[blackcatballer]

Having not watched a high school game n a while I went to watch the 15 th on the first night to see the rivals 4star athletes and left with the idea that both hall and kasongo are greatly over rated. Then a pike central team that had little offensive clue and a pburg tema that had more turnover overs and missed free throws than points. It's a good thing my drink was good.

[PHSForever]

Hall had 17 and 17 and he was overrated? Wow. Tough to please. Ray got a T, I would bet money Bart sat him to avoid another T. Pike Central played in your chest D for a while, probably better to sit Ray and let him calm down. They had no answer for Rowe anyway and the other Pikeville players played steady and within themselves enough to put the game away handily.

[blackcatballer]

Many of halls 17 was garbage points and for a 6'9 player in a region with little size, I felt that he looked immobile and has no shot outside 5 feet its a good thing they fouled him and let hime shoot 50 percent from the line to pad his stats. The young panthers did I play we'll.

[PHSForever]

Many of halls 17 was garbage points and for a 6'9 player in a region with little size, I felt that he looked immobile and has no shot outside 5 feet its a good thing they fouled him and let hime shoot 50 percent from the line to pad his stats. The young panthers did I play we'll.

Well, I've seen him play a little more. He does have a shot outside of 5 feet and is very mobile. But someone correct me if I'm wrong, I think he's been playing thru some nagging injury issues? Hall is a very good player, IMO he needs to add some muscle, but fact is, he has several D1 offers already. I'd take a D1 coaches opinion over yours, no offense intended. I'm not even a Johnson Central fan, but I will give props to a player no matter what school if he is legit. Hall is legit. But he's really more of a flow type player who operates better out of a motion style offense, in my opinion, and half court offenses generally don't allow for that very often. Anyway, I'd take in a few more games on these 2 players before judging them if I were you.

[baller4lyfe]

Many of halls 17 was garbage points and for a 6'9 player in a region with little size, I felt that he looked immobile and has no shot outside 5 feet its a good thing they fouled him and let hime shoot 50 percent from the line to pad his stats. The young panthers did I play we'll.

"garbage points"

Stopped reading there

[Warthog]

Hall is good , but to me it seems he is afraid of hurting his ankle again.

[hitter]

I think the Johnson boy who went to perry central is the best high school player out of the three. Kasongo is to inconsistent and he has got a short fuse. Hall is inconsistent as well but not as bad. He can't shoot very well but he is very athletic.

[PaintsvilleTigerfan]

Halls ankle has killed him this year. He hasn't been 100% since before Christmas

[KingGotNext]

Hall has been playing on a bad ankle pretty much all season. JC looked very impressive at times and also looked erratic at times as well. Started out down by 5, then scored 10 straight. As for Hall himself, the kid is just smooth. He literally was tackled in the 1st and never said a word when he got up. Great class, even better player. The kid has got it.

[vundy33]

Kasongo and Hall aren't athletic? Lol wow.

[Mr. Pike Central]

Cool story bro.

[THOMCAT]

17 points, 18 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals while playing on an ankle that is not 100%. I'll take it along with the obvious sour grapes from a Prestonsburg fan.

[Granny Bear]

I don't mind garbage points. My baby is the "garbage man", and so far those shots have scored the same as the jumpers and in SOME cases the three pointer. Lots of teams have them, and as far as I'm concerned, they are lucky to have them.

[OutsideLookingIn]

Had not seen a high school basketball game in a while, maybe you should have just stayed at home and remembered the good ole days!!

[region]

While the original poster used some poor wording, there are some things I agree with.

Kasongo and Hall are EXTREMELY athletic.

Hall is injured and has been so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

BUT

Neither player is a post player. Neither have back to the basket post moves nor do they even fight hard for position to post(aside for Hall in the 2nd last night). They rebound well and Hall handles well enough for this region. Messer from Belfry is a better post player than either. Just not as athletic.

I do not see Kasongo or Hall being 3's in college at the D-1 level people say they are at. Neither one has a jumper, neither one can handle at all at that level, and neither could guard a 3 at the Indiana/Kentucky/Arizona level.

Hall that could change for, his dad better get him to some individual skills camps.

As for the region as a whole, you will see better coaches tonight outside Coach Williams at Pikeville, but not better athletes.

