Pfloyd's Elite 8 of Southern/SouthEast Ohio Preseason

[JIMMY THE GREEK]

Not sure about Chillicothe being #2....In a Tri-scrimmage last night @Piketon, the Cavs struggled to score. 1st qt. 18-12 Piketon; 2nd qt. 14-14 Tie; 3rd qt. 14-10 Chillicothe. I believe Washington Court House was the other team there, they played them close as well. For Chilli London was a handful, and the big guard (I believe Johnson). But I don't think they're better than Chesapeake, Ironton, Warren, or EB. But it's early....Zach Farmer from Piketon was tough all night. I like the new kids and the freshmen Brewster for the young Streaks. The Watkins kid from Eastern was on the bench but did not play and it looked like the Streaks had a couple of kids banged up. If Watkins can play like people say and the Streaks get healthy...watch out!

[pfloyd]

... GREAT information everyone!!! ... please continue to give your REASONS for your team to be higher up on the lists ... the names of NEW additions, the youngsters from last year who will have to step up their games to fill the voids left by graduating seniors - it ALWAYS happens too ... every year we Cheap Seat guys say "they'll" never be able to replace "such and such" BUT we Cheap Seat guys watch as the youngsters who NOW have to be "the go to guys" BECOME "the go to guys" THAT'S what makes high school hoops so awesome - to see the changing of the guard take place every single year ...



... Portsmouth ? #1? ... not sure you can put the Trojans of Coach Collins anywhere BUT #1 to start the season - returning 5 of there top 7 players from a final four team? don't even go there - they're #1 to start the season, the top spot is theirs to keep or lose ... Dion McKinley,Wayne Evans, Mason Jordan, Zaide Whitley, Seth Batchett seniors who have been to the SHOW and want to go back ... the BIG question mark for Portsmouth will be whether they have anyone who can handle the ball under pressure, anyone who can push the ball in transition, anyone who can put the ball in the hands of Mckinley,Evans where they can get get it done offensively ... is that person to be Whitley? started the season last year injured, this go around he will be healthy ... the potential is there ... time will tell if all the pieces are there for another post season run ...

... Chillicothe ? #2? could have gone either way with Chesapeake BUT I looked at the "potential" of Zach Johnson and the "potential" inside domination of now senior Malik London ... obviously 2 players do not a TEAM make HOWEVER when one of the players is 6-8, athletic, "potentially" dominant on the inside at BOTH ends of the floor ... I think it was a good preseason spot for the Coach Kelloughs boyz ... the cast of characters MUST be developed BUT with Johnson and London time is on the Cavs side ...

... Chesapeake ? #3? again could have very easily been in the 2 spot ... Coach Davis has another outstanding lineup ... Austin McMaster - might be the POY Below the Line this season => yeah, he's that good at both ends of the floor, inside/outside, offense/defense AND at 6-5 or 6-6 a wingspan that makes him play even bigger ... I look for Javon Thompson to step up offensively for the 'peake along with senior PG Patrick Hentz ... Hentz will handle/distribute the ball AND be in double figures offensively ... Coach Davis needs quality minutes from Eric Kennedy/Brandon Noble/Nate Jones and some of the other juniors (Walters/Lindsey/Duttfield) ... the Panthers will be looking to move up not down all season ...

... Logan Elm? #4? hey I have that much respect for Coach Stiverson and his staff AND the Braves play DEFENSE!!! the Stiverson defensive RULE of holding an opponent to less than 50 points means something , this is engrained in the Red/White players at all levels, the "bump and slide" man to man D ... I don't even have to name names because it doesn't matter who is on the floor - they WILL play D or they won't play ... I look for more offensive production this season for LE , last season the Braves played the D BUT had a tough time coming up with their own 50+ ppg at the offensive end of the floor ... Blake Riffle/Eli Pritchard/Anthony Vagnier will have to be the nucleus for the Braves ... looking forward to seeing some of the youngsters step up, fill the shoes of Braves past ... will get to see LE in action vs my Purple in a scrimmage format in a week or so, we'll see first hand how the offense looks for the Braves ...

