This Tournament was played from June 21st through June 24th in Lexington, Kentucky, with the majority of the games being played at the Kentucky Basketball Academy in Lexington Kentucky.  The Academy has five regulation basketball courts and is tailor-made for this type of event.

This should be a very competitive tournament with many outstanding players.  There were 46 teams registered to compete.  Lexington Catholic would appear to be a slight favorite, due to their talent plus the fact that they should have all their players available to play.  Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP), East Jessamine, and Shelby County also have plenty of  firepower.  Scott County will be minus "C-3" Brown, out with an injury.  Highlands' 6-8 Ross Neltner and Corbin's 6-9 Isaiah Mills will also not be playing this week.

Two marquee scorers, 5-10 Brandon Stockton of Glasgow and Bourbon County's 6-3 Preston LeMaster should add plenty of offensive firepower.  Shelby County's dynamic duo of  Robert Daniels and Brian Silverhorn will play this week and East Jessamine's 6-3 Butch Jointer will impress.  This is an outstanding venue for good teams to polish their skills and for teams with major graduation losses to discover their new "go-to" players.

While some of the top schools (Male, Ballard, North Hardin, etc.) will not be present, there are many teams and players who will improve their stock over the week.  It is always interesting to see the teams from all corners of the state converge for the AAU Championships and give us the opportunity to become more familiar with the various regions in the state.

I managed to view several excellent games and many fine 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 players I missed in the tournament.  The stats are a combination of stats from the scorebook and ones recorded by me personally.

Pool Play

Thursday June 21st  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Shelby County vs. Dunbar
Shelby County defeated Dunbar by a score of  82-75.   Shelby County was led by 6-4 Robert Daniels and Juanie Jackson with 26 and 19 points respectively.  Dunbar was led today by Steven Green  and Kenneth Fox with 18 and 12 points respectively.

Ashland vs. Bell County
Ashland nipped Bell County by a score of 79-75.  They were led by 6-1 Arliss Beach and 6-8 Mark Surgalski with 32 and 17 points respectively.  Bell County was led by 6-5 Jimmy Corum and 6-3 Trae Winkler with 28 and 25 points respectively.

PRP vs. Breathitt County
PRP won an easy 83-52 decision over Breathitt County.  They were led today by 6-7 Brad Lightle and 6-3 Dwan Bukar with 16 and 14 points respectively.   Breathitt County was led by Jason and Jessie Miller with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Bell County vs. Henry Clay
Bell County defeated Henry Clay by a score of  78-63.  They were led by 6-3 Trae Winkler, 6-8 Eric Ely, and 6-5 Jimmy Corum with 23, 22, and 20 points respectively.  Henry Clay was led by Lamont Campbell and James Gentry with 17 and 16 points respectively.

Highlands vs. East Jessamine (at Lexington Christian Academy)
Highlands trailed East Jessamine by four points with a minute left in regulation but 6-3 Sr. Craig Forbes hit a basket with seven seconds remaining to tie the game 54-all at the end of regulation.  Highlands won the game in overtime by a score of 64-60.  The victors were led by 6-4 Sr. Kevin Miller and 6-5 Jr. Kevin Gilles with 18 points each.  Forbes added 17 points.

South Floyd vs. Madison Central
South Floyd defeated Madison Central by a score of 81-72.  South Floyd was led today by Michael Hall and Rusty Tackett with 24 and 27 points respectively.  Madison Central was led by Dustin Gayheart with 18 points.

Tates Creek vs. Augusta
Tates Creek defeated Augusta by a score of  75-53 and was paced by 6-4 Michael Cross with 16 points.  Augusta was led by Kirk and Henson with 14 and 13 points respectively.

Owensboro vs. Lafayette
Owensboro defeated Lafayette by a score of 68-53.  Owensboro was led by 6-1 Armund Taylor  with 24 points.  Lafayette was led by 6-0 Adam Coleman with 15 points.

