Kentucky High School All-Star Controversy

A few weeks back I attended the Kentucky All-Star Tryouts at Campbellsville University. Every year the Kentucky All-Stars play, and in recent history, lose to the Indiana All-Stars. And every year, coaches, fans and parents across the state gripe about who was left off the roster and how the whole thing is all way too political. The controversy surrounding this year’s team started even before I left for the tryout. Bluegrasspreps.com and Kentuckypreps.com were full of messages about players that got screwed by being left off the tryout list. Not long after arriving at Campbellsville, I hear that a player from Eastern Kentucky didn’t show up for his tryout because according to his father, “The team has already been picked”. I agree that it is certainly not an unbiased, objective selection format, however I want to make clear exactly how the team is chosen. Every year 40 kids from across the state receive an invite to the tryout. 16 of these kids are automatic bids as they were chosen the player of the year in their respective region. 10 are chosen by head coaches across the state. 10 more are selected by the media while the final 4 players are invited by the head coach of the team.

Though the selection of Kentucky All-Stars is not completely objective, changes have been made within the last decade to create a much more democratic process. The only player guaranteed a spot on the team is Mr. Basketball, Jon Hood. The other 10 spots on the team are voted on by the coaches of the year from each region. Each player must be given unanimous support by those coaches in order to make the team. The last spot on the team is chosen by the head coach. This year’s coach is Tony Hopper from Owensboro Apollo. One of the major controversies surrounding this year’s team is the lack of big city players, particularly the lack of 7th region players from Louisville.

It is inevitable that someone will always be left off the team who was popular in a particular region or received a certain amount of media attention for their play during the year. The general consensus from those on the western side of the state is that too much media attention is given to Louisville, Lexington, and the eastern Kentucky schools covered by the Herald Leader that it’s very hard for players from Owensboro, Bowling Green, Hoptown, or Paducah to make the team. For those in the Louisville and Lexington regions, there is always the complaint that one of the studs from their region was slighted to create a team that is more representative of the entire state. This claim is usually followed up with a statement about how the Kentucky team deserves to get beat every year because the selection process is too political and the best talent doesn’t always end up on the floor.

Though I am not steeped in the history of the Kentucky-Indiana series, I am willing to bet that one would be hard pressed to find a Kentucky team from years past with only one player from the 7th and 11th regions. This Kentucky All-Star team has zero representatives from the 7th region, arguably the toughest region in the entire state, and only one from the 11th region. Perennial powerhouse teams like Ballard, Male, J-town, Manual and Eastern battle it out in the Big East like 7th region where teams have size, athleticism, and highly touted players. Even second tier 7th region teams like Trinity, St. X and Moore would give fits to the best teams in other regions. Yet, not one player from this region was chosen for the Kentucky squad.

7th region players that should have made it:

Chris Dowe- Eastern High School 6’2 G/F



















Dowe was the second biggest surprise in the state this year. He was overshadowed coming into the year by his highly touted teamates junior Delquan Thomas and Eastern’s stud sophomore class that includes Remy Abel and Arman Marks. However, Dowe was a stat sheet stuffer all year and led his team to a gaudy record of 30 something and 3. He also had the second sickest dunk I have ever seen in person, on any level. He is a slasher that can finish in traffic or pull up with a floater. For any high school coach with a dribble drive system, he is a dream. His athleticism set him apart from others his size. If not checked, Dowe owned the boards and made people look bad in the process. He is considered by many a strong D2 player as Northern Kentucky and Bellarmine have been hot on his trail. In recent weeks however, a bunch of low major to mid major schools have come calling. Now teams like EKU, Fairfield, Wright State, and Western Carolina are in the mix for Dowe.

The knock on Dowe: I thought it likely that Dowe would make the team because of all the press he recieved during the season. But Dowe had two things working against him at the tryout. First, he had a rough weekend at Campbellsville. He never really got things going. Shots weren’t falling, and he wasn’t getting all over the rim like he was known to do. I suspect some questioned his effort, and his desire to be part of the squad. Second, most coaches and people from around the state have a Louisville bias. The knock on Louisville is that there is plenty of talent but little structure. Outsiders see Louisville as a place where playing within a system, playing the fundamentals, and playing your heart out all come secondary to looking flashy and getting recognized. This combination led to the perception that the Kentucky All-Star team could take it or leave it when it came to Dowe. In my opinion, they would have been much better off taking him.

Eric Mosley- Louisville Moore 5’10 PG



















Mosley was the biggest surprise of the year around the state. Mosley transferred back to the Louisville area after spending a year in prep school. Prior to the season, neither Mosley nor Moore received much press, yet by the middle of the year, he was one of the hottest names in the state. He finished the year 3rd in the state in scoring at 26.4 a game. His game is very reminiscent of Allen Iverson in that he dominates that ball, often times to a fault, but scores almost at will. He is extremely quick, and has a definite division one handle. He is a streaky shooter, but a constant scorer. Rumors around the tryout were that he would probably take his game to Austin Peay.

The Knock: Mosley definitely had the Louisville bias working against him. I think some questioned how coachable he would be, particularly in the an All-Star game where so many players are more worried about shining that winning. Probably the biggest criticism of Mosley was the perception that he had to have the ball in his hands at all times. The question of whether or not he is a team player is a valid one. However, he is a supreme talent that would have countered the size and shooting ability of the Indiana guards with his speed and handle. It is hard to understand how a D1 guard doesn’t make a team that is half NAIA players, especially for a contest that is more like the college game than high school.

7th region players that were on the fringe:

Jordan Reves-Jeffersontown 6’10 C
Reves had a good tryout. Big guys usually get lost in pick up games and all-star games, but Reves did a good job of posting up, staying active around the rim, and taking advantage of his opportunities.

The Knock: Reves is too thin, too weak, and too slow to play in the type of game that Kentucky will have to play to be competitive against the Indiana team. To Reves' credit however, he is better than Jared Carter.

Dayvon Sloan- Waggener 5’10 PG
Sloan shot the ball very well at tryouts. He is a sturdy guard with a quick release and a consistent stroke. He was 7th in the state in scoring. The kid has a great attitude and will play at the next level.

The Knock: Sloan was not a true point guard. He was a 2 guard in Mark Jackson’s body. His handle was suspect, and his intensity on defense was lacking. He shot the ball well but not well enough to secure a spot on the team.

Wesley Cox- Ballard 5’8 PG
Cox is lightning quick guard. He showed in flashes that he could be a playmaker and a hustler.

The Knock: Cox had a poor tryout. He didn’t make shots, made some questionable decisions in the open court and began to force the issue in his last workout. I would have loved to have seen Cox at his best.