... Ironton? #5? ... Coach LaFon plays everyone who dresses, the managers and even some guys out of the first row in the stands <so it seems anyway> ... okay he plays a lot of bodies ... the Tigers I'm sure will be playing a schedule heavy with "foreign" teams from across the river ... look for IHS to be led by Mr. Intensity Zac Carter at PG and Trey Fletcher in the paint , both OUTSTANDING and BOTH only juniors <he types shaking his head> wow ... add to that pair more of that outstanding junior class talent - Nick Culbertson, Trevor White and Senior (lone senior!!!) Nolan Johnson ... the Tigers have the goods for sure to move UP the Elite 8 rankings with pressure on the ball defense, an offense which looks to make you pay for every mistake scoring out of transition ... this season the Tigers MIGHT just be able to play in the half court as well with the Carter/Fletcher combination ... the "potential" is there ...

... Eastern Brown? #6? ... it's all about "potential" again BESIDES EB has THE tallest coaching staff in Southern Ohio!!! ... Coach Beucler is one of those coaches that every parent wishes their sons had as a coach - coaches the entire 32 minutes winning or losing ... emphasizes solid defense ... EB struggled offensively last season BUT will be battle tested and laden with seniors this season ... led by Jordan "Max" Payne lets add Conner Purdin, Brandon Belcher, (jr) Chase Lawson, Daniel Faul, Brett Stout, (jr) Josh Boudreau => ALL will need to step up offensively for EB to reach their "potential" ...

... Warren? #7? ... Coach Maddox & staff will need to replace some big shoes inside and out this season (Grant Venham/Austin Cunningham/Jon Mitchell)... the Warriors have tons of upside going into this season with the likes of Dylan Leffingwell (jr) , Tyler Ward, Jeremy Hastie, Josh Winland, Austin Henthorn, Jace Knost, Bradley Proctor making up the senior group supported by Coach Duckworth's boyz from last season's JV squad sophs Evan French/Reese Patton BOTH WILL BE IN THE LINEUP for big minutes ... add Evan Yabs/Chas Miller (strong) et al ... should be one of the deepest squads ever for Coach Maddox ... more importantly one of the best TEAMS as well ... don't be surprised to see WHS move UP the rankings AND give PHS/CHS a run for the SEOAL crown ...

... Huntington? #8? (Last yr, 9-5, 13-8)- The Huntsmen have a new coach in Travis Rinehart, who will bring intensity and fire to fill in where Coach Uhrig left off. There won't be much of a drop off in passion, if any. They return Dylan Gragg(17.3 and 8.5 rpg in his 2 varsity seasons) who dominates on the inside and point man Bryce Vickers(10.9 ppg, 30 3's, 3.1 spg) add a supporting cast of Jacob Kellough/Brian Hall both sophs. Look for the Huntsmen to be THE team to dethrone Piketon in the SVC this season ...


... I wasn't going to do a rundown of the Elite 8 BUT I started typing and couldn't stop ... keep the comments/discussion coming!... there are some early practice scrimmages happening this weekend ... give up some information as to how the teams look from around Southern/SouthEast Ohio ...

[pfloyd]

... Piketon loses perhaps the premier PG in Southern Ohio in Evan Legg BUT you could see the "potential" in the youngsters last year Zach Farmer- WILL have a breakout year - write it down!- others HAVE TO step forward for the Streaks - Craigen Moore, Isaac Brabson ... throw in the two reported transfers and you have a Piketon squad which has many unknowns BUT "potential" printed right on the backs of those uniforms ... will they stay at the top of the SVC or ...

[Excoach78]

WARREN, Coach Maddox will reload the gun again. Leffingwell, Proctor and Miller did not come out for the team, and thats too bad. The 5 seniors for leadership and a 19-1 jv team moving up plus French and Patton. This will be one of the tallest and deepest teams coach Maddox has had. Add Jeremy Fivecoat to the BIG list, 6'4 or 6'5 and strong.

[pfloyd]

... Excoach78 ,sorry to hear Leffingwell, Proctor, Miller are sitting out the hoops season - wow ... but as you posted there is a ton of talent on this TEAM for sure ... I was impressed with Coach Duckworth's JV squad last season - he did another great job getting those boyz ready to be contributors at the varsity level ... French/Patton? both will make an immediate impact ... IF the Warriors can get a presence in the paint - we could see another excellent campaign for the Big Bad Blue ... looking forward to seeing you Excoach78 and the rest of the Warrior nation when the season gets underway ...

