The Kentucky AAU 14 and Under Tournament was played  from April 27th through April 29th, 2001.  The games were played at several locations.  The entire championship round was played at the Kentucky Basketball Academy.  The KBA, located at 273 Ruccio Way in Lexington, is the brainchild of Steve and Terry Hatton. The Academy features five regulation basketball courts which should make it much easier to follow the action, especially in an event like this which has 70 teams entered.

This should be an extremely interesting tournament.  There doesn't appear to be a dominating clear-cut favorite, with perhaps as many as 8 to 10 very good teams having a chance to claim the title.

I managed to view several excellent games and some promising young players but unfortunately you can't observe every game.  I will attempt to give a brief recap of the games I did see and apologize for the games and fine players I missed in the tournament.  The stats are unofficial but recorded by me personally.

Pool Play

Friday April 27th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Bracken County vs. Lexington Catholic
Catholic took an early lead and soundly defeated Bracken County by a score of  78-29.  Catholic tallied eleven three pointers for the game.  6-0 David Vicini came off the bench to lead a balanced Lexington Catholic attack with 12 points.  5-9 Zack Martin came off the bench to lead Bracken County with 9 points.

South Laurel vs. Trinity Green
Trinity Green easily defeated South Laurel  by a score of  73-31.   Charlie Gonzalez came off the bench to lead a balanced Trinity attack with 16 points.  South Laurel was led by 5-9 Warren Gross with 24 points.  South Laurel was a little out manned as they only had five players available for the game.

Knott County vs. Fern Creek
Fern Creek easily won their game over Knott County by a score of 59-27.  Fern Creek was led by 6-0 Alex Gravelle with 20 points.   5-11 Jordan Newby and 6-2 Kendrick Duvall added 11 and 10 points respectively.  Knott County was led by 5-9 Kyle Hall with 13 points.

Johns Creek vs. Bryan Station
Bryan Station pulled away from a 23-17 halftime lead to easily defeat Johns Creek by a score of 65-33.  Bryan Station was led by Michael Scott with 19 points including three three-pointers.  Johns Creek was led by Brad Rowe with 9 points.
 

Saturday April 28th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

London Kings vs. Newport Central Catholic
Newport Central Catholic erased a 10 point deficit at halftime to nip London by a score of 66-64.  NCC was led by 5-10 Markie Krebs with 20 points including 17 in the second half.  Markie had five three point goals.  6-1 Kevin Smith and 6-0 Tommy Geiger added 15 and 14 points respectively.  London was led by Raymond Jones, a 5-8 8th grader, with 26 points.  6-1 Michael Robinson added 11 points and 18 rebounds.  6-3 Blake Roberts tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Northern Ky. Jazz vs. Caverna
Caverna defeated the Northern Ky. Jazz  by a score of 43-35.  Caverna  was led by 6-2 Anthony Thomas with 17 points and 13 rebounds.  Northern Ky. was led by 5-9 Nate Wilkerson with 9 points.

Western Ky. vs. Jeffersontown
Western Ky. defeated Jeffersontown 47-42 in a very competitive battle.  The Western Ky. Wildcats were led by 6-3 Mike Schwindel and 6-2 Derek Adams with 16 and 15 points respectively.  The Jeffersontown Chargers were led today by 6-1 Frankie Watkins and 5-11 C. J. Willis with 12 points each.

London vs. Male
Male pulled away in the final period to defeat London 70-57.  Male was led today by Steven Garr, Diaz Riley, and Jacob Bream with 20, 17, and 15 points respectively.  London was led by 5-8 Raymond Jones with 23 points.  6-3 Blake Roberts added 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Lexington Catholic vs. Fern Creek
Fern Creek's Jordan Newby hit a shot with three seconds remaining to give Fern Creek a 49-47 victory over Lexington Catholic.  Catholic was only 4 of 15 from the free throw line in the first half and trailed 38-30 after three quarters.   Lexington Catholic roared back to tie the game at 47-all, setting the stage for Newby's heroics.  Fern Creek was led by 6-2 Kendrick Duvall, 6-0 Alex Gravelle, and  5-11 Jordan Newby with 14, 12 and 11 points respectively.  Lexington Catholic was led by 6-2 Robbie Riddell with 19 points.

Male vs. Newport Central Catholic
Male rallied from a 42-38 deficit late in the game to gain a 42-42 tie at the end of regulation.  Male scored all eight points in overtime to gain a 50-42 victory.  Male was led today by 6-0 Steven Garr with 20 points.  NCC was led by 5-10 Markie Krebs and  6-0 Tommy Geiger with 12 points each.
 

Championship Bracket

Saturday April 28th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Male vs. Perry County
Perry County led 43-27 at the end of three quarters but had to withstand a furious rally by Male to claim a 58-55 victory.  Perry County was led by Jordan Shepherd and Chad Robinson with 17 and 14 points respectively.  Steven Garr led Male with 19 points.  Diaz Riley added 13 points.

