This Tournament was played  from May 4th through May 6th, 2001 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 interesting tournament with many outstanding players.  The 15 & under division has twelve teams entered:  Greenwood Gators, Team Louisville Red, Oldham County, Central Panthers, Augusta Bulldogs, Team Louisville White, Louisville Sting, Hardin County, Clinton County, Eastern Ky. Titans, Bowling Green, and Owensboro.  Team Louisville White has played together for quite a while and Coach Mike Carotta has enjoyed great success with this squad.  They would have to be considered the favorite going into the tourney, but Owensboro and one of the other Louisville teams could challenge.

The 16 & under division has six teams entered in the competition.  They are Lexington Salvation Army, Ft. Knox, Ohio County, Central Ky. Raptors, Bowling Green, and Northern Ky. Heat.  The Heat may be a slight favorite with the inside-outside combination of 6-7 Mike Brock (Simon Kenton) and 6-2 Tyler Jones (Grant County).  Brock is worth the price of admission -- nothing fancy, just a tireless worker who truly understands post play and gets better each game.  Tyler Jones is an excellent outside threat who is capable of lighting up the scoreboard.  Lexington Salvation Army will field a very talented team and should have the depth to wear teams down.

The 17 & under division has only three teams entered:  Northern Ky. Wildcats, Northern Ky. Tarheels, and Lake Cumberland.  The two Northern Ky. teams have played each other several times for various championships.

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

Friday May 4th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Team Louisville Red vs. Oldham County (15 & under)
Louisville Red raced out to an early lead and defeated Oldham County by a score of  70-40.  The victors were led by James Ray and 6-2 Ronnie George with 13 and 10 points respectively.  Oldham County was led by 6-2 David McCall and 5-11 Brandon Berry with 14 and 12 points respectively.

Louisville Sting vs. Hardin County (15 & under)
Louisville Sting defeated Hardin County  58-44.   They were led by 6-6 Mario Urrutia with 12 points.  Hardin County was led by 6-0 Tommy Cook and 6-2 Jeffrey Howard with 13 and 10 points respectively.

Bowling Green vs. Eastern Ky. Titans (15 & under)
Bowling Green won this game by a score of 57-51.  Bowling Green was led by 5-6 C. J. Sullivan with 21 points.   Eastern Ky. was paced by 5-10 Tim Mitchell with 22 points.

Saturday May 5th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Team Louisville White vs. Augusta (15 & under)
Team Louisville White defeated Augusta 64-39.  Louisville was led by 6-7 Robbie Simpson with 20 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocked shots.  Augusta was paced by 6-1 Thomas Appleman with 22 points and 20 rebounds.

Hardin County vs. Clinton County (15 & under)
Clinton County won a thriller over Hardin County by a score of 82-80.  Clinton County was led by 5-9 Quentin Collins with 33 points.  Hardin County was led by 5-11 Bryce Bradford and 6-6 David Kilgore with 20 and 15 points respectively.

Owensboro vs. Eastern Ky. Titans (15 & under)
Owensboro easily defeated the Titans by a score of  81-52.  Owensboro was led today by 6-2 John Worth III with 24 points.  The Eastern Ky. Titans were led today by 6-4 Nathan Davis with 20 points.

Augusta vs. Central Panthers (15 & under)
Augusta defeated the Central Panthers by a score of  69-44.  Augusta was led by 5-10 Brian Kirk and 6-1 Thomas Appleman with 19 and 18 points respectively.  The Panthers were led by 6-3 Brian Richardson with 15 points.

Greenwood Gators vs. Oldham County (15 & under)
Greenwood defeated Oldham County 58-46.    Greenwood  was led by 6-0 Ben Sowders and Skees with 15 points each.  Oldham County was led by 5-11 Brandon Berry with 16 points.

Owensboro vs. Bowling Green (15 & under)
Owensboro easily defeated Bowling Green 83-43.  6-1 Travis Johnson led five Owensboro players in double figures with 15 points.  Bowling Green was led by 6-2 Tyler Blaine and 5-6 C. J. Sullivan with 13 and 10 points respectively.

