Bardstown High School

Back to school; back to work

River Rat

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Aaron Boggs returns to the sidelines as Bardstown boys’ soccer head coach after two years away

By PETER W. ZUBATY

Well, I’m back, with all my vacation time knocked out, refreshed and ready (somewhat) for the new school year that is upon us.

High school athletes have been back to practice for a couple weeks now, and the fall sports seasons are knocking on our door.

In this section you will find a handy schedule for planning out your sports calendar for the fall. The schedules are as up-to-date as possible as of press time Tuesday, but there may still be some late changes as schedules are finalized. Cross Country starts a little later than the other fall sports — golf, football, soccer and volleyball — and the schedules for the runners have not been finalized as of Tuesday morning.

With late changes always a possibility, readers should be aware that in each issue I run a “Scores and Schedule” section that recaps recent scores and lists the upcoming schedule of games. Coaches, please be sure to inform me of any changes as soon as they are made so that I can keep the readers as up-to-date as possible.

Usually a new school year is a herald of change in the air, and that has historically been especially so among the coaching ranks at our local high schools, sometimes with as many as a dozen new faces on the sidelines piloting the local sports teams. This year it’s been relatively calm, however.

Here’s a look at some of the new faces at the head coach spots — interestingly enough they are all familiar faces to local sports observers:

Ron Koontz takes over as head coach of Bethlehem football, after more than a decade as an assistant coach at Bardstown. Koontz replaces Stan Torzewski.

Aaron Boggs is a familiar face returning to the helm of the Bardstown boys’ soccer program after a two-year hiatus. Boggs steps in after the departure of Shire Morgan-Hunt.

James ‘Boo’ Brewer is the new head coach of Bardstown boys’ basketball, where he played his high school ball. A former LaRue County assistant, Brewer takes over for Gary Goode.

Doug Johnson, a former high school teammate of Brewer’s at Bardstown, is the new head coach of Nelson County boys’ basketball. Johnson was a Cardinal assistant under Artie Braden, who’s back at Bethlehem to head up the boys’ program there, taking over for Larry Miller.

After several years coaching in the youth ranks, Mike Glass is the new head coach of Nelson County girls’ soccer. He takes over for Andrea ‘Bug’ Brown.

Kelly Wood, also the girls’ basketball coach at Nelson County, will now head up the Cardinal boys’ golf team, taking over for David Barnes.

And that’s that, as far as I know. Good luck to all our new coaches, and good luck to our athletes for a successful 2010-2011 school year!

Peter W. Zubaty can be reached at 348-9003 Ext. 115 or by e-mail at pzubaty@kystandard.com.

Calipari to conduct camp at Bardstown HS

By STAFF REPORT

Bardstown High School is playing host to one of 10 satellite basketball camps conducted by University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari and his staff and players.

The camp is 4-7 p.m. June 16 at the Bardstown High School gymnasium, with check-in starting at 3 p.m.

The camp is open to boys and girls in grades K-6; cost is $75 per camper and registration is limited to 100 campers. Campers will receive a T-shirt and there will be an autograph session with Calipari and his staff.

Go to www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/052610aaa.html to register and find parental consent and medical release forms.

Hofstraat signs with SCC

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown senior Rianne Hofstraat, second from right, signed last week to play basketball at St. Catharine College. She is pictured with (front) her host family, Paul and Stacy Bowling, and SCC coach Lena Bramblett, as well as (back) Bardstown athletic director David Clark, Barstown principal Cara Blackmon and Bardstown coach Paul Stone.
 

By Peter W. Zubaty

Playing club basketball as a youngster growing up in The Netherlands, Rianne Hofstraat knew she wanted to play college basketball, and she knew what she had to do to get there.

“I always wanted to go to America,” said the Bardstown High School senior last week after signing a letter-of-intent with St. Catharine. “I was always playing basketball.”

While it was tough to leave her homeland and her parents behind to chase her dream, it wasn’t an unprecedented move, as Hofstraat’s brother finished his high school career in Missouri. Once in Bardstown, she found a welcoming community and made fast friends with her schoolmates.