[jgordon0315]

no biggy Pfloyd, but you said "Warren 17-3 last season losing to ???ONLY Chillicothe???? on the season.......how could u forget watching Portsmouth slug it out with Warren last year for the Trojan victory, especially when you posted such rave PHS reviews after that game, lol.

[pfloyd]

jgordan315 ... I plead "old age" LMAO ... not sure what I was thinkin' considering I had the napkin stats sitting right in front of me 75-58 Trojans ... 48-46 PHS at the of 3 quarters ... Trojans went on a 21-0 run to blow it open ... I will "FIX" that gaffe ... smack every now and then will ya - just to keep me honest ...

[93Bulldog]

FLOYD ... Did you notice the big change in the Division II tourney yet? 4 TEAMS NOW ADVANCE to the Convo rather than the traditional 2 ... The Logan sectional, which would have been absolutly brutal with WARREN, LOGAN ELM, MARIETTA, SHERIDAN, VINTON COUNTY, ATHENS, GALLIA, FAIRFIELD UNION & SHERDIAN, use to only send two teams ... Now we get four!!!

That is awesome ... otherwise, there were sure to be some really good teams left out in the cold due to the tough competition at Logan.

I think seeding now will be even more important this year in this sectional; in years past, it really didn't matter too much seeing as you were going to have play one of the best teams anyhow to reach the Convo. If you can position yourself and earn one of those top 3 seeds - you will probably be in good shape (the 4 and the 5 will most likely still be a tough match-up)

BIG GAMES FOR SEEDING PURPOSES FOR ATHENS:

12/6 - at Warren
12/9 - at Vinton County
12/10 - Gallia Academy
12/27 - at Jackson
1/7 - at Marietta
1/10 - Logan
1/27 - Vinton County
2/7 - Marietta
2/11 - at Logan (Although Logan & Jackson are not in the sectional - coaches talk and gaining wins over the SEOAL will definitly help Athens & Vinton County for seeding purposes.)

* The first three games on the list are back-to-back-to-back games after playing Morgan in the season opener.

[EasternDspy]

Warren will have a time with FF this year.Fort Frye returns all-state hopeful Shon Smith a former Barlow Vincent player.

[underthemound]

Even though warren lost a few players they will have too much depth for fort frye this year. I'm calling a blow out at warren and a comfortable win at fort frye. Coach maddox will have his boys ready to go.

[JIMMY THE GREEK]

I hear Piketon played well at Ironton today. (Ironton/Hillsboro).....The Streaks took two of three from the Tigers...but I'm sure the football players were absent. Carter and Fletcher was playing and playing well from what I'm told. Again Zach Farmer and Craigen Moore led the Streaks. Only one of the three transfers played....my source tells me Coach L. is waiting for final approval from the OHSAA.

[91Grad]

Ironton will be tough.. I predict with there schedule tougher than anyone in the top Elite 8 they MAY lose a few games but in my opinion could be #1 by years end and make a DEEP tourny run !! I do believe Piketon and Valley will be in the top 8 by seasons end as well..

[Space Cowboy]

FLOYD ... Did you notice the big change in the Division II tourney yet? 4 TEAMS NOW ADVANCE to the Convo rather than the traditional 2 ... The Logan sectional, which would have been absolutly brutal with WARREN, LOGAN ELM, MARIETTA, SHERIDAN, VINTON COUNTY, ATHENS, GALLIA, FAIRFIELD UNION & SHERDIAN, use to only send two teams ... Now we get four!!!

That is awesome ... otherwise, there were sure to be some really good teams left out in the cold due to the tough competition at Logan.

I think seeding now will be even more important this year in this sectional; in years past, it really didn't matter too much seeing as you were going to have play one of the best teams anyhow to reach the Convo. If you can position yourself and earn one of those top 3 seeds - you will probably be in good shape (the 4 and the 5 will most likely still be a tough match-up)

BIG GAMES FOR SEEDING PURPOSES FOR ATHENS:

12/6 - at Warren
12/9 - at Vinton County
12/10 - Gallia Academy
12/27 - at Jackson
1/7 - at Marietta
1/10 - Logan
1/27 - Vinton County
2/7 - Marietta
2/11 - at Logan (Although Logan & Jackson are not in the sectional - coaches talk and gaining wins over the SEOAL will definitly help Athens & Vinton County for seeding purposes.)* The first three games on the list are back-to-back-to-back games after playing Morgan in the season opener.

