One of the biggest AAU events of the summer is taking place on the Campus of UC this week. There are teams from all over the country playing in it, but there are several local kids trying to make their impression on the college coaches in attendance. Here's some notes on the NKy kids that played in the event:
The one team I watched was the KY Players. This team is made up mostly of Covington kids and most notably members of the Holmes' State Champion team from last season. The Players got pounded in both games, but it was somewhat expected considering they haven't played in any national tournaments yet this AAU season. Here's the notes on those Holmes' players:
Ricardo Johnson- Ricardo's arms have gotten noticeably bigger since the high school season. He finished strong at the rim on a few different occasions resulting in And-ones. He also ran the point position a fair amount, which Holmes' fans will find interesting since they don't know who their PG will be next season.
Jeremiah Johnson- Jeremiah played a lot like the "glue" guy he always seems to be... He ripped down rebounds, played great defense, and got assists. However, he also in the second half of both games took over offensively in the free-for-all offense that their team runs. He was the best out of the three. I've said this before and it's still true... He WILL help a mid-major program out.
Elijah Pittman- Elijah was somewhat of a disappointment. He looked out of shape... struggling to get up and down the floor at times. He didn't show an improved aggressiveness on the inside, still floated around the perimeter, and settled for jumpshots. He did show flashes of major talent, but he has to become more consistent.
Willie Slusher- Willie Slusher unfortunately didn't get hardly any playing time. I was upset because I expect a breakout year out of Willie and was hoping to see how he's progressed since the high school season. Holmes will need some production from him this season.
The other team I watched with NKy kids on it was the NKy Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are made up of kids from Conner, Boone, St. Henry, Highlands, Ryle and Dixie.
Tyler Hodges- a 6-foot-7 forward at Conner, has improved his offensive game a lot. He was very aggressive on the offensive end finishing in traffic and getting second chance buckets. He blocked several shots on the defensive end and was a shot-changing presence on the inside.
Matt Trammel- The Dixie guard played a great game scoring 14 points. The 5-foot-9 point guard shot the ball well from the outside, was very poised against a press, and showed great maturity with his decision-making. He also hit four straight free throws in the last minute to ice the game for his team.
Zach Barnett- The St. Henry guard, who I've heard is playing hot, also had 14 points in the game. Zach shot the ball very well and fought hard on the defensive end to make up for his lack of size at 5-foot-9.
Travis Montgomery- The Boone guard has been a nice pickup for this team. The 6-foot-3 guard had a nice game scoring 12 points and doing a lot of the dirty work for the Bulldogs. He had a lot of rebounds and played well on the defensive end as well.
Zack Stewart- a 6-foot-5 forward, had some nice blocks and rebounds throughout the game. He was pretty active which is a good sign for Highlands fans as he will provide a lot of solid minutes and production on the inside next year.
Jacob Flesch- Coach Nick Dorning also told me that Jacob Flesch has really been playing well as of late. Jacob is a 5-foot-11 guard at Conner High School.
Talk about these kids on the message boards for FREE:
The 275 Loop