“In the beginning, it was kind of hard” adjusting to her new home, and the cultural and linguistic differences, she said. But with the help of her host family — Paul and Stacy Bowling — and her schoolmates, she was able to make a relatively easy transition to American life.

“It’s been a lot of fun; everybody here’s really nice,” Hofstraat said.

That was evident after her signing last week, as her friends and teammates lined up one-by-one to congratulate Hofstraat with a warm hug.

“I think I’m going to stay in America,” she said with a smile.

Hofstraat showed up at Bardstown coach Paul Stone’s basketball practice in the fall, and he almost instantly knew he had an impact player on his hands.

Bardstown’s Rianne Hofstraat will continue her basketball career at St. Catharine College.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” he said of the 6-foot Hofstraat. “Her defense was stellar. She had a nice jumper and she passed the ball well. It was a pleasure to coach her.”

Hofstraat averaged nine points and seven rebounds per game, and also swatted away more than two shots a game.

“She set a school record (80) for blocks,” Stone said. “I’ve never had anybody close to that.”

Stone said Hofstraat possesses strong ball skills for her size, and it should enable her to play power forward and possibly move out to a small forward position, where she can better take advantage of her good outside shooting touch.

“She’ll have to be aggressive and learn to shoot more,” he said.

That was a sentiment echoed by her new coach, Leah Bramblett, who will have Hofstraat working on developing a mean streak and learning perimeter defense.

“Obviously, her size” was an attractive attribute, Bramblett said. “She can bring that finesse game and post up.”

Hofstraat said the European game isn’t as rough as what she saw last year in the 5th Region, and that’s taken some getting used to. She’ll spend a lot of time working on toughening herself up for the college game.

“In America it’s a lot more physical,” she said, with players looking to drive to the basket and draw contact rather than settling for the outside jumper.

Hofstraat said she wants to study biology and chemistry with the hopes of attaining a medical degree the way her sister — who practices in Africa — did. Before heading to St. Catharine, however, she will travel back to The Netherlands to visit her family, and also take a side trip to Africa to visit her sister.

No matter what the future holds, Hofstraat will always have a piece of Bardstown in her heart.

“A year like this, you can’t forget,” she said.

On the record with: Bardstown junior John Stone

Bearno’s Student-Athlete of the Week

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown junior John Stone also plays for the Tiger soccer team.

By Peter W. Zubaty

Bardstown junior tennis player John Stone is this week’s nominee for Bearno’s Student-Athlete of the Week.

Stone carries a 3.6 GPA, is junior class secretary at Bardstown High, and is a member of the National Honor Society and the school’s art and ping-pong club. He also plays soccer in the fall and plays golf leisurely, and hopes to attend either the University of Kentucky or the University of Louisville to study political science, history or video production.

Kentucky Standard sports editor Peter W. Zubaty had a few questions for Stone in order to better get to know him.

PZ: What do you enjoy most about tennis?

JS: The speed of it, I love how the game requires you to think on your feet and make split-second decisions. It gets to where it’s all about reflex. You never know what’s going to happen the next time someone hits the ball. That uncertainty gives the game an edge that’s hard to beat.

PZ: What’s your favorite TV show?

JS: My favorite TV show is “The X-Files.” It’s only in reruns now but I started watching it about two years ago and haven’t stopped watching it since. I’ve always been a sucker for well-written sci-fi shows that really make you think.

PZ: What does it mean to you to be a leader?

JS: To be a leader means to bring out a sense of confidence in a fellow player. To make them want to get better and have fun while their doing it. It also means you need to set a good example on sportsmanship.

PZ: What’s been your biggest thrill on the tennis court?

JS: My biggest thrill on the tennis court is something that happens a lot every time I play a match. When the other players hit a shot that’s incredibly far away I love getting to it in the nick of time and slamming it back over right before it double bounces. It’s such an awesome feeling because they’re hard to get to in time, and when you do you feel really good about it.