Vinton County needs to get that Jackson monkey off their back. They have (as does Athens) have a tough enough schedule playing each other twice, Alexander twice, Wellston (looking to have the best shot in years to prove themselves) twice.

[pfloyd]

... thought I would move the Elite 8 list to this page ...


... Pfloyd's Elite 8 of Southern/SouthEast Ohio Preseason Edition ...


1. Portsmouth (16-4)

2. Chillicothe (17-3)

3. Chesapeake (19-1)

4. Logan Elm (14-6)

5. Ironton (12-7)

6. Eastern Brown (10-8)

7. Warren (17-3)

8. Huntington (13-7)



...Tree Hugger Wannabes...


Manchester (15-5)
Fairfield Union (10-10)
Piketon (18-2)
Marietta (14-6)
Lucasville Valley (10-10)
Unioto (13-7)
Miami Trace (15-3)
Athens (8-12)
Vinton County (16-4)
Southeastern Ross (9-11)
South Gallia (10-10)
Peebles (19-1)
Sheridan (17-3)
Jackson (5-15)
Logan (5-15)
Southern (10-9)
Wheelersburg (15-5)
Hillsboro (13-7)
Washington Courthouse (14-6)
Greenfield McClain (9-11)
Oak Hill (14-6)
Waverly (8-11)
Waterford (11-9)
Wellston (10-10)
Federal Hocking (unranked)
South Webster (15-4)
Symmes Valley (17-3)
WhiteOak (9-11)
Zane Trace (unranked)
Meigs (10-10)
Northwest (8-11)
Ironton St. Joe (12-7)
Franklin Furnace Green (14-5)
Minford (7-13)
Portsmouth Clay (12-8)
Westfall (7-11)
South Point (11-8)
River Valley (8-12)
Western Latham (unranked)
Fairfield Leesburg (9-11)
Trimble (12-8)
Gallia Academy (7-13)


... End Table Teams ...


Fairland (13-7)
South Point (11-8)
Eastern Pike (10-9)
Nelsonville York (5-15)
New Lexington (8-12)
Belpre (7-13)
Circleville (4-16)
North Adams (5-13)
Portsmouth Notre Dame (8-12)
Adena (unranked)
Reedsville Eastern (17-2)
Western Pike (unranked)
Portsmouth West (unranked)
Paint Valley (10-9)

[streetballer]

manchester with the talent they have coming back from last years team and the addition of gaffin and few others they should be in the top 8...they have last years d-4 se ohio player of the year in travis combs returnin along with west who can battle with any player down low and ricketts who is among the best pgs in the area

[pfloyd]

... GREAT information everyone!!! ... please continue to give your REASONS for your team to be higher up on the lists ... the names of NEW additions, the youngsters from last year who will have to step up their games to fill the voids left by graduating seniors - it ALWAYS happens too ... every year we Cheap Seat guys say "they'll" never be able to replace "such and such" BUT we Cheap Seat guys watch as the youngsters who NOW have to be "the go to guys" BECOME "the go to guys" THAT'S what makes high school hoops so awesome - to see the changing of the guard take place every single year ...



... Portsmouth ? #1? ... not sure you can put the Trojans of Coach Collins anywhere BUT #1 to start the season - returning 5 of there top 7 players from a final four team? don't even go there - they're #1 to start the season, the top spot is theirs to keep or lose ... Dion McKinley,Wayne Evans, Mason Jordan, Zaide Whitley, Seth Batchett seniors who have been to the SHOW and want to go back ... the BIG question mark for Portsmouth will be whether they have anyone who can handle the ball under pressure, anyone who can push the ball in transition, anyone who can put the ball in the hands of Mckinley,Evans where they can get get it done offensively ... is that person to be Whitley? started the season last year injured, this go around he will be healthy ... the potential is there ... time will tell if all the pieces are there for another post season run ...

