March, 2019
03/26/19 – Clarification on Softball Media Area Rule Change
The KHSAA has received a few inquiries from umpires, media members, and fans about the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rule change in softball regarding the placement of a designated temporary media area in live-ball territory. As the body that writes the playing rules for most high school sports and activities, the NFHS made a rule change in 2019 eliminating the option of designating such an area in softball (Rule 1-1-7; 2-22-4 tables 5-1; 5-1-1o).
As a reminder, this change was covered on slide 33 in the 2019 KHSAA Coaches & Officials Softball Rules Clinic. NFHS Rule 1-1-7 states “Media shall be prohibited from being in live-ball areas. The home team or game management may designate an area for the media in dead-ball territory.” Previously, the rule allowed for temporary media areas to be created in live-ball areas by home game management, however, we […]
Kelly Coleman still the ‘King’ of Kentucky high school basketball
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 22, 2019)
WAYLAND – They came from all over the state, finding their way from Ashland, Bowling Green, Frankfort, Lexington, Louisville, Monticello, Paintsville and Pikeville, winding their way through the mountains of eastern Kentucky on the first full day of spring, so they could be here to welcome Kelly Coleman home from the hospital and to make sure he knew he will forever reign as the king of Kentucky high school basketball.
“King” Kelly Coleman is 80 now and fighting health issues, but his blue eyes are still clear and piercing; he still has the bearing of a man who demands respect, and his accomplishments from six decades ago still amaze.
That’s why more than 40 people, including three of Coleman’s fellow Mr. Basketball winners, a Miss Basketball, an Olympian, and a collection of distinguished coaches, gathered at the Wayland Historical Community Center (and its Mountain Sports Hall of Fame) on […]
03/19/19 – Softball Postseason Semi-State Rotation
The KHSAA wanted to send a few reminders and updates to Softball Coaches now that the season has started:
SEMI-STATE ROTATIONS/SITES
The rotation grid for the Semi-State Round of the Softball Postseason was published on the KHSAA website recently. To view, please use the link below:
https://khsaa.org/softball-semi-state-region-pairings-and-rotation/
Sites for Semi-State games are being finalized by the KHSAA and will be released once confirmed as the KHSAA Board of Control desires for these contests to be conducted on collegiate facilities.
– KHSAA –
The KHSAA staff routinely publishes blog posts to better communicate with its various constituencies and the public. For a list of those blogs, go to http://khsaa.org/news-stats-pubs/news-and-information/sports-blogs/
03/19/19 – Pitch Count Submission / Postseason Semi-Site Rotation
A few reminders and updates to Baseball Coaches now that the season has started:
SEMI-STATE ROTATIONS/SITES
The rotation grid for the Semi-State Round of the Baseball Postseason was published on the KHSAA website recently. To view, please use the link below:
https://khsaa.org/baseball-semi-state-region-pairings-and-rotation/
Sites for Semi-State games are being finalized by the KHSAA and will be released once confirmed as the KHSAA Board of Control desires for these contests to be conducted on collegiate facilities.
PITCH COUNT SUBMISSION
Game Change is the required method for submitting your daily pitch counts.
SIGNING UP FOR GAMECHANGER
- Coaches signing up for GameChanger will be required to complete a minimum number of steps to automatically share data between GameChanger and MaxPreps.
- Coaches input schedules & rosters via the MaxPreps website, which will sync to GameChanger upon activation of the MP/GC link when setting up their team on GC.
- Coaches also set up […]
03/19/19- Reminder about 2018-2019 Title IX and Participation List Submission
With spring sports in full swing and most schools getting ready to take some form of spring break, it is time to remind each of you that the annual reports for Title IX and the Participation List are due on April 30.
- If you have specific questions about Title IX and the law itself, our office should be able to help get you some assistance. Asst. Commissioner Darren Bilberry (dbilberry@khsaa.org) is our primary contact for your questions related to the law and its interpretations.
- Information Technology Director Rob Catron (rcatron@khsaa.org), as well as almost any of our support staff, can help you with electronic issues including login and report preparation using the online system. The online system is currently available for entry.
