Will Daviess County Sophomore Forward DeAaron Watkins become Eligible? Daviess County had arguably the best summer of any team in the Region with the return of Jonathan Moss & the transfer of DeAaron Watkins from Madisonville North Hopkins. Watkins is one of the top prospects in the state & is expected to, along with Gage Phelps & Moss, catapult the Panthers into instant title contention this season. However, as with any transfer, there is a process to become eligible. As of today (10/25) the Panthers Athletic Department is still awaiting clearance for DeAaron to play this season. That is, though some might disagree, the biggest storyline right now. Why? Because of the magnitude the decision brings. As mentioned already, with Watkins the Panthers are WITHOUT QUESTION a top 3 team and one of the favorites to advance to RUPP Arena. Without him, one could argue they are a fringe top 5 team but a notch out of contention for a regional crown. Daviess Co’s season opener is November 28th when they travel to Henderson County. The folks around the program are very confident the clearance will come before then. In my opinion, LET THE KID PLAY!

CAN BUTLER COUNTY DO WHAT’S NEVER BEEN DONE? Butler County, YES BUTLER COUNTY is a LEGITIMATE contender. All the talk is centered around 4 Star PG Ty Price, but that team has talent around him. Lawson Rice averaged 18ppg & 12rpg last season, numbers that would be POY winner worthy in a lot of regions & as crazy as it sounds, HE IS SLEPT ON! The hype is loud, but teams don’t hang banners solely off hype. Calvin Dockery has beefed up his schedule this season & folks will get to see early how good the Bears are. They return basically all of there production & then throw in Bowling Green transfer Brair Griffin & on paper, Motown is LOADED! The one thing that can be said to counter that – THE BEARS HAVE NEVER BEEN IN THIS POSITION BEFORE – How will they handle the target & the pressure that is inevitably there. We are certainly believers & They’re legit. Now let’s get to work!

OHIO COUNTY’S 1 QUESTION MARK – POINT GUARD PLAY! — Ohio County has Elijah Decker. Ohio County has one of the best coaching staffs in the region. Ohio County has Bo Morse who’s the best post defender in the region & preseason DPOY. Carter Young is back and expected to take on a much bigger scoring role for the Eagles. They are legit. They will be as difficult to score on, as anyone in the region. BUT, the point guard play was mediocre at best last season & that is a question mark heading into this season. Carson Kennedy, now a Junior was the primary ball handler last season and he never had that “break through” moment. He averaged 7 points a game & shot 41% from the field. Kennedy is intriguing. He has great length at the guard position and is a matchup nightmare for some but one could argue he’s better off the ball. Senior Caleb Manning is back with the program after not playing last season & will be in consideration for the Starting PG spot for Coach Decker. How long will it take him to shake the rust off of not playing a whole season. Senior Brady Ward is also expected to be in competition. Again, The Eagles are for real but let’s keep an eye on that Point Guard position.