Northern Ky. Wildcats vs. Fern Creek
Northern Ky. defeated Fern Creek by a score of 69-52.  The victors were paced by 6-4 Evan McDole with 24 points.  Fern Creek was led by Kendrick Duvall and Jordan Newby with 15 and 12 points respectively.

Paul Laurence Dunbar vs. Bath County
Dunbar defeated Bath County 50-43 to advance in the tourney.   Dunbar was led by 6-2 Tory Robertson with 22 points.  Robertson also rebounded well and blocked several shots.  Bath County was led by a very athletic Tyler Franklin with 19 points.

Northern Ky. Bank of Ky. vs. Perry County
Bank of Ky. defeated Perry County by a score of 60-50.  Bank of Ky. was led by 6-0 Kiefer Clarke, 5-11 Chris McCarty, and 5-8 Brad Haines with 17, 14, and 11 points respectively.  Perry County was led by  Jordan Shepherd with 16 points.

Scott County vs. Trinity White
Scott County defeated Trinity White 50-46 in an overtime thriller.  Scott County was led by 6-2 Daniel Dunn with 13 points.  Trinity White was led by Josh Legleiter with 13 points.

Butler vs. Team Louisville
Team Louisville survived a hard-fought battle to defeat Butler 48-43.  They were led by 5-8 David Strickler and 6-1 Dallas Hunter with 14 and 12 points respectively.   Butler was led by Justin Royles  with 16 points.  Elliott added 14 points.
 

Sunday April 29th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Quarterfinal No. 1

Quad City vs. Clark County
Quad City defeated Clark County in an exciting game by a score of 41-40.  Quad City was led by 5-9 John McCarthy and 6-0 Scott Merrick with 13 and 12 points respectively.  Clark County was led tonight by 6-0 Matthew Martin and 6-0 Zach Nutter with 13 and 9 points respectively.

Quarterfinal No. 2

Paul Dunbar vs. Northern Ky. Wildcats
The Northern Ky. Wildcats held on to defeat Dunbar by a score of 48-44.  Northern Ky. was led by 6-4 Evan McDole with 15 points.  5-10 Jackson Capel came off the bench to add 13 points.  Dunbar was led by 6-2 Dustin Fox with 14 points.
 

Paul Dunbar	16	7	9	12	-	44
Northern Ky. Wildcats	13	15	11	9	-	48

Paul Dunbar	(44)	-	Robertson 11, Vyverberg 2, Fox 14, Epps 4, Moten 11, Hartsfield 2.
Northern Ky. Wildcats	(48)	-	Lageman 5, Corbett 4, McDole 15, LaFollette 1, S. Gerbus 8, Capel 13, Votel 2.

Quarterfinal No. 3

Western Ky. vs. Scott County
The Western Ky. Wildcats' Brock Jones hit a layup at the buzzer to give his team a hard earned 41-39 victory over Scott County.  Western Ky. was led by 6-0 Justin Cortez and 6-3 Mike Schwindel with 12 and 10 points respectively.  Scott County was led by 6-2 Daniel Durr  with 22 points.
 

Western Ky.	10	10	9	12	-	41
Scott County	12	8	12	7	-	39

Western Ky.	(41) -	Cortez 12, Schwindel 10, Reisz 0, Adams 6, Hancock 8, Jones 2, Ruiz 3.
Scott County	(39) -	Young 4, Ferguson 11, Montgomery 0, Mulberry 2, Durr 22.

Quarterfinal No. 4

Northern Ky. Bank of Ky. vs. Team Louisville
Team Louisville advanced to the semifinals with a 40-34 victory over Northern Ky. Bank of Ky.  Team Louisville was led by 6-0 Joshua Hall with 15 points.  Northern Ky. Bank of Ky. was led by Kiefer Clarke with 10 points.

Semifinal No. 1

Northern Ky. Wildcats vs. Quad City
Northern Ky. led only 19-16 at halftime but pulled away in the second half to defeat Quad City by a score of 47-35.  Northern Ky. was led today by 6-1 Dustin Corbett with 17 points.  Quad City was led today by 6-0 Scott Merrick with 15 points.
 

Northern Ky. Wildcats	13	6	14	14	-	47
Quad City	11	5	6	13	-	35

Northern Ky. Wildcats	(47)	-	Lageman 2, Corbett 17, McDole 10, Fox 2, S. Gerbus 2, Votel 2, LaFollette 2, Capel 10..
Quad City	(35)	-	Puzey 2, McCarthy 2, Wardlow 4, Merrick 15, Austerman 8, Phillips 1, Scott 3.

Semifinal No. 2

Team Louisville vs. Western Ky.
Western Ky. defeated Team Louisville 53-36 to advance to the championship game.  Western Ky. was led by 6-2 Derek Adams, 6-3 Mike Schwindel, and 5-6 Andrew Hancock with 12, 11, and 10 points respectively.  Team Louisville was led by 6-0 Chris Porter and 6-1 Dallas Hunter with 10 points each.
 