PZ: Who’s your favorite singer or band? What’s your favorite song or album?

JS: I don’t have a single favorite band or singer, but I’m really into old rock from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Foreigner, Boston, Kiss any stuff like that I like. As for a favorite song, there are just too many classics to name them all here.

PZ: What’s different about tennis as opposed to other sports such as soccer?

JS: You have to have to be constantly on your toes and on edge. It’s a game of reflex and speed — which I’ve not really seen much of in any other sport.

PZ: Do you have a favorite pre-match meal?

JS: I’m actually really bad about what I eat and drink before a match or a practice. I’ll often be going through a McDonalds or Burger King drive-thru about an hour before a match. I used to take a soda to practice every day last year, something I’ve cut back on so far this season.

PZ: It’s probably been a welcome sight to see the weather turn nicer. How tough is it to practice in the cold weather? Is it tough in the spring knowing there’s always the threat of a rainout?

JS: It’s great to see nice weather finally. It’s about time that it warmed up. Personally, I don’t have much problem with cold weather. Spencer Smith, my teammate, and I were out playing one day in 40-degree weather in early January.

PZ: Between school and sports, there probably isn’t much free time left over. What do you do for fun when there is some precious free time?

JS: I like to do what most teenagers do. Hang out with friends, watch movies, sleep. I also like to film and edit videos for YouTube. It’s a hobby that I do for fun and relaxation.

Watch John’s TV interview on Zubaty-Bahm Sports Week today at 3:30, 4:30 or 5:30 p.m. on PLG-TV 13 or online at www.plgtv.com.

Chasing championship dreams

 Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Former Bardstown star Jordan Hickman, right, will look to help his team to a championship when his Southeastern Illinois College squad heads to Hutchinson, Kan., next week for the NJCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Hickman is a key role player for the Falcons, who won the NJCAA District 16 crown.

By Peter W. Zubaty

During his illustrious high school career with Bardstown, Jordan Hickman always kept his team in the mix for district, regional and state championships. Now, he gets to try his luck at a national championship.

“It’s been real crazy,” Hickman said of his new team — Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg — winning the District 16 title to advance to next week’s National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 men’s basketball championship in Hutchinson, Kan.

“We really played hard and it’s just been a joy to be a part of,” Hickman said. “It means a whole lot. It’s an opportunity to be seen, an opportunity to send the sophomores out on the right note, and an opportunity to keep competing.”

Hickman’s Falcons have rolled up a 22-9 record on the season following their three wins in the regional. SIC topped Lake Land College, Ill., in the first round, 73-50, and got to the finals by way of a 98-74 win over John A. Logan College, Ill. Hickman scored seven points in each game.

In the region finals Saturday against Wabash Valley College, Ill., Hickman pitched in two points during his team’s 79-67 win. The Falcons are one of 16 teams to earn a berth in the NJCAA national tournament, which starts Tuesday. Unranked all season, the Falcons are one of the hottest teams in the juco ranks, riding a nine-game winning streak into the tournament.

SIC’s first opponent is Howard College, Texas (29-2), the NJCAA District 5 champ, at 1 p.m. (Central) on Wednesday. All games in the national tournament are streamed live at www.njcaa.org.

Gary Goode, Hickman’s coach at Bardstown, said he’s excited for and proud of his former player, and that playing in a prestigious tournament such as the NJCAA national championship is a pretty big deal, despite the fact the tournament is mostly overlooked by the casual fan.

“The average basketball fan would be shocked if they went out to this juco national tournament at the level of talent and quality of teams,” Goode said. “A lot of those kids have (NCAA) Division I talent, and a lot of them are going to end up as good Division I ballplayers.”

Junior colleges are two-year schools, and players often opt for that route for a variety of reasons. Some need to work on their grades; others need to fine-tune their games in an effort to land a scholarship at an NCAA Division I school. Others just fell through the cracks, for whatever reason.

“He wanted to improve his stock,” Goode said of Hickman. “He wanted some better options than when he came out of high school.”

