Top 10: The 11th Region’s best boys’ basketball teams for the 2020-21 season
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2020-21 High School Basketball Preview
The Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com is publishing season preview stories leading up to the start of the 2020-21 high school basketball season on Monday, Jan. 4. You can read everything we’ve published to this point by clicking on this drop-down list. All of the stories are also available in our print editions.
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The team that won last season’s 11th Region boys’ basketball tournament entered postseason play with a .500 record and a two-game losing streak.
And while talent, tradition and heart certainly played a huge part in Scott County’s unforgettable rally, the Cardinals’ heroics also turned on the fact that 11th Region basketball is not for the faint of heart.
“It’s a crapshoot,” said Lexington Catholic Coach Brandon Salsman, whose Knights fell victim to Scott County in the region finals last season. “There’s probably nine or 10 teams that could go win any other region of the state, and only one of us is going to come out of it. But we’re all kind of used to it by now. It’s exciting for the fans, hell for the coaches.”
Here’s a breakdown of the 11th Region’s best teams and how they rated, according to our Herald-Leader preseason coaches’ survey which asked them to rank their preseason top 10.
1. Lexington Catholic
Lexington Catholic (31-3 last season) appears to be the favorite to take the title this time around and with it a bid to the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16. Of the 17 coaches who voted, 15 of them put LexCath No. 1.
“That and a $1.50 will get you a Diet Coke,” Salsman joked when told how the Herald-Leader’s preseason survey came out.
But the Knights have a lot of reasons to like their chances, beginning with one of the state’s Mr. Basketball favorites, Ben Johnson, a 6-foot-3 guard who will go down in LexCath history as one of its most prolific scorers.
“Some of the things he did as a junior were just unbelievable and a lot of people have asked me if I think he can duplicate it and the answer is yes, very easily,” Salsman said. “I think he’ll do more this year, which, I think, is probably scary for a lot of coaches out there. … That’s not to say we won’t lose or he won’t have a bad game, but I think he’s gonna have an unbelievable year and I think he’s gonna be the first Mr. Basketball from Lexington Catholic.”
The Knights also return starters Ryan Russell and Jack Gohmann. Gohmann, a 6-5 junior, comes off a confidence-building football season as the Knights’ starting quarterback. He ranked as one of the top passers in the state and led his team to a 5-3 record.
““We’re excited to get him going,” Salsman said. “He’s as dedicated to basketball as he is to football and he’s a kid that could definitely play on the next level in multiple sports.”
Lexington Catholic will begin this campaign with more unproven players than a year ago, so there might be some rough patches early as the team tries to meld during a pandemic-shortened season.
“We’‘re going to be dependent upon some young, inexperienced guys. And you know, truthfully, when you look at our roster, Ben and Jack and Ryan are about the only guys that really have had any experience. So, it’s going to take a little bit of time. … We’re excited. We hope we can duplicate what we did last year plus, add a couple more games at the end.”
2. Madison Central
The Indians won the 44th District with a 14-18 record and return 95 percent of their scoring, according to Coach Allen Feldhaus, whose squad split the other two No. 1 coaches’ votes with Frederick Douglass.
Seniors and leading scorers Kole Brown (17.7 points) and Braeden Ray (14.3 points) were each picked among the Herald-Leader’s 11 in the 11th top players list. Returners also include a pair of 6-5 sophomores, Trey Skaggs and Jaylen Davis, and 6-3 junior Will Hardin.
“We have the ability to knock down the three from all five positions,” Feldhaus said. “Our guys have really matured physically from last year and hopefully that extra strength will pay off especially on the defensive end. Depth should also be a strength for us this year. We believe that we are definitely in the hunt for a regional title.”
3. Frederick Douglass
The Broncos lost six to graduation from a 21-12 team that rocked the 11th Region basketball landscape with an upset win over Henry Clay in the 43rd District semifinals.
But the returners include DaShawn Jackson, a 6-3 senior guard who ranks among the top players in the state, according to the Herald-Leader’s preseason top 25. He’ll be joined by Khamri McMullen (7.2 points) and a host of others who will need to fill big roles under a new head coach.
Jason Moseley, a Louisville native who came back to Kentucky after a successful coaching stint in the South Carolina high school ranks where he led Rock River to a state finals appearance, likes what he sees from his team in the short time they’ve been together.
