[CriticalThinker]

Who are some of the best players to look out for next season and why? (Given we have a season)

[Wolfeman]

1. Wilgus Tolson- Relentless competitor that gives 100% on both sides of the ball. He’s the most exciting player to watch in region and anything can happen when the ball is in his hands. He’s proven to be “clutch” when the game is on the line. Tolson played like a star during last seasons post play, as he showcased a fantastic skill level that helped take Wolfe County to the regional championship game. Tolson isn’t just the best point guard in the region, he’s one of the best unknown players in the state.
2. Wade Pelfrey- A proven winner and excellent floor general. Pelfrey is very consistent with the ball and can score in a multitude of ways. He’ll be looked upon to do much more offensively this year and I predict this coming season, his offensive stats will greatly improve.
3. Jazz Johnson- He’s a shooting guard/power forward with point guard skills. The kid can do it all! Throughout his high school career, he’s been one of the top 10 players in the region and for good reason! Johnson can score from anywhere on the floor. He’s very strong with the ball and hard to defend.
4. Christian Collins- He’s long and athletic and knows how to use his length against opponents. I look for Collins to make a big jump this year as last year he showed glimpses of brilliance.
5. Kent Damron- Very good shooter that can score points In bunches. He had a great season last year and he will be much stronger as a senior.
6. Cody Napier- Very athletic Scorer that can penetrate with the ball. He could have a huge season and he’s a fun player to watch.
7. Jaylan Turner- Super athletic kid that has all the potential to be a big star for Breathitt. At a lengthy 6’4”, he has ball skills and is surprisingly fast. This time next year, Turner may end up being the best player in the region.
8. Sawyer Thompson- Smart player with an excellent outside shot. He could make a big impact on the region this coming season.
9. Trenton Day- very exciting young player to watch that has all the makings of being a top player this season. He can shoot the ball from just about anywhere and gives 100% on both sides of the ball.
10. Josh McGuire- He’s season ended way to early last year and I suspect he will be eager to prove that he’s the best big man in the region. I look for him to dominate the inside against most teams in the 14th region.

Best Freshman-Skyler Richie
There’s several other players that could have great seasons this year. Good luck to all of them!

[Booger Branch Bandit]

I’ve got to go with:
1. Pelfrey
2. Johnson
3. Napier
4. McGuire
5. Tolson

[Wolfeman]

Nice top 5. I just believe Tolson is the legit #1 player, his skill level is beyond any other player in the region.

[HCS]

Pelphrey
Napier
Johnson
McGuire
Tolson
Collins
Turner
Thompson
Day
Bowling

[DukeBoy]

Beverly from PCC is top 5 easily

[Booger Branch Bandit]

Beverly from PCC is top 5 easily

He will be, I just don’t think he’s there yet. Great player though.

[HCS]

Beverly from PCC is top 5 easily

Not from looking at last season. I'm sure he will be soon, but without summer ball it's tough to move up.

[Bulldogs4Ever]

Beverly is playing summer ball.

[HCS]

I meant high school team summer basketball - no scrimmages all summer for the first time I can remember.

[MADDBOMBER14]

I think Beverly needs another year or 2..he’s in a great grade to excel and be top player in his grade, but he lacks some fundamentals and lacks IQ of the game in certain situations but all that comes with more experience and that’s what he is working on right now.

[Bulldogs4Ever]

Lol. I think he probably has the highest basketball IQ in the region already. Lacks fundamentals? Really? You serious? Hes gonna get better no doubt but hes already ahead of the game in the 14th.

[CriticalThinker]

Beverly has trained hard, and has a good amount of experience compared to his age, but I also think he still needs to separate himself from the pack a little more. He's been a really good and consistent role player but I expect a big jump from him this year now that some key players have left Perry. We'll be talking about him a lot half way through this season.

[4ever witness]

Since the news is out looks like Leslie just got way better with Kobe Bowling transferring to Leslie. Easily a top 3 team coming into the 2020 season!

[CatsFan2.0]

Since the news is out looks like Leslie just got way better with Kobe Bowling transferring to Leslie. Easily a top 3 team coming into the 2020 season!

When did bowling transfer?

[CriticalThinker]

Wow. I wouldn't of guessed that. I wonder what prompted him to leave Buckhorn. May be the team to beat now. They'll still have to get by an experienced and talented Wolfe team but very do-able.

[HCS]

People lose their mind over one new player. I'm sure that will help Leslie, and they do have a senior-dominated team that could be pretty good, but they have a lot to prove. They lost 17 games last year and lost by 36 points in the district tournament. They won't be top five until they start beating good teams regularly.
It could hurt Buckhorn's chances quite a bit though since they don't have a lot of depth - assuming it's true.

[CriticalThinker]

I'll agree they need to get more consistent about beating good teams on the regular but I'd give them a little more credit. They had a couple notable wins towards the end of the season which shows improvement, and only 4 teams in the whole region loss 11 games or less while the other 11 teams all lost around 17 games respectively. And not trying to make an excuse for a loss, but that 36 point stomping did come from the region champions who only loss 5 games all season. My opinion is that team is going to be really hard to stop. They have a possible regional player of the year in Trent day already. Now all three guards shoot the 3 ball at a high percentage. Jason baker turned on late last season and I hear now he's also a threat on the perimeter. I'd give them a big leg up now. Wolfe is still the team to beat with a very good and experienced team they've played in big games and have some big wins. Estill and knott will be in the mix. We all know its a toss up whether Perry brings someone in or not, and Hazard still have Pelfry and so far Big Al is still coaching from what I assume. Will be an interesting season for sure

[4ever witness]

They got to prove it obviously. All i was stating was that with the add the roster has the "potential" to be a top 3 team in the region. Still long time till basketball season. And yes it's 100% true. He's in infinite campus at Leslie County High School.