Clinton County vs. Louisville Sting (15 & under)
Louisville Sting defeated Clinton County by a score of  80-63.  Louisville Sting was led by 5-10 Spindle Johnson with 24 points.  Clinton County was led by 5-9 Quentin Collins with 14 points.  6-1 Charlie Stearns added 12 points.

Lexington Salvation Army vs. Ft. Knox (16 & under)
Salvation Army defeated Ft. Knox by a score of  89-69.  Salvation Army was led by 6-3 Demetrius Green with 19 points.  Ft. Knox was led by 6-6 Andre Woodson with 16 points.

Northern Ky. Heat vs. Bowling Green (16 & under)
Northern Ky. easily defeated Bowling Green 82-51.  Northern Ky. was led by 6-2 Tyler Jones with 24 points.  Bowling Green was led by 6-3 Tyson Dewalt and 6-3 Junior Flood with 16 and 12 points respectively.

Ohio County vs. Lexington Salvation Army (16 & under)
Salvation Army came from a 39-32 halftime deficit to defeat Ohio County 79-72.  Salvation Army was led by 6-2 Harrison Morton with 21 points.  Ohio County  was led by 6-1 Pookie Taylor and 5-9 Jacob Raymond with 26 and 23 points respectively.

Northern Ky. Wildcats vs. Northern Ky. Tarheels (17 & under)
The Wildcats defeated the Tarheels 80-67. The Wildcats were led by 6-4 Matt Finke and 6-5 Jeff Eisenmenger with 24 and 15 points respectively.  The Tarheels were led by 6-2 Russ Bramlage with 23 points.

Lake Cumberland vs. Northern Ky. Wildcats (17 & under)
The Wildcats easily defeated Lake Cumberland by a score of  80-53.  6-5 Jeff Eisenmenger led the Wildcats with 22 points.  6-5 Brandon Cross led Lake Cumberland with 13 points.

Northern Ky. Tarheels vs. Lake Cumberland (17 & under)
The Tarheels won this game by a score of 62-53. The winners were led by 6-7 Antonio Brown, 6-3 Kevin Cristello, 6-2 Russ Bramlage, and 6-2 Mike Hopkins with 16, 15, 14, and 13 points respectively.  Lake Cumberland was led by 5-10 Clayton Brumley with 12 points.

Championship Bracket

Saturday May 5th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Augusta vs.  Eastern Ky. Titans (15 & under)
Augusta defeated Eastern Ky. 56-43 and was led in scoring by 5-10 Brian Kirk with 27 points.  Eastern Ky. was paced by 6-4 Nathan Davis with 13 points.

Greenwood Gators vs. Hardin County (15 & under)
Greenwood advanced in the tourney with a 66-59 victory over Oldham County.  Greenwood was led by 6-4 Matt Howard and 6-0 Ben Sowders with 20 and 15 points respectively.   Hardin County was led by 5-11 Bryce Bradford, 5-11 Bryan Bradford, and 5-11 Kevin Berger with 13, 12, and 11 points respectively.

Bowling Green vs. Central Panthers (15 & under)
6-2 Tyler Blaine scored 26 points and led Bowling Green to a 74-58 victory over the Central Panthers.   The Panthers were led by 6-3 Brian Richardson with 32 points.

Louisville Sting vs. Augusta (15 & under Quarterfinal)
Louisville Sting survived a late rally by Augusta to gain a 60-53 victory.  Sting was led tonight by 6-6 Mario Urrutia with 13 points. Augusta was led by 5-10 Brian Kirk and 6-3 Jessee Poe with 20 and 16 points respectively.

