[Old School Hound]

Okay, I know I'm from a town where football is king, but high school basketball is my favorite sport as a spectator. There is nothing like a crowded gym(except during a pandemic) where two bitter rivals are going at it on the hardwood. I love that you get to be right up on the action. Nothing like the excitement of HS basketball , imo.   I have followed 13th region basketball from the time I was a kid way back in the early 1970's . I always rooted for the mountain teams to beat the big city schools in the state tournament(though that didn't happen very often when I was a youngster).

In this thread, I'd appreciate you fans of Mountain basketball like me to throw out some good trivia about HS basketball in the mountain regions.  Obviously, I am mostly interested in 13th region trivia and most of my questions will reference that region, but if you have a good question from another of the mountain regions, feel free to throw it out there.

I'll start, and you guys can follow up with your own questions.  No googling allowed. That's no fun. lol


Back in the 1980's , what coach was once arrested ON THE COURT and taken to jail with about two minutes left in his team's game against Buckhorn in the WYMT Mountain classic?

[Van Hagar]

Since I was sitting about 10 feet away from it as it happened, I will never forget the night Bobby Keith got hauled off to jail. Some off-duty Barney Fife came up behind the Clay Co. bench and told Bobby to take it down a notch. Uh, wrong approach. Anyway it wound up with Bobby being taken out of the gym. We laughed about it after the fact, but it wasn’t funny when it happened. That was in the 87-88 season, the senior year for the Farmers and Russ Chadwell, and the year after Clay had won the state. That team was 15 points better than the state championship team from the year before.

[Old School Hound]

Since I was sitting about 10 feet away from it as it happened, I will never forget the night Bobby Keith got hauled off to jail.  Some off-duty Barney Fife came up behind the Clay Co. bench and told Bobby to take it down a notch. Uh, wrong approach. Anyway it wound up with Bobby being taken out of the gym. We laughed about it after the fact, but it wasn’t funny when it happened.  That was in the 87-88 season, the senior year for the Farmers and Russ Chadwell, and the year after Clay had won the state. That team was 15 points better than the state championship team from the year before.

I knew that was going to be "cake" for you, VH.   I think there was some pushing and shoving on the court and then some fans may have entered the fray at some point. The off -duty trooper, wanting to prove his manhood, I guess,  cleared the court and told Coach Keith to tone it down. But Coach Keith was still hot and let the wannabe tyrant know about it. The trooper didn't like Coach's response and  the rest is history. Keith was arrested and  taken to jail.  He was  arraigned in a Knott Co. courtroom on Monday morning . Prosecutors agreed to drop the charges. 

Clay won that game against Buckhorn by nearly 50 points, btw.   Buckhorn went on to play in the state tournament that year for the first time in their history , narrowly losing to Covington Holmes.  Clay advanced to the state championship game, losing to Allan Houston and Ballard in their bid to repeat as state champions, despite 51 from Richie.



[Image: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DUpVnAJWAAg1...me=360x360]

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Former Corbin coach and KHSAA legend, Billy Hicks, finished as the all-time winningest coach in KY with 1,013 wins(16th nationally, I believe.  Hicks came to Corbin after coaching three years at Harlan.

Coach Hicks began his head coaching career at what mountain school , the same school where he played and graduated from in 1970.   BONUS: If you really want to prove your Mountain trivia prowess , do you know where Coach Hicks played college basketball?

[clipperw]

I didnt really start following high school basketball until I went to college. I graduated from South Floyd the year they played Clay County in the state tournament. I think I was one of the few from the area that didnt go to the game as I hadnt quite discovered how great it was. Now I love going to games and watching many more on TV/internet. One of my favorite events is a holiday tournament or classic where you can watch 4 games or more in a day. I loved attending the Pikeville Invitational Tournament when it was a 8 team field. Hopefully next season we will have some normalcy and I'll be able to go back to the Mountain Classic. The last time I attended was the 2017 event which Knox Central won.