Corbin vs. Fairdale
Corbin defeated Fairdale by a score of 73-69.  They were led in scoring by 6-1 Joseph Mahan and Johnny Hammons with 23 and 19 points respectively.  Fairdale was paced by 6-5 Anthony Milan with 27 points.

Rowan County vs. Lafayette
Rowan County defeated Lafayette by a score of 57-51.  They were led by Jordan Grevious with 28 points while 6-0 Adam Coleman led Lafayette with 15 points.

Scott County vs. Augusta
Scott County defeated Augusta by a score of 82-41.  They were led by 6-2 Jeremy Nettles with 18 points and 6 rebounds.
 

Friday June 22nd  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Tates Creek vs. Scott County
Tates Creek nipped Scott County by a score of 61-59.   They were led today by 6-1 Justin Taylor and 6-4 Michael Cross with 18 and 15 points respectively. Scott County was led by 6-3 Coy Zerhusen with 12 points.  6-2 Jeremy Nettles, 6-0 Steve Mazzoni, 5-10 Nick Reed, and 6-0 Tyler Hicks each added 10 points.

Grant County vs. Breathitt County
Grant County defeated Breathitt County by a score of 76-70.  They were led today by Tyler Jones and Eldon Maddox with 20 and 16 points respectively.  Breathitt County was led by D. J. Rudd and Randy Gaddis with 18 and 16 points respectively.

Ashland vs. Henry Clay
Ashland defeated Henry Clay 91-63.  The victors were led by 6-1 Arliss Beach and 6-8 Mark Surgalski with 23 and 18 points respectively.  Henry Clay was led by Todd Kessinger and 6-6 Clay List with 19 and 16 points respectively.

PRP vs. West Jessamine
PRP defeated West Jessamine by a score of 84-76.  PRP was led by 6-0 Carlos Williams and 6-7 Brad Lightle with 25 and 21 points respectively.  West Jessamine was led by Nate Johnson with 30 points.

Highlands vs. Bourbon County
Highlands defeated Bourbon County by a score of 57-53.  Highlands was led by 6-3 Sr. Craig Forbes and 6-4 Sr. Kevin Miller with 16 and 12 points respectively.  Bourbon County was led by 6-3 Preston LeMaster with 31 points.

Shelby County vs. Wayne County
Shelby County pulled away from a 7 point lead, 60-53, at the end of three quarters to defeat Wayne County by a score of 83-59.  Shelby County was led by Zane Williams, 6-4 Robert Daniels, and 6-4 Brian Silverhorn with 23, 21 and 17 points respectively.  Wayne County was led by 5-10 Brad Bell with 14 points.

Lafayette vs. Clark County
Lafayette won a close 60-58 decision over Clark County.  Lafayette was led by 6-4 Kevin Grantlin, 6-0 Adam Coleman, and 6-0 Brandon Riley with 18, 12 and 10 points respectively. Clark County was led by Randall Gentry and Andrew Preston with 15 points each.

Warren Central vs. Fairdale
Warren Central defeated Fairdale by a score of 61-54.  They were led by B. A. Forrest, Brandon Cummings, and Wes Durrant with 14, 13, and 12 points respectively.  Fairdale was led by Eric Calhoune and Anthony Chism with 17 and 15 points respectively.

St. Xavier vs. Owensboro
St. Xavier earned a hard fought 60-56 victory over Owensboro.  St. Xavier was led by 6-4 Matt Veigh with 21 points.  Owensboro was led by Burnett with 18 points.

Championship Bracket

Friday June 22nd  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

East Jessamine vs. Bath County
East Jessamine won an easy 100-33 victory over Bath County.  East Jessamine had six players in double figures.  6-3 Butch Jointer and 6-3 Patrick Hunt led the way with 19 points each.  Bath County was led by Phillip Sorrell with 15 points.

Grant County vs. Spencer County
Grant County defeated Spencer County by a score of 58-55.  Tyler Jones led the victors with 27 points.  Spencer County was paced by Nick Burns with 21 points.

