LOOKING BACK

 I love basketball season and this one is shaping up to be one for the ages. I watched the Corbin Redhounds over the holidays and I am really impressed with the intensity of their play. The Redhounds defend extremely well and are all out on every loose ball. They can actually go deep into their bench and receive the same intensity.

I am not surprised since I have attended several practice sessions and can assure you they practice just as fiercely as they play in the games.

Madison Johnson is playing extremely well as well as Isaac Wilson as they combine with Aaron Manns and Luke Stewart to provide senior leadership. Josh Hopkins is becoming more aggressive with each game and Travis Smith is being more assertive on offense. Matthew Taylor is becoming a stopper on defense and more efficient on offense.

I feel by tournament time, this year’s team will be capable of going further than last year’s team.

The Kentucky Wildcats of John Calipari are continuing to roll as they beat Louisville in a in a very physical game, 71-62. The Cats now enter the SEC schedule with momentum.

These Cats are a fun loving group of kids who could have a wheel run off at anytime, but they are winners. They have that quality of being able to find a way to win.

The media continues to gush over Kansas and Texas and give the Cats the cold shoulder when considering national championship possibilities. We will see.

Congratulations to Caleb Watkins on a tremendous high school season. Caleb was outstanding on both sides of the football and is sure to be successful at the next level.

There are several schools with an interest in Caleb. I have a feeling Caleb would really be interested in playing at the University of Kentucky.

Caleb, Jarrod Lawson, Clint Cashen and Michael Campbell are a few players who performed very well in this past decade for the football Redhounds.

The Birds and Selvys are well known sports families in Redhound history. Another family that has written its name in Redhound history is the Taylor family. Roy and Greg Taylor were all-state running backs in the late seventies and early eighties.

Roy’s son Matthew plays both football and basketball for this year’s Redhounds. Roy and Greg’s nephews are B.J. and Brady Foley, B.J. started four years at quarterback while at Corbin earlier in the decade while Brady was an outstanding player as a sophomore on this year’s Redhound squad. Their dad, Burley, was a hard-hitting linebacker on the Redhound state champion team in 1976.

Greg Taylor’s oldest son, Trey, was a wide receiver this year for Evangel Christian High School in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Trey caught the winning touchdown pass in the semi-finals of the AA State Championship playoffs, catapulting his team to the state championship game. Trey then caught the winning touchdown pass to capture the state championship.

All these achievements originated from my old golfing buddy Clayton Taylor, who decided to move to Corbin from Blackstar in the ‘40’s.

Clayton takes full credit for all these accomplishments, but I have a feeling a lady named Pauline had a lot do with it.

The Redhounds basketball team is now ranked number one in the 13^th region and number 25 in the state in the Cantrell Ratings.