The NCJAA national tournament is a good place to improve your stock, as the 7,500-seat Hutchinson Sports Arena “will be wall-to-wall with college coaches” next week, Goode said.

A point guard in high school, Hickman has taken on a new role at Southeastern Illinois, coming off the bench to provide rebounding and defense. He gets about 15-20 minutes of playing time a game.

“I just try to do the small things well and score when the opportunity is there,” Hickman said.

He said it was difficult initially making the switch to a completely different role than what he played in high school.

“At the start, it was real hard for me — it took a lot to adjust,” Hickman said. “But if you want to stay on the floor and play minutes, you have to adjust.”

The bump in the talent level he’s facing now has also taken some getting used to. He’s had to learn to be more physical, use his head more on defense, and just stay focused.

“In high school, I was able to use my athletic ability to make plays,” he said. “At this level, you can’t do that.”

Hickman will be back at SIC next season, working on his game in the hopes of landing a scholarship at a four-year school. In the meantime, he’s studying to be a teacher, and would like to coach one day.

In the meantime, his old coach is watching and pulling for him.

“Any time a young man goes away from home and plays at a program of that level — it’s a very demanding program — he’s shown a lot of toughness and ‘stick-to-it-ness,’” Goode said. “He’s had to do a lot of growing up. I’m proud of him doing what it takes to get to this point.”

Local year in sports a newsy one

By STAFF REPORT

Here’s a look at some of the top local stories that splashed across the Sports section at The Kentucky Standard in 2009. Check Sunday’s issue for part two. Enjoy!

February — Bardstown’s senior-dominated boys club continued the school’s stellar run in All A Classic play in Richmond, knocking off a tough Hazard squad that later made it to the Sweet 16 in the semifinals before falling 58-55 to Shelby Valley in the championship. In four consecutive trips to the All A, Bardstown went to three championship games, winning once. The 2009 tournament schedule had to be shuffled around because of the ice storm that paralyzed much of Kentucky.

Tigers make All A magic

Bardstown squeaks past Nelson — In what many expected to be a Tiger blowout — what with Nelson County returning basically no one with any varsity experience — Bardstown needed a pair of late free throws from Damian Edelen to hold off the upset-minded Cardinals, 56-52. The Cardinals surprisingly finished with a winning record despite graduating 11 seniors from the 2007-08 club.

Tigers win OT thriller over North — Bardstown and North Hardin finished up the regular season in style, as the Tigers got three free throws late in overtime from Demarco Phillips to score a 65-62 win on Senior Night in a matchup of two of the top contenders for the 5th Region crown. The Trojans later fell 82-76 in double overtime to Adair County in a wild region championship game; the same Adair team that got past Bardstown in a 63-56 OT nail-biter in the first round of the 5th Region tournament.

Tiger girls get to region — In a rough year that saw its top player sidelined just days before the season got underway, Bardstown scored a 54-48 win at Washington County in the 19th District semifinals to advance to the 5th Region tournament. The win was one of just six all year for Bardstown, but enough to enable the Tigers to make consecutive trips to the region for the first time in history.

Seaman breaks back, personal records — Michael Seaman, a state champion pole vaulter for Bardstown, made an improbable comeback from a broken back suffered at a meet in January to get back in competition for the University of Tennessee. The sophomore later transferred to Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

Tiger stunner — After losing both regular season matchups between the schools by identical 13-0 counts in five innings, Bardstown staged what was likely the biggest upset in the state when the Tigers got five runs in its final at-bat to beat top-seeded Bethlehem 10-8 in the 19th District semifinals. Bethlehem came in a 20-game winner, while Bardstown — featuring a roster littered with freshmen and middle-schoolers — had won just once going into the district tournament. The Tigers nearly added an improbable district championship to their resume’ days later but fell short 7-6 to Nelson County, a team that had outscored them 43-3 during two regular season games.