Team Louisville White vs. Clinton County  (15 & under Quarterfinal)
The only confusing aspect of this game was that Team Louisville White came out wearing red jerseys.  Team Louisville took an early lead and raced to a 108-45 victory.  Team Louisville was led by 5-10 Rajon Rondo and 6-7 Robbie Simpson with 22 points and 19 points respectively. Rondo had some dazzling assists to set his teammates up for easy baskets.  6-2 Brad Cofer and 6-3 Stephen McKinney added 17 and 16 points respectively, 6-5 Nick Redmond added 14 points.  Clinton County was led by 5-9 Quentin Collins with 10 points.

Owensboro vs. Greenwood Gators (15 & under Quarterfinal)
Owensboro defeated Greenwood by a score of  88-79.  6-2 John Worth III led seven Owensboro players in double figures with 16 points.  Greenwood was led by 6-4 Matt Howard with 18 points.

Northern Ky. Tarheels vs. Lake Cumberland (17 & under Semifinal)
The Tarheels won this game by a score of 62-51. They were led by 6-2 Russ Bramlage and 6-3 Kevin Cristello with 24 and 20 points respectively.  6-5 Brandon Cross led Lake Cumberland with 12 points.

Sunday May 6th  (at Kentucky Basketball Academy)

Team Louisville White vs. Team Louisville Red  (15 & under Semifinal)
Team Louisville White came out wearing red jerseys and Team Louisville Red came out wearing white jerseys -- confusing, you bet.  The team designated Louisville White won the game by a score of 53-38.  They were led by 6-2 Jermaine Bentley with 12 points.  6-7 Robbie Simpson added 7 points and 11 rebounds.  Louisville Red was led by 6-7 Gerrie Young with 16 points and 21 rebounds.

Owensboro vs. Louisville Sting (15 & under Semifinal)
Owensboro advanced to the championship game with a 84-59 victory over Louisville Sting.  They were led by 5-8 Richard Long and 6-2 John Worth III with 25 and 21 points respectively.  Louisville Sting was led by 5-10 Spindle Johnson with 17 points.

Northern Ky. Wildcats vs. Northern Ky. Tarheels (17 & under Championship)
6-5 Brian Lewin scored a basket and free throw with 3.4 seconds remaining to give the Wildcats a 62-61 victory.  The Wildcats were led today by Lewin, 5-10 Marc Bain, and 6-2 Jonathon Blazjewski with 12 points each.  The Tarheels were led by 6-3 Kevin Cristello, 6-3 Joe Bramlage and 6-2 Russ Bramlage with 18, 17, and 13 points respectively.
 

Northern Ky. Tarheels	9	18	16	18	-	61
Northern Ky. Wildcats	16	14	18	14	-	62

Northern Ky. Tarheels	(61)	-	Cristello 18, Hopkins 9, J. Bramlage 17, Burkhart 4, R. Bramlage 13, A. Brown 0.
Northern Ky. Wildcats	(62)	-	Eisenmenger 10, Finke 6, Lewin 12, Kennedy 0, Voelker 4, Bain 12, Smock 6, Blazjewski 12.

Team Louisville Red vs. Louisville Sting  (15 & under Third Place)
Louisville Sting claimed third place with a 64-54 victory.  They were led by 6-4 Brandon Hamby and  5-10 Spindle Johnson with 15 points each.  Louisville Red was paced by Ryan Mitchell and 6-2 Ronnie George with 14 and 12 points respectively.

Team Louisville White vs. Owensboro  (15 & under Championship)
Louisville White led 50-39 at the end of three quarters but had to survive a furious Owensboro rally to win by a score of 63-60.  Louisville White was led by 6-7 Robbie Simpson with 17 points and 13 rebounds.  Stephen McKinney added 15 points.  Owensboro was led by 6-2 John Worth III with 18 points and 9 rebounds.  5-8 Michael James and 5-8 Richard Long added 14 and 13 points respectively.
 

Team Louisville White	17	20	13	13	-	63
Owensboro	16	11	12	21	-	60

Team Louisville White	(63) -	Cofer 6, McKinney 15, Simpson 17, Rondo 8, Britt 6, Bentley 7, Redmond 4.
Owensboro	(60) -	Fountain 3, Long 13, Worth 18, James 14, Harris 1, Oldham 6, Johnson 5.