Clay County vs. Wayne County
Clay County earned a 63-58 decision over Wayne County.  Clay County was led by 6-3 Richard Walker and 5-9 Angelo Smith with 19 and 14 points respectively.  Wayne County was led by 6-4 Evan Dick and 5-10 Brad Bell with 14 and 12 points respectively.

Dunbar vs. Augusta
Dunbar easily defeated Augusta by a score of 80-37.  Dunbar was led by Kenny Bledsoe and 6-7 Kenneth Fox with 15 and 12 points respectively.  Kirk led Augusta with 8 points.

Warren Central vs. Boyle County
Warren Central defeated Boyle County by a score of 73-58.  They were led by Wes Durrant with six three pointers for 18 points. Brandon Cummings added 16 points.  Boyle County was led by Adam Tamme and Josh Slone with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Frankfort vs. Breathitt County
Frankfort defeated Breathitt County by a score of 81-57.  Frankfort was led by 6-2 Chris Current, Ricky Redden, and Kevin Hill with 20, 14, and 13 points respectively.  Breathitt County was led by Ryan Raleigh and  D. J. Rudd with 13 and 11 points respectively.

Ashland vs. Redbird
Ashland defeated Redbird by a score of  89-57.  Ashland was led by 6-1 Arliss Beach, 6-8 Mark Surgalski, and Adam Howard with 17, 15, and 14 points respectively.   Redbird was led by Je. Jackson with 12 points.

St. Xavier vs. Madison Southern
St. Xavier defeated Madison Southern by a score of 54-45.  St. Xavier was led by 6-5 Nick Redmond with 10 points.  Brad King and Jason Helton led Madison Southern with 9 points each.

Highlands vs. Greenwood
Highlands' 6-3 Sr. Craig Forbes scored 34 points including seven three-pointers to defeat Greenwood by a score of 61-42.

Scott County vs. Madison Central
Scott County defeated Madison Central by a score of  78-62.  They were led by 6-3 Sr. Coy Zerhusen and 6-0 Steve Mazzoni with 18 and 15 points respectively.  6-0 So. Tyler Hicks also tallied 15 points.  Madison Central was led by 6-0 So. Shawn Ballard with 18 points.

Shelby County vs. Henry Clay
Shelby County defeated Henry Clay by a score of 69-51.  They were led by 6-4 Robert Daniels with 23 points.  6-6 Clay List led Henry Clay with 24 points.

Bourbon County vs. Lafayette
Lafayette defeated Bourbon County  by a score of 65-49.  Lafayette was led 6-0 Adam Coleman with 18 points.  Bourbon County was led by 6-3 Preston LeMaster with 24 points, despite fouling out in the third quarter.

Dunbar vs. Glasgow
Dunbar nipped Glasgow 60-57 on a three point bomb by Steve Greene at the buzzer.  Green led Dunbar with 24 points on eight three-pointers.  6-7 Kenneth Fox added 16 points.  Glasgow was led by 5-10 Brandon Stockton with 27 points.  Despite scoring 27 points, Stockton was defended superbly by Dunbar's Jamie Adams.
 

Saturday June 23rd  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

St. Xavier vs. Corbin
St. Xavier's 6-6 Jr. Torey Meagher hit a last second shot in overtime to defeat Corbin by a score of 52-50.  Meagher led St. Xavier with 18 points and 14 rebounds.  Corbin was paced by 6-3 Johnny Hammons and Jeremy Farmer with 17 and 15 points respectively.

East Jessamine vs. West Jessamine
East Jessamine defeated West Jessamine today by a score of 56-42. The victors were led by 6-9 Sr. Curt Vernon and 6-2 Sr. Gordon Duke with 14 points each.  West Jessamine was led by 6-4 Scott Tarvin with 13 points.

