Kentucky's 'Sweet 16'...It Works

 
I attended my first Kentucky Sweet 16 on Wednesday. The atmosphere was indescribable. Saw Lyon County win their first game. All time leading scorer in the state playing for his dad. Lyon County has three homegrown D1 players. Another team in the tournament Evangel Christian has an enrollment of 37. It is truly the greatest show in high school hoops. I will be attending every year from now on, especially with Ohio going to 7 watered down division. Ohio everyone gets a trophy, while KY crowns one true state champion. They don't complain about enrollment or unfair advantages. They don't think everyone has a right to compete for a state championship. It is earned in KY. It blows Ohio out of the water. Imagine Richmond Heights vs Alter or Lutheran East vs Centerville. It happens in KY.
 
PeterDragon said:
I attended my first Kentucky Sweet 16 on Wednesday. The atmosphere was indescribable. Saw Lyon County win their first game. All time leading scorer in the state playing for his dad. Lyon County has three homegrown D1 players. Another team in the tournament Evangel Christian has an enrollment of 37. It is truly the greatest show in high school hoops. I will be attending every year from now on, especially with Ohio going to 7 watered down division. Ohio everyone gets a trophy, while KY crowns one true state champion. They don't complain about enrollment or unfair advantages. They don't think everyone has a right to compete for a state championship. It is earned in KY. It blows Ohio out of the water. Imagine Richmond Heights vs Alter or Lutheran East vs Centerville. It happens in KY.
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If we are waving the white flag of trying to preserve the old way it was, then yes, we may as well go to one division and one champion. Nobody would care who won the game then, kind if like now.
 
PeterDragon said:
I attended my first Kentucky Sweet 16 on Wednesday. The atmosphere was indescribable. Saw Lyon County win their first game. All time leading scorer in the state playing for his dad. Lyon County has three homegrown D1 players. Another team in the tournament Evangel Christian has an enrollment of 37. It is truly the greatest show in high school hoops. I will be attending every year from now on, especially with Ohio going to 7 watered down division. Ohio everyone gets a trophy, while KY crowns one true state champion. They don't complain about enrollment or unfair advantages. They don't think everyone has a right to compete for a state championship. It is earned in KY. It blows Ohio out of the water. Imagine Richmond Heights vs Alter or Lutheran East vs Centerville. It happens in KY.
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There also had 14 of the 16 teams being public schools. That would never come close to happening if Ohio used a 1 class tourney.....and today showed you what the attendance would be like for a lot of the games if you had more Lutheran East - Harvest Prep type of matchups. Nobody is interested in seeing that
 
D4fan said:
If we are waving the white flag of trying to preserve the old way it was, then yes, we may as well go to one division and one champion. Nobody would care who won the game then, kind if like now.
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How many will care next year when you have 7 state champions? It really caught my eye attending the KY games of how much more we complain in Ohio. We complain about the location, the attendance, we complain about the refs ( way more than KY fans at the games I attended) we complain its not fair, that everyone can't compete for a championship. The term competitive balance doesn't exist in KY because they are already teaching their kids that live isn't fair, and not everyone can win their last game. Every coach that lost at the Sweet 16 gave credit to the other team and said it was an accomplishment to make it this far. They weren't calling for competitive balance. A championship means more down there. Not what we saw in D3 and D4 yesterday. Nobody cared and the apathy will be worse next year with 7 divisions and semi finals spread throughout the state.
 
PeterDragon said:
How many will care next year when you have 7 state champions? It really caught my eye attending the KY games of how much more we complain in Ohio. We complain about the location, the attendance, we complain about the refs ( way more than KY fans at the games I attended) we complain its not fair, that everyone can't compete for a championship. The term competitive balance doesn't exist in KY because they are already teaching their kids that live isn't fair, and not everyone can win their last game. Every coach that lost at the Sweet 16 gave credit to the other team and said it was an accomplishment to make it this far. They weren't calling for competitive balance. A championship means more down there. Not what we saw in D3 and D4 yesterday. Nobody cared and the apathy will be worse next year with 7 divisions and semi finals spread throughout the state.
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Totally agree the apathy will be worse. My traditional mind is not accepting (or intrested) in what has became the state championship for basketball. I still hate the three point line, let alone all the transferring issues. My time is past, I enjoyed the game of the past. Once the shot clock arrives, which it will, small rural school basketball will be further destroyed.

Here is where I will agree with you. If we are going to say this program building stuff is the way of the future, then yes, one ultimate champion makes sense. There is very little disparity between the four state champions, even if the one is a public school. Get them all together and find out who really was the best recruiter?
 
You also need to mention that Kentucky also runs what they call the "A" Tournament in January for the smaller schools to have a "small school" Championship. All of these teams also are elgible for the regular tournament.
 
Dragon72 said:
You also need to mention that Kentucky also runs what they call the "A" Tournament in January for the smaller schools to have a "small school" Championship. All of these teams also are elgible for the regular tournament.
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How does that A tournament run in January?
 