Ohio County vs. Ft. Knox (16 & under Third Place)
Ohio County defeat Ft. Knox 89-81 to claim third place in the 16 & under division.

Lexington Salvation Army vs. Northern Ky. Heat (16 & under Championship)
Northern Ky. Heat trailed through three quarters but rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Salvation Army by a score of  85-80.  They were led by 6-7 Mike Brock with 29 points.  6-2 Tyler Jones added 19 points.  Salvation Army was led by Cory Gay with 21 points.
 

Salvation Army	20	19	18	23	-	80
Northern Ky. Heat	15	15	22	23	-	85

Salvation Army	(80)	-	Givens 13, Gay 21, Green 13, H. Morton 8, Mattingly 0, Redden 3, White 3, Gill 1, Tomkins 12, Campbell 7.
Northern Ky. Heat	(85)	-	Brock 29, Daniels 0, Jones 19, Shumate 10, Fabiani 4, Current 11, Carr 4, Barnhorn 7, Combs 1.

2001 Kentucky AAU Championship Bracket 15 and Under
 

Bowling Green	74		Central Panthers	58
Clinton County	75		Oldham County	68
Augusta	56		Eastern Ky. Titans	43
Greenwood	66		Hardin County	59
Louisville Red	83		Bowling Green	36	(Quarterfinal)
Louisville White	108		Clinton County	45	(Quarterfinal)
Louisville Sting	60		Augusta	53	(Quarterfinal)
Owensboro	88		Greenwood	79	(Quarterfinal)
Louisville White	53		Louisville Red	38	(Semifinal)
Owensboro	84		Louisville Sting	59	(Semifinal)
Louisville Sting	64		Louisville Red	54	(Third Place)
Louisville White	63		Owensboro	60	(Championship)

2001 Kentucky AAU Championship Bracket 16 and Under
 

Ohio County	79		Bowling Green	60
Ft. Knox	92		Central Ky. Raptors	72
Salvation Army	89		Ohio County	77	(Semifinal)
Northern Ky. Heat	78		Ft. Knox	61	(Semifinal)
Ohio County	89		Ft. Knox	81	(Third Place)
Northern Ky. Heat	85		Salvation Army	80	(Championship)

2001 Kentucky AAU Championship Bracket 17 and Under
 

Northern Ky. Wildcats	-		bye		(Semifinal)
Northern Ky. Tarheels	62		Lake Cumberland	51	(Semifinal)
Northern Ky. Wildcats	62		Northern Ky. Tarheels	61	(Championship)

Conclusion

Congratulations to the Northern Kentucky Heat,  and the Northern Kentucky Wildcats, and Team Louisville White for their championships.  This was an excellent tournament with too many players to mention them all here.  Team Louisville White lived up to their reputation, but Owensboro gave them a battle in the title game.  Louisville's Rajon Rondo and Robbie Simpson are as good as advertised and look out for Stephen McKinney next year at Male.  Mike Brock had a great championship game for the Heat and always gives the big effort.  What can you say about the Northern Kentucky Wildcats and Tarheels?  They were very evenly matched and had a great championship game.

Coach Phill Wheat did an excellent job with Louisville Sting and it looks like Fern Creek has some good young talent.  There was a lot of talent on the Louisville squads with three Louisville teams in the final four of the 15 & under division.  6-1 Thomas Appleman had a nice tourney for Augusta.  Owensboro had several nice players and 6-2 John Worth III held his own with larger players in the paint.  Salvation Army had a lot of talent and it took a great game by Mike Brock to deprive them of the title.  Ohio County had two players, Pookie Taylor and Jacob Raymond, who are capable of lighting up the scoreboard.

Once again, my complements to the owners and management of the Kentucky Basketball Academy.  This is a wonderful place for multi-game events and seems to be well received by both players and fans.

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 .