[bball_fan]

We haven't played Virgie, so its hard for either team to get a win when you haven't played. We tried to schedule Virgie before the season started but we could not find a open date that we could play between our schedule and theirs. As for Feds Creek and Dorton, no we have no beaten either of them but I believe we beat ourselves against both of them. Against Dorton we lost by one point but was ice cold from the free throw line. Against Feds Creek, we forced a few bad shots and did not shoot well from the line either. I'm not saying we are better then these teams or worse then these teams but people from Feds Creek have got on here and defended how talented our boys from Mullins are. Yes we threw up a big goose egg against Feds Creek at the Elkhorn tournament but last I checked so did Virgie when they played Dorton at home. The fact is these four teams can beat each other on any given night when they come to play, when they do not come to play, they can get spanked by 20 points. As for the players, its pretty clear you are from the Virgie and Dorton area, which means you would think those boys are better then some of the other players in the county. No one can argue that because everyone tends to favor the schools and players that are close to there hearts. Of course I'm going to lean more toward players from Mullins because I see them everyday and I see the potential and the talent they do have. What I can say though with good certainty is that most people will agree with is this county is loaded and most every school has a player or two at least that could make a all star. As for the people I listed for my starting lineup and my bench players, they all are very talented players but remember I said this is my all star team and you have to have players with certain roles.

Yes, you could easily start Dalton Richardson over any player in the county because he is in a very elite group of about 4 or 5 players, the others being Meade from Mullins, Caudill from Dorton, Belter from Dorton and Justice from Feds Creek. But if you are picking a all star team then one thing you must have is a spark off the bench, which he or Caudill either one could provide.

Cameron Justice I believe is the best player in the county at attacking the basket and running a team. He is tall, quick and very athletic which makes him very hard to guard man to man.

Dylan Meade is one of the best shots I have ever seen when he gets going in a rhythm. If you step out on him and try to put a hand in his face, he can drive past you and finish at the goal. He has as good of ball handling skills as anyone in the county too!

You would have to be crazy not to start Belter at the center position because of his size but also his skill. You can run any kind of defense you want in grade school ball and leave him in the paint and very few will attack the goal with ease. I placed Andrew Newsome in my starting line because of his size and skill as well! Think about how tough a lineup would be that has this size and skill on the post but the shot of Meade outside and the driving abilities of Justice, Caudill and Richardson???

As for my bench, I think the reason I picked them is pretty clear. Ethan Blankenship is 6'7 and has some really good skills as well. As he gets older and coaches get to work with him more and more, he will be dominate inside because he has the bulk that Belter lacks. Austin Kidd is a very fundamentally sound player to bring off a bench. He has good skills around the basket and is a very solid player. Marcus Johnson is pure athleticism! He can jump as high as anyone in the county, which is why he is such a good defense player. Where he does not get credit is his knowledge of the game. He leads our team in charges taken this year and really uses he strength, which is unmatched and should be since his father is a personal trainer, to his advantage.

For my back court bench, I would take Johnny Miller for a number of reasons. He is a really good ball handler, he is really quick and plays good defense but most of all, he is a really good shooter. Him, Meade and Bowling are the best shooters in the county, and you need a offensive spark off the bench that can shoot a team out of a game. Trinity from Belfry is a very strong player with good ball handling skills. He runs the court very well and can really attack the basket when the court is spread out. This is the exact same reason I would put Damon Adkins on the team! And yes you can make the very same argument for Jesse Lucas. None of these three point guards are any better then the others! Having any of them coming off the bench is helpful.

You got to remember, this thread was created so someone could build a AAU team. All I have done is offer my opinion on some players they might be interested in. Yes I can go on about a bunch more like Gaige Ray, Mason Bowling, Michael Fields and the Hamilton kid from Pikeville. The fact is you could pick 20 kids from this county and make a all star team from any combination of them! So why are we on here arguing so much about it! Nobody is going to agree perfectly, but at least now you know why I say these players exactly! And I understand all of your arguments for players you have said. We just have a lot to choose from this year!