[philbilly2009]

My take on the McKenzie/Justice conversation is this:
Justice is an exceptional young talented coach, who really knows and understands the game of basketball. The kids of today seem to relate so much better to coaches that’s aren’t 30 years older than they are. So therefore the POSSIBILITY of him being the best coach ever from this region, is definitely obtainable, with a long durable career. And I know this topic is about ranking them right now not all time, but it kinda got into the flow of being compared to the best of all time. So I’ll comment on both issues. The best currently I am going McKenzie 1 and Justice 2. And putting Justice 2 I still have some questions about that. Could’ve slid him down to 3 but I think based on accomplishments alone 2 is fair and respectable.
However: when we talk about ALL TIME, I think we should be mindful and thoughtful and not become “prisoners of the moment” before putting someone with 4-5 yrs of varsity coaching experience in the same category with guys that paid their dues. And I mean absolutely no disrespect to Justice, he has all the tools needed to eventually be one of those guys. He really does have that kind of basketball acumen. BUT, just to shed a little light on things. When we talk about “All Time”, “Best Ever”, and those kinds of demonstrative titles we have to really go back and not just say those things based on what we see currently or what we’ve been told about from the avid fan, or “barstool guys”.
So here is a list of guys that have coached in this region that we must respect. Most people probably don’t know or even heard of a couple of these guys but some of us that have been associated with this region as long as we have remember them well:
RUSS WILLIAMSON Inez 508 Career Wins 20yrs 46th All Time in Ky
DENZIL “Hoss” HALBERT Martin 528 Career Wins 25yrs 39th All Time
JOHNNY MARTIN Allen Central/Sheldon Clark 538 Wins 31yrs 35th All Time
BILL MIKE RUNYON Paintsville 581 Career Wins 29yrs 25th All Time
RALPH ROBERTS P’BURG (was at several other schools also, McCreary Central, Fleming Neon. Not sure how many wins was at Pburg but yet he was there) 615 Career Wins 30yrs Tied 18th All Time.
Anyhow just a little 15th Region history I thought some might enjoy seeing. Good luck to the young guys coming up. I think they have big shoes to fill but also think they have the skills to get there. If JR Vanhoose was to ever get a head coaching job, it may be dangerous for all the other schools. Not only was he one of the best players ever in this state, just watch him on the sidelines as an assistant. The guy can flat out coach and the kids LOVE him