[rock19701]

BGR,

Here is a story I put together on Shelby Valley's Legacy. This was put together before Valley's game with Mason County on Saturday. The piece ran on Sports Overtime Friday night.

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- Rock
www.twitter.com/derekwymt
www.derekforrest.com

[alfus21]

This group of Seniors will never be forgotten in this area, and they shouldn't be. I definitely think this group should be considered one of the best mountain teams of all time and the State Title and stats don't lie.

This group of Seniors finished with a 4 year career record of 116-18 which is a 87%winning percentage.

They averaged 29 wins per season and only 4 losses. Averaging a 29-4 record over a 4 year span is amazing.

They finished their 15th Region careers with a 63-2 record over competition within the region. (97% winning percentage)

And finished their 59th district careers with a 30-1 record over competition within their district.

These guys won 4 District Titles, 3 Region Titles (1 Runner Up), 2 "All A" State Titles, and a State Championship.
They also won the WYMT Classic, and only lost 1 game at home in a 4 year span.

This group, despite what many say is a group that will never be forgotten in this region in a long time, and will never be forgotten by the community.

Not to mention, one of the seniors could very well by Mr. Basketball 2010 by the end of the week.

[Buster Casserole]

I personally think, as of today, the 2010 Shelby Valley team will go down in history as the best mountain team to ever win a state CHAMPIONSHIP, two of them in the same year, three in two years actually. The other team that comes fairly close would be one of those Bobby Keith Clay County teams with Farmer. I think it was the 1987 or 1988 team.

[BoondockSaint]

^^^As happy as I am for Shelby Valley, the statement above is ridiculous. No team has ever won an All-A and the Sweet 16 in the same year, so Shelby Valley should be complimented on that.

But the 1996 Paintsville state championship team would physically dominate Shelby Valley. Its not close, there really shouldn't be an argument, and if you saw each of these teams play only bias would make you say SV had the better team.

BTW, I am not from anywhere close to Paintsville.

[trufan]

I have continually stated that this years Shelby Valley team is the best team to ever come out of the 15th region. After what they have accomplished throughout this year, I am going to back out of that statement and let what they have done by winning the state championship speak for itself and say that this years Shelby Valley team has to be considered one of the best "teams" to ever play in the state of Kentucky. I know they will be compared to "this" team and "that" team just because "this" team was taller or "that" team had better athletes or "they" had really good players, but after watching these boys work together to simply take teams apart by outplaying, outsmarting and outskilling them in my book the 2010 Shelby Valley Wildcats are the best.

[palmer]

I personally think, as of today, the 2010 Shelby Valley team will go down in history as the best mountain team to ever win a state CHAMPIONSHIP, two of them in the same year, three in two years actually. The other team that comes fairly close would be one of those Bobby Keith Clay County teams with Farmer. I think it was the 1987 or 1988 team.

Fairly close?

Farmer's Clay County group won the state title in 1987 and finished second in 1988 and 1985 and lost to the eventual state champ (Pulaski County) in 1986.

It's not fairly close. The Clay County team was better against much, much better competition.

[Cardinalfootballguy]

I don't think this was made to compare this team and that team. Lets just congrats Valley on winning state and stop bring them down because some people still like to hate on them.
Also Derek thanks for another great video.

[Colonel Kill]

I think this SV team is definately one of the greatest teams to play basketball in the mountains. I also have to agree with a couple of other statements made that there are a couple of teams above them. I have nothing to do with either of these schools but have been to many games and state tourny's in my lifetime. Of the teams I have personally watched, I would rank Ritchie Farmer's Clay County Tigers the best mountain team. Back in the day the Wayne Supply/WYMT tourny was unofficially known as the Clay County Classic. This team was a perminent fixture in the Sweet 16 and always competed for the title. Next I would go with 96-98 Paintsville Tigers that won a state title and runner-up in another. A very close second would be the SV Wildcats and all their great accomplishments the past four years.

[bucslover68]

How about we say this. Shelby Valley is the best team ever from Pike County based on the fact they are the only Pike County school to ever win the Sweet Sixteen. This is not a comparison of talent, with Todd May being the previous standard IMO, but as a team, this SV team did somehting no other Pike County team could accomplish.

[Scotty doesn't know]

So to give my opinion on everything, the only team I am considering from the 15th is Paintsville and in my comparison of the too I have to go with the big picture that Valley left. Back-to-back all a titles and 2010 Sweet 16 title, 2009 elite eight. I have to put them in front of the JR Vanhoose and Todd Tackett Paintsville teams. They may have been taller with Vanhoose in the middle but they were not as deep and scrappy as the Valley bunch. I have to give the title of best 15th region team to Valley by a slight margin. However, for best mountain team the Clay county team with Richie Farmer is the only one I would put up against them and I did not have enough information to make a claim either way. So to sum it all up, this is not only a mountain basketball team that will go down in history but a KENTUCKY high school legend and elite team with the All A tourney and sweet 16 champs.

[The Iceboxx]

Great Video!!!

[Redneck]

First off, congrats to Shelby Valley and their Sweet Sixteen State Championship. I haven't been on here in a week or so, or I would have already said my congrats.