Scott County vs. Frankfort
Scott County defeated Frankfort by a score of 89-66.  Scott County was led by 6-3 Sr. Coy Zerhusen with 21 points.  Frankfort was led by Chris Current with 19 points.

Ashland vs. Lexington Catholic
Lexington Catholic trailed Ashland 26-14 after the first quarter and only led by 7, 70-63, after three periods.  Catholic finally pulled away in the final period to defeat Ashland 101-78.  6-3 So. Demetrius Green and 5-10 Jr. Brian Smith led Catholic with 30 and 22 points respectively.  6-4 Sr. Ryan Morton added 17 points.  Ashland was led by 6-1 Arliss Beach and 6-8 Mark Surgalski with 22 and 13 points respectively.

Quarterfinal No. 1

Pleasure Ridge Park vs. Lafayette
Lafayette held on to win a thriller over PRP by a score of 85-79.  Lafayette was led today by 6-1 So. Marcus Barron, 6-4 Jr. Kevin Grantlin,  and 6-0 Sr. Brandon Riley with 21, 18 and 16 points respectively.  6-4 Jr. Donte Sweatt led PRP with 24 points.
 

PRP	10	21	22	26	-	79
Lafayette	26	16	16	27	-	85

PRP	(79)	-	Bukar 1, Lightle 12, Farley 3, Williams 14, Blakey 12, Spillman 5, Sweatt 24, James 6, Alexander 2.
Lafayette	(85)	-	Grantlin 18, Coleman 5, Mullins 5, Riley 16, Barron 21, Cotton 12, Dialls 8.

Quarterfinal No. 2

East Jessamine vs. St. Xavier
East Jessamine defeated St. Xavier by a score of 59-44.  The victors were led by 6-2 Sr. Corey Wade, 6-3 Sr. Butch Jointer, and 5-9 Sr. Stephen Wayne with 18, 17 and 11 points respectively.  St. Xavier was led by 6-6 Jr. Torey Meagher, who wrapped up a fine tournament with 22 points.

Quarterfinal No. 3

Lexington Catholic vs. Scott County
Lexington Catholic pulled away in the second half to defeat Scott County by a score of 75-52.  Catholic was led today by 6-4 Sr. Ryan Morton and 6-2 So. Harrison Morton with 23 and 21 points respectively.  Scott County was led by 6-3 Sr. Coy Zerhusen and  6-0 Steve Mazzoni  with 15 and 14 points respectively.
 

Lexington Catholic	15	25	21	14	-	75
Scott County	13	16	8	15	-	52

Lexington Catholic	(75) -	Smith 6, Green 10, R. Morton 23, Rompf 2, Graham 8, D. Morton 5, H. Morton 21.
Scott County	(52) -	Zerhusen 15, Mazzoni 14, Nettles 5, Hicks 7, N. Reed 0, Harris 2, Cassady 5, Jarvis 2, VanGuilder 2.

Quarterfinal No. 4

Bell County vs. Shelby County
Bell County defeated Shelby County by a score of 79-71.  They were led by 6-3 Trae Winkler, 6-5 Jimmy Corum, and 6-8 Eric Ely with 33, 21 and 15 points respectively.  Shelby County was led by 6-4 Robert Daniels and 6-4 Brian Silverhorn with 26 and 17 points respectively.

Semifinal No. 1

East Jessamine vs. Lafayette
East Jessamine defeated Lafayette by a score of  72-51.  East Jessamine was led by 6-3 Sr. Butch Jointer, 6-2 Sr. Cory Wade, and 6-2 Sr. Gordon Duke with 23, 18, and 16 points respectively.   Lafayette was led by 6-0 Sr. Brandon Riley and 6-2 Jr. Gene Cotton with 10 points each.
 

East Jessamine	19	26	17	10	-	72
Lafayette	13	10	17	11	-	51

East Jessamine	(72)	-	Jointer 23, Wayne 3, Duke 16, Vernon 6, Wade 18, Hunt 3.
Lafayette	(51)	-	Barron 4, Grantlin 2, Coleman 4, Riley 10, Mullins 3, Cotton 10, Dialls 9, Caldwell 3, Bauman 4.