Roster and Team Requirements
03/19/19- Golf Realignment and Format Status
September, 2018 – Board begins discussions surrounding golf realignment and tournament qualification.
- Realignment was viewed as long overdue and the Board and staff have spent a great deal of time discussing the state golf tournament and the best way to qualify teams and individuals.
- The membership through its Principals and Designated Representatives had expressed a desire through various meetings to have the boys and girls in golf in the same region.
- For several years, golf had twelve regions for boys and eleven for girls.
- In addition, the Kentucky Golf House had worked with staff and participants to emphasis pace of play at the state tournament in a variety of ways. The staff and Board of Control were aware of this concern, but primarily to the extent that the rounds of golf could be completed each day and not require stayovers to finish incomplete rounds.
November, 2018 – Board further discusses issues surrounding golf […]
03/18/19 – NFHS Part 2 Exam Online for Baseball and Softball Officials
NFHS Part 2 Tests for licensed officials in the sports of Baseball and Softball are now available online. The Part 2 exams, required for postseason eligibility, will be open until Monday, April 1 at 11:59 p.m. (ET).
The tests will automatically close at that exact time. Login at https://officials.khsaa.org/authorize/ to take the test. A minimum score of 80 on the exam is required to be considered for assignment to officiate postseason play.
First-year officials are not required to take the exam, however, if any first-year official has completed licensing requirements, the test may be taken.
Any official determined to have been involved in the improper administration of the exam, including taking it for another official or having it taken by another official, will have the score disregarded for the year and be subject to other penalties in compliance with the jurisdiction of the office through the Federal Court Decree.
Please keep in mind that there […]
Surefire: Scherr-fired Ryle rolls to Girls’ Sweet Sixteen title
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 17, 2019)
Orange and black – not green — were the winning colors on St. Patrick’s Day as the Ryle Lady Raiders rolled to the championship of the 58th KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen before 5,607 fans in Rupp Arena.
Ryle, whose school colors are orange and black, dominated Southwestern 63-48 in Sunday afternoon’s finals to become only the second Northern Kentucky girls’ team to win a state title. (Covington Holy Cross cut down the nets in 2015.)
Maddie Scherr, one of the top juniors in the nation, was named the tournament’s MVP after exemplifying what it means to be an all-around player.
The 5-foot-11 point guard totaled 52 points, 31 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals and 9 rebounds in helping Ryle sweep past Murray, Clark County, Owensboro Catholic and Southwestern.
“Maddie is so unselfish,” Lady Raiders Coach Katie Haitz said. “She’s just unbelievable . . . her ball-handling, knowing the […]
Boyd County’s loss can’t dim the shine on Savannah Wheeler’s career
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 14, 2019)
Savannah Wheeler has what her parents call “Savannah moments.”
Like when she was a third-grader and tagged along with older sister Taylor to a basketball camp at Transylvania. Savannah liked that she got to play in a game, but what she really, really liked was the camp’s soft-serve ice cream.
“The next year when they went back to camp the ice-cream machine was broken. Savannah didn’t want to go back to Transy again,” her dad Dave said with a laugh.
Or like when she was a sixth-grader and dressed out for Boyd County’s varsity, and Coach Pete Fraley looked down the bench to put her into a game one night. Savannah was nowhere to be found. “She got hungry and went to the concession stand to get a candy bar,” her dad explained.
“That’s Savannah,” her mom Tracy added. “She just kinda does her thing; she’s just a special […]
Robin Harmon & Irene Moore would’ve loved to play in Rupp Arena
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 13, 2019)
Robin Harmon-Newsome was a high-scoring basketball star who led Sheldon Clark to four consecutive appearances in the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen from 1975-78.
Irene Moore Strong was a 5-foot-3, 108-pound dynamo who sparked Breathitt County to the state tournament as a junior and senior. After she led the Bobcats to a runner-up finish in 1978, she was named Miss Basketball.
Harmon and Moore, who will be inducted into the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame this summer, remember those good ol’ days with appreciation and nostalgia.
Playing in the Sweet Sixteen in EKU’s Alumni Coliseum was a big thrill.