Identical to the March Tournament. 16 Regions in Kentucky - Each Region will send a champion of their smaller schools (they have a tournament in each Region). Kentucky does allow their teams to play more games then Ohio schools that allows that format. Almost all Ohio schools belong to leagues or conferences but for the most part, Kentucky schools don't.
 
Talk some sense said:
Why not have a tournament among the class champions in Ohio the following weekend?
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Indiana did a "Tournament of Champions" for the first few years after the state went to class basketball, but it never really caught on. Rhode island, of all places, crowns their various state champions and then the winner & runner-up in each division play in a tournament the following week to crown an overall champion.
 
PeterDragon said:
How many will care next year when you have 7 state champions? It really caught my eye attending the KY games of how much more we complain in Ohio. We complain about the location, the attendance, we complain about the refs ( way more than KY fans at the games I attended) we complain its not fair, that everyone can't compete for a championship. The term competitive balance doesn't exist in KY because they are already teaching their kids that live isn't fair, and not everyone can win their last game. Every coach that lost at the Sweet 16 gave credit to the other team and said it was an accomplishment to make it this far. They weren't calling for competitive balance. A championship means more down there. Not what we saw in D3 and D4 yesterday. Nobody cared and the apathy will be worse next year with 7 divisions and semi finals spread throughout the state.
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Man can I like this more Than once!
 
Another thing about Kentucky that you must consider is there are a lot less High Schools in the state. A number of counties in the state have only one or two high schools. I live across the river from Greenup and Boyd Counties. Greenup has 3 high schools (no private schools) and Boyd also has 3 high schools. Lewis County and Mason County are within an hour from me and they have one public school in each county with one private school in Maysville.
 
Stirred not Shaken said:
Lyon County Ky. has a population of 8000, Russia, Ohio has a population of 700. Big difference.
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Dragon72 said:
Another thing about Kentucky that you must consider is there are a lot less High Schools in the state. A number of counties in the state have only one or two high schools. I live across the river from Greenup and Boyd Counties. Greenup has 3 high schools (no private schools) and Boyd also has 3 high schools. Lewis County and Mason County are within an hour from me and they have one public school in each county with one private school in Maysville.
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I believe Kentucky has 350 high schools as opposed to 750 something in Ohio. It does make it easier to have a single class state tournament. Also in the district tournament in KY they take the top 2 from each district, the runner up advances to the Regional tournament as well. Two schools that lost their district championship games beat the teams they lost to in the Regional championship to advance to the Sweet 16. Not a big fan of that, but it is necessary to make the math work. Overall Kentucky has won over this lifelong Ohio high school hoops fan. I will be in Lexington next March instead of Dayton.
 
PeterDragon said:
I believe Kentucky has 350 high schools as opposed to 750 something in Ohio. It does make it easier to have a single class state tournament. Also in the district tournament in KY they take the top 2 from each district, the runner up advances to the Regional tournament as well. Two schools that lost their district championship games beat the teams they lost to in the Regional championship to advance to the Sweet 16. Not a big fan of that, but it is necessary to make the math work. Overall Kentucky has won over this lifelong Ohio high school hoops fan. I will be in Lexington next March instead of Dayton.
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Kentucky had 274 schools playing boys basketball last year with total participation of 6,739
Ohio had 808 schools playing boys basketball last year with total participation of 29,088

The comparison is styrofoam apples to honeyscrisp apples.

That said, the Sweet 16 is as good is it gets. Kentucky is nuts about their basketball.
 
PeterDragon said:
I read 277 was their total enrollment.
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I went to down to the Saturday morning semi final games and it really is a very good level of play. The officials do a solid job and the crowds were large. I had a Niece that played in the Sweet 16 a few years back so I have kind of become hooked on the one class system. The KHSAA does a good job with the All A Classic in January as well.
 
LouHoltz said:
I went to down to the Saturday morning semi final games and it really is a very good level of play. The officials do a solid job and the crowds were large. I had a Niece that played in the Sweet 16 a few years back so I have kind of become hooked on the one class system. The KHSAA does a good job with the All A Classic in January as well.
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I skipped the Alter game at UD Saturday morning to watch Lyon County and Great Crossing. Lyon did a great job shutting down Moreno and Godfrey. I didn't think anyone was going to beat Great Crossing. I enjoyed watching Travis Perry run circles around the defense dribbling out the clock at the end. I am definitely hooked on the Sweet 16 and will be back every year.

Small sample size but it seems like Kentucky fans don't berate the officials after every single call that goes against their team. The fan bases at UD were kind of embarrassing compared to Rupp. Ohio fans should be embarrassed but they can't see the forest through the trees.
 
PeterDragon said:
Small sample size but it seems like Kentucky fans don't berate the officials after every single call that goes against their team. The fan bases at UD were kind of embarrassing compared to Rupp. Ohio fans should be embarrassed but they can't see the forest through the trees.
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Kentucky fans are worse than Ohio when it comes to officiating gripes.

Believe me, they take it to a personal level.
 
Reed Sheppard starting guard at UK played in 7th grade for his high school That's how he scored 4000 pts in HS
 
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