I got to know a few 13th Region players thanks to attending Alice Lloyd College with them. Tim Parks and Rodney Mitchell from Clay County were two of the nicest guys I met over there and both played for ALC. In 2002, ESPN had a documentary produced called "The Season" as it chronicled the 2001-2002 season across Kentucky that aired that summer. Red Bird was featured in it. Jamie and Jeremy Jackson were seniors on that team that year and they wound up at Alice Lloyd where Jeremy wound up earning a spot on the basketball team. Just about everyone on campus called him "Redbird." Like Tim and Rodney, those guys were great people.

[HCS]

Coach Hicks started at Evarts.
I think it was Wofford.

[Old School Hound]

While you guys are pondering the Billy Hicks question, I will throw in another one.

See if you can identify the two coaches I describe below.  Both had successful coaching stints at the same 13th region school about two decades apart. These two coaches have combined for more than 1,200  high school basketball wins.

1.  This HOF coach  was a star guard at UT under Ray Mears and is the all-time assist per game leader for the Vols. He is still active as a head coach.

2.   This coach is a former two-sport star at Green County High and  QB for the University of Kentucky. He led his 13th region team to the state tourney in his next to last season there.

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Coach Hicks started at Evarts.
I think it was Wofford.

Nice!!!!   Didn't think anyone would get the Wofford part. Outstanding!

[HCS]

Rodney Woods
Mike Deaton

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What team did Evarts beat in the regional tourney with coach Hicks at the helm and what was the site and year? It was the last regional tourney win for Evarts in school history.

[Old School Hound]

Rodney Woods
Mike Deaton

HCS , you know your 13th region basketball.  I'm gonna have to step my game up a notch. lol

Both Coach Woods and Coach Deaton coached at Corbin.

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Coach Bobby Knight leads all 13th region coaches with  767 career wins, all at Clay Co.   Only one other coach won more than 700 HS basketball games, all with 13th region teams. Who is he?

[HCS]

Dinky Phipps on the last one.
I guess that's supposed to be Bobby Keith of Clay County

[Old School Hound]

Dinky Phipps on the last one.
I guess that's supposed to be Bobby Keith of Clay County

Correct on Dinky.


YES (lol)  meant Keith , not Knight.   Both BK's were as intense and competitive of coaches as you will ever see.

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Rodney Woods
Mike Deaton

HCS , you know your 13th region basketball.  I'm gonna have to step my game up a notch. lol

Both Coach Woods and Coach Deaton coached at Corbin.

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Coach Bobby Knight leads all 13th region coaches with  767 career wins, all at Clay Co.   Only one other coach won more than 700 HS basketball games, all with 13th region teams. Who is he?

Bobby Keith .

[Old School Hound]

Rodney Woods
Mike Deaton

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What team did Evarts beat in the regional tourney with coach Hicks at the helm and what was the site and year? It was the last regional tourney win for Evarts in school history.

Really good question, HCS. I vaguely remember the Evarts team that beat Cawood and won the district and won a game in the region. I'm not absolutely positive who they beat but I'll say it was the loser of the 49th district , OBI.  I don't know where the region was held that year.  I'll guess Cawood High School.

[Old School Hound]

The 13th Region has had four guys to win Mr. Basketball. Can you name all four?


***BONUS***

There was one Mr Basketball that starred in the 13th region as an eighth -grader and freshman and then transferred out of the region and became a three-time all-state player and a Mr. Basketball in Kentucky. Can you name him?

[eky.sports.fan]

Rick Jones - led Scott County to a state championship and won Mr. Basketball in 1999

[Old School Hound]

Rick Jones - led Scott County to a state championship and won Mr. Basketball in 1999

Yep. Grew up in Corbin and played varsity for the Redhounds while just a seventh and eighth grader. I believe his record of eight three-pointers in an SEC tourney game is still tied for best.

[HCS]

Region was at Knox in 83. Yes, it was OBI. No Harlan County schools hosted a regional in the 70s or 80s.
Phil Cox, Richie Farmer, Charles Thomas and Walt Allen on Mr. Basketball.
I will sit out future questions and open it up a little. This is one subject I know pretty well.