Three champs for Bardstown — At the KHSAA State Track and Field Championships in Louisville, Bardstown athletes brought home three individual state championships. Junior J.P. Willett captured the boys’ Class 1A pole vault crown, the fourth consecutive Tiger to do so. Damian Edelen rounded out his senior year in style by winning the boys’ 400-meter dash, and was also presented with the prestigious Forcht Bank Sportsmanship Award for his efforts. On the girls’ side, eighth-grader Victoria Yocum set a school record in the 200-meter dash to win her first state championship, covering the course in 59.51.

June — Former Bardstown track star Demorrio Leggett, a key cog in the Tigers’ recent run of success at the state meet, finished sixth overall in the triple jump for Union College in the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the winter, then was fifth in the triple jump in the NAIA Outdoor championships to earn NAIA All-American honors. Leggett, a freshman, won an individual state crown in the triple jump for Bardstown.

Leggett an All-American

Cards top Tigers in wild one — Alex Downs scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, spotting Nelson County a lead it would never give up in a 56-41 track meet of a renewal of the schools’ football rivalry. The teams combined for almost 900 yards of total offense. Bardstown’s Ricky Harper tallied four touchdowns in the game.

Harrison Co. forfeits to Bardstown — The Tigers got a win of the unexpected variety when Harrison County was forced to cancel their visit for a football game. Harrison County Schools officials made the decision when system-wide attendance plummeted because of a flu outbreak, one of a handful of games across the state to fall victim to the illness.

Tigers’ OT surprises — Bardstown’s girls’ soccer team lost a decisive 3-0 regular season home game to Nelson County, and dropped both its games with Bethlehem. But the Tigers shrugged off their underdog status as the No. 3 seed in the 9th District tournament, springing a 1-0 overtime upset of the Cardinals in the semifinals, then doing the same thing in knocking off the top-seeded Banshees in overtime in the championship.

Tigers snare top seed — In a game postponed a day because of heavy rains in the area, Bardstown seized control of the Class 2A District 4 race as Ricky Harper ran for 124 yards and caught a 60-yard scoring pass in a 17-15 win in the mud at Danville. Victor Kremser kicked the game-winning field goal with 1:27 left.

Kahleifeh finishes strong — Bardstown senior Adam Kahleifeh made up for a disappointing performance in the regionals in a big way, powering to a second-place finish in the Class 1A State Cross Country Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. It was the third consecutive finish of sixth-place or better for the senior, and best-ever result by a Bardstown runner. Kahleifeh was also awarded the prestigious Forcht Bank Sportsmanship Award.

Kimberland looks strong in returns — Bardstown junior Daizah Kimberland  missed the 2008-09 seasons, and her team suffered greatly in her absence. Since Kimberland returned for this season, she has been making up for lost time, delivering multiple 30-point games. Her team has benefited tremendously from the players’ return, while the 7-3 Tigers have already surpassed their 6-18 mark of a year ago.

2009 KHSAA Cross Country State Championships ONLINE

KENTUCKY CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT IHIGH.COM

iHigh.com will provide, free of charge, video highlights and photos of the 2009 State Cross Country Championship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lexington, Kentucky (November 9, 2009) …  iHigh.com and the KHSAA announce today that high school cross country fans in Kentucky will be able to view video highlights and photos from this year’s KHSAA State Cross Country Championship. 

iHigh.com and KHSAA are very excited to offer fans all over Kentucky and the rest of the country the chance to see cross country action from this year’s state meet.  

Go to Kentucky.iHigh.com to view video highlights and photos of this year’s tournament.

About iHigh.com: iHigh.com, Inc. is a national high school network providing free Web services to high schools and high school student-athletes across the United States.  iHigh.com provides free Web tools that allow high school sports teams and other groups to post stories, photos, videos, schedules and other information to a page customized with a high school’s colors and logos.  For more information, go to iHigh.com.

Football Youth Camp Photos!

Click here to view the 2009 BHS Football Youth Camp photos!

Hickman signs with Southeastern Illinois

 Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Jordan Hickman, right, will play for Southeastern Illinois next season. SIC has an extensive history of developing Kentucky kids into Division I players.

