By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Covington Catholic has become one the most successful boys high school basketball programs in Kentucky under head coach Scott Ruthsatz. During his seven-year tenure, the Colonels have won 200 games, three 9th Region championships and two Sweet 16 state tournaments.
CovCath coach Scott Ruthsatz, front, celebrates as the final seconds tick away in last year’s state championship game.
Coaches around the state expect the Colonels to build on that winning reputation this season, even though all five starters on their 2018 state championship team graduated.
CovCath was ranked No.1 in the Northern Kentucky coaches poll and No. 3 in statewide coaches polls conducted by the Louisville Courier Journal and Lexington Herald Leader newspapers.
“We talk a lot about that and we embrace it,” coach Ruthsatz said of the high expectations placed on his team. “Like I say to the guys, “How else would you want it? You kind of want to be the guys who are being hunted.’”
The CovCath players who will be stepping into starting positions include 6-foot-8 senior forward Nick Thelen, 6-foot-6 junior forward Michael Mayer and 5-foot-11 junior point guard Grant Disken.
Nick Thelen
Thelen, a Bellarmine University recruit, played in all 39 games last season, averaging 5.9 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 65 percent from the field. In his team’s four state tournament games, he scored 21 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and made all seven of his field goals attempts.
Mayer, who will be going to the University of Notre Dame on a football scholarship, is a physical inside player who averaged 2.5 points and 3.6 rebounds off the bench. Disken saw limited action last season, but the coach has confidence in his ability to be a floor leader.
“What makes this engine work is a great point guard,” Ruthsatz said. “We’ll have the athletes and we’ll have the big players, but we have to have that point guard who can distribute the ball and score and do lots of different things.”
Tyler Fleek and Neil Green are the leading contenders for the center position. They’ll have to play good defense and run the floor to fit into the style of play their coach prefers.
“You’ll see us press a lot more,” Ruthsatz said. “We’ve got aggressive players so you’ll see us try to manufacture points off turnovers and making teams force quick shots to get up and down a little more than we have in the past.”
Here’s a look at the other boys basketball teams ranked among the top 12 in a preseason poll of Northern Kentucky coaches:
2. COOPER
Blaine Walters
Coach Tim Sullivan spent the offseason developing players to replace four senior starters who provided 66 percent of the team’s scoring last season. If the Jaguars come up with the right combination, they could post their ninth straight winning season and make a bid for the 9th Region title.
The lone returning starter is 6-foot-5 senior forward Blaine Walters, who averaged 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Sullivan will likely have 6-foot-5 senior guard Michael Spencer and 6-foot-4 senior forward Ty Houston in the lineup with Walters.
Spencer and junior Gavin Pearson will be sharing the point guard duties to offset the graduation of Chris McNeil, a three-year starter at that important position
“Offensively, the Jags must find a balance between inside and outside (scoring) using their length and ability to stretch the defense with the three (point shot),” Sullivan said.
3. CAMPBELL COUNTY
Reid Jolly
The defending 10th Region champions lost two players with double-figure scoring averages to graduation, but coach Aric Russell expects the strong senior class on this year’s roster to make the Camels title contenders once again.
Senior forward Reid Jolly averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds on last year’s 29-6 team. He closed out the season in impressive fashion, getting 34 points, 21 rebounds and six blocks in two state tournament games at Rupp Arena.
Senior guard Drew Wilson and senior forward Tanner Lawrence are the Camels’ other returning starters. Wilson had a pair of double-figure scoring games in the state tournament and finished with a 10.3 average.
The list of players competing for starting positions includes senior guard Grant Jolly and senior forward Noah Wirth, who both played in 23 games for Campbell County last season.
4. SCOTT
Chad Ohmer
In Steve Fromeyer’s first two years as head coach, Scott won 46 games, played in two 10th Region finals and reached the final four in the 2017 state tournament.
With four starters returning from last season’s regional runner-up team that posted a 23-10 record, it looks like the Eagles’ recent run of success should continue.
Senior point guard Chad Ohmer and senior forward Trey Meister were the team’s top two scorers last season with 14-point averages. They’ll be back in the lineup with senior forward Nathan Joyce and senior guard David Hunter, who both averaged seven points per game.
The Eagles won’t have much height in their starting lineup once again, but that didn’t hamper them the last two seasons.