Second, I knew ever since Valley won, somebody would bring up that this team was better than the 96' Paintsville team. Yes, you can compare each teams accomplishments and Valley might have a slight edge for the simple fact that they won 2 All "A" titles and Paintsville won zero. Back in Paintsville's glory days, 3 of the top 5 teams in the entire state were in the All "A" (Paintsville, Lexington Catholic, University Heights). Paintsville was there every year, played in 4 consecutive All "A", and 4 consecutive Sweet Sixteens. They were bounced in the first round of the Sweet Sixteen in 95', State Champions in 96', Final Four in 97' (and anybody who remembers that, they got hosed against Highlands, should have won it again), Runner-Up in 98' (WOULD have won had Tackett not got hurt and missed the entire 2nd half. The only players anybody wants to talk about from those teams is JR and Todd. You forget about Matt Ratliff, Craig Ratliff, Josh McKenzie (who IMO was the best player of them all), Jason Conley, Kyle Adams, Derek Howard, and a couple others. Some are sayin that Paintsville wasn't as deep, how deep was Valley?

[cuppett777]

I personally think, as of today, the 2010 Shelby Valley team will go down in history as the best mountain team to ever win a state CHAMPIONSHIP, two of them in the same year, three in two years actually. The other team that comes fairly close would be one of those Bobby Keith Clay County teams with Farmer. I think it was the 1987 or 1988 team.

its not close clay county

[cuppett777]

How about we say this. Shelby Valley is the best team ever from Pike County based on the fact they are the only Pike County school to ever win the Sweet Sixteen. This is not a comparison of talent, with Todd May being the previous standard IMO, but as a team, this SV team did somehting no other Pike County team could accomplish.

sounds good buc go with that,lol

[PaintsvilleTigerfan]

Best team in the history of Pike County by far. But things have changed since the 90's Valley did all of this against much weaker competition. The level of talent in the mountains has dropped so much since then there is no possible comparison between these teams. Plus IMO the 1987 tigers were the best team ever to come out of the region. Of the four starters i can think of right now all four played a sport at the D-1 level including one of the unforgettables. other than Pelphrey though you had.

Keth Adkins- Played Basketball at Notre Dame.
Joey Couch- Played Football at UK
Mike Minix- Baseball at Vandy.

I wish the boys from Valley the best of luck in their futures and as much as my blue blooded heart hates to say this I will cheer for Elisha Justice at louisville but there is simply no comparison in the level of talent that Valley has now with these teams from paintsville, and well The Clay County team of 87 was unbelievably talented also it wasnt just the Richie Farmer show. You can't honestly sit here and disrespect The great teams of the past.

[Scotty doesn't know]

Best team in the history of Pike County by far. But things have changed since the 90's Valley did all of this against much weaker competition. The level of talent in the mountains has dropped so much since then there is no possible comparison between these teams. Plus IMO the 1987 tigers were the best team ever to come out of the region. Of the four starters i can think of right now all four played a sport at the D-1 level including one of the unforgettables. other than Pelphrey though you had.

Keth Adkins- Played Basketball at Notre Dame.
Joey Couch- Played Football at UK
Mike Minix- Baseball at Vandy.

I wish the boys from Valley the best of luck in their futures and as much as my blue blooded heart hates to say this I will cheer for Elisha Justice at louisville but there is simply no comparison in the level of talent that Valley has now with these teams from paintsville, and well The Clay County team of 87 was unbelievably talented also it wasnt just the Richie Farmer show. You can't honestly sit here and disrespect The great teams of the past.

Good post! In no way did I mean to disrespect Clay or Paintsville. I loved those teams and yes they were competing against harder competition in the mountains but still you have to acknowledge that Valley tested the team with outside competition and succeed as well as you could. I may not put them ahead of the talent level of Clay and Paintsville, but as a team and how they played together against the best that the state has and different tourneys around the country, they can be supported in the statement of best in the mountains ALONG with the 96 Paintsville teams and the 87 Clay teams. All are great and have a case in their own right.

[The Iceboxx]

So is it safe to say that the 2010 Shelby Valley is generally speaking, one of the top three teams in mountain history? Ill take it.

Congrats SV, people will be talking about this team, just like they are talking about Clay and Paintsville 20 years from now

[Scotty doesn't know]

^ Ill take it as well. I am just happy with them begin in the same conversations as the greatest teams in Eastern Ky lore. I absolutely love and it is a memory for the rest of my life and when I take my kids into the SV gym, I can look up and tell them that I was there when they won that banner. It is a fantastic story and will be on the same line as Paintsville and Clay for a long time to come.

You I was wondering where does South Laruel fall into this discussion?

[PaintsvilleTigerfan]

So is it safe to say that the 2010 Shelby Valley is generally speaking, one of the top three teams in mountain history? Ill take it.

Congrats SV, people will be talking about this team, just like they are talking about Clay and Paintsville 20 years from now

Exactly this team will go down in Mountain lore. And maybe just maybe we will be talkin about How great Elisha Justice was at UK.

[HOOT]

Congrads to Shelby Valley. You did Eastern Ky. proud.