Lexington Herald Leader Logo

High school notebook: Change to Mr., Miss Basketball process raises questions | Lexington Herald Leader

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • All News
    • Business
    • Communities
    • Counties
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Lexington
    • Local
    • Most Wanted
    • Nation/World
    • News Photos
    • News Videos
    • Politics
    • Searchable Databases
    • State
    • Watchdog
    • Columns
    • Tom Eblen
    • All Sports
    • UK Sports
    • College Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • High School
    • Horses
    • Kentucky Speedway
    • Lexington Legends
    • Reds
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NASCAR
    • NFL
    • Sports Photos
    • Sports Videos
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Columns
    • Mark Story
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • All UK Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • Baseball
    • Basketball - Men
    • Basketball - Women
    • Recruiting
    • Ex-Cats
    • Football
    • UK Photos
    • UK Videos
    • More UK Sports
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Blog
    • Mark Story
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • All Entertainment
    • Books
    • Celebrities
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Restaurants
    • Stage & Dance
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Entertainment Photos
    • Entertainment Videos
    • News Blogs
    • Kentucky Weather
    • Photo Archive
    • Sports Blogs
    • John Clay's Blog
    • High School
    • UK Football
    • UK Men's Basketball
    • UK Women's Basketball
    • Lexington Legends
    • Entertainment Blogs
    • Walter Tunis on Music
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Joel Pett
    • Letters to the Editor
    • National Columnists
    • Op-Ed
    • Submit a Letter
    • All Living
    • Celebrations
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Fru-Gal: Deb Morris
    • Health & Medicine
    • Home & Garden
    • Paul Prather
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Readers' Choice
    • Kentucky Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Submit an Obituary
    • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • E-edition
    • Page Reprints
    • Photo Reprints
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Site Information
    • Advertise With Us
    • Archives
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Google+
    • Today's Circulars
    • Classifieds
    • Jobs
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Homeseller
    • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

High School Sports

High school notebook: Change to Mr., Miss Basketball process raises questions

Mike Fields - Herald-Leader staff writer

    ORDER REPRINT →

January 30, 2014 05:59 PM

On March 16, 2012, five finalists for Mr. Basketball were announced during the quarterfinals of the Sweet Sixteen in Rupp Arena.

On Feb. 27, 2013, five finalists each for Mr. and Miss Basketball were announced by the sponsoring Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation in a news release.

On Jan. 29, 2014, seven finalists each for Mr. and Miss Basketball were announced at the Bluegrass Sports Awards banquet in Lexington.

See a trend developing?

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Will next season's Mr. and Miss Basketball finalists be revealed on Christmas Day?

Will the 2015-16 pre-season include a Thanksgiving Day parade appearance by all of the Mr. and Miss Basketball finalists?

I understand that the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, in conjunction with the Bluegrass Sports Commission, is trying to revive interest in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star series that has been on life-support for several years. It hopes one way to do that is by adding some pop to the Mr. and Miss Basketball awards. But I'm not sure fast-tracking the process is the right way.

Noel Hardwick of the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation said ballots were sent out to all of the state's high school coaches in early January, and they had three weeks to vote for the top players.

Why the hurry? And why seven finalists? Why not five? Why not 10? Hardwick said he didn't know the answer to that.

And why will Mr. Basketball be announced on March 18, the day before the Sweet Sixteen tips off? Shouldn't a player's performance under the bright lights and heavy pressure of the state tournament factor into his Mr. Basketball candidacy? Dominique Hawkins probably won Mr. Basketball last year with his fabulous play in leading Madison Central to the Sweet Sixteen title.

Hardwick said the Lions Club will consider that question in the future.

All of the Mr. Basketball finalists — Jackson Davis of Lafayette, Trent Gilbert of Scott County, Shane Hall of Johnson Central, Brandon Hatton of Dixie Heights, Justin Johnson of Perry Central, and Kelan Martin and Quentin Snider of Ballard — were among the top nine seniors in the pre-season ratings. Jordan Green of Henry Clay and LaMontray Harris of Pleasure Ridge Park didn't make the cut.

All of the Miss Basketball finalists — Ivy Brown of LaRue County, Makenzie Cann and Eriel McKee of Anderson County, Nicole Kiernan of Newport Central Catholic, Javonna Layfield of Ballard, Kayla Rankin of Perry Central and Daijia Ruffin of Sacred Heart — were among the top eight seniors in the pre-season. Only Danielle Lawrence of Butler wasn't a finalist.