But what if, instead, they had gotten to play in Rupp Arena, where the girls’ state tournament will be held for the first time this week?
“Oh, wow! That would’ve been a dream come true,” Harmon said. “I’m sure I always dreamed of it, but I never got to […]
Hall of Famer Kandi Brown-Parker recalls her sweetest Sweet Sixteen
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 12, 2019)
There have been a lot of sweet moments in the history of the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen, but the sweetest of all may have been the one shared by a coach and his daughter in the glow of a championship almost 20 years ago.
During a timeout in the closing seconds of West Carter’s 58-50 victory over Shelby County in the 2000 state finals, Lady Comets Coach John “Hop” Brown wrapped his arms around his daughter Kandi, who had just hit a clinching free throw in front of 6,500 fans in EKU’s McBrayer Arena.
“I can still remember so vividly that embrace he and I had,” Kandi Brown-Parker said this week. “That was probably my favorite moment ever with him. That hug was just awesome.”
Brown-Parker will be remembering that moment when she is inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame on April 27 in Lexington.
She said she […]
03/12/19 – KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16® Heads to Rupp Arena for the First Time
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 12, 2019
The KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16® will make its debut at Rupp Arena this week (March 13-17), as the historic venue plays host to the girls’ basketball tournament for the first time. This year’s tournament will mark the first Girls’ Sweet 16® played in Lexington in the modern era, as the city held the event 11 times prior to the return of girls’ basketball as a KHSAA-sanctioned sport in 1975, with the games played at the Armory from 1922-26 and UK Alumni Gym from 1927-32.
The 2019 Girls’ Sweet 16® gets underway Wednesday afternoon when Knott County Central takes on Scott County at 12 p.m. (ET). Fans can follow all the action through live webcasts at KHSAA.tv or listen to the games online at KHSAA.net. The games will also be carried statewide across 46 stations through the Kentucky Utilities/KHSAA Sweet Sixteen® Radio Network, with the games […]
Final Girls Tournament Worker Information
Good morning! Thanks so much for agreeing to work at the 2019 KHSAA Girls Sweet Sixteen®. We look forward to a great week. Here are some final details!
MATERIAL PICKUP
If you are on this list to pick up either credentials or parking, that is available at the Hyatt Regency (Thorobred 1) from 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, or at the Pass Gate in the arena lobby beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the location detailed below.
ARENA ACCESS
Due to ongoing renovation at the Lexington Center, the check-in/passgate will be at a different location in 2019. Media/workers will no longer be able to check-in and enter at the back dock. For 2019, the media check-in/passgate will be located on the main concourse area of Rupp Arena and the Lexington Center, under the wall of televisions located near the section of the old Rupp Arena playing floor. Media members and workers will enter via […]
Billy Hicks: “This was my last game”
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 10, 2019)
Nobody has coached basketball harder than Billy Hicks has coached basketball over the last four decades. If he wore a blood-pressure cup on the sidelines, the numbers would scare the bejeebers out of his doctor, not to mention his wife Betsy.
He has coached almost 1,300 high school games and won 1,013 of them. His winning percentage is a stunning 79%.
He has guided 14 teams to the Sweet Sixteen, 13 of them at Scott County over the last 25 years. He’s won more state tournament games — 33 — than any other coach. His Cardinals won 2 state championships (1998 and 2007).
Those aren’t just numbers. They represent a life’s work — a passion — that has consumed Hicks since he began coaching back home in Harlan County more than 40 years ago.
But Sunday afternoon in Rupp Arena, after Trinity beat Scott County 50-40 in the finals of […]
Trinity wins state title behind humble hero David Johnson
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 10, 2019)
David Johnson has to be one the most self-effacing, ego-averse MVPs in the history of the Sweet Sixteen.
After the gifted 6-foot-5 senior had 22 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 2 assists to spark Trinity past Scott County 50-40 in the finals of the 102nd Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ State Basketball Tournament in Rupp Arena on Sunday afternoon, he steadfastly refused the mantle of hero.
Reporters tried to elicit some acknowledgment from Johnson on his fabulous play by asking him questions about his clutch shooting and his gnarly defense, but his answers always circled back to his teammates.
