Basketball’s biggest week

While some consider the weeks involving Kentucky’s two Sweet 16 State Tournaments to be the biggest weeks of each season – in reality, this very week we’re in right now is the biggest week in high school basketball in this basketball crazy state.

As I write this week’s column, on Tuesday morning, many of the teams that were still playing basketball as of yesterday morning, are already cleaning out the lockers and getting the baseballs and softballs out after Monday night’s first round of district tournament action.

In fact, before you can even read this column on Wednesday morning, a like number of teams will be doing the same thing after Tuesday night’s district tournament games. That makes writing this column a little difficult each year, especially on years such as this when our press deadline precedes our own first round district tournament game, as our Lady Dawgs and Bulldogs were set to play on Tuesday night.

Still, for high school basketball fans in Kentucky, this week is the biggest, most exciting week of the year, and especially of this post-season run.

Everyone is still involved when Monday morning rolled around – some 270 teams in each division – girls and boys – are still playing basketball and as far as the standings were concerned on Monday morning – throw the season results out – they were all on an even standing.

Lose the first game, and you’re out. By the weekend, that 270 has been cut to just 128 teams and just a week later, we’re down to the 16 teams that will be headed to Bowling Green for the March 7-10 girls’ Sweet 16, or the March 14-17 boys’ Sweet 16 in Lexington.

There will be some upsets along the way, and a few Cinderella teams will emerge – some this week. A few favorites will fall by the wayside – some this week.

That’s why high school basketball in Kentucky is so much fun – and why we pack the house(s) for the next three weeks. It’s just not like this anywhere else.

Booster Club WANY Radio Auction was a big hit

From it’s humble beginnings back in the early 1980s when Sid Scott, myself and a handful of parents gathered in one of the studios at WANY to sell a few items for the first Booster Club WANY Radio Auction – to what we experienced last Friday night at the cafeteria – boy, things sure do change.

With well over 100 people gathered at any given time in the CCHS cafeteria Friday night, and with items going across the tote board all night long, I’d have to say that this 2012 Booster Club Auction was our best – ever.

My fellow co-host, Jack Flowers, who has been at my side during the broadcast for many, many years now after Sid stepped down, agreed after the program had signed off – it was probably the smoothest auction we’ve ever had.

More help, many of whom were “seasoned” volunteers with experience at what needed to be done and when and the “newbies” were eager to learn and jumped right in.

The telephone bidders came early and stayed late, and the in-house bidders did the same.

Bottom line – the kids were the real winners.

Thanks to all for another successful Radio Auction.

It’s March in Kentucky – and I’m busy, don’t call me until April.