Semifinal No. 2

Lexington Catholic vs. Bell County
Lexington Catholic advanced to the championship with an 86-65 victory over Bell County.  Bell County only dressed seven players for the game.  Catholic was led today by 5-10 Jr. Brian Smith and 6-4 Sr. Ryan Morton with 16 and 15 points respectively. Bell County was led by 6-8 Sr. Eric Ely and  6-3 Trae Winkler with 19 points each.
 

Lexington Catholic	24	21	22	19	-	86
Bell County	9	17	19	20	-	65

Lexington Catholic	(86) -	Green 11, R. Morton 15, Smith 16, Graham 9, Rompf 6, H. Morton 11, D. Morton 5, Hillenmeyer 4, Balthrop 4, Morones 3, Allen 2.
Bell County	(65) -	Corum 15, Winkler 19, Ely 19, Defevers 4, Humpert 5, Marcum 3.

Sunday June 24th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Championship Game

East Jessamine vs. Lexington Catholic
East Jessamine led Lexington Catholic 56-53 at the end of three quarters but Catholic roared back in the final period to win the game by a score of 80-69.  Butch Jointer fouled out with 3:03 remaining in the game, hampering East Jessamine's chances of staging a comeback.  Catholic was led today by 6-3 So. Demetrius Green and 5-10 Jr. Brian Smith with 19 points each.  East Jessamine was led by 6-3 Sr. Butch Jointer and 6-2 Sr. Cory Wade with 23 and 15 points respectively.
 

East Jessamine	19	16	21	13	-	69
Lexington Catholic	21	19	13	27	-	80

East Jessamine	(69) -	Jointer 23, Duke 12, Vernon 4, Wade 15, Wayne 5, Sandling 6, Hunt 4.
Lexington Catholic	(80) -	Green 19, R. Morton 11, Rompf 5, Smith 19, Graham 11,  H. Morton 4, D. Morton 4, Hillenmeyer 2, Morones 5.

2001 Kentucky AAU Championship Bracket Boys' 17 and Under
 

Greenwood	69		Pikeville	36		Lafayette	65		Bourbon Co.	49
Bourbon Co.	63		Rowan Co.	58		West Jessamine	68		Clay Co.	50
Clay Co.	def.		Wayne Co.			East Jessamine	77		Owensboro	71
East Jessamine	100		Bath Co.	33		Corbin	57		Grant Co.	42
Grant Co.	58		Spencer Co.	55		St. Xavier	54		Madison Southern	45
Madison Southern	64		Western Hills	63		Ashland	89		Red Bird	57
Red Bird	85		Lex. Christian Acad.	81		Lexington Catholic	forfeit		Powell Co.
Breathitt Co.	58		Danville	39		Frankfort	81		Breathitt Co.	57
Madison Central	58		Bullitt East	47		Scott Co.	78		Madison Central	62
Warren Central	def.		Boyle Co.			Bell County	73		Warren Central	55
Henry Clay	74		Franklin Co.	37		Tates Creek	def.		Whitesburg
Dunbar	80		Augusta	37		Shelby Co.	69		Henry Clay	51
Highlands	61		Greenwood	42		Dunbar	60		Glasgow	57
PRP	94		Clark Co.	58		South Floyd	83		Fairdale	65
PRP	47		Highlands	46		Lafayette	85		South Floyd	69
East Jessamine	56		West Jessamine	42		St. Xavier	52		Corbin	50
Lexington Catholic	101		Ashland	78		Scott County	89		Frankfort	66
Bell County	def.		Tates Creek			Shelby County	78		Dunbar	57
Lafayette	85		PRP	79		Quarterfinal No. 1
East Jessamine	59		St. Xavier	44		Quarterfinal No. 2
Lexington Catholic	75		Scott County	52		Quarterfinal No. 3
Bell County	79		Shelby County	71		Quarterfinal No. 4
East Jessamine	72		Lafayette	51		Semifinal No. 1
Lexington Catholic	86		Bell County	65		Semifinal No. 2
Lexington Catholic	80		East Jessamine	69		Championship