By Peter W. Zubaty

Jordan Hickman has had one goal for as long as he can remember: To play Division I basketball.

The Bardstown senior is putting that goal on hold for now, but it’s only temporary. The 6-3 guard signed with Southeastern Illinois College, a junior college with a long history of signing Kentucky kids and molding them into Division I players.

“I’m feeling pretty good about it right now,” he said. “It’s a stepping stone for me to get to play Division I basketball, and I’m going to have to go in and work hard to get there.”

SIC coach Todd Franklin knows the Kentucky landscape well. He’s a Central City native, and Hickman is one of four seniors from the Bluegrass State Franklin has signed for the 2009-10 season.

“We have a history of it,” Franklin said. Former Covington Holmes star Austin Hill is heading to Illinois State for the upcoming season, and former Warren Central star Monie Hudson has signed with Evansville. “Hopefully, we’ll be talking about Jordan that way in a year or so.”

Hickman’s time at Bardstown coincided with one of the more successful four-year runs in school history. He won all-tournament team honors the past two seasons at the All A Classic, helping lead the Tigers to a quarterfinal finish as a junior, then runner-up as a senior. Plus, the Tigers broke a 37-year Sweet 16 drought his junior year by winning the 5th Region tournament.

“Jordan’s part of a group that’s had just a fabulous four-year run of success,” Bardstown coach Gary Goode said. “He’s been the type of young man who’s made everyone else around him better, because he is so unselfish. He’s made his coaches look better, and his teammates.”

Hickman shot 52 percent and tallied 1,030 points, 468 rebounds and 284 assists during his career.

“With his skills and athleticism, he’s gotten us a lot of easy buckets,” Goode said. “He’s made a lot of game-changing plays. We’ve just been really fortunate to have a young man like him in our system.”

Franklin said Hickman fits in well at SIC. Photo by Peter W. Zubaty

Jordan Hickman, second from left, signed last week with Southeastern Illinois College. He is pictured with (front) his father, Gary, and mother, Terrie, as well as his grandmother, Cecelia Hickman. Also pictured are (back) Bardstown assistant coach Brad Hill, Bardstown head coach Gary Goode and Bardstown assistant Tim Sharp.

 “He’s a young man who can play inside a system — we’re a system-oriented place — and not everybody can fit into that,” Franklin said. “I like his demeanor; he’s been a winner, and comes from a good family and a good system. All of those were attractive qualities.”

Franklin sees Hickman playing primarily at shooting guard, but likes that he can play point guard if needed as well. Improving his outside shooting will improve Hickman’s prospects for playing time, Franklin said.

Hickman said he has already spent a lot of time working on getting ready for college, most notably “just being a more consistent shooter, and definitely working on my strength — getting in the weight room a lot — and just putting up shots.”

There were opportunities to play at smaller colleges closer to home, but Hickman has his sights set on bigger things.

“I have another chance to take a step up and achieve that,” he said.

SIC is in Harrisburg, Ill., about an hour west of Henderson and a little more than three hours from Bardstown. Being far away from home will be tough, but Hickman said having AAU teammate Cory Jackson of Shawnee as a college teammate will help, as the two can lean on each other a bit. Also part of Franklin’s incoming class is Bryan Station’s Charles Ashford and Fulton City’s Aaron Wilson.

Gary Hickman, his father, said having his son more than three hours away might make it tough for them to get to all the games, but he’s used to doing a lot of traveling over the years going to AAU tournaments and high school games.

“We’ll have to rework our schedules,” he said. “I feel very proud of him — this is the best opportunity to get him where he wants to go. We’ve always supported him whatever he’s tried to do. It was a fun process.”

Jordan Hickman said he’ll miss the atmosphere at Bardstown games, and the close bonds he’s built with his Tiger coaches and teammates.

“Every day I look back (on my time at Bardstown),” he said. “We reflect on that a lot, and we’ve done a lot of great things for the program. We’ve taken the program from basically a doormat in the region to one of the dominant programs in the region.”