[Old School Hound]

Region was at Knox in 83. Yes, it was OBI. No Harlan County schools hosted a regional in the 70s or 80s.
Phil Cox, Richie Farmer, Charles Thomas and Walt Allen on Mr. Basketball.
I will sit out future questions and open it up a little. This is one subject I know pretty well.

You damned sure do. I'm impressed!

Maybe I can come up with one down the road that will trip you up.     Feel free to add your own questions whenever you want.

[Old School Hound]

Former Corbin and current Wayne Co. coach Rodney Woods was a second team All-State player his senior year at what school?

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What 13th region player was runner-up in the Mr. Basketball voting to Elton Scott of Marion County?  This 13th region standout went on to have a pretty decent  college career with 1439 points,  591 rebounds,   654 assists,  and 24  steals. 



***BONUS***

Who finished third in the Mr. Basketball voting that year?  After winning a state championship that year, he went on to have a stellar four years in the ACC  and then  a nice ten years in the NBA, finishing his pro career with almost  3,000 points ,   1,600 rebounds,  and  700  assists. 

[JustThinking]

Rodney Woods, played at Long Jack , Then UT. Now Coaches at Wayne Co. in the 12th.

[Navin Johnson]

Region was at Knox in 83. Yes, it was OBI. No Harlan County schools hosted a regional in the 70s or 80s.
Phil Cox, Richie Farmer, Charles Thomas and Walt Allen on Mr. Basketball.
I will sit out future questions and open it up a little. This is one subject I know pretty well.

Where was the regional tournament hosted in the 1987-1988 season?  It was at bell county in 88-89 and at Knox county 89-90.

[Old School Hound]

Rodney Woods, played at Long Jack , Then UT. Now Coaches at Wayne Co. in the 12th.

Correct. Coach Woods averaged more than 32 points per game as a senior at Lone Jack High School. 


Does anyone have any thoughts about the first and second runner up to Elton Scott in the  1992 Mr Basketball voting?  (See full question above).

[HCS]

It was at Bell in 85, 87 and 88...

[Old School Hound]

Reed Shepherd is tossing in about 35 a game this season.   Great numbers, for sure. Likely to get even better the next two years. However, there was one dude who would have said to Reed:  "Hold my Pepsi."   Back in the '79-80 season , this scoring machine of a mountain player averaged  53.7 points a game.  That's right, you read it correctly. Dude averaged almost 54 points a game for the entire season.  Over his junior and senior seasons , he averaged 50.3 points per game, setting a national record that still stands today for scoring average over a two-year span.  In fact, I don't think anyone at the college or professional levels has ever averaged more than 50 points a game over a two-year period.   He had games of  75,  69 , 66 and 65 .  Oh, by the way, he did all of this without the benefit of the three-point shot.  Can you imagine the numbers if there had been a three-pointer back then?

Can you name this mountain man (among boys) ?   He was NOT a 13th region player.

[Van Hagar]

That would be Ervin Stepp of Phelps who was a scoring machine. And you talk about a guy who's numbers would have been mind-boggling if the three-pointer had been in effect, and HCS will back me up on this, it's Phil Cox of Cawood, who went on to a tremendous career at Vanderbilt. My senior year at Clay (1981) we beat Phil's Cawood team in the region finals. I think he had something like 48. With the three in play, it would have been 60-plus, and they would have won the game. He was a great, great player.

[HCS]

Rodney Woods
Mike Deaton

HCS , you know your 13th region basketball.  I'm gonna have to step my game up a notch. lol

Both Coach Woods and Coach Deaton coached at Corbin.

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Coach Bobby Knight leads all 13th region coaches with  767 career wins, all at Clay Co.   Only one other coach won more than 700 HS basketball games, all with 13th region teams. Who is he?

That would be Ervin Stepp of Phelps who was a scoring machine.  And you talk about a guy who's numbers would have been mind-boggling if the three-pointer had been in effect, and HCS will back me up on this, it's Phil Cox of Cawood, who went on to a tremendous career at Vanderbilt.  My senior year at Clay (1981) we beat Phil's Cawood team in the region finals.  I think he had something like 48.  With the three in play, it would have been 60-plus, and they would have won the game.  He was a great, great player.





