[Stardust]

On vacation in Fort Myers, Fla., Allen Feldhaus Jr. was informed that he had been named The Courier-Journal’s Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year.

But neither a sunny locale nor an award could help him forget about the disappointing finish to his season.

“I’d trade it all to have won that 11th Region Tournament,” he said. “It just ended on a sour note. … It was a bad time to lay an egg.”

Feldhaus led Madison Central High School to a 31-2 record — a school record for victories — and a 44th District championship. But the season ended March 3 with a 60-55 loss to Woodford County in the 11th Region semifinals.

Madison Central had defeated Woodford County 72-61 earlier in the season.

“We just didn’t have the defensive intensity we’d had over the course of the year,” Feldhaus said. “And (Woodford County) was ready for us.”

The loss didn’t hurt him in the Coach of the Year process, as he received 28 votes from the 98 coaches from around the state who participated.

Mike Szabo, who led Trinity to its first state championship, finished second with 20 votes. Clark County’s Scott Humphrey was third with 15, and Simon Kenton’s Trent Steiner was fourth with 10.

“It’s an honor because it’s voted on by my fellow coaches,” Feldhaus said. “I take pride in getting along with all the other coaches, so that’s what makes it special.”

Feldhaus’ Indians were the state’s last undefeated team after jumping to a 22-0 record, including championships in the U.S. Bank Mike Murphy Classic at Mason County and the Gateway Holiday Tournament at Montgomery County.

But the highlight of the streak was a 78-77 victory over Trinity on Jan. 21 in the Joe B. Hall Classic at Montgomery County. It was Trinity’s only loss to a Kentucky opponent.

“We played as well as we possibly could,” Feldhaus said, “and we still won by just one point on a freak call at the end of the game.”

Madison Central prospered behind the play of guards Dominique Hawkins (19.6 ppg) and Ken-Jah Bosley (13.8) and forward Quan Taylor (12.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg), all juniors who will make the Indians a top contender for the 11th Region crown next season.“Hopefully, the way this season ended will be a good lesson for our guys coming back,” Feldhaus said.

The 49-year-old coach holds a 384-196 record in 19 seasons at Madison Central and is 477-293 overall, having coached two years at Clinton County and five at Green County before taking the Madison Central job. He played basketball at Mason County and Eastern Kentucky.

He comes from a family full of coaches. His father, Allen Feldhaus Sr., won a total of 455 games at Mason County, Russell County and Green County and was The C-J’s Coach of the Year at Mason County in 1982 and ’86. His brother, Willie, is the athletic director and boys’ basketball coach at Russell County.

Younger brother Deron, a member of the University of Kentucky’s “Unforgettables” basketball team in 1991-92, was the only onewho didn’t go into coaching. He helps Allen Sr. run the Kenton Station Golf Course in Maysville.

Allen Jr. said he always knew he wanted to coach.

“My dad had a golf course to fall back on, but I don’t have a golf course to fall back on,” he said. “I still love it. I don’t know what else I would do, what else I could do if it wasn’t teaching and coaching basketball.”

[Stardust]

[Image: http://cmsimg.highschoolsports.net/apps/...0&Border=0]

[Stardust]

COURIER-JOURNAL BOYS' BASKETBALL COACHES OF THE YEAR

1946 — Bobby Laughlin, Breckinridge Training; 1947 — Earle Jones, Maysville; 1948 — McCoy Tarry, Brewers; 1949 — Letcher Norton, Clark County; 1950 — Ralph Carlisle, Lafayette.
1951 — Dale Barnstable, Manual; 1952 — Norton, Clark County; 1953 — George Conley, Ashland; 1954 — Delmas Gish, Central City; 1955 — John Burr, Adair County; 1956 — Bill Carter, Heath; 1957 — John Bill Trivette, Pikeville; 1958 — Norton, Clark County; 1959 — Charlie Lampley, North Marshall.
1960 — Jim Morris, Flaget; 1961 — Bob Wright, Ashland; 1962 — Elmer “Baldy” Gilb, Henry Clay; 1963 — Morton Combs, Carr Creek; 1964 — Gene Rhodes, Male; 1965 — Bill Harrell, Shelby County; 1966 — Harrell, Shelby County; 1967 — Bob Fox, Earlington; 1968 — Jim Richards, Glasgow; 1969 — Bob Graves, Louisville Central.
1970 — Gary Schaffer, Pleasure Ridge Park; 1971 — Jack Upchurch, Anderson County; 1972 — Ray Vencil, Elizabethtown; 1973 — Bob Barlow, Bryan Station; 1974 — Graves, Central; 1975 — Wade Houston, Male; 1976 — Richard Schmidt, Ballard; 1977 — Schmidt, Ballard; 1978 — Wayne Chapman, Apollo; 1979 — Charles “Jock” Sutherland, Lafayette.
1980 — Bobby Watson, Owensboro; 1981 — Barlow, Bryan Station; 1982 — Allen Feldhaus Sr., Mason County; 1983 — Craynor Slone, Carlisle County; 1984 — Gerald Sinclair, Logan County; 1985 — Glenn Collie, Seneca; 1986 — Feldhaus Sr., Mason County; 1987 — Bobby Keith, Clay County; 1988 — Keith, Clay County; 1989 — Keith, Clay County.
1990 — Gary French, Elizabethtown; 1991 — Nolan Barger, Tates Creek; 1992 — Danny Haney, Lexington Catholic; 1993 — Tim Davis, Marion County; 1994 — Billy Hicks, Corbin; 1995 — Gary Moore, Franklin County; 1996 — Curtis Turley, Greenwood; 1997 — Haney, Lexington Catholic; 1998 — Haney, Lexington Catholic; 1999 — Ernie Simpson, Bowling Green.
2000 — Jimmy Just, Iroquois; 2001 — Bryce Hibbard, Male; 2002 — Rodney Woods, Wayne County; 2003 — Kelly Wells, Mason County; 2004 — Wells, Mason County; 2005 — Mike Szabo, Trinity; 2006 — Buddy Biggs, Pendleton County; 2007 — Billy Hicks, Scott County; 2008 — Champ Ligon Jr., Bryan Station; 2009 — Jason Booher, Shelby Valley; 2010 — Szabo, Trinity; 2011 — Wayne Breeden, Tates Creek

[Ellie328]

Excellent choice, very deserving!

[Gold Charger]

Glad to see Coach Humphrey get some votes. What he did with this group this year is amazing. Ranked pre-season 6th in the 10th region and made the elite 8 in the state tourney with only 1 starter returning.