[Stardust]

LEXINGTON — Before vacating an assistant coaching position at South Laurel to be Somerset’s head boys basketball coach in 1999, Shawn Thacker was made a promise.

Brad Sizemore and the rest of the Cardinals told Thacker that they would get him to Rupp Arena if he stayed with them.

Thacker left, simply because he couldn’t pass up a head coaching job, and poured fuel onto the fire when his Somerset bunch knocked off favored South Laurel in the district tournament to end all hopes of the Cards reaching the state tournament in 2000.

Sizemore was a junior at South Laurel then. Now he’s the head coach at North Laurel, which ironically meets up with Thacker’s Rowan County team on Wednesday at noon at Rupp Arena in the first round of the Boys Sweet Sixteen.

Thacker noted that “Little Bradley” did get his redemption.

“They got to the state tournament when Brad was a senior,” Thacker said. “He was a really good player.”

As for North Laurel, the first thing out of Thacker’s mouth was, “The Jaguars are well-coached.”

They’ve also got a good point guard — Marcus Carson averages 14.3 points per game — and two solid big men — the 6-foot-7 Jake Allen puts up 14.2 points per contest and brings down 10.9 rebounds, while Austin Rush adds a second post presence.

Four players — Kendrick Henson, Allen, Rush and Carson — cracked double figures in scoring as North Laurel defeated Clay County, 54-52, last week to capture the Jaguars’ first 13th Region championship since joining the region in 2005-06.

Rowan County (25-7) defeated Ashland, 59-56, for the second straight season to again claim the 16th Region title.

Adam Wing, D.J. Townsend and Jason Egan were all juniors during the Vikings’ journey to becoming state runners-up last season. All made the Sweet Sixteen All-Tournament team.

After the double overtime state final loss to Christian County, the same feeling permeated throughout the Rowan County locker room.

“We’ve got to do it again next year ... that’s what we were all thinking,” Wing said. “Being able to (win the region) for the second consecutive year is pretty special.”

That experience can go a long way, Thacker said.

“They know the routine. They know what to expect now,” Thacker said. “They know which door to go in at Rupp Arena. They know the locker rooms, and how bright the lights are.”

The school will have a pep rally to send the Vikings off to State today, and they are set to arrive in Lexington this afternoon.

Their approach will mimic that of last March: “One game at a time,” both Wing and Thacker said.

North Laurel (21-14) offers a well-rounded team that mixes up defenses, according to Thacker.

“They’re like us defensively,” Thacker said. “They’ll run it all.”

The Jaguars’ strategy is a far cry from Rowan County’s most recent opponent, Ashland — the Jags like to slow it down.

“Their tempo is on the other side of the spectrum as to what Ashland wants to do,” Thacker said. “They’d love to beat us 38-30.”

Allen has the ability to play both inside and out. Thacker said one can expect Wing to guard him. Rush primarily roams the paint, and Thacker hopes 6-11 junior Matt Brown or 6-5 junior Josh Barnard can counter him.

“(Barnard) came up monstrous for us in the championship game. A lot of people overlook that,” Thacker said. Barnard was out for most of the season with a foot injury.

The coaching reunion could continue if Thacker and the Vikings advance past North Laurel — if Southwestern takes down Hopkinsville on Wednesday, Thacker and coach Steve Wright will reunite. Wright was the head coach at South Laurel when Thacker was an assistant.

For Thacker’s success at Somerset, where he won eight All “A” regional championships before coming to Rowan County in 2008, he was recognized at the 12th Region championship game between Southwestern and Boyle County last Tuesday as a to-be inductee into the 12th Region Coaches Association Hall of Fame.http://dailyindependent.com/localsports/...connection