“The guys have bought into me. And I’m buying into the guys,” Moseley said. “It’s a great learning process, of course, with the stoppage due to COVID numbers, it’s put a little wrinkle in what we would have liked to have done thus far, but everybody’s had to do that, so you can’t put that as a blame.”
Douglass’s players know they’re supposed to contend this season.
“I think we got a group of kids that are embracing the fact that they’re supposed to be a front runner,” Moseley said. “I don’t think they are going to shy away from it at all. I think they’re enjoying it because some of them have been a part of not so successful teams, and winning the district last year gave them a taste of success that they enjoyed and they’re itching to get back and go further.”
4. Paul Laurence Dunbar
Coach Scott Chalk took his lumps with a young team in a 13-18 season, but by the end of it, the Bulldogs hit their stride, winning eight of their last 11.
“With all the same cast, our expectations will be to compete for district and region titles,” said Chalk, who led Dunbar to a state title in 2016.
Dunbar brings almost everyone back from last season’s squad, including dynamic 6-5 junior guard Tim Hall and 5-10 playmaker Nick Spalding, their two leading scorers.
“He always plays harder than everyone else on the floor at both ends,” Chalk said of Hall, who averaged 15.5 points and six rebounds per game last season.
Of Spalding, Chalk noted “after starting most of his freshman year, he will be one of the top players in the sophomore class.”
5. Scott County
If you’re going to follow a coaching legend, it helps if your team does something legendary. Tim Glenn’s Cardinals (19-16) did just that to win Scott County’s improbable fourth consecutive region title and first in the post-Billy Hicks era.
Scott County returns two starters: 6-4 senior guard/forward Elias Richardson (14.5 points) and 5-10 senior guard Chase Grigsby (6.6 points).
“We have two solid returners that are all-region players along with a strong sixth man from last year (6-3 junior guard Jeremy Hamilton) that can help to lead and show these guys the toughness that you must play with during an 11th region schedule,” Glenn said. “Our coaching staff sees this team as being able to really be strong defensively.”
6. Bryan Station
The Defenders graduated two seniors off last year’s 12-18 team. Returners include Herald-Leader 11 player Myles Morones (10.8 points), Trent Grundy (10.9 points) and JMarious Lindsay (8.0 points).
“I think we will have a great season,” Coach Nimbo Hammons said. “This is our third season with almost everyone coming back … Our strength will be our experience and our depth. Last season came to an end rather quickly but hopefully that experience has propelled us mentally to be in the hunt.”
7. Henry Clay
The Blue Devils (24-6 last season) must retool after the departure of standout guard Marques Warrick (Northern Kentucky) and five other seniors.
Stepping up in 2021 is 6-1 junior Kanye Henderson, a Herald-Leader 11 pick, along with 6-2 senior Darik Holman and 6-1 senior Ariel Blackwell.
“Expectations don’t change at Henry Clay, no matter who wears the jersey,” Coach Daniel Brown said.
8. Lexington Christian
The Eagles will be led by 6-2 junior guard Tanner Walton (21.6 points), but he’s the lone returning starter off Ted Hall’s 18-12 team from a year ago.
They’ll get a boost having football standout Xavier Brown back in the lineup after a season off due to injury.
“The team really missed having Brown on the court last year and look forward to the junior leader coming back,” Hall said.
9. Great Crossing
Tye Schureman, a 6-2 junior, is the lone returning starter for the Warhawks (14-17).
“Strength is we have a chance to be deep, but that depth will be very inexperienced,” Coach Steve Page said. “Big concern is losing so much production and not having summer basketball or scrimmages to give some kids some experience.”
10. Tates Creek
Like Henry Clay, the Commodores have some huge roles to fill after the departure of several key contributors. Senior RJ Smith, a 6-0 guard and James McKenzie a 6-7 forward, averaged five points per game last season.
“After graduating seven seniors this team will be very inexperienced and small,” Coach Jarrod Gay said. “We are just as fast as the previous years but our lack of size concerns me.”
Rounding out
The rest in order of votes: Lafayette, Madison Southern, Franklin County, Tates Creek, Frankfort, Model, Western Hills, Sayre, Frankfort Christian.
2020-21 season preview
This is the fifth of eight stories the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com is publishing in the coming days previewing the 2020-21 high school boys’ and girls’ basketball seasons, which are scheduled to tip off Jan. 4.
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 7:46 AM.