I was thinking the same thing. I think Cox was the better player and played tougher competition.

[Old School Hound]

I totally agree with you guys about Phil Cox. Not taking anything away from Ervin"Magic" Stepp, but Phil was the better player.  Stepp was a terrific shooter and prolific scorer. When you put numbers up like he did, you have to be a very good player. However, Cox could do it all.  He went on to have an outstanding career at Vanderbilt. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Phil was Vandy's all-time leading scorer until Shan Foster passed him. Phil was a terrific floor general and a great passer. Definitely one of the best to ever come out of the mountains.


I guess no one's going to answer the question about the runner-ups in the Mr Basketball voting to Elton Scott in 1992.

Runner-up was Corbin star and current Redhound head coach, Tony Pietrowski . Tony was recruited by Dale Brown at LSU but ended up transferring to Cumberland College, where he had a fine career . 

Third place in the voting that year was a much better player than either of the other two. His name was Greg Buckner of University Heights Academy. Greg went on to have a steller four-career at Clemson, starting in something like 122 straight games. He was ACC Rookie of the Year and made the All -ACC team a couple of times.  Greg also had a nice ten-year NBA career as well.  

 Why was Buckner third in the voting instead of first, as he should have been?  Everyone hated UHA at the time. They had their share of issues with the KHSAA over recruiting and many, including voters apparently, thought they had achieved an unfair advantage by cheating.

[Old School Hound]

What  13th region basketball player is the only player in KY high school basketball history to be the #1 overall pick in the NBA draft (he was a two-time NBA All-Star)?  

[4Horseman]

Frank Selvy, Thanks BW

[Old School Hound]

Frank Selvy, Thanks BW

WOW!!!  First post on this site and you nailed a tough question!!! Congratulations!!!

Mr. Frank Selvy played for the Corbin Redhounds in the late forties. Upon graduating at CHS in 1950 , he wanted to play for Adolph
Rupp and UK. But Rupp initially spurned Selvy (bad mistake by Coach Rupp) and Frank committed to Furman University. Rupp changed his mind and tried to get Frank to come to Lexington but it was too late; Frank decided to stick with Furman.   Frank went on to the lead the nation in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons(29.5 and 41.7 points per game, respectively). He was the #1 overall pick of the Baltimore Bullets in the '54 NBA draft. Frank was a two-time NBA All-Star, including his rookie season, when he averaged 19 ppg.  Frank ended his career with the Lakers,  where he played with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

Now, everything I described above represents a pretty darned impressive resume.  However, none of what I mentioned is what  Frank Selvy is most remembered for  during his playing career.   So, here's the next question:

What accomplishment is former Redhound Frank Selvy's biggest claim to fame ????

[4Horseman]

Most points in a D1 basketball game.

[Old School Hound]

Most points in a D1 basketball game.

Correct, sir.  Only player to score 100 pts in a DI game.

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A followup to the Selvy question:

 Selvy was a senior on Corbin's  1949-50 team that went  33-3 .  Two of Frank's teammates on that 1949-50 Corbin team went on to have very accomplished careers of their own.

One teammate went on to play for Adolph Rupp at UK and helped lead UK to two SEC titles and was a member of the undefeated 1953-54 team. He averaged double figures in both his final two seasons as a Cat, including averaging a double-double (16.2/11.3) his senior season, when he was a second team All-SEC selection.  He was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers as the 18th overall pick in the 3rd round in the '56 NBA draft. His #22 jersey hangs from the rafters of Rupp Arena.   Can you name him?

Selvy's other teammate went on to be a HOF coach (but not in basketball). He coached his team to two national titles and two national runner-ups. He won 16 conference titles as coach and his teams made 17 playoff appearances. At the time of his retirement, he was sixth all-time in career victories with 314.  He still ranks 10th all-time in career wins.  All of his coaching wins came with the same school. Can you name him?