased to what ever school and area they cover.   Some of them do not even try to hide it.    The publications that are not from here have absolutely no clue.  I actually like Owsley and think they have a great team but all the excuses are pretty funny.   We didn't get any fouls?  Do you actually believe that officials from a different region gave Letcher all the calls?  Go back and watch the game...   there are tons of fouls on both teams that were not called.   Owsley shot a ton of threes...  Letcher drove the ball to the basket and played in the post...   Pretty obvious who is going to get more fouls. 

This season has a ton of parity and its honestly going to be who is playing the best and hitting shots to see who goes to Rupp this year.    Knott, Letcher, Owsely and Perry all have a very good chance of winning it.   As i have said before until someone can beat Knott and Letcher I think those two have a slight edge because they have a culture of winning that tournament.  As far as ranking players(which is ridiculous at the high school level) If the best players from Knott and Letcher are not at the top of that list you just might be ranking based on what you want instead of what is real.    

This is all JMO and i do think its going to be a very competitive and fun season to watch unfold.    Lets get it started and see where it ends..

Some Numbers
LCC took 33 2 point shots. Owsley took 29 2 point shots. 

Not as obvious as you say, may want to watch that film a little closer.  If you watch film Owsley attacked basket over and over.  Letcher went a half with 1 foul, I think.  No team plays that clean.  Owsley drivers were fouled over and over at rim.  

LCC shot 19 ft and Owsley 5.

---

So you say that history doesn't matter....  Every year for the past 5 years or so, we see posts about how Owsley are the region's best team.  Let's take a look at the past 5 years.

18/19 District Champs; 0-1 Region lost to Letcher
19/20 District Champs; 1-1 Region lost to Knott
20/21 District Champs; 1-1 Region lost to Knott
21/22 District Champs; 2-1 Region lost to Letcher
22/23 District Champs; 0-1 Region lost to Letcher

Owsley can be HYPED up all they want, but in reality, they haven't proved anything.  I do have a lot of respect for the players as they are a solid team.  However, respect needs to be earned by cutting nets down.  Not preseason chirping.  Good luck to this team and to all 14th region teams this year.  Let's see how it plays out.

18-19 district runner up.  Young team

19-20, 20-21 District Champs. Lost in semis. 

21-22 Beat Knott, Leslie in first and second round.  Lost in finals on last second shot to LCC. 

22-23 Lost a close Game to LCC

At a school with 200 students total over the past five years I think Owsley should be proud of their accomplishments.  And will be in conversation next 4 years.  Not a bad place to be sitting.  Could break through and cut nets anytime. 

I will say that LCC and Knott have a huge advantage in District they play in.  Play opposite each other every region.

I am sure you have it correct.   It was the officials that cost Owsley the game.  haha.    Same ole story.

I don’t recall anyone saying Owsley ”was the best team” in any of the past 5 years. Some have mentioned it this season. Owsley has never been rated 1 in the region in the past to my knowledge but they have been top 4 or 5 in the last few years. They’ve been competitive and part of the mix.

Letcher Central beat Owsley last year in the region and that is final. Congratulations to them. Owsley had defeated them earlier in the season but I knew this game was going to be a difficult one to advance to the next round.  And it turned out it was.
 In my original post I came across in a way that is unusual for me and I apologize for that. I made excuses and that’s not me. I’m sure there were plenty of things Owsley could have done to have won the game, namely defend Couch in the paint better and double her more. She went off for 27 and part of that was achieved on a bad ankle. I like her game a lot. She is also the player that made the last second basket to beat Owsley in OT in the 2022 championship game. Ms Couch is to be commended. She put her team on her shoulders and pulled them through and almost back to Rupp again. 
One has to be careful when judging games and not allow their bias and fandom to affect their analysis. There’s an old saying “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” and that saying can also be used for basketball games ….what one sees as a bad call is seen by others as a great call. Lol. That’s just human nature. 

There is no question that Harlan has played a great schedule and they have beat some very good teams. I agree with the statement they are a Top 25 team.

I know Ashland is only 4-4 on the young season but their schedule is brutal as well. The four teams that have beat Ashland is a combined 31-5 (86.1%) and all the teams are outside the Region. (Harlan 8-0, Bracken Co. 8-1, GRC 6-2 & Great Crossing 9-2) If Ashland doesn't get discouraged with the wins and losses during the regular season, come District & Region time they will be very well prepared.

District and Region?  This year?  My humble opinion is that their season will end before post season play.  Can’t see KHSAA allowing them in.

If that was going to happen it would have already been done. The KHSAA concluded their end of it with the one month recommendation for the coaches’ suspension. Ashland’s superintendent, however, decided to remove the coach and everything has gone forward since. Ashland will be in post season. 100%. But you’re entitled to your humble opinion. I’m sure you mean well.

If the KHSAA "concluded their end", why does the KHSAA respond with it's still an ongoing investigation when questioned?  There has never been a recommendation.   I mean well for the rest of the region that is still unfairly playing against recruited players.