SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

2:48 left in the first, HP up 16-7

Just way more physical at this point. Copas also has 2 fouls already.

HP leads 20-9 after 1

Rebounding is the only way NA makes it back in this, because HP is shooting til they score at this point.

39-23 at the half

The Warriors shooting well from deep has been a dagger for the Green Devils.

The hometown homegrown boys not hitting their shots. HP has recruited just too many weapons. Campbell playing above the rim and owning the boards. NA is one and done. HP with just 3 turnovers in game near end of 3rd quarter.
59-33 HP after 3 quarters.

Creating new divisions next year in basketball but can’t put private schools in their own tournament, just ruins the game

greygoose wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 8:57 pm Creating new divisions next year in basketball but can’t put private schools in their own tournament, just ruins the game

^^^^100%

Very disappointed they did nothing with the private schools.

78-48 harvest Prep. Congrats NA on a Great season.

greygoose wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 8:57 pm Creating new divisions next year in basketball but can’t put private schools in their own tournament, just ruins the game

It's been that way for years. Unless you can recruit an all-star team from these little schools,the final 4 is a pipe dream.

ah, yes, recruited by a guy whose voice got permanently destroyed to hell due to autoimmune disease. Great toolset to recruit with, right there. To get kids into a school that expels kids for hand-holding. Good stuff!

If Dave Dennis coached at a local exurb school, like Chillicothe, he’d be respected not just as a coach but as a community leader by those who pay attention. He’d get the same praise and reputation that a southern Ohio native son has (rightfully) earned over his career in Dayton and now back home.

Hard times when a community of adults that values the role of good mentors in young peoples’ lives about-face the idea when it’s done in a city, not a village.

Eugene2009 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:01 pm

greygoose wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 8:57 pm Creating new divisions next year in basketball but can’t put private schools in their own tournament, just ruins the game

^^^^100%

Very disappointed they did nothing with the private schools.

Agreed! They can make 7 divisions but can’t make the private schools separate for these tournaments? It’s ridiculous, they’re allowed to recruit the best in their area and offer scholarships to go to their schools…. Needs to change.

I don’t think anyone is saying Harvest Prep isn’t a good program. I would imagine going to school there is a positive for the kids that go there.

But let’s not act it’s a level playing field. Plenty of transfers happen down this way. But our schools are drawing from an area with what, 100,000 people? Harvest Prep can draw from over an area with over a million. Especially in basketball, where 1 or 2 studs can send you from a good team to a state champion, it’s not a fair fight.

TigerBob wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:17 pm I don’t think anyone is saying Harvest Prep isn’t a good program. I would imagine going to school there is a positive for the kids that go there.

But let’s not act it’s a level playing field. Plenty of transfers happen down this way. But our schools are drawing from an area with what, 100,000 people? Harvest Prep can draw from over an area with over a million. Especially in basketball, where 1 or 2 studs can send you from a good team to a state champion, it’s not a fair fight.

100 Percent agreed

HP shot I think 58% from the field and right at 50% from three. They rotated 9 players and are a great team. North Adams had 3 in double figures. At 5'10",Swiekert had a double double points and rebounds for North Adams. Copas and Hestler finish their high school careers. Copas will take his game to Rio Grande. Congrats to both teams and good luck to the Regional finalists.

Jumper45 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:26 pm

TigerBob wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:17 pm I don’t think anyone is saying Harvest Prep isn’t a good program. I would imagine going to school there is a positive for the kids that go there.

But let’s not act it’s a level playing field. Plenty of transfers happen down this way. But our schools are drawing from an area with what, 100,000 people? Harvest Prep can draw from over an area with over a million. Especially in basketball, where 1 or 2 studs can send you from a good team to a state champion, it’s not a fair fight.

100 Percent agreed

IMO, it all boils down to OHSAA! Somehow until they don't have all the power then it will never change. This is how they stay in power!

formerfcfan wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:06 pm ah, yes, recruited by a guy whose voice got permanently destroyed to hell due to autoimmune disease. Great toolset to recruit with, right there. To get kids into a school that expels kids for hand-holding. Good stuff!

If Dave Dennis coached at a local exurb school, like Chillicothe, he’d be respected not just as a coach but as a community leader by those who pay attention. He’d get the same praise and reputation that a southern Ohio native son has (rightfully) earned over his career in Dayton and now back home.

Hard times when a community of adults that values the role of good mentors in young peoples’ lives about-face the idea when it’s done in a city, not a village.

Drive down to lil Seaman ,Ohio,tiny Peebles Ohio , lil beaver ,Ohio or the many very poor County schools where they always have only their homegrown kids and look at the hard times those communities struggle with and then tell me things are fair. Hard work is what is taught in these and other areas of the state that are financially strapped. These people love their schools and communities as much as anywhere. No one said anything about coach Dennis( he's awesome) ,but; even great coaches like him will struggle out of his current home. We wish him the best. Always have.

formerfcfan wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:06 pm ah, yes, recruited by a guy whose voice got permanently destroyed to hell due to autoimmune disease. Great toolset to recruit with, right there. To get kids into a school that expels kids for hand-holding. Good stuff!

If Dave Dennis coached at a local exurb school, like Chillicothe, he’d be respected not just as a coach but as a community leader by those who pay attention. He’d get the same praise and reputation that a southern Ohio native son has (rightfully) earned over his career in Dayton and now back home.