“Our team is built for speed and scoring ability,” Fromeyer said. “We will look to spread the court and dictate tempo offensively and defensively.”
5. SIMON KENTON
Kelly Niece was the only freshman named to the Northern Kentucky Division I all-star team by local coaches last season. He averaged 16.8 points and 2.3 rebounds and shot 53 percent from the field as a starting guard for the 19-10 Pioneers.
Niece and junior Jon Hensley are the two returning starters coach Trent Steiner will build a new team around. He lists seniors Robby Krohman and Colten Lair and junior Jeremy Davis as the leading candidates for other starting positions. They all played in 22 or more games last season.
“Our whole team won’t wow you, but these kids can play,” Steiner said. “But if we don’t defend and rebound it won’t matter how many points we can score.”
6. DIXIE HEIGHTS
The Colonels made it to the 9th Region final in Roddy Stainforth’s first season as head coach with four juniors in the starting five last March. How they build off that year of experience is the lingering question, according to the coach.
Two seniors with unusual first names — Jabari Karim and Jamin Shumate – will be the starting backcourt once again. Last season, Karim averaged 12 points and Shumate averaged 11 with a whopping 92 3-point goals on his stat sheet.
The team also has a pair of experienced seniors in the paint with 6-foot-5 center Spence Trimpe and 6-foot-4 Arien Gentry returning. They had a combined average of 8.7 rebounds per game last season.
7. BEECHWOOD
The Tigers have four starters returning from last year’s team that won the basketball program’s first 9th Region All “A” Classic championship and continued a three-year run of winning seasons with an 18-13 record.
The veteran players include senior point guard C.J. Brannen, senior post player Duncan Baugh and sophomore shooting guard Scott Draud, who pumped in 20.6 points per game with 84 treys accounting for half of his scoring total.
Coach Erik Goetz said Brannen and Draud should be “one of the area’s most dangerous duos” in the backcourt. He also expects forwards Zach Deatherage and Mitch Schilling to have big senior years.
8. NEWPORT
Tahj Harding, the only 9th Region player who averaged a double-double last season with 14.9 points and 10.8 rebounds, is one of three returning starters for the Wildcats, who won 24 games and made it to the regional playoffs for the fourth straight year.
Newport’s other returning double-figure scorers are senior point guard Donnie Miller and senior wing Makhi McGuire, who both averaged 10 points per game. Coach Rod Snapp said junior guard Daeshawn White “greatly improved during the offseason.”
9. RYLE
Senior forward Vince Rankin was a scoring threat on the post and perimeter for Ryle last season when he averaged 18.1 points and shot 50 percent while also collecting 8.1 rebounds per game.
With him back in the lineup along with 6-foot-8 forward Junior Benton and point guard Donovan Robinson, the Raiders hope to be back in the 9th Region tournament for the third straight year and finish with their first winning record since 2013-14 under coach David McFarland.
10. ST. HENRY
Dave Faust begins his 27th season as head coach of the Crusaders with three of the top five scorers returning from last year’s team that made it to the 9th Region tournament.
Senior guard Alex Westerbeck and senior forward Quinton Becker are third-year starters who averaged 7.3 and 5.8 points, respectively. The team’s top returning scorer is sophomore Wyatt Vieth, who averaged 10.2 points and shot 46 percent from the field in his first varsity season.
11. HIGHLANDS
The Bluebirds have been eliminated in the district playoffs the last four seasons and nine seniors on this year’s team are determined to get to the 9th Region tournament that begins the last week of February.
One of the seniors on coach Kevin Listerman’s roster is 6-foot-5 senior forward Ben Sisson, who averaged 9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks last season. The senior class also includes Alex Starkey, who averaged 7.5 points per game, and Nate Roberts, who shot 46 percent from the field.
12. HOLY CROSS
Brandon Grammer is the new head coach of the Indians, who came on strong at the end of last season and made it to the 9th Region semifinals. But the top three scorers on that team graduated so putting points on the board could be a problem this year.
The team’s top returning starter is 6-foot-9 senior Pete Knochelman, a strong post player who averaged 9.7 points and 7.7 rebounds last season. The team also has an experienced point guard in senior Andrew Wahl, who had 4.1 points and 2.5 assists per game.