Coaching as a whole in this region is flat out awful, basic skills are missing and teams win because they have better athletes or shoot terrible shots and they get lucky and hit them. Only about 4 real basketball coaches that teach the game in this region.

[The_Rock]

I think the boys are good players but with their size and athletic ability, they should average 25 to 30 points a game and at least 15 rebounds. And I am not talking about playing selflishly either. They should get this just letting the game come to them. If they are legit Top tier division one prospects. Both of them need to find a good weightroom to. May want to hire a strength coach and a nutrition specialist. They got to bulk up a little.

[MonsterMan]

While the original poster used some poor wording, there are some things I agree with.

Kasongo and Hall are EXTREMELY athletic.

Hall is injured and has been so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

BUT

Neither player is a post player. Neither have back to the basket post moves nor do they even fight hard for position to post(aside for Hall in the 2nd last night). They rebound well and Hall handles well enough for this region. Messer from Belfry is a better post player than either. Just not as athletic.

I do not see Kasongo or Hall being 3's in college at the D-1 level people say they are at. Neither one has a jumper, neither one can handle at all at that level, and neither could guard a 3 at the Indiana/Kentucky/Arizona level.

Hall that could change for, his dad better get him to some individual skills camps.

As for the region as a whole, you will see better coaches tonight outside Coach Williams at Pikeville, but not better athletes.

Coaching as a whole in this region is flat out awful, basic skills are missing and teams win because they have better athletes or shoot terrible shots and they get lucky and hit them. Only about 4 real basketball coaches that teach the game in this region.

I agree totally with everything you are saying. the coaching is poor in the 15th, that is why it is the weakest region. The kids in the 15th are just as good a kids form other regions, better in some ways, but they never develop.

The problem as I see it is coaches pick kids at early ages that are biggest, strongest or who can handle the ball and ride them to win. Basics are never taught and kids who could develop over time are not given a chance. Player development and disipline takes time and years to develop. Coaches are looking for a quick win at these early ages. I think the main issue is we are bringing young coaches back that did not have the proper training. They do not seem driven to teach basisc, they only want to put their most atheltic kids on the floor and hope they can win. When you get donw state they are all atheltic and have been taught basics.

I know several people will disagree, but until the coaching improves, the 15th will be at the bottom.

[warmachine]

Oh no here we go.

First off, who wants to lose at these early ages? Who wants to pay 200 dollars to play at a tournament at the KBA and get beat every game? I dont. Im not a win at all costs person but you want to be able to compete and win at any level. The problems that I see in Eastern Kentucky is that kids dont have instuctional leagues at early ages. Most leagues around these parts let them run with it, go out of bounds, or god only knows what. I think the kids should play by the rules of the game at an early age. Refs need to blow the whistle. The kids still can have fun even when they get a walk called on them or a foul. Also, I feel like parents need to spend a little more time rebounding for their kids and playing with them individually. To much work is placed on the coaches. One of my best friends Heston Beverly works with kids individually and in groups and devotes a lot of time helping kids develop. This is what it takes at younger ages. People like Heston. Parent dedication is especially important.

[Ike Cooter]

While the original poster used some poor wording, there are some things I agree with.

Kasongo and Hall are EXTREMELY athletic.

Hall is injured and has been so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

BUT

Neither player is a post player. Neither have back to the basket post moves nor do they even fight hard for position to post(aside for Hall in the 2nd last night). They rebound well and Hall handles well enough for this region. Messer from Belfry is a better post player than either. Just not as athletic.

I do not see Kasongo or Hall being 3's in college at the D-1 level people say they are at. Neither one has a jumper, neither one can handle at all at that level, and neither could guard a 3 at the Indiana/Kentucky/Arizona level.

Hall that could change for, his dad better get him to some individual skills camps.

As for the region as a whole, you will see better coaches tonight outside Coach Williams at Pikeville, but not better athletes.

Coaching as a whole in this region is flat out awful, basic skills are missing and teams win because they have better athletes or shoot terrible shots and they get lucky and hit them. Only about 4 real basketball coaches that teach the game in this region.

I agree that coaching in the region is terrible. Prestonsburg was out coached last night by what I feel was one of the worst coaching jobs I've ever seen by JC. Up 10 and run and gunning 3's when you got a 6'9" All Stater not touching the ball.