Hard times when a community of adults that values the role of good mentors in young peoples’ lives about-face the idea when it’s done in a city, not a village.

Coach Dennis is certainly one of the best out there. I had no idea what had happened to his voice, that’s really sad to hear.

Sat behind their bench when they played Wheelersburg and I was impressed with everything from their players and coaches. They have also improved by leaps and bounds since that day, so even more kudos to them.

Hoopie74 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:39 pm

formerfcfan wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:06 pm ah, yes, recruited by a guy whose voice got permanently destroyed to hell due to autoimmune disease. Great toolset to recruit with, right there. To get kids into a school that expels kids for hand-holding. Good stuff!

If Dave Dennis coached at a local exurb school, like Chillicothe, he’d be respected not just as a coach but as a community leader by those who pay attention. He’d get the same praise and reputation that a southern Ohio native son has (rightfully) earned over his career in Dayton and now back home.

Hard times when a community of adults that values the role of good mentors in young peoples’ lives about-face the idea when it’s done in a city, not a village.

Drive down to lil Seaman ,Ohio,tiny Peebles Ohio , lil beaver ,Ohio or the many very poor County schools where they always have only their homegrown kids and look at the hard times those communities struggle with and then tell me things are fair. Hard work is what is taught in these and other areas of the state that are financially strapped. These people love their schools and communities as much as anywhere. No one said anything about coach Dennis( he's awesome) ,but; even great coaches like him will struggle out of his current home. We wish him the best. Always have.

Very well said.
This little schools in little towns just working and scrapping

I feel even worse for the D4 team that makes it into the final 4 to meet Richmond heights. As a matter of fact all the teams that have ran into them already

Awesome season for the Green Devils! Copas was without a doubt a treat to watch over the years. Kid has great toughness and skill. His teammates also played with a lot of heart like their head coach. Hang your heads for tonight, but be proud of your accomplishments over the duration.

TigerBob wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:17 pm I don’t think anyone is saying Harvest Prep isn’t a good program. I would imagine going to school there is a positive for the kids that go there.

But let’s not act it’s a level playing field. Plenty of transfers happen down this way. But our schools are drawing from an area with what, 100,000 people? Harvest Prep can draw from over an area with over a million. Especially in basketball, where 1 or 2 studs can send you from a good team to a state champion, it’s not a fair fight.

This state is too deep, and too big, to have a 4-division district-regional-state model that ensures ‘levelness’ in instances where it is <school from big metro> versus <school from a rural village within a region that is economically challenged.> There are a handful of factors that, regardless of private/public status, already leverage the school from the big metro that has made it that far (into regionals) off the bat. One is concentration of wealth within metro (factor in the marketplace of education), another is abundance of schools (suppliers), a third is mass of population (demand), fourth is level of competitiveness relating to school profile (academics, environment, athletics and school facilities) and fifth is the relationship of housing, location and the general versatility of families in a booming metro that is experiencing growth.

I think folks readily miss that holistic and only look at raw population, with no imagination or thought paid to the idea that all of ^^^those^^^ factors create a competitive emphasis locally that forces schools to sink or swim. It’s not the case that only one school emerges. It’s decades of these factors reinforcing themselves, and those Central district tournaments in D1 (and the Columbus regional in D1), D2 and D3 are absolute bears to get out of as a result. You aren’t winning a district in those tournaments if your school doesn’t embrace the same level of competitive DNA in sports that it already has to take to get non-athletes in the door as well. Since we’re talking D3, this also applies to Worthington Christian, Cols Academy, Heath, Grandview Heights, Grove City Christian and others. (Are those schools good enough to beat North Adams/SE District school? Maybe some are.)

Prep and its sustained success, well, you have a coach who has a very strong (positive) reputation on and off the court, who coaches at a school with a standard of discipline and expectation far higher than every public school in a 15 minute radius, located in a densely-populated area where quality of life isn’t great (but still better than plenty of other places you could possibly live in if you’re urban working-class.) The sport is basketball, an organized activity with low barriers to entry that is a positive outlet for kids who don’t have much else better to do. Commit to basketball, regardless if you have skill, work at it, get conditioned, live in the gym, your life prospects dramatically improve growing up in those shoes. You have a second home, you’re in the care of more good adults and role models, mom and dad (or whoever is your guardian) encourages your involvement because it can provide the opportunity to a better life trajectory compared to what not playing would.

I look at it this way: all those kids on HP’s team have it beaten into them that basketball is a lifeline. Regardless if you get a scholarship to play any level anywhere afterwards. Doesn’t mean you have to be good at basketball, or have to be good to play there (and I think people get caught into some misconception that they’re just stacked to the brim with talent.) Does mean you have to have a hell of a work ethic and commitment everything part and parcel to basketball, what is expected and asked of you by Dennis. It doesn’t begin in November and stop in March. Be conditioned. No slacking off. Effort.

Put all of that together and there’s your baseline for success on the hardwood. Come what may. I see a lot of people talk about how community pride inspires players (like at NA.) That is great! Admirable and good in the context of high school sports. Not sure if that is enough to overcome a team where the kids have identified basketball as the pathway to a better life throughout their entire youth, and play with the passion and purpose to be had playing for a coach who has positively shaped their life at a school that is the best (and safest) option around.