Many good moments may be remembered from the local high school basketball teams in 2009-10.
*The Russellville Panthers won 19 games and their first district championship in five years with their season ending in the regional semifinals. They also won their first championship of the First Southern
National Bank/Roy’s Bar-B-Q Christmas Classic.
*The Logan County Lady Cougars had their best season in several years, reached the finals of the FSNB/Roy’s tournament, and advanced to the regional semifinals.
*The Lady Panthers were semifinalists in the Christmas tournament and recorded a win over the Lady Cougars at LCHS.
*The Cougars beat an Elliott County team that had made it the Final Four at state, reached the semifinals of the FSNB/Roy’s Classic, won 11 games for the first time in recent memory, and played the Panthers down to the wire in both Clashes played at LCHS.

Despite the losses of several key players, all four teams could be better next year if everything goes according to the coaches’ plans.

Russellville should be a strong team again next year. The Panthers return what I call the starting backfield-- a quintet of super athletes in Damien Elam, D.J. Quarles, Devonta Bryant, Victor Hampton and Kevin Temple, the same guys who played a big role in the football Panthers taking eventual state champion Paducah Tilghman down to the wire last fall. Those five seniors-to-be are quick and agile. They can dribble, pass, jump and defend. Quarles led the team in rebounding, field goal percentage, steals and scoring. Elam was tops in minutes played, free throw shooting and assists. Both of them have
started at least three years.

Three problems stand between those returnees and a regional championship. First, they lose all of their experienced height. The three big men-- Trevor Clark, Justin Bollenbecker and Darren Murphy-- were the seniors. Clark is an outstanding leader and role model. Bollenbecker was the best outside shooter. Murphy set a great example of a guy who has been very successful in two other sports-- baseball and football-- but was willing to subordinate himself for the good of the team.

The second problem is that as good athletes as the starting five are, they are not great outside shooters. Quarles, Elam and Temple combined to hit only 101 of 399 treys this season. In fact, observers at the regional tournament were amazed at how poorly the Panthers shot in their two games at Diddle from both long and short range. These guys score by doing what great athletes can accomplish-slash, dash and take the ball to the hole, often as a result of their own defensive pressure.

And the third obstacle is that those two regional superpowers who staged a classic double overtime battle in this year's finals return key players next year. In fact, Chane Behanan of Bowling Green and Warren Central's George Fant will be two of the leading contenders for Mr. Kentucky Basketball.

The key for the Panthers, in addition to improved outside shooting, will be the rapid development of a post player. Coach Dennis Pardue feels that freshman Jordan Kennedy has the potential of being a solid contributor next year. If he can grow to be 6-5 or so, that would make a great difference. Pardue's son Davis could be the shooter the team needs. All but three of his 22 field goals this year and all but nine of his 68 attempts were three-pointers. If he can raise his percentage, he could be a solid contributor as well.

The Logan County Cougars were much improved this year. Coach Harold Tacket's team lost some key players in starting guards Brett Sowell and Seth McReynolds along with centers Derrod Blakey and Phillip Stratton plus rugged forward Reuben Rawlings-Watson, who was the team's lone representative on the all district tournament all-star team.

Yet the Cougars return their top two scorers in sophomore Twin Lancaster (17 points per game) and junior Troy Graham (15.1). Lancaster was also the area's third leading rebounder at 10.6. Reserve Tyler Davenport was the area's seventh best free throw shooter at 72.7 percent.

Tackett thinks his team will be better next year. His leadership and the coaching continuity are important reasons why. He also says he has some young players whom he has brought along slowly who should be major contributors next year, including freshman point guard Torin Graham and forward Drake Downey.

The Lady Cougars reached the regional semifinals this year and at times played very well. They are going to miss seniors Sara Speck, Michelle England and Ann Dorris; there's no doubt about that. Speck was a key player for four years and often could be found getting a rebound on one end, taking it the length of the court herself and hitting a jumper or a layup. England is gritty and a terrific competitor; she played throughout the tournaments with a broken hand, but never used it as an excuse. Dorris got better continually throughout her two years on the team. The Lady Cougars most like would not have made it to region without her at the point.