Hall is an outstanding player. I agree with the previous poster that I'll take the opinions of college coaches and scouts before anyone on this site. JC coach doesn't have set plays for Hall so thats why he gets the "garbage points". The kid was beat to death last night and many of those hits were intentional. The one by Williams on what would have been a dunk was borderline flagrant ejection. Watching behind the play several times he was kicked and elbowed and not one time did he cry or whine around to the officials. Classy kid.

[Pulp Fiction]

Having not watched a high school game n a while I went to watch the 15 th on the first night to see the rivals 4star athletes and left with the idea that both hall and kasongo are greatly over rated. Then a pike central team that had little offensive clue and a pburg tema that had more turnover overs and missed free throws than points. It's a good thing my drink was good.

Many of halls 17 was garbage points and for a 6'9 player in a region with little size, I felt that he looked immobile and has no shot outside 5 feet its a good thing they fouled him and let hime shoot 50 percent from the line to pad his stats. The young panthers did I play we'll.

Just a friendly suggestion, you might wanna check your spelling and grammar before posting.

[bballfan2]

To put this all to rest lets just follow both of the 15th players hall and kasongo and see where they go after high school. I have watched both play and yes hall is overated. No way he could play against the 6'9"s in the SEC. Kasongo will be lucky to make it because of his attitude. Even when johnson was in the 15th all 3 players look good in the 15th because of the size and jumping ability but if they go out of 15th they are not that great. So instead of going back and forth lets just follow them after high school

[jamesclay]

Yes, both are overrated and rumors of high major D1 offers are a joke. Hall isn't 6'9" either. He might be 6'7".

[McCameraMan]

^ You have no idea what you're talking about lol.

[Ike Cooter]

Here are the coaches in the region and how I would rank them top to bottom.
1. Paintsville - Bill Mike Runyon. Experience and has won with and without talent.
2. East Ridge - Randy McCoy. Has coached at the colligate level and won at the high school level.
3. Sheldon Clark - Frank Smith. Has taken a team that everyone counted out and may possibly be in the regional final his first season.
4. Betsy Layne - Jr. Newsome. Great at the X's and O's and good at adjusting to the game. Never really had GREAT talent but able to always compete.
5. Lawrence Co. - Josh Cook. Young and energetic and able to communicate with kids. Again has taken a team everyone counted out at the beginning of the season and one of the winningest teams in the region with mostly freshman and eighth grader.
6. Pikeville - Bart Williams. Able to adjust to the talent and change strategies from season to season. Very classy winning or losing.
7. Pike Central - Kelly Carwile. Not really had much to work with at PCC in his tenure. But watching him during the game you can tell he is good at what he does. Could be anywhere in the list of top 7.
8. Belfry - Randy Casey. Tough to get kids to buy into the program with all the success of football.
9. Shelby Valley - Greg Newsome. Not a good start after much recent success.
10. Johnson Central - Tommy McKenzie. Doesn't work with the talent and gets completely out of sorts during the game. Not sure if he is the coach or the other guys on the bench.
11. Magoffin Co. - Robbie Russell. Tough place to coach but time will tell his abilities.
12. South Floyd - Justin Holbrook. Young and inexperienced and not much to work with year in and year out.
13. Prestonsburg - James Derossett. A football coach trying to coach basketball. Stick with your passion.
14. Allen Central - Brad Short. Alright at the middle school level and that's about it.
15. Piarist - Kevin Tackett. Not really much to say here.

Overall the 57th district looks as if they are trying to get people in place to compete, not just within the 15th region but outside as well. Totally opposite for the 58th district. The weakest district possibly in the state and it starts with the coaches. I know you can't win Miss American if you are an ugly duckling but with the right guidance you can compete and hopefully place in the top ten.

