Odds and ends, and that ain’t much right now. . .

Coaches of the Year list has some local links

The Courier Journal named its two Kentucky Basketball Courier Journal Coaches of the Year last week and with no real sports to watch, or report about, these types of things get more scrutiny and, honestly, more attention right now.

The gist of the article was that Katie Haitz, of Ryle High School, and Jared McCurry, of John Hardin High School, were the 2020 recipients of this year’s honors.

Ryle High is in Union (Boone County), while John Hardin High is located in Elizabethtown (Hardin County).

With that out of the way, I found myself taking a closer look at the two lists of past recipients of the award given annually by the state’s largest newspapers and made a few notes in the margins.

While there weren’t any connections directly to any of the coaches who were named Girls Coaches of the Year, I was taken back some 15 years when I remembered that in 2005, the CJ named Chrysti Noble of Rockcastle County to the honor.

Yes, Rockcastle (27-5) had a nice run in 2005, but the Lady Rockets ended its season in the opening round of the KHSAA Sweet 16, falling to Lexington Catholic 73-64.

On the other hand, Clinton County gave up a narrow five point decision to Lexington Catholic in the championship game that year, ending its run as the Cinderella team that fell just short of pulling off the upset of the decade, yet still taking home the runner-up title and playing in the last game of the season for 2004-05.

I thought in 2005, and I still think in 2020, that the Coach of the Year honor should have gone to my good friend, the late Ronnie Guffey.

Our Lady Dawgs ended the year with a 32-6 mark and the efforts at the close of that contest brought fans from both sides of the Diddle Arena stands to their feet in appreciation.

Anyway, looking at the Boys Coach of the Year lists, there were also a few connections to Clinton County basketball down through the years, scattered out here and there.

The first connection was the 1982 recipient, Allen Feldhaus, Sr., who passed away just a few years ago in 2017. In 1982, there were two final undefeated teams at one point late in the season, Feldhaus’ Mason County Royals, and our own Gary Dunlap coached Bulldogs, sporting a 19-0 mark.

The Bulldogs picked up the first loss that year during a road trip to the Louisville area, an upset tumble that came at the hands of East Hardin, 62-59. Mason County went on to win the 10th Region that year, and ended its year on an upset loss in the Sweet 16 at the hands of Virgie in the semi-final round..

The 1982 tournament ended with Laurel County’s Paul Andrews’ full court heave at the buzzer to earn the championship title over North Hardin, 53-51.

Feldhaus, Sr. would earn the Coach of the Year award again in 1986.

The Clinton County connections to the Coach of the Year continues with the naming of Bobby Keith of Clay County to the honor in a three year run, 1987, 1988 and 1989.

Coach Keith made a few trips to Clinton County to watch one of his former players work the sidelines as our own head coach.

Todd Messer, who just finished his 14th season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, played for Keith’s Clay County Tigers.

A close friend up until Keith’s death just three years ago, it was safe to say that much of Todd’s sideline coaching style is a direct reflection of what he learned watching and playing for the legendary coach.

But the local connection to Coach of the Year doesn’t end there.

Winning the honor in 2012 and 2013 was Allen Feldhaus, Jr., the son of the also legendary Mason County head coach Allen Feldhaus, Sr., who also spent time on the sidelines just up the road as the head coach of the Russell County Lakers.

Feldhaus Jr., who just this year earned his 600th career victory as a head coach, began that career as a high school coach in Clinton County in 1986.

His not so great start to what has since turned into a certain Kentucky Hall of Fame career, included a two-year run here with a combined 21-29 record. He left Clinton County for the Green County job, staying there for five seasons before landing the Madison Central gig, where he has remained ever since – a run of some 25 years.

In the meantime – no sports at all stinks!