Phillips overcomes injury to realize dream

Tiger senior headed to SCC

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty
 

Demarco Phillips, right, goes up for a leaner against Adair County’s Darren Ballou in last week’s 5th Region tournament.

By Peter W. Zubaty

Demarco Phillips signed on last week to continue his career at St. Catharine College, taking a step toward fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing college basketball.

Seven months ago, however, that dream nearly was replaced by a nightmare of a potential career-ending injury.

“I’m real happy,” the Bardstown senior said. “I didn’t even know if I was going to get to play high school basketball, let alone college. It’s real exciting.”

Last August, Phillips was preparing for his senior season on the football field, going through preseason receiving drills, when his feet got tangled with a teammate. Phillips went down hard, hitting his head awkwardly. The result was a broken neck, wiping out the football season, and casting doubt as to whether Phillips would ever get to play competitive sports again.

But he fought back, went through hours of rehabilitation, and was finally cleared to begin basketball practice just days before the start of the season.

“I think it’s real special (after) all the stuff I’ve been through,” Phillips said.

Phillips made the most of the second chance, slowly working his way back into playing shape, and helping Bardstown win a second consecutive 19th District title and get all the way to the All A Classic championship game. He wrapped up his senior year with an outstanding 15-point, 13-rebound performance in the 5th Region tournament against eventual region champ Adair County, nearly leading the Tigers to an overtime win and earning All-Tournament team honors.

Monique Bybee said she was “excited — very excited” her son would get an opportunity to live out a dream and play in college. She said the last year has been an emotional roller-coaster ride. “Nervous … antsy … wondering. I mean, the doctors always said he was OK, but you still have that doubt in the back of your mind. But he’s come out like a champ.”

Phillips is a 6-6, 175-pound forward, who used his long arms and leaping ability to lead Bardstown in blocked shots. He wrapped up his career with 766 points, 504 rebounds and 112 assists.

“He’s been one that’s come up big in big games,” Bardstown coach Gary Goode said. “He’s been a great team player.”

The best example of this is Phillips’ knack for drawing charges.

“The most impressive indication of what he’s been like for our program (is that) here he went through what he went through, and he is by far our leader in charges taken,” Goode said. “That right there — that speaks volumes to what he’s meant to our basketball team.

Phillips knows he’ll need to work on adding more tools to his game. Improving his shooting is a must, as he’ll likely be playing small forward at SCC, and adding some bulk won’t hurt either.

“I’ve got to get stronger,” he said.

Photo by Peter W. Zubaty
 Bardstown senior Demarco Phillips, second from right, signed last week to continue his basketball career at St. Catharine. He is pictured with (seating) brother Deangelo, stepfather Tony Bybee, Phillips and mother Monique Bybee, (standing) Bardstown principal Cara Blackmon, SCC coach J.T. Burton, grandmother Liz Mason, Bardstown basketball coach Gary Goode and Bardstown athletic director David Clark

“Demarco has outstanding potential as a basketball player,” Goode said. “He’s got great length, and, you know, I think he may grow another inch or two.”

“Hopefully, two more (inches),” said Phillips, who grew from 6-4 to 6-6 between his junior and senior seasons.

“He can do a lot of things,” SCC coach J.T. Burton said. Burton loves Phillips’ size and athleticism, not to mention his solid work in the classroom, and with improvements in ballhandling and shooting, as well as a few extra pounds of muscle, he can see Phillips playing multiple positions.

“In the basketball world, they call him a ‘freak,’ because the way his arms are long and his body type,” Burton said.

He’ll get to continue playing with Damian Edelen, one of his best friends and a Tiger teammate. Phillips said he would miss Bardstown High School, especially “Coach Goode, how he worked us hard, and (taught us to) always strive … to be the best person and best athlete we could be.”

His mother likes that Phillips will be close by.

“I will get to see every game — I will not miss a game,” said Bybee, who made it a point to attend all Bardstown games, even when her son was sick and not playing. “I don’t miss games. That’s something that since he’s played ball, I’ve been fortunate not to miss a game. And now, I won’t miss a game.”

.