The girls Sweet 16 champion in Kentucky was to be crowned on Sunday afternoon. The boys Sweet 16 was due to start on Wednesday.
Depressing, I know.
But due to the Corona Virus outbreak, none of that will be happening anytime soon.
What we can do now is look forward to what’s ahead as the 2019-20 basketball season has most likely been put to a close, or at least a temporary halt for the time being.
How about a look into the 2020-21 season and who may be able to knock George Rogers Clark off the throne on the hardwood? I’ll do boys’ today and girls’ in Wednesday’s paper. The All-Area teams will come out on Thursday and Friday, so while there’s no games to keep track of, I’ll do my best to provide content to fill the gap.
Here’s how I’d rank the 10th Region if the 2020-21 season were to start today:
(Keep in mind with transfers and whatever else may happen between now and October 15 when it’s time to roll the ball out again, anything can happen and things could change for some teams.)
1. George Rogers Clark — Lincoln Bush and KJ Rucker will be gone, but Jerone Morton and Jared Wellman will be back. Two guys that can fill it up on any given night and assume will have more opportunity to do so next season. Some other pieces that had their moments off the bench include Trent Edwards, Reed Johnson and Sammy Hernandez as the Cardinals return seven of their top 10. Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd is a returning starter as well. The talent is still there for the Cardinals to come out of the 10th for another year.
2. Montgomery County — Two names…Hagan Harrison and Rickey Lovette. In my opinion, two of the most talented players in the region returning. Those two mixed in with Brandon Dyer’s shot-making ability will make the Indians one tough out next season. Of their top nine rotational players, six of them are back. I’ve flipped back and forth on putting Montgomery or GRC No. 1, but I’ll take the Cardinals for now.
3. Robertson County — The Black Devils will have one of the most talented starting five’s in the region led by Justin Becker and a variety of weapons to go with him that include Brandon Dice, Sebastian Dixon, Eli Dotson and Tanner Horn. Ross Becker is a big loss due to his determination and hustle and depth will be a question, but the talent is there for Robertson to pull off something special next season.
4. Campbell County — This is where I feel like the rest of the region is a lot like last year. There were two favorites all season and then teams three through seven were capable of beating anybody, or losing to anyone in the region on any given night. The Camels start that next crop of teams for the upcoming season with three of their top four scorers returning in Dane Hegyi, Aydan Hamilton and Garrett Beiting back. Jordan Gross is a major loss, but with those three back in the fold, the Camels can get back to making noise in the 10th.
5. Scott — Many expected a transition year for the Eagles after they graduated a ton and their 6-22 record showed it. But the good news is Grant Profitt, Kyle Huelsman and Cameron Patterson are back in what should be a much improved Scott team. Those three accounted for over 75 percent of the Eagles offense and a tough schedule in 2019-20 should have them well prepared for the upcoming season.
6. Mason County — Losing seven seniors, many will expect a dropoff in Maysville. But usually as is the case at Mason County, reinforcements are coming. The Royals have a budding superstar in Terrell Henry, lightning quick guards in Anwar Perry and Mason Butler while Nate Mitchell and Trey Walker should also be some pieces to look for in 2020-21. The Royals identity next year should be a fun one with a plethora of guards and a foundation piece in Henry.
7. Bishop Brossart —Carson Schirmer and Stephen Verst return off a very successful season for the Mustangs, but Ethan Eilerman is a big loss. David Govan should help with some of the interior play that Eilerman possesses. The Mustangs will still be a tough out in the 37th District and will be up there with Robertson County as one of the favorites to win the 10th Region All “A” title next season.
8. Bracken County — Reed it right. Blake Reed and Cayden Reed will be a terrifying backcourt for the next four seasons and might be ready to start taking the jump towards the top of the region in 2020-21. Pieces like Garrett Reynolds, Nathan Jefferson, Charlie Schultz and Devante Jefferson will help the matter as the Polar Bears are a legitimate threat to at least break their 39th District Championship drought in 2020-21.
9. Bourbon County — This is where I feel teams nine through 13 could all be thrown into a hat and change positions. Call it the next tier of teams or whatever, but all three are similar in what they lose and what they have coming back. A total of 10 seniors will need to be replaced for the Colonels, Jack Huckabay and Parker Estes the only returning players with legitimate playing time. While they were the bullseye in 2019-20, it’s looking like a transition year for Bourbon County, why the early exit this past season might sting even more when looking at the immediate future.
10. Paris — Ricqiece Washington returns after leading the team in scoring last year with Cameron Lilly and Jakari Ransom also back in the mix of main rotation players. The Greyhounds didn’t go very deep last year, seven players playing in at least 24 of their games, four of those graduating. It will be another tough year for the Greyhounds to get out of the 40th, but they’ll definitely be a threat in the 10th Region All “A” Classic.
11. Pendleton County — Another top player in the region is back as Tredyn Thomas returns for his senior season. Thomas will be the centerpiece, around him is where the questions lie as Brett Booth and Clay Monroe will be gone. A deep rotation the Wildcats utilized should help with the experience factor, 11 players getting at least 20 games of action, Booth, Monroe and Seth Gregg the only seniors out of that mix.
12. Harrison County — We’ll soon see what the implications of the Thorobreds winning an eighth grade state championship last season means. There’s talent, whether that means immediate help remains to be seen. Clay Carpenter returns as the lone player with double-digit points to be back and the Thorobreds went 5-25 last season. I’m expecting an improvement, how much will be interesting.
13. Augusta — Replacing three seniors at any school isn’t easy, it’s even tougher at a small school at Augusta. Preston Philpot, Sam Appelman and Cameron White are three pieces that will be tough to replace for the Panthers and they’ll most likely have to turn to the youth to do so. Kason Hinson is the centerpiece, entering his junior year, Chase Archibald another nice piece to build with, but elsewhere is where the question lies. Conner Snapp, Kylan Hinson, Evan Brooks, Carter McClanahan, Joseph Mains and Will Kelsch will be a group of players needing to take big steps next season.
14. Nicholas County — They’ll lose an All-Region player in Morgan Planck and second leading scorer Noah Gritton, but return virtually everything else. Two of their five wins came against St. Patrick, the others Bracken County, Frankfort Christian and Rose Hill Christian. I fully expect coach John Michael Reitz to turn things around, but they might have to take some more lumps in order to do so.
15. St. Patrick — I still think the Saints enter 2020-21 a year away from being a legitimate threat in the 39th District. But Jaylan Rigdon will be a freshman, Chase Walton and Donnie Bandalon will have a full year of varsity experience under their belt and LJ Connor will also be more experienced. It’s time for them to take a step out of the cellar in the 10th and will be more competitive and could turn in an upset or two. They’ve gone from one win to five wins over the last two seasons, can they bump it to 10?
16. Calvary Christian — Four of the top five Cougars are graduating and that’s roughly 80 percent of their offense to go with it. Calvary has won at least 15 games in each of the last five seasons, they’ll be hard pressed to achieve that number again in 2020-21.