Still Coach Scot MacAllister returns several key players, including starters Kayla MacAllister and Victoria Elliott. Post player Miranda Rone was super in the regional tournament. Meagan Williams, Jasmine Jones and Markita Pheal were huge role players. Younger players have come up through the program and got much needed lessons in winning this season.

The Lady Panthers will have a big hole to fill with the graduation of six-year starter Nakia Daniel, who was the region's third leading scorer at 15.7 points per game. But Coach Dedra Adler has some outstanding ingredients to build around in the future, including veteran guard Brittany Hampton, center Imani Hampton (7.3 rebound per game), starters Tameeka Rippy and Nikki Rose, and a pair of freshmen who have tremendous upsides. Amber Sydnor has already started at point guard for three seasons and has three years left. She was fourth in the region with 63 steals. Kesi Neblett, who was in her first year in the rotation, was fifth in the area with 7.5 rebounds an outing.

So, all four local teams have reason for hope for the future.

The LoJo

Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I’m prepared to crown Nakia Daniel as Russellville High School’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is second overall, male or female, to the late Garry Todd, who had similar longevity to Nakia.
Daniel, who played her final game Feb. 22 in a loss to Franklin-Simpson in the district tournament, finished with 1,810 career points. She scored 444 points as a junior and 380 as a senior. Contributing considerably to her total were the 315 three-point goals she connected on during her career.
She hit over 50 treys in each of her last five varsity seasons, including bettering 60 three times. She hit 65 as an eighth grader and 68 as a freshman, along with 60 her junior year. Added to that were 59 as a sophomore and 52 this year. She got 11 to fall from long-range as a seventh grader. Her top games in terms of three-pointers were seven each against Todd Central as an eighth grader and against Bowling Green late in this senior season.
Her top scoring performance was 31 against Estill County in the FSNB/Roy’s Christmas Classic in her junior year. She surpassed the 1000-point mark against Logan County, scoring 18 on Dec. 5, 2008. By the end of her junior campaign she had totaled 1,430 points.
Nakia is weighing her options for college ball. Vol State Community College in Gallatin, Tenn. is one of the strongest possibilities.
Her dad, Roger Dale Daniel, has helped coach her and her older sister Rachae throughout their outstanding high school careers.

The LoJo

An interested observer in the last Russellville-Logan County boys Clash of the Cats was Western Kentucky University backup center Cliff Dixon. The 6'10", agile ball handler is the brother of former College Player of the Year Kevin Durant, now an NBA All-Star who plays for the Oklahoma Thunder. Dixon said he was here to watch the Cougars' Derrod Blakey, who is in Dixon's church youth group.

The LoJo

Brian Belcher, the son of Mike Belcher of Auburn, was named the outstanding newcomer among officials in the Louisville region. He got his training from his dad, a veteran official, and from Jerry Kimmel, the supervisor of officials for this region. Jerry plays a huge role in developing officials throughout the sate.

One of those attending the SEC Tournament in Nashville recently was RHS graduate Clay Wren, who has been an outstanding college official for many years and now is head of officials for the Panhandle area of Florida, the largest junior college league in the nation. He is the son of Howard and Janice Wren of Russelville.

The LoJo

Long-time Russellville assistant boys basketball coach Kim Swift is still teaching at his alma mater, McLean County, but is an assistant coach at Daviess County where his son Wesley is a sophomore athlete.

Former LCHS assistant girls coach Justin Stinson was an assistant coach to Jeff Hall at Glasgow this year. In between, he was head boys coach at Monroe County. He is the son-in-law of Wayne and Jan White of Auburn.

Former Warren East coach Russ Malone is now an assistant coach at Clarksville Northwest.