[Panther Thunder]

A lot of truth in what you posted.

I will point out the fact that according to the KHSAA rosters for the last four years that Pikeville has listed their rosters as 6 seniors, 10 Juniors, 14 Sophomores, 16 Freshmen, and 6 eighth graders. Of the six seniors at least 3 if I am correct have transferred to Pikeville. The senior class next year will be an exception as they started out with 7 F, 5 So, and 5 Jr playing according to the website. Now what alarms is that their are as many 8th graders on those rosters as Srs.

Most of the players that have quit have kept playing their other sports and have been quite successful, so to assume kids are not committed to hard work is incorrect. I truly dont think that is how you meant it, but could be construed that way.

What about Hobo McCoy, Devin Adams, and Zack Ramey, obviously there you have a 15th player of the year. An All A State Champion starter. A sixth man specialist who has 2 All A State Championships and a State Championship. All three played multiple years at Pikeville in either High School or Middle School. Why did they leave? All appear to have what it took to play at a high level.

Correct, not how I meant it to be taken. They obviously showed the commitment to the other sports so it is there, just not for basketball. The same as some have the commitment to basketball that do not play baseball or football. It happens at every school. I would encourage every athlete to play every sport they can. I think it serves them well in the end and it is the best chance for success for PHS, but unfortunately, it isn't for everyone and seems to be getting worse across the country. The pressure to specialize is very great for a variety of reasons.

I may be drawing a blank, but I can't remember any 8th graders playing much varsity. I would assume it was this current group of Juniors that dressed some after the Junior High season ended. I can't answer for each individual, but I would say the rates of attrition are not so different at a lot of schools. It isn't too farfetched to think an 8th grade team of 8-9-10 players moves on to freshman year and one or two don't come out. Then you play your freshman team games with a team of 6-7-8 freshman and likely a couple 8th graders. Move on to sophomore year. You have a JV team comprised of 5-6 sophomores, some freshman, maybe an 8th grader. Some at this point have probably received some varsity minutes, some see the writing on the wall. Junior year arrives and you have a core group of 3-4-5 juniors who will receive a healthy share of minutes. Mixed in with seniors, sophomores, maybe a freshman or two-three. That's a team of at least 10-12. How many will play significant minutes? Probably 7-9 any given year.

I think the main issue and why it can be perceived as people being "run off" is that the athletes that are your "house-hold" names so to speak out of junior high have an expectation of playing early, serious varsity minutes. And when they are asked to play JV, out of no disrespect mind you, it is kind of a wake up call. JV and Freshman basketball isn't glamorous, or at least as glamorous as playing varsity. IMO, some just don't see the trade off as worth it when they are getting a ton of PT in baseball or football at the same age. In basketball, you are going to start out of the gate in any given grade with a relatively low number of players compared to a sport like baseball or football. So any attrition is much more noticeable.

As for the individuals you brought up, I am not sure I can give you the answer you want. I don't know enough about each situation other than some things just off the top of the head. I think Hobo (who never played for Coach Williams) benefited from the transfer more than he would have at PHS. I think he went to a perfect fit for himself. I would have loved to have seen him at PHS, he could have been a great help, but he made a move that made sense based on family ties and available PT. He would have started his career at PHS in a program with some guards that were pretty good as well in Matt Clevenger and Ethan Rowe, both played college ball at Transy and both were already in the program. Gatlin Clark and Devin Burchett were a year ahead and in the program. Will Branham was another that really developed in to a very good player by his junior and senior years. So you had several very good guards within a 4 year window. I think he saw an opportunity to go to a school close to home and be the man from almost day 1, not that he could not have been that guy eventually at PHS, but the opportunity was there now at PC. You can't really fault him. And I'm not 100% but I don't believe he ever defeated PHS at his time at PC. Just an aside lol.

Ramey (another intial transfer while in Jr. High), I really have no idea. He really went from PHS as a small role guy and blossomed at SV as a role player as well, but he was on a very, very good team and that helps. One could argue, much like Adams, he saw an opportunity to play with a team with an opportunity to win a state title and leave a school where he had no roots, so it didn't make the switch that difficult.

Adams? I'm not sure either. He was a starter for a couple years at PHS. Played a ton of minutes. Was, I believe, a transfer to PHS initially, btw so had no roots so to speak and you could say would be susceptible to being swayed to leave if the right opportunity arose. And that opportunity was a chance to go to SV and join an ultra successful team and have a chance to play for a State Title. Something he wasn't going to get at PHS. Hurts to say, but is truthful. I also believe it was thought that he had a better chance to be seen in the recruiting arena at SV, with which I don't necessarily agree, but who am I to tell someone what is best for him or her. SV did play in some high profile tourneys and then the All "A" and Sweet 16 so there was some more exposure, so the argument would have some merit.

Maybe those explanations are off target, but I don't really believe there is anyone to fault. Transfers happen. Both in and out. Everyone is in a different situation and has different motivations for doing what they do. I think to lay the blame at the feet of one man is a little over-the-top.

I hope I replied in a way that conveyed my side as well as possible. I want to see PHS be the best in anything it does, and I would love to see those who support it stay united and not let these situations get in the way of that. It is not humanly possible to appease everyone and when one tries to do so, they usually appease no one. Some are going to agree, some will disagree, it is how it goes.