[Pulp Fiction]

Here are the coaches in the region and how I would rank them top to bottom.
1. Paintsville - Bill Mike Runyon. Experience and has won with and without talent.
2. East Ridge - Randy McCoy. Has coached at the colligate level and won at the high school level.
3. Sheldon Clark - Frank Smith. Has taken a team that everyone counted out and may possibly be in the regional final his first season.
4. Betsy Layne - Jr. Newsome. Great at the X's and O's and good at adjusting to the game. Never really had GREAT talent but able to always compete.
5. Lawrence Co. - Josh Cook. Young and energetic and able to communicate with kids. Again has taken a team everyone counted out at the beginning of the season and one of the winningest teams in the region with mostly freshman and eighth grader.
6. Pikeville - Bart Williams. Able to adjust to the talent and change strategies from season to season. Very classy winning or losing.
7. Pike Central - Kelly Carwile. Not really had much to work with at PCC in his tenure. But watching him during the game you can tell he is good at what he does. Could be anywhere in the list of top 7.
8. Belfry - Randy Casey. Tough to get kids to buy into the program with all the success of football.
9. Shelby Valley - Greg Newsome. Not a good start after much recent success.
10. Johnson Central - Tommy McKenzie. Doesn't work with the talent and gets completely out of sorts during the game. Not sure if he is the coach or the other guys on the bench.
11. Magoffin Co. - Robbie Russell. Tough place to coach but time will tell his abilities.
12. South Floyd - Justin Holbrook. Young and inexperienced and not much to work with year in and year out.
13. Prestonsburg - James Derossett. A football coach trying to coach basketball. Stick with your passion.
14. Allen Central - Brad Short. Alright at the middle school level and that's about it.
15. Piarist - Kevin Tackett. Not really much to say here.

Overall the 57th district looks as if they are trying to get people in place to compete, not just within the 15th region but outside as well. Totally opposite for the 58th district. The weakest district possibly in the state and it starts with the coaches. I know you can't win Miss American if you are an ugly duckling but with the right guidance you can compete and hopefully place in the top ten.

:biglmao: :lame:

[region]

Here are the coaches in the region and how I would rank them top to bottom.
1. Paintsville - Bill Mike Runyon. Experience and has won with and without talent.
2. East Ridge - Randy McCoy. Has coached at the colligate level and won at the high school level.
3. Sheldon Clark - Frank Smith. Has taken a team that everyone counted out and may possibly be in the regional final his first season.
4. Betsy Layne - Jr. Newsome. Great at the X's and O's and good at adjusting to the game. Never really had GREAT talent but able to always compete.
5. Lawrence Co. - Josh Cook. Young and energetic and able to communicate with kids. Again has taken a team everyone counted out at the beginning of the season and one of the winningest teams in the region with mostly freshman and eighth grader.
6. Pikeville - Bart Williams. Able to adjust to the talent and change strategies from season to season. Very classy winning or losing.
7. Pike Central - Kelly Carwile. Not really had much to work with at PCC in his tenure. But watching him during the game you can tell he is good at what he does. Could be anywhere in the list of top 7.
8. Belfry - Randy Casey. Tough to get kids to buy into the program with all the success of football.
9. Shelby Valley - Greg Newsome. Not a good start after much recent success.
10. Johnson Central - Tommy McKenzie. Doesn't work with the talent and gets completely out of sorts during the game. Not sure if he is the coach or the other guys on the bench.
11. Magoffin Co. - Robbie Russell. Tough place to coach but time will tell his abilities.
12. South Floyd - Justin Holbrook. Young and inexperienced and not much to work with year in and year out.
13. Prestonsburg - James Derossett. A football coach trying to coach basketball. Stick with your passion.
14. Allen Central - Brad Short. Alright at the middle school level and that's about it.
15. Piarist - Kevin Tackett. Not really much to say here.

Overall the 57th district looks as if they are trying to get people in place to compete, not just within the 15th region but outside as well. Totally opposite for the 58th district. The weakest district possibly in the state and it starts with the coaches. I know you can't win Miss American if you are an ugly duckling but with the right guidance you can compete and hopefully place in the top ten.

4 out of those last 5 jobs are some of the worst jobs in the state.

[jamesclay]

^ You have no idea what you're talking about lol.

I know pretty well. I talk to the college coaches almost daily.

[hootie]

Can you really blame a high school coach for kids not having basic skill? Kids today are different. All they want to do is sit inside, and stay on FB and phones. How many kids do you know that work on their game outside the gym? How many empty goals do you see at houses and schools during summer days? No one plays anymore in spare time and that is why kids cannot shoot or score. I dont think you can blame the coaches of this region because it is weak.

[Mountaineer Man]

Should have been at the sportscenter in Owensboro last night great game between Muhlenberg and Breckinridge last night. Double overtime.