[CatsFan2.0]

I just don’t see why some of these guys wait till there senior year to transfer

[HCS]

I can see potentially being in the top three. The original post said "easily" in the top 10. It sounded a little like the OBI talk last year. It's much better to be a little underrated than putting pressure on a team that struggled the year before. I'm guessing Leslie will be ranked somewhere from 7 to 10.

[Oleballcoach]

Nice top 5. I just believe Tolson is the legit #1 player, his skill level is beyond any other player in the region.

I think he could be, I also think that sometimes you don’t see how good him and Johnson are where they play together

[Wolfeman]

I think he could be, I also think that sometimes you don’t see how good him and Johnson are where they play together

Tolson and Johnson are one of the best backcourt tandems in the state.

[BlackAndYellow]

Sadly, the best players in the 14th region these days wouldn’t even be top 5 in most other regions. Would Braxton Beverly and I guess Camron Justice from 6 or so years ago be the last D1 level talent the 14th has seen? And it doesn’t look like there will be more any time soon. MAYBE a few solid NAIA prospects, which is good don’t get me wrong, but no D1. Please correct me if I’m wrong. It may need its own thread.

[Wolfeman]

I’ve got to go with:
1.  Pelfrey
2. Johnson
3. Napier
4. McGuire
5. Tolson

---

Last year Tolson carried Wolfe through the district and regional tournament and that’s why, to begin the season, I rank him higher than Johnson. I’ll predict that by the end of this season Tolson and Johnson will be the top 2 players in the region. Wolfe county will be a top 25 team in the state and play in their first ever sweet 16.

[eky.sports.fan]

My top 10 going into the season would be:

1) Johnson (Wolfe) - Does it all for Wolfe, leads team in scoring and rebounding from guard position and plays D
2) McGuire - (Knott) - Dominant on both ends when healthy , must stay out of foul trouble though to be his best
3) Pelfrey - (Hazard) - Very skilled PG, will be interesting to see how he does without Fletcher, Johnson and Hall
4) Collins - (Buckhorn) - Ready for a breakout year, very big, long and athletic, loss of Bowling may hurt though
5) Tolson (Wolfe) - Best handle in the region, sees floor & can score, decision making &t turnovers are biggest hurdle
6) Napier (Knott) - Very good scorer, great size for guard (6"4), can bust the 3, decent handle gets the job done
7) Duff (PCC) - Can take over game from perimeter, should team up with Beverly for great 1-2 punch for PCC
8) Turner (Breathitt) - Big (6"5) athletic wing, ver hard matchup, if he starts playing D he moves up rankings quick
9) Day (Leslie) - Best player on a good Leslie team, good ball handler and streaky scorer
10) Thompson (Wolfe) - Feeds of Tolson and Johnson, and when he gets going, best 3 point shooter in region

[Wolfeman]

My top 10 going into the season would be:

1) Johnson  (Wolfe) - Does it all for Wolfe, leads team in scoring and rebounding from guard position and plays D
2) McGuire - (Knott) - Dominant  on both ends when healthy , must stay out of foul trouble though to be his best
3) Pelfrey - (Hazard)  - Very skilled PG, will be interesting to see how he does without Fletcher, Johnson and Hall
4) Collins - (Buckhorn) - Ready for a breakout year, very big, long and athletic, loss of Bowling may hurt though
5) Tolson (Wolfe) - Best handle in the region, sees floor & can score, decision making  &t turnovers are biggest hurdle
6) Napier (Knott) - Very good scorer,  great size for guard (6"4), can bust the 3, decent handle gets the job done
7) Duff (PCC) - Can take over game from perimeter, should team up with Beverly for great 1-2 punch for PCC
8) Turner (Breathitt) - Big (6"5) athletic wing, ver hard matchup, if he starts playing D he moves up rankings quick
9) Day (Leslie)  - Best player on a good Leslie team, good ball handler and streaky scorer
10) Thompson (Wolfe) - Feeds of Tolson and Johnson, and when he gets going, best 3 point shooter in region

Johnson is a fantastic player and I’d never want to take anything away from him. If he chooses, he’ll be playing basketball on a college team. I’m crazy over the kid and he deserves tons of praise. That being said, when I go back and watch Wolfe’s last 6-7 games, there’s just no doubt to me who’s the best player on the floor. Tolson matured through the season. He probably led the region in assists and if it hadn’t been for him, Wolfe wouldn’t have made it past Breathitt in the District tourney. He led them in assists and points through post season. His play toward the end of the season was on another level and if he continues to improve from the end of last year he’ll finish as one of the top point guards in the state.

[Hoop]

1. Josh McGuire
2. Jaz Johnson
3. Wade Pelfrey
4. Colby Napier
5. Wilgus Tolson
6. Christian Collins
7. Kent Damron
8. Trent Day
9. Jaylen Turner
10. Rydge Beverly

[CriticalThinker]

1. ) Jaz Johnson
2.) Wade Pelfry
3.) Trenton Day
4.) Christian Collins
5.) Wilgus Tolson
6.) Colby Napier
7.) Jaylen Turner
8.) Josh McGuire
9.) Kobe Bowling
10.) Kent Damron


Some Honorable mention Sleepers picks in no order

R. Beverly (PCC)
J. Baker (Leslie)
Ford (Hazard)
Sawyer Thompson (Wolf)

[Perrycc.rocks]

In my opinion the way Wilgus Tolson played in the regional tournament last year. He is without a doubt the best player in the entire 14th region. I watched him when they first played against PCC he was the best player on the floor. And he was again during the regional tournament. Skill level is off the chart, shame he plays for Wolfe.