What about his buzzer-beating three-pointer from the right wing to close the first half that tied the game (22-22) and prompted Trinity’s other players to do a happy dance to the locker room?
“I know my teammates are going to feed off of it, but none of that stuff fazes me,” […]
Twin brothers having a Jolly good time in Rupp
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 8, 2019)
The Jolly twins – Grant and Reid – are having a ball in the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen this week, but then they’ve been having a ball playing ball – be it basketball, football, baseball or golf — whether as teammates or sibling rivals, all their lives.
The Campbell County seniors have helped the Camels win two games in the state tournament for the first time in school history. They knocked off undefeated John Hardin 61-60 on Wednesday, and followed that up with a 49-42 victory over Walton-Verona on Friday.
That puts Campbell County in the Sweet Sixteen semifinals against Trinity Saturday night in Rupp Arena.
“We’ve been talking about this forever,” Reid said. “Last year we won our first-ever game here, and since the beginning of this season we were looking to go farther. We’ve done that.”
Reid, a 6-foot-5, 195-pounder, has been the Camels’ star. He […]
CovCath’s near-miracle comeback, play-by-play
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 7, 2019)
Take your pick.
It was almost the greatest comeback in Sweet Sixteen history, or almost the greatest collapse in Sweet Sixteen history.
Scott County led defending champion Covington Catholic 48-26 with 5:47 left and was cruising down easy street in their first-round showdown in the 102nd Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ State Tournament Thursday afternoon.
The top-rated Cardinals were still comfortably ahead — 60-41 — with 1:34 remaining, and 90% of the fans had exited Rupp Arena.
Then CovCath mounted an incredible rally. The Colonels went on an 18-0 run in a 67-second span.
Alas, the comeback fell just short, and Scott County escaped with a 64-61 victory.
Here’s how the frantic finish unfolded after Terrin Hamilton hit two free throws to give Scott County a 60-41 lead with 1:34 remaining:
- CovCath Jack Davin 3-pointer: 60:44 w/1:10 left
- Scott County turnover
- CovCath Michael Mayer layup: 60:46 w/1:10 left
- Scott County […]
Billy Hicks, through the eyes of his wife Betsy
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 7, 2019)
Betsy Hicks has been watching her husband coach basketball for more than four decades, from Evarts to Harlan to Corbin to Scott County, and in that time she’s missed only a handful of his games.
In late January, when Billy Hicks became the first high school basketball coach in Kentucky to reach 1,000 victories, Betsy figured she had witnessed 990 of them.
A couple of weeks earlier, however, she had witnessed an even more remarkable “first” in her husband’s coaching career.
On Jan. 12, when Scott County was rolling to an 87-57 home-court rout of Ashland Blazer, Billy Hicks left at halftime so he could get to the hospital for the birth of his first grandchild.
“I was shocked, definitely shocked,” Betsy said. “That’s the only time in my life he’s left a ball game. I mean I’ve been on my deathbed before and he still went and coached […]
Brewers’ basketball perfection secure in history for another year
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 6, 2019)
Only a few minutes after John Hardin lost in the first round of the 102nd KHSAA Sweet Sixteen Wednesday night, a phone call was placed to Barney Thweatt, who lives in Benton in the far reaches of western Kentucky.
Had Thweatt heard that Campbell County had knocked off previously undefeated John Hardin 61-60?
Thweatt, who’ll turn 89 later this month, couldn’t stifle his laughter of joy and relief.
“Yes, I listened to it all,” he said. “Nothing against John Hardin, but I’m glad they got beat. You know how selfish I am.”
Thweatt played on the last undefeated boys’ state title team in Kentucky — Brewers, a small school in Marshall County that went 36-0 on its way to the 1948 Sweet Sixteen championship.
It is a source of pride with Thweatt that no boys’ team since has been able to match Brewers’ accomplishment of perfection.
He was well […]
A special basketball day for the Brannen family
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 6, 2019)
Debbie and John Brannen didn’t stick around Rupp Arena for long after watching their son Grant coach Walton-Verona to a 76-54 victory over Knox Central in the opening game of the 102nd KHSAA Sweet Sixteen Wednesday afternoon.