... Chillicothe ? #2? could have gone either way with Chesapeake BUT I looked at the "potential" of Zach Johnson and the "potential" inside domination of now senior Malik London ... obviously 2 players do not a TEAM make HOWEVER when one of the players is 6-8, athletic, "potentially" dominant on the inside at BOTH ends of the floor ... I think it was a good preseason spot for the Coach Kelloughs boyz ... the cast of characters MUST be developed BUT with Johnson and London time is on the Cavs side ...

... Chesapeake ? #3? again could have very easily been in the 2 spot ... Coach Davis has another outstanding lineup ... Austin McMaster - might be the POY Below the Line this season => yeah, he's that good at both ends of the floor, inside/outside, offense/defense AND at 6-5 or 6-6 a wingspan that makes him play even bigger ... I look for Javon Thompson to step up offensively for the 'peake along with senior PG Patrick Hentz ... Hentz will handle/distribute the ball AND be in double figures offensively ... Coach Davis needs quality minutes from Eric Kennedy/Brandon Noble/Nate Jones and some of the other juniors (Walters/Lindsey/Duttfield) ... the Panthers will be looking to move up not down all season ...

... Logan Elm? #4? hey I have that much respect for Coach Stiverson and his staff AND the Braves play DEFENSE!!! the Stiverson defensive RULE of holding an opponent to less than 50 points means something , this is engrained in the Red/White players at all levels, the "bump and slide" man to man D ... I don't even have to name names because it doesn't matter who is on the floor - they WILL play D or they won't play ... I look for more offensive production this season for LE , last season the Braves played the D BUT had a tough time coming up with their own 50+ ppg at the offensive end of the floor ... Blake Riffle/Eli Pritchard/Anthony Vagnier will have to be the nucleus for the Braves ... looking forward to seeing some of the youngsters step up, fill the shoes of Braves past ... will get to see LE in action vs my Purple in a scrimmage format in a week or so, we'll see first hand how the offense looks for the Braves ...

... Ironton? #5? ... Coach LaFon plays everyone who dresses, the managers and even some guys out of the first row in the stands <so it seems anyway> ... okay he plays a lot of bodies ... the Tigers I'm sure will be playing a schedule heavy with "foreign" teams from across the river ... look for IHS to be led by Mr. Intensity Zac Carter at PG and Trey Fletcher in the paint , both OUTSTANDING and BOTH only juniors <he types shaking his head> wow ... add to that pair more of that outstanding junior class talent - Nick Culbertson, Trevor White and Senior (lone senior!!!) Nolan Johnson ... the Tigers have the goods for sure to move UP the Elite 8 rankings with pressure on the ball defense, an offense which looks to make you pay for every mistake scoring out of transition ... this season the Tigers MIGHT just be able to play in the half court as well with the Carter/Fletcher combination ... the "potential" is there ...

... Eastern Brown? #6? ... it's all about "potential" again BESIDES EB has THE tallest coaching staff in Southern Ohio!!! ... Coach Beucler is one of those coaches that every parent wishes their sons had as a coach - coaches the entire 32 minutes winning or losing ... emphasizes solid defense ... EB struggled offensively last season BUT will be battle tested and laden with seniors this season ... led by Jordan "Max" Payne lets add Conner Purdin, Brandon Belcher, (jr) Chase Lawson, Daniel Faul, Brett Stout, (jr) Josh Boudreau => ALL will need to step up offensively for EB to reach their "potential" ...

... Warren? #7? ... Coach Maddox & staff will need to replace some big shoes inside and out this season (Grant Venham/Austin Cunningham/Jon Mitchell)... the Warriors have tons of upside going into this season with the likes of Dylan Leffingwell (jr) , Tyler Ward, Jeremy Hastie, Josh Winland, Austin Henthorn, Jace Knost, Bradley Proctor making up the senior group supported by Coach Duckworth's boyz from last season's JV squad sophs Evan French/Reese Patton BOTH WILL BE IN THE LINEUP for big minutes ... add Evan Yabs/Chas Miller (strong) et al ... should be one of the deepest squads ever for Coach Maddox ... more importantly one of the best TEAMS as well ... don't be surprised to see WHS move UP the rankings AND give PHS/CHS a run for the SEOAL crown ...