2001 Kentucky AAU All Tournament Team 17 & Under

Cory Wade	East Jessamine
Coy Zerhusen	Scott County
Donte Sweatt	PRP
Brian Smith	Lexington Catholic
Chris Current	Frankfort
Johnny Hammons	Corbin
Demetrius Green	Lexington Catholic
Kevin Grantlin	Lafayette
Eric Ely	Bell County
Butch Jointer	East Jessamine
Torey Meagher	St. Xavier
Preston LeMaster	Bourbon County
Ryan Morton	Lexington Catholic
Arliss Beach	Ashland
Brandon Stockton	Glasgow
Robert Daniels	Shelby County

Conclusion

Congratulations to Lexington Catholic for their tournament championship.  Senior Ryan Morton and Junior Brian Smith blend well with sophs Demetrius Green, Harrison Morton, and William Graham.  Catholic has a very deep roster and should only improve this winter.  East Jessamine had an excellent tourney and make no mistake, this is not a fluke, they have a good team.  Good athletes at the wings, a big man in the middle, and good outside shooting will win a lot of games.  Lafayette lost a lot of talent but they have some outstanding newcomers and they had a good tourney run.  Bell County brings a lot of firepower with Jimmy Corum, Trae Winkler, and Eric Ely.  Add 6-9 Isaiah Mills to the Corbin lineup and they are tough.

Champ Ligon will have the Shelby County Rockets ready with the high scoring duo of  Robert Daniels and Brian Silverhorn.  Pleasure Ridge Park has their normal complement of athletes plus size inside with Brad Lightle and Terrance Farley.  Those guys at St. Xavier can coach -- you play their tempo and 6-6 Jr. Torey Meagher could be a good one.  Ashland has a great inside-outside duo in 6-8 Mark Surgalski and 6-1 Arliss Beach.  Highlands had an excellent tourney with Kevin Gilles, Craig Forbes, Kevin Miller, and Derrick Moeves leading the way.  They had pool wins over East Jessamine and Bourbon County plus a one point loss at the buzzer to PRP.  This was accomplished without 6-8 Jr. Ross Neltner, one of the rising stars in the state.

Preston LeMaster and Brandon Stockton were as advertised and there were too many excellent players and teams to mention them all here.  One of the highlights of the tourney was the intensity showed by Dunbar in their 60-57 victory over Glasgow.  Some things are always certain in Kentucky basketball -- South Floyd will have some long range bombers and Owensboro will put some athletes on the floor.  Madison Central always seems to incur serious graduation losses but the coaching staff headed by Coach Allen Feldhaus Jr. will put a good team on the floor.  Scott County's Billy Hicks does not like to lose and when he gets a healthy "C-3" Brown back and gets a settled rotation they will win a lot of games.  6-3 Coy Zerhusen should have a fine senior campaign for the Cardinals.

The 11th region could be interesting this year.  Lafayette, East Jessamine, and Lexington Catholic were all in the semifinals.  Scott Chalk will have a good team at Frankfort.  West Jessamine has talent and you can never relax against Kirk Chiles' Henry Clay team.  Coach Joe Pat Covington has some talent at Tates Creek led by Justin Taylor.  Madison Central has a rising star in Shawn Ballard and 6-7 Kenneth Fox patrols the middle for Eddie Oakley at Dunbar.

Obviously we graduated a lot of stars from last year but based on all the AAU tourneys I covered this year, we are well stocked for the 2001-2002 season.

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.  There were many stars in the AAU tourneys this year but perhaps none shined brighter than the Academy itself.  The coaches and parents always take time to provide me with info about their teams.  A special thanks to Shannon and Staci Feck for their info and insights on the games.

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