Fall is in the air which can only mean one thing if you’re a fan of high school basketball — we are just a little less than a month away before teams will begin practicing.
It’s already been an interesting time to say the least in the 13th Region.
Defending 13th Region champion North Laurel went from favorite to heavy favorite and state title contender back to favorite after Trent Noah played summer ball with the Jaguars before ending back at Harlan County.
Even though Noah is back with the Black Bears, the Jaguars remain the team to beat heading into the season but that doesn’t mean they’re other teams that believe they could be the ones cutting down the net at The Arena.
So let’s take a look at who the contenders are now, and who could be knocking on the door, and maybe a surprise team or two as well.
Favorites
Obviously, North Laurel is the team to beat. The Jaguars possess one of the best players in the nation in senior Reed Sheppard. Sheppard had one heck of a summer, and is looking to lead the Jaguars to not only their third 13th Region crown but also the program’s first state championship.
With Ryan Davidson returning along with Brody Brock, and a solid cats if role players, North Laurel isn’t ready to give up their 13th Region crown.
If there is one team that can match the Jaguars, it could very well be Kyle Jones’ Harlan County Black Bears.
The Black Bears possess one of the top juniors in the nation, and the state in Trent Noah. Remember, Harlan County didn’t reach the region tournament last season, so the Black Bears are going to be focused and ready.
Noah gives them an awesome scoring option along with a shot blocker and one of the best rebounders in the region. Harlan County also possesses two solid players in Jonah Swanner, and Maddox Huff. Huff is ready to show just what he can do after having one heck of a summer.
The other two contenders both hail from the 50th District. The South Laurel Cardinals are the defending 50th District champions but return a solid nucleus, and isn’t far behind both North Laurel or Harlan County.
The Cardinals won 23 games last season while continuing their dominance in the 50th District. They possess a 12-game win streak against their district rivals, the Corbin Redhounds.
Those two will do battle once again with Parker Payne, and Eli Gover returning as two of South Laurel’s top players.
A lot of folks believe Tony Pietrowski’s Redhounds have the talent to unseat North Laurel as region champions.
With players such as Hayden Llewellyn, Brody Wells, Carter Stewart, Trey Worley, Zander Curry, Eli Pietrowski, and Kade Elam returning you can see why Corbin fans are ready for the season to begin.
Teams to keep an eye on
Teams such as Whitley County, and Barbourville have a shot to make noise this season.
The Colonels return a solid nucleus of players along with the Tigers.
Eric Swords will be guiding Whitley County after coaching at Williamsburg while Chris Taylor worked magic last season during his first year as the Tigers’ coach. Look for him to do the same this season.
Of course, you’ve always got to keep an eye on Brad Sizemore’s Bell County Bobcats.
Dawson Woolum returns as one of the best players in the region which will make Bell County a tough team to beat. Another 52nd District team, Harlan, lost a key player in Jordan Akal but don’t expect the Green Dragons to drop off much.
Knox Central will drop off some after graduating a lot of talent but the Panthers return a lot of talent, too. Gavin Chadwell returns along with KT Turner while players such as Brayden Mills will contribute.
Glenn Gray’s Clay County Tigers will surprise this season as well. The Tigers continue to get better and better. They return a solid nucleus of players and will have a good shot at reaching the 13th Region Tournament this season. Don’t be surprised if they triple their win total (6) from last season.
Another team that could easily be a top 10 squad by season’s end is Brad Levy’s Pineville Mountain Lions. Levy has put in a lot of work with his players this summer, and we believe it’s going to pay off in the end. Sawyer Thompson is one of the top sophomores in the state. He averaged more than 21 points per game as a freshman. We can’t wait to see what he does this season.
Lynn Camp is a mystery team. We don’t know exactly how good they’ll be until the season tips off.
The Wildcats do possess one of the best scorers in the state in Micah Engle. If Engle can get some help, Lynn Camp could very well surprise this season.
Another team that could surprise is Jackson County. Coach Greg Parrett always does a fantastic job with the Generals. Jude Lakes returns along with Tydus Summers.
Williamsburg, Middlesboro, Oneida Baptist will all have new coaches this season, so it’s gonna be interesting to see how things pan out with those three schools while Red Bird will look to improve on last season’s 2-24 mark.
13th Region Very Early Preseason Rankings
1. North Laurel
2. Harlan County
3. South Laurel
4. Corbin
5. Whitley County
6. Bell County
7. Harlan
8. Barbourville
9. Knox Central
10. Clay County
11. Pineville
12. Williamsburg
13. Jackson County
14. Lynn Camp
15. Middlesboro
16. Oneida Baptist
17. Red Bird
Very early district rankings
49th District
1. North Laurel
2. Clay County
3. Jackson County
4. Oneida Baptist
5. Red Bird
50th District
1. South Laurel
2. Corbin
3. Whitley County
4. Williamsburg
51st District
1. Barbourville
2. Knox Central
3. Pineville
4. Lynn Camp
52nd District
1. Harlan County
2. Bell County
3. Harlan
4. Middlesboro