There was other news Wednesday: The Kentucky half of the Kentucky-Indiana all-star series will be played at Transylvania University the next three years.

Will another change in venue help this once grand rivalry win over the fans again? I doubt it. Kentucky has hosted the Hoosiers in Louisville, Bowling Green, Frankfort, Owensboro and Lexington over the past 20 years, but the support has suffered everywhere. At least an effort is being made to shake things up. "This is all a work in progress," Hardwick said. "We want it to be the best we can make it. And we're just getting started."

■ The Joe B. Hall Prep Classic, postponed because of bad weather on Jan. 25, has been reset for Feb. 9. Will the four-game lineup include a battle of unbeatens when Wayne County plays Montgomery County? Wayne County (20-0) has to play Southwestern on Friday, Clinton County on Tuesday, McCreary Central on Feb. 7 and Knott Central on Feb. 8 (in the Jock Sutherland Classic at Lafayette). Montgomery County (18-0) has Clark County on Friday, Elizabethtown on Tuesday and Augusta on Feb. 8 (in the Jock Sutherland Classic).

■ Franklin County played host to Scott County in boys' basketball Tuesday night. But they wound up playing at Western Hills after the Flyers' Lorenzo McCaskell broke the rim off the backboard in pre-game warm-ups. Coach Tommy Johnson said he's not sure what happened. "I was sitting on the other end of the court and I heard a bang," he said. "I looked up and saw glass falling down, and Lorenzo was laying the rim on the floor." Johnson said he immediately thought of moving the game to Western Hills. Franklin County Athletic Director Tracy Spickard and Principal Buddy Sampson met with the referees and Scott County AD Joe Pat Covington. Spickard called Western Hills' AD Craig Fry, who was at Shelby County for a game. Fry agreed to let Franklin County use the Wolverines' gym. He and Western Hills assistant principal Greg Lawson drove back from Shelbyville to help set things up. "It was a tremendous joint effort," Spickard said in an email. "We owe special gratitude to Western Hills. They went above and beyond to assist us." After only an hour delay, Scott County won 72-41. "On the way over I guess we left our game plan and focus at Franklin County," Johnson said.

■ Tates Creek's boys ended a seven-game losing streak by beating defending state champ Madison Central 66-61 in overtime on Tuesday. It was the Commodores' best win in the last two seasons. "We've had four games in January where we've been ahead with less than five minutes to go, but we haven't been able to finish," Coach Wayne Breeden said. "So we were real happy to finish this one and come away with a win." Jordan Fucci, a 6-foot-5 junior, led the Commodores with 27 points and 11 rebounds. "We've been getting better," Breeden said of his 6-14 team. "We're hopefully getting some confidence as we approach tournament time." Fucci is averaging 16 points and nine rebounds. Ian Davis, a 6-2 senior, and junior point guard Desmond Duke are averaging 12 and 10 points, respectively.

■ Madison Central Coach Allen Feldhaus Jr. is toughening up his young team with a tough schedule. The Indians play host to No. 1 Trinity on Friday, visit No. 14 Henry Clay on Tuesday, and they've added a home game against No. 8 Holmes on Feb. 8 at 4 p.m. Madison Central visits No. 23 Lexington Catholic on Feb. 11 and it closes the regular season at No. 6 Covington Catholic on Feb. 21.

■ In Clinton County's 83-72 win at Campbellsville, junior Lance Claywell hit seven of 10 three-pointers and had 36 points. Junior point guard Keifer Dalton flirted with a quadruple-double. He had 20 points, 12 assists, nine steals and eight rebounds.

■ Harrison County senior Jordan Doram scored her 2,000th point in a loss to Campbell County this week. She is averaging more than 20 points and 12 rebounds this season, and has 2,019 points and 1,348 rebounds in her career. Megan Gray is the only other player in Fillies history with more than 2,000 points 1,300 rebounds.

■ Mason County seniors Alivia Bierley and McKenzie Butler each scored their 1,000th point in the last couple of weeks. Bierley did it against Clark County, and Butler did it against Pendleton County.

