[SocratesKy]

This is untrue.  

Deboard was the game’s high scorer and high assist guy.  MVP of the game.  Boyd County did not want him on their team this season.  Listen to the call as 16thregionballer often requests.  He was bullied out the door and not even allowed back into the Boyd County homecoming dance this year.  Deboard isn’t a Jason Mays recruit.  He’s a player Spurlock wanted gone and he got his way.

Zander Carter came to Ashland before his freshman year.  I don’t think his presence makes the program unclean.  Besides, that was about the worst performance he’s put on a basketball floor in his career as a Tomcat.  Gracious sakes, wait until he brings his A game against Boyd.

The Davis brothers were at Boyd.  Were they recruited to Ashland?  Their mom is the girls basketball coach at Ashland and was the all-time scorer until a few years ago.  Seems legit to me.

I’ve never heard of Conway, Freize, and Adkins playing anywhere else but Ashland.  

This was no superstar recruit-filled Tomcat team.  Maybe older kids beating the crap out of younger teams in middle school doesn’t necessarily equate to varsity success?  Or maybe Ellis shot it too much?Or maybe it’s Randy Anderson?  I don’t know.

Only an Ashland homer take.  Listen to the recording and if it is possible, be unbiased.  I have no ill will toward Ashland but they without a shadow of a doubt recruited players.  Key players on the team were recruited, there is no denying that.

I try to tune in when I get a chance and when I do I can usually count on the last comment on these Ashland threads coming from Soc or his "thread buddy".

Quoting Wikipedia (LOL) concerning reasons for getting the last word: "Getting the last word means that you win the debate. It also shows your moral superiority. This should convince your opponent that you are correct. It is particularly important to get the last word where you are in some doubts as to the merits of your case. The last word will serve as a clinching argument that will make up for any deficiencies in your logic". 

This explains a lot especially given Soc has taken the name of the first Greek moral philosopher. He gives himself away every time he reiterates that he has nothing against Ashland and is on the outside looking in. This stance gives him a higher moral ground and strengthens his arguments. All the while 99% of his posts deal with Ashland?? 

THIS IS A THREAD ABOUT A SPECIFIC GAME AND SOMEONE MADE A COMMENT ABOUT THE GREAT BASKEBALL CULTURE AT ASHLAND and here we go again. You can't let someone say anything positive about Ashland and yet you have no ill will towards Ashland! You don't have a dog in the fight! You are looking at this strictly though the lens of objectivity and doing it for the good of humanity!

Sir, you are confused and obsessed. Period.

Appreciate the direct reply.  You are skewing the truth again.  The comment was that Ashland had the BEST culture.  To me and anyone outside of Ashland that is a backhanded statement to all the other teams that don’t have a cheating culture.  I have nothing personal against Ashland and certainly nothing personal against the kids there.  It is disgusting though to see Ashland homers try to justify and gloss over these actions in a teenage sport.  It’s cheating.  It’s not fair to other teams.  It sets a bad example for kids that should be mentored and steered in the direction of integrity.  Do you disagree or are you going to just try to muddy the waters and point fingers?  It does seem as though some Ashland fans get it.  It is obvious you are not one of those Ashland fans.

---

I think the only difference in opinion we have is that you see this as an “Ashland” problem while I see it as a problem that reaches more schools than just Ashland.  I know Ashland and Mays are the ones that got caught.  Many other parents could have made secret recordings while shopping their kids around and released them over the years, though, but they didn’t.

I do agree with you in that I’d love to see ALL sports in our region over the last decade be replayed with no transfers.  It would be much more competitive.  That’s just not the way things have gone, though.

I think there are plenty of coaches/admin that don’t try and deter a good player from coming to their school.  I can’t say I think that is the same for coaches/admin that actually systemically recruit.  I’m guessing a handful of other school have or still do and we could both probably name them in short order.  Ashland was actually caught.  If others are caught then they should be equally punished. So this truly is only an Ashland problem at this time.

Soc....all the ribbing aside....I don't agree with what happened, period, it's just time to move on. They fired the coach and more punishment may come, I don't know. 

I guess I am an Ashland "homer" along with Raceland, Greenup, and Russell. I love and have ties to all of these districts but I'm probably more of a Raceland homer since I have lived there most of my life and my kids went to school there. Heck, I don't agree with everything that's gone on at Raceland, I'm not talking about transfers (which happen everywhere and to what extent recruiting is involved I don't know). I'm talking about the "hold back" situation which has become the norm at Raceland. A decision made by one group of young men long before Covid gave kids in grades behind them no choice but to do the same. The state decision which allowed kids to repeat a grade if they felt they were disadvantaged because of a lack of technology, proper learning environment, etc. during Covid and the subsequent decision by the KHSAA to allow another year of eligibility reopened the floodgate. No school anywhere that I know of has a greater percentage of holdbacks (and the vast majority play football) than my school system. I don't agree with it and I voiced my opinion about it and then I let it go. I was pulling for them to win a title this year and I will in future years. Along the same lines for decades my school system has not even entertained the idea of having a soccer program. I have heard time and time again that it would destroy the football program even though almost every (if not all, I haven't done my homework) 1A state champion for the last 20 years also had a soccer program. Kids born in the Raceland school district have no choice but to leave if they want to play soccer. These things are just wrong, but nonetheless,  I will continue to support my school and hope they continue to win. This is fodder for another thread so I'll shut up now....

I’m just being realistic.  Every game they win in the 16th region will be met with “if they had not recruited then we would have won” or “Why in the world would Ashland play the recruits knowing they just got caught, they just continue to disregard rules”. Can you imagine if they actually won the region if the are eligible at that time?

I’m being realistic, unfortunately some like to think it’s all rainbows and unicorns from Ashland.  Every win will be with an asterisk until it flushes out.  Again that is being realistic  and not let’s just move on, nothing to see here when no opposing team sees it that way.  I’m sure Ashland would like it but all other fanbases are smarter than that.