[Wildcat18]

I have to disagree. This is the ONE tournament on everybody's schedule that matters more than the rest. It's known that this is the one tournament that counts. We've won other tourneys at KBA this year, but you know which one our team wanted and worked hard for all season? This one. First day of practice, coaches make it known that this is the goal. A team can go into State and have 4 or 5 losses on the season, and if they win it, you don't remember those other losses. The best of the best DO enter it...and the best of the best mostly make it to the final day of competition. I'd like to know of a top 10 team at the 7th grade level in this state that didn't enter.

[mchs78]

I have to disagree. This is the ONE tournament on everybody's schedule that matters more than the rest. It's known that this is the one tournament that counts. We've won other tourneys at KBA this year, but you know which one our team wanted and worked hard for all season? This one. First day of practice, coaches make it known that this is the goal. A team can go into State and have 4 or 5 losses on the season, and if they win it, you don't remember those other losses. The best of the best DO enter it...and the best of the best mostly make it to the final day of competition. I'd like to know of a top 10 team at the 7th grade level in this state that didn't enter.

7th grade and we have a "TOP 10". Is this the AP or Dave Cantrell? Or could it be USA Today? Again, have some qualifying rounds building up to the championship and I will consider it a State Championship. Until then it is nothing more than a large tournament of teams that enter.

[Wildcat18]

There is no official top 10. It's ones opinion. I think by observing and following teams/games all year, you can collect a pretty accurate "top 10." I think it's safe to say that there are a good solid 8 or 10 school teams in this state that can compete at an elite level. Not necessarily in order, just a general idea. That's all I'm saying. As for you all having a 7th grade "top 10" team, how do you judge that if you don't compete at the highest level...against the best of the best? What goals do you have at the beginning of the season? Just doesn't seem like your view is helping the kids out the most. Maybe we just have 2 different views. That's ok.

[mchs78]

Our goals are simple. Winning our division and winning our conference are numbers 1 and 2. These are games that you cannot just enter. You must qualify. And then try to win all other games we play in. Our next goals are to prepare our athletes to move onto the high school level. We are part of a "program", not just a team. My job as a Coach is to start feeding our players the parts that they can handle, spoonfuls at a time. And lastly, my goal as a Coach is to teach each player how to be a better person. We have posted John Wooden's quote in our locker room, "What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player." This goal I might not realize in the near future, but I hope I achieve it with every player I come into contact with. To this day, every time I see him, I still let my middle school (Jr. High then) Coach know how much he molded my life.

[Wildcat18]

Our goals are very similar. We have the state championship in there following the accomplishment of conference wins. Do you have an actual conference tournament at the end of the season or is it just regular season games? We play up to almost 50 games per season. Tournaments every other weekend (a lot at KBA to get used to the courts & rims) on average to prepare for the state tournament. We're fortunate to have good parents who enjoy traveling to play. Our high school coach actually attends our games regularly and is very pleased about his future players. Wooden has a lot of good motivational quotes to use. Tony Dungy has some good ones also if you're into football.

[mchs78]

Our goals are very similar. We have the state championship in there following the accomplishment of conference wins. Do you have an actual conference tournament at the end of the season or is it just regular season games? We play up to almost 50 games per season. Tournaments every other weekend (a lot at KBA to get used to the courts & rims) on average to prepare for the state tournament. We're fortunate to have good parents who enjoy traveling to play. Our high school coach actually attends our games regularly and is very pleased about his future players. Wooden has a lot of good motivational quotes to use. Tony Dungy has some good ones also if you're into football.

We just won our Southern Division and are preparing for the conference championship next week. We finished division play 16-0. I think our 7th grade is 30-2 right now. I work primarily with our eighth grade. We are co-champions(13-3) of our division RIGHT NOW! We are hoping for some help in a snow makeup game that will give us the championship.
The coach that I had growing up from 6th-11th grades taught "life lessons". I try to do the same.
Good luck to your team. May both our teams leave the courts as "better people".

[southernky]

I was a middle school coach for years and we centered our season around the KBA Middle School State Championship. We played against the best competition we could find, not just those schools in our conference which we completely dominated. It seems to me you are limiting the development of your players by only concentrating on beating the teams in your area. We went out and played an AAU schedule with our school team after middle school was over to increase the level of competition. To be the best you must beat the best. We have produced a long list of excellent students and athletes that appreciate getting to play against the best. We teach or young people to be the best they can be as a person, student, and athlete. To get to the point, the KBA State Tournament is the State Championship for most schools in the state and only a few fail to take advantage of the opportunity to play against the best and see where they stand. I consider the winner the state champion and most of the other middle school coaches I know do as well.

[Krunch_Tyme]

Barren forfeited due to their conference tournament being the same weekend. The 8th grade coach decided he was going to take the 7th grade team to KBA and try his luck in the state tourney. Once at KBA Barren felt their chances of winning the conference tournament back home was more attainable than the state tourney and they where right they won their conference tournament. A real class act right there I tell ya!

[Wildcat18]

We play a lot of AAU tournaments also. They usually bring better competition than other school teams. It's always fun to drill the local school teams by 20 or 30 because of the rivalries, but it's good for the kids to have games when their backs are against the wall against teams bigger, stronger, and as fast as them.

[tackle99]

Barren went to KBA to play in case the SKMAC tournament was snowed out. The snow did not make it and the Adminstration told the coach they had to play in the conference tour. no if and or buts. The kids wanted to play at KBA aganst better competion they did not pick because they were afraid of getting beat. They would have liked to play the best teams in the state and lose than play in their conference tour. and win.

[HoopsGuru]

I am surprised Mercer Co. 7th didn't enter. They had a nice 7th grade team.

[Wildcat18]

What kind of conference would have their tournament on the same weekend as the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP? You can tell your Administration that Barren would have walked to the Final 4 blindfolded in the weak region they were placed in with 2 BYE games because of forfeits.

[ky wildcats]

What kind of conference would have their tournament on the same weekend as the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP? You can tell your Administration that Barren would have walked to the Final 4 blindfolded in the weak region they were placed in with 2 BYE games because of forfeits.

The 16th region ovc, and i agree with you. They shouldnt have it the same time.

[16BBall Fan]

The 16th region ovc, and i agree with you. They shouldnt have it the same time.

The OVC will schedule around the state if teams want to go play in it it has before when Rose Hill had good teams no one wanted to this year. No teams wanted to play this year if they did they did not raise the issue at the conference planning meeting to set up the conference tournament. Which by the way is set by schools involved in the conference. Elliott's 7th grade entered it but when they lost a game in the conference they decided not to go and played on Sat. Most schools in the OVC take their 8th grade teams which I know 3 teams did this year (Elliott, Mason and Raceland)

[Gridiron Dad]

Barren Co is in the Southern Ky MS conference...wouldn't move the conference tourney

[excavatordawg32]

Add Lawrence county to that list

[excavatordawg32]

how did LC do in Beckley?