■ Lexington Catholic may be dropping from Class 4A to 3A in football. The KHSAA's first draft for realignment for the 2015-18 seasons has Lexington Catholic in 3A. Boyle County, which has been the Knights' district rival in 4A, is also in 3A in the new alignment. The best news for Lexington Catholic and Boyle County is that perennial power Highlands is still listed in 4A, as is state champ Collins. Mark Perry, the Knights' new coach, said "it doesn't matter if it's 4A or 3A, you still gotta beat several good teams to get to the state finals." He rattled off some tough 3A programs: Belfry, Caldwell County, Corbin, Louisville Central and Paducah Tilghman. Perry is glad to keep Boyle County around. "That's a healthy rivalry for high school football in Central Kentucky," he said.

The first draft of realignment didn't have many strong teams changing classes. One notable exception was John Hardin, which has been one of the top teams in 5A in recent years. It could be dropping to 4A.

■ Murray linebacker Jacob Mayes, honorable mention all-state, has committed to play at Harvard. The 6-2, 215-pound senior was in on 202 tackles for the state semifinalist Tigers last fall.

■ If my research is correct, a couple of recent hirings mean that four schools now have head football and boys' basketball coaches with state championships on their résumés: Madison Central (Chuck Smith and Allen Feldhaus Jr.); Scott County (Jim McKee and Billy Hicks); Southwestern (Larry French and Steve Wright), and Trinity (Bob Beatty and Mike Szabo).

■ Tates Creek senior Tyler Sturgill, a second-team all-city lineman, will play on an American team against France's U19 team in a game in Paris on March 29.

■ Former Madison Central football coach Bert Browne has taken a job as linebackers coach at Arkansas Tech. Browne has previous college coaching experience at West Georgia, Eastern Kentucky and Holmes Community College in Mississippi.

■ Simon Kenton quarterback Brenan Kuntz, a member of the Herald-Leader's Class of the Commonwealth, committed to Grand Valley State, an NCAA Division II school in Michigan.

  Comments  

Videos

Photo slideshow: LCA defeats Lexington Catholic 46-41 in the 43rd District semifinals

Photo slideshow: Covington Catholic defeats Madison Central 57-45

View More Video

Trending Stories

‘It’s a good day to die.’ Man pulls gun on couple wearing MAGA caps at Kentucky Sam’s Club

February 18, 2019 02:29 PM

Sayre School to honor ‘two remarkable young men’ killed in car crash.

February 18, 2019 12:52 PM

Curse of Saratoga strikes again? Another Chevy Chase restaurant closes in Lexington.

February 19, 2019 12:19 PM

Kentucky students need border wall before a new middle school, Sen. Lindsey Graham says.

February 18, 2019 11:41 AM

Two killed in Interstate 64 collision in Frankfort

February 18, 2019 11:01 AM

Read Next

KHSAA: Changes to Kentucky high school football playoff format will move forward

High School Football

KHSAA: Changes to Kentucky high school football playoff format will move forward

By Josh Moore

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 19, 2019 11:21 AM

The KHSAA chose to keep in place changes to the high school football format it approved in January on February 19, 2019.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

High school golf regions, state advancement procedure adjusted

High School Sports

High school golf regions, state advancement procedure adjusted

February 19, 2019 12:18 PM
Who Josh Moore cast his Mr. and Miss Basketball votes for — and why they might not win

High School Basketball

Who Josh Moore cast his Mr. and Miss Basketball votes for — and why they might not win

February 19, 2019 08:10 AM
Media favors new boys’ team in final HS basketball polls of the 2018-19 season

High School Basketball

Media favors new boys’ team in final HS basketball polls of the 2018-19 season

February 18, 2019 02:18 PM
Kentucky’s HS basketball playoffs start Monday. Here are 64 facts to get you ready.

High School Basketball

Kentucky’s HS basketball playoffs start Monday. Here are 64 facts to get you ready.

February 18, 2019 08:39 AM
Lexington district preview: State’s No. 1 teams begin hunt, city scoring record in play

High School Basketball

Lexington district preview: State’s No. 1 teams begin hunt, city scoring record in play

February 18, 2019 08:37 AM
Vote for the Kentucky.com Boys’ Basketball Player of the Week (Feb. 10-16, 2019)

High School Basketball

Vote for the Kentucky.com Boys’ Basketball Player of the Week (Feb. 10-16, 2019)

February 17, 2019 09:57 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Lexington Herald Leader App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Local Deals
  • Digital Solutions
  • Media Kit
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story