Finally the anticipated first official day of basketball practice is here.  While basketball is a 365 day a year endeavor in the state of Kentucky finally all the talking is over and the action has begun.  We have all discussed transfers,  argued over the rankings of both individual players and teams and generally discussed and dissected every possible game our respective teams will play thiis year.

I agreed to do the 11th Region Preview for Bluegrasspreps website for both the girls and boys team.  It usually takes about three weeks and I request input from every coach in the region.  Normally the response is good and I value the input equally from the regional contenders to the teams that are in a rebuilding stage.  What frustrates me that is no matter how thorough I may be I still question the preview once I complete it.  However that is what makes basketball such a great sport in Kentucky,  every preview is merely an opinion and thankfully the season is decided and played out on the floor.

What makes it extremely enjoyable for me is the enthusiasm the coaches and players bring to the table each season.  I spent 45 minutes talking to one of the coaches tonight and it was obvious he loves his job and is very excited about the upcoming season and about the future and potential of his individual players.  Each season  heralds the return of established stars and the emergence of new player who will be making the headlines this season.

I have been watching basketball for more years than I care to admit but one thing remains constant over all the years.  I still get as excited about the new season as I did as a young boy many years ago.  While I realize we did not invent the game in Kentucky there is something special in the love we have for the game where it be in the cities or in the mountains.