The Brannens had to book it back up I-75 so they could watch their son John coach Northern Kentucky University against Detroit Mercy at BB&T Arena in the Horizon League tournament Wednesday night.
First, though, they had to stop off at home and change clothes, switching their Walton-Verona colors (blue & white) for NKU colors (black & gold).
The proud basketball parents are on the road a lot during the winter, catching all the Walton-Verona and NKU games they can.
Debbie estimates that comes to 60 or 70 games a season, with her and husband splitting up when there are scheduling conflicts.
If you include the youth league games their grandkids play, […]
The last six unbeaten teams that got beat in the Sweet Sixteen
BY MIKE FIELDS (March 6, 2019)
Since Brewers was crowned Boys’ Sweet Sixteen champion with a 36-0 record in 1948, six teams have entered the state tournament undefeated, but none have left holding the big trophy.
This year another unbeaten team will give it a try. John Hardin, out of the 5th Region, is 35-0. The Bulldogs will face 10th Region champ Campbell County in the first round of the 102nd Sweet Sixteen Wednesday night in Rupp Arena.
Here’s how the previous six undefeated teams fared in the state tournament:
1989 – Clay County (33-0), led by Russ Farmer, lost to Marshall County 64-60 in the first round. Dax Myhand and Dan Hall sparked the Marshals past Bobby Keith’s Tigers.
1982 – Mason County (30-0), coached by Allen Feldhaus Sr., beat Middlesboro 71-63 in the first round, then fell to Virgie and star Todd May 68-63 in the quarterfinals in front of a then-world record […]
03/05/19 – Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16® Broadcast Info, 105.5 FM To Air Games Locally
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2019
The 2019 Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16® gets underway Wednesday afternoon at Rupp Arena when Knox Central takes on Walton-Verona at 12 p.m. (ET). Fans can follow all the action through live webcasts at KHSAA.tv or listen to the games online at KHSAA.net. The games will also be carried statewide across 53 stations through the Kentucky Utilities/KHSAA Sweet Sixteen® Radio Network, with the games airing locally in Lexington on iHeart Media’s Rewind 105.5 FM.
All 15 games of the Boys’ Sweet 16® will be webcast live at KHSAA.tv for subscribers to the NFHS Network (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/). Subscription plans for the NFHS Network are available for $9.95 a month. A monthly subscription, priced less than the cost of admission to a state championship event, entitles users to every broadcast by the KHSAA and the more than 40 participating state associations. Viewers who subscribe for the Boys’ […]
Final Boys Tournament Worker Information
Good morning! Thanks so much for agreeing to work at the 2019 Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen®. We look forward to a great week. Here are some final details!
MATERIAL PICKUP
If you are on this list to pick up either credentials or parking, that is available at the Hyatt Regency (Thorobred 1) from 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, or at the Pass Gate in the arena lobby beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the location detailed below.
ARENA ACCESS
Due to ongoing renovation at the Lexington Center, the check-in/passgate will be at a different location in 2019. Media/workers will no longer be able to check-in and enter at the back dock. For 2019, the media check-in/passgate will be located on the main concourse area of Rupp Arena and the Lexington Center, under the wall of televisions located near the section of the old Rupp Arena playing floor. Media members […]
02/28/19 – Archery 2019 Postseason Instructions
The information and instructions for the 2019 Postseason Archery Tournaments have been posted online. You can access the information by going to the Archery page of the KHSAA website (Regional Instructions).
All coaches and competing schools should take the time to read these items carefully, even veteran coaches, to ensure that you are aware of all KHSAA rules and regulations regarding these tournaments.
Best of luck to all competitors for the remainder of the season. Check the blog on the Archery page for further updates as we get closer to the State Archery Championships.
A list of Regional Tournaments and contact information for the Regional Managers can be found at the following link: Regional Managers.
– KHSAA –
The KHSAA staff routinely publishes blog posts to better communicate with its various constituencies and the public. For a list of those blogs, go to http://khsaa.org/news-stats-pubs/sports-blogs/
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