... Huntington? #8? (Last yr, 9-5, 13-8)- The Huntsmen have a new coach in Travis Rinehart, who will bring intensity and fire to fill in where Coach Uhrig left off. There won't be much of a drop off in passion, if any. They return Dylan Gragg(17.3 and 8.5 rpg in his 2 varsity seasons) who dominates on the inside and point man Bryce Vickers(10.9 ppg, 30 3's, 3.1 spg) add a supporting cast of Jacob Kellough/Brian Hall both sophs. Look for the Huntsmen to be THE team to dethrone Piketon in the SVC this season ...


... I wasn't going to do a rundown of the Elite 8 BUT I started typing and couldn't stop ... keep the comments/discussion coming!... there are some early practice scrimmages happening this weekend ... give up some information as to how the teams look from around Southern/SouthEast Ohio ...

[LetsGoPSU]

Dec 10, Portsmouth @ Ironton, does it get any better in the first week of the season?

[pfloyd]

...the Dec 10th matchup should be a REAL test for PHS ... we will see how the Trojans are able to compensate for the loss of Bendolph at the PG position ... Bendolph MADE the Portsmouth offense by being able to breakdown the opposition in both the full court and half court ... PHS was able to "push" the ball in transition and realistically "push the ball at any time" with the speedy/quick pg ... with a PG such as Bendolph the Trojans were able to get into the paint at will, setting up the BIGS in the paint/around the rim ... Ironton STILL has the PG with all of those characteristics in (jr) Zac Carter while Portsmouth will need to show they have the ability to get those things done without Bendolph - it doesn't have to be "one man" to take on all of the skills brought to the table by Bendolph BUT an equal of "Bendolph by Committee" has to be realized imo ...

... you're absolutely right LetsGoPSU THIS get together will will be a dandy AND an early season "barometer" game at that ...

[biggdowgg]

Bendolph is no doubt a huge loss to us,,how ever, even before Bendolph returned last year , we had already beat a couple good teams......with the very same players that will return except for Bendolph and Tre Underwood..


Dec. 7, 2010 @ South Webster 54 Portsmouth 47
Dec. 10 @ Portsmouth 67 South Point 46
Dec. 18 Warren 68 @ Portsmouth 64
Dec 21 Portsmouth 63 @ Jackson 34
Dec. 23 @ Portsmouth 64 Wheelersburg 56
Dec. 28 Portsmouth 55 Pace, FL 43 (KSA Holiday Tournament in Orlando)
Dec. 29 Los Alamitos, CA 55 Portsmouth 38 (KSA Holiday Tournament in Orlando)
Dec. 30 Portsmouth 53 Spanish River, FL 47 2OT (KSA Holiday Tournament in Orlando)
Jan. 5, 2011 @ Chillicothe 58 Portsmouth 48
Jan. 7 Portsmouth 49 @ Gallia Academy 44


played a very good Chilly team very tough but lost,,,,,,Chilly will be without Ragland , so I think this will still be two very good games to see again this year.

Like everone else,I think Ironton will be one of our toughest opponents,,I truely believe that Seth Brachett,and Zaide Whitley can get the ball up and down the court and into Evans hands,,as tough as these games will be with Ironton, Im glad we go back to playing them twice this year, playing compition like that only makes you better..

[biggdowgg]

Ill be watching for the first poll

Oh sure ... I havn't heard a peep out of Ozzie and Biggdowgg all year - as soon as hoops season starts up, they're all over the place ... lol ... Brutus and Blaster are somewhere feeling very dissapointed in you two!!! You were once two proud Trojan football diehards - now you just sit in warm gymnasiums eatin popcorn and M&M's.

Portsmouth finally conquered the Convo - but look what's it's done to two of p-towns finest ... Floyd outta penalize the Trojans in his pre-season rankings based on this atrocity alone.

come on pup,,you relly dont want to go there?..LOL...it wasnt the 2 fans on the river that went AWOL for over a year or 2 leaving their teams out in the cold




Portsmouth finally conquered the Convo ?
The convo was our away home games after the regular season for years,,,,take a look at the programs,,we still stand somehwere close to the top of the pages,even after a few down years we have had


ok,,,,seriously,,yes I am looking forward to hoops,,,,even when my Trojans dont make it to the convo,I still love going up to watch all the great games,,"Ive learned a lot about getting around things" by out buddy bulldog and saved a lot of money :122245