Team Louisville	8	4	4	20	-	36
Western Ky.	8	14	14	17	-	53

Team Louisville	(36) -	Ricketts 0, Hall 4, Porter 10, Hunter 10, Stevens 5, J. Strickler 3, Yarbrough 4.
Western Ky.	(53) -	Schwindel 11, Cortez 6, Reisz 6, Adams 12, Hancock 10, Ruiz 2,  Jones 6.

Third Place Game

Team Louisville vs. Quad City
Quad City demolished Team Louisville by a score of 60-24 to claim third place.  Quad City  was led by 6-3 Jeff Austerman with 15 points.  5-11 Ryan Phillips and 6-0 Scott Merrick each chipped in with 14 points. 5-4 Wayne Picketts led Team Louisville with 7 points.
 

Team Louisville	2	7	9	6	-	24
Quad City	14	9	20	17	-	60

Team Louisville	(24) -	Hunter 6, Hall 2, Ricketts 7, Stevens 2, D. Strickler 0, Ernest 2, J. Strickler 5.
Quad City	(60) -	Phillips 14, Merrick 14, Austerman 15,   McCarthy 9, Wardlow 0, Scott 2, Corum 4.

Championship Game

Western Ky.  vs. Northern Ky. Wildcats
Northern Ky. led 44-31 early in the fourth quarter but had to withstand a determined charge by Western Ky. to win by a score of 53-48.  Northern Ky. was led by sharpshooting 5-10 Jackson Capel, who came off the bench to tally 16 points.  Western Ky. was led by 6-3 Mike Schwindel with 13 points.  6-2 Derek Adams added 11 points.   5-6 Andrew Hancock also contributed 11 points with 9 of them coming on three point bombs in the final period.
 

Western Ky.	17	4	10	17	-	48
Northern Ky. Wildcats	16	9	16	12	-	53

Western Ky.	(48) -	Schwindel 13, Cortez 10, Reisz 2, Adams 11, Hancock 11, Ruiz 1.
Northern Ky. Wildcats	(53) -	Fox 7, Lageman 3, Corbett 8, McDole 4, Votel 7, Broyles 6, Capel 16, S. Gerbus 2.

2001 Kentucky AAU Championship Bracket Boys' 14 and Under
 

Quad City	51		Jessamine Raptors	50
Quad City	64		Bourbon Bulls	51
Clark County	53		Western Hills	46
Paul Dunbar	50		Bath County	43
Northern Ky. Wildcats (Provident Bank)	69		Fern Creek	52
Scott County	50		Trinity White	46
Western Ky. Wildcats	47		Trinity Green	20
Team Louisville	53		Louisville Butler	48
Perry County	58		Male	55
Northern Ky. Bank of Ky.	60		Perry County	50
Quad City	41		Clark County	40	Quarterfinal No. 1
Northern Ky. Wildcats (Provident Bank)	48		Paul Dunbar	44	Quarterfinal No. 2
Western Ky. Wildcats	41		Scott County	39	Quarterfinal No. 3
Team Louisville	40		Northern Ky. Bank of Ky.	34	Quarterfinal No. 4
Northern Ky. Wildcats (Provident Bank)	47		Quad City	35	Semifinal No. 1
Western Ky. Wildcats	53		Team Louisville	36	Semifinal No. 2
Quad City	60		Team Louisville	24	Third Place
Northern Ky. Wildcats (Provident Bank)	53		Western Ky. Wildcats	48	Championship

Conclusion

Congratulations to both the Northern Kentucky Wildcats (Provident Bank) and the Western Kentucky Wildcats.  They are both excellent, well-coached teams. This was an excellent tournament with several teams capable of winning the tourney.  The four quarterfinal games were decided by a total of 14 points.

There were several players who are very capable of making an impact in the 2001-2002 season.  Western Ky's 6-3 Mike Schwindel is a very polished player who can play both inside and out.  Paul Dunbar's 6-2 Tory Robertson should make an impact on the Lexington scene next season.  Fern Creek's 5-11 Jordan Newby continues to impress and Lexington Catholic appears to have another good one in 6-2 Robbie Riddell.  Scott County's Daniel Durr and Steven Garr of Male both had good tournaments.  Anthony Thomas also played well for Caverna.

Several teams including the champion Northern Ky. Wildcats, Quad City, etc. had balanced squads with several players capable of putting up the numbers.  Trinity had two teams in the tourney, which should bode well for Trinity High School in the future.  Team Louisville and Butler also had some good athletes on the floor.  I enjoyed watching the London Kings coached by Jim McAllister.  Unfortunately, they dropped close decisions in the two games I watched but they were a very entertaining team.  5-8 Raymond Jones is a scoring machine and 6-1 Michael Robinson and 6-3 Blake Roberts relentlessly pound the boards.

Another star in this tourney was the facility itself.  This is a great facility for this type of event with five floors and all scoreboards being visible from most vantage points.

Acknowledgments

A special thanks to the Mills family and to Ken Farley for all the help.  I also greatly appreciate the hospitality afforded me by the staff of the Kentucky Basketball Academy.  The coaches and parents, as usual, were very helpful in providing me with info about their teams.

Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the tournament, teams, or players to me at  prephoops@yahoo.com .