SPARKS AND RECREATION: Ashland keeps focus inside the lines
Jan. 29—In the span of ten months, the Ashland boys basketball program went from elation to probation after the KHSAA ruled that a former coach violated Bylaw 16.
The Tomcats had just secured their fourth straight 16th Region Tournament title when a recording surfaced several weeks later revealing an improper call between then-coach Jason Mays and a Boyd County parent.
The KHSAA handed down its final ruling last week. Interim coach Ryan Bonner and those around the program believe it was a turning point. A closure on the latest chapter in the program's storied history.
The season was only two weeks away after the dismissal of Mays in November. With basketball games to play on the horizon, it allowed the players to look forward instead of concentrating on the past.
Bonner said he couldn't be more pleased with how the team has conducted themselves after the events that took place over the summer.
"With it being so close to the start of the season, it did eliminate some distractions," Bonner said, "especially the noise that was going on outside the locker room. Our guys have been very mature in the way they've handled it. We have an extremely tough schedule. They've done everything in the right way, both on and off the court. They conduct themselves appropriately on social media. They are all good students. They work extremely hard when we hit the practice floor every day. All these things have made the transition a lot easier for me."
Zander Carter said the locker room has become a hoops haven for the team. The players didn't want the school to part ways with Mays, but in the aftermath, it brought the team closer together.
"The only people that we could lean on during that time are the guys in locker room," Carter said. "We really didn't want to talk about in school or out in public. We just had our talk as a team in the locker room."
The sophomore feels the Tomcats have played with more of an edge this year. Playing in an Ashland jersey will always come with huge expectations, and they didn't want the weight of impending infractions to hold them back. Instead, they flourished in the face of adversity.
"At first, we were obviously shocked," Carter said. "We didn't really find out about it in the best way. The season was so close to starting. We had to keep our head down and keep grinding. We have to play those games whether coach is here or not. We'd love to have him here, but the season moves on."
"It really put a chip on our shoulder," he added. "There are a lot of people out there that don't have the best interests in mind for other people. It gave us a new mindset and gave us a new drive to keep going. We can wake up every morning and say this game is for coach Mays or this one is for my brothers in the locker room. It was big help."
Tucker Conway gladly accepted a bigger leadership role on the team after the graduation of Colin Porter, Ethan Sellars, Ryan Atkins and Cole Villers. After what transpired over the summer, the definition of that role took on a different meaning.
"We just had to stay together as a team and keep building each other up." Conway said. "We wanted to focus on each other and build up our team chemistry. It's been the key to our success for so many years on and off the floor. It was our main goal over the summer.
"This season, especially after losing Colin, Selly and Colin, we had a tremendous leadership loss. You have to step up and get everyone on the same page."
Bonner never had to ask for his upperclassmen to step up their leadership. They initiated it themselves and took pride in continuing the example set by their predecessors.
"Leadership has been huge for us," Bonner said. "Our three captains, Tristan Davis, Rheyce Deboard and Tucker Conway, have been phenomenal from a leadership standpoint. Zander has stepped into a very big role. My guys just naturally filled those voids. ... They've worked hard to keep our locker room together. Whether we are watching film, practicing or on a road trip to an away game, everything is very much business-like. We are geared to winning basketball games and getting better."
Carter said the team wanted no other person but Bonner to guide the team this season. The sophomore welcomed a larger offensive role this year and increased his scoring load. He leads the team with 22.8 points a game.
It doesn't all fall on his shoulders. If he can do the little things on the floor, he knows several of his teammates can also put up big numbers.
"I kind of expected it, going into this season," Carter said. "It's been fun. We're out there playing with my brothers. At the end of the day, I just want to win, whether it's me scoring, getting a few big rebounds or getting a defensive stop. It was a role that I picked up from some of the guys that graduated. I was super excited about it."
Conway and Deboard also average double figures. Deboard supplies 17 points a night and Conway nets 11. Deboard has opened up the offense with his speed off the dribble and his ability to get to the rim.
"Rheyce has done a tremendous job penetrating the defense and kicking it out to shooters," Conway said. "He scores the ball and handles the ball really well. He has progressed throughout the season with his assists. He's a great player."
The KHSAA will conduct enhanced monitoring of the program over the next two seasons and the coaches will complete training on Bylaw 16. The school was also fined $1,000.
The Tomcats did not suffer a postseason ban and have moved forward in pursuit of a fifth straight region trophy. Bonner said the team can lean on the tradition and a positive environment that he was already familiar with when he took the reins.
The former Ashland player and longtime assistant wants his players to keep their eyes off the rearview mirror and focus on the road ahead. The Tomcats hope to be cutting down nets again in March.
"I was very fortunate to step into a role where there was a very good basketball culture," Bonner said, "and a good family culture already set in motion. I've been very transparent about that. The culture here is very good. Our staff has worked extremely hard to make sure that culture remains the same."
S'More Sports
— The glass is well kept at the Greenhouse. After a win against Nitro, West Virginia, last Monday, Greenup County celebrated its dynamic rebounding duo in Rachel Bush and Emily Maynard. Bush grabbed her 1,000th career board, and Maynard corralled No. 500 in the same game. Bush is closing in on 1,500 points and Maynard sits just four points shy of reaching 1,000 for her career.
"I know all that has gone into these achievements," Musketeers coach Paul Miller said. "Watching these two excel, it's conformation to our players and culture that hard work pays off. They're great basketball players, but even better kids. We are so fortunate to have them."
— The KHSAA Board of Control approved the recommendation for football RPI calculations to allow for two "down-play" games when they announced the new district realignments last week. It will permit a team's first two games played against a team from a lower class not to impact its RPI ranking. It will be interesting to see if this impacts scheduling in our area. The RPI factor for out-of-state competition will remain unchanged for the 2023 season.
— Former Ashland graduate and All-Area Runner of the Year, Bekah Howard keeps running circles around the competition at East Tennessee State. She captured her first collegiate win in the 1000 meters and extended the celebration after securing the top spot in the mile at the VMI Invitational on Jan. 13-14. Howard was part of the team that broke the school record in the distance medley relay at the Vanderbilt Invitational on Jan. 20. Howard set a new personal record in the mile at 5:04.95, according to the team's website, the next day.
— Russell boys basketball extended its current winning streak to 14 games after a 63rd District seeding victory at Lewis County on Friday. It's the longest win streak since the 1997-98 season. The KHSAA website doesn't go past that point in history. Damon Charles averages a double-double with 16.3 points and 10 rebounds a game. Caleb Rimmer and Carson Blum add nearly 10 points a contest. Russell travels to Boyd County for a big game on Tuesday night.
— Speaking of the Lions, no one had a better offensive week than Boyd County's Jacob Spurlock. The sharpshooter broke the school's freshman scoring record after just 17 games. He also splashed 10 triples against Johnson Central on Tuesday to top the all-time single-game 3-point list.
"I am very proud of Jacob," Boyd County coach Randy Anderson said. "All that he has accomplished has been earned through hard work. He's a gym rat in every sense of the title. He's a 'team guy' that feeds off of his teammates and they feed off of him as well."
Fairview's Tanner Johnson exploded for 43 points against Greenup County on Wednesday. It contributed mightily to achieving the 1,000th career point plateau last week.
Lawrence County's Kensley Feltner keeps climbing the all-time scoring charts. After a 26-point performance against Floyd Central on Friday, the senior moved into fifth place on the state scoring list. Feltner's point total stands at 3,743.
Knox Central's Kim Mays stands at No. 4 with 3,952 points.
