Newport High School boys basketball coach Rod Snapp has always been a big believer in scheduling in-season tournaments. He scheduled six tournaments this season, matching last season’s total.
Eleven of Newport’s first 15 games were played in a tournament setting, almost all of them against top-notch opponents. They compiled an 8-3 record combined at the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic, John Turner Classic, Griffin Elite Basketball Classic, King of the Bluegrass and the inaugural Ray Furney Holiday Classic
Counting mid-January’s Beacon Orthopaedics Flyin’ To The Hoop Invitational and other certainties such as the Jan. 8-12 9th Region All “A” Classic and the KHSAA 36th District Tournament, plus strong possibilities of playing in the All “A” Classic State Tournament, KHSAA 9th Region Tournament and Sweet 16 State Tournament, the Wildcats could appear in as many as 11 tournaments this season.
“We really want to push these kids, so being in these tournaments is good competition,” Snapp said. “In a lot of them, you get a real tournament. That helps prepare you for later in the season. We like to see different teams. That gets us overly ready to see different styles of play.”
The Wildcats play Highlands in a district contest Jan. 5. They get back into tournament action Jan. 10 at the 45th playing of the 9th Region All “A” Classic.
Guard Tay Kinney likes the way the Wildcats are playing.
“We’re finding the hot hand,” he said. “We’re winning.”
The recently hot Wildcats, 12-3, may be on the verge of winning their third local All “A” Classic crown and the first since 2019. Their Jan. 10 opening-round game is against Heritage Academy at 7:45 pm on Mike Swauger Court at Ben Flora Gymnasium in Bellevue.
Other 9th Region All “A” Classic first-round games include the opening night of Jan. 8 with Ludlow vs. St. Henry at 6 pm and Bellevue vs. Dayton at 7:45. On Jan. 9, Holy Cross plays the Ludlow-St. Henry winner at 6 pm and Beechwood plays Villa Madonna at 7:45. On Jan. 10, Newport Central Catholic plays the Bellevue-Dayton winner at 6 pm, followed by Newport vs. Heritage.
Tournament semifinals are Jan. 12 at 6 and 7:45 pm. The championship game is Jan. 13 at 7 pm.
The winner advances to the 35th All “A” Classic State Tournament held at the Corbin Arena in Corbin, where the 9th Region champion will meet the 11th Region champion in a Jan. 25 first-round game at 8:30 am.
Holy Cross is the two-time defending 9th Region All “A” Classic champion and returning state runner-up. The Indians defeated Newport in last year’s 9th Region final, 74-72.
Coach Snapp would like to see his Wildcats take an extra step at this year’s event in Bellevue.
“I hope we advance,” Snapp said. “Holy Cross has won it. St. Henry is always dangerous. NewCath is a rivalry game. We don’t take anybody lightly.”
When the talent influx started hitting a peak at Newport, Snapp found another reason to get involved in more in-season tournaments in addition to the automatic entries.
“Promote the kids, get them more exposure,” the coach said. “Get them in high-profile tournaments where they’re going to be seen.”
Any college coaches who were on hand for the Dec. 29-30 Ray Furney Holiday Classic at Indiana’s Lawrenceburg High School received an eyeful from Newport, which went unbeaten en route to the tournament title.
The Wildcats are wildly talented with a host of skilled players but the long and short of it for Newport in Lawrenceburg was Griffin Starks’ insertion into the starting lineup and Kinney’s subsequent scoring explosion and MVP effort.
Starks received his first starts of the season at the Ray Furney Holiday Classic. The 6-foot-8 freshman started all four games and totaled nine points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots while shooting 4-for-9 from the field. Coach Snapp said Starks played game-changing defense by ranging in the paint, being quick on his feet, altering shots and generally making opposing players think twice before trying to put up something inside.
“He’s a 14-year-old left-handed post player with a high motor,” said Snapp, now in his 14th season at Newport. “I haven’t had a kid like him, but we wanted him to earn a starting spot. We just didn’t want to hand it to him. He earned it. He’s got a high, high ceiling. I think he’s going to be a major Division I player. “
That would make Starks merely the latest potential D-I talent to grace the court at Newport.
Kinney, already a high-profile college recruit with 22 offers, erupted for a career-high 49 points against reigning Indiana Class 2A state champion Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian in the championship game of the Ray Furney Holiday Classic. The Wildcats won handily, 79-54.
Coach Snapp liked the way his team looked with Starks on the court from the start, and he’s looking forward to seeing how the freshman does in the 9th Region All “A” Classic.
“He wants to win and does the little things which is a big plus,” Snapp said. “With him and Tay on the court at the same time, we can do different things. Next year, Starks will have a totally different role.”
At the 9th Region All “A” Classic, Starks role will be more supportive with Kinney (21.5 ppg), DeShaun Jackson (12.5), Jabari Covington (10.9 ppg) and James Turner (9.1 ppg) poised to be the most productive scorers.
“He helps us,” Kinney said of Starks, a son of former University of Cincinnati standout Keith Starks. “He helps us rebound a lot better.”
With Starks, coach Snapp wants to put opponents in a pick-your-poison dilemma going forward.
“You’ve got to guard Tay. We got other guys who can score,” Snapp said. “And now we bring in Starks.”
The 10th Region All “A” Classic gets underway Jan. 5 at Nicholas County. The top local team is Bishop Brossart, which plays Nicholas County in an opening round game Jan. 5 at 7:30 pm. The final is Jan. 11. The Mustangs have 15 titles in the 10th Region All “A” Classic tournament since 2001, and will look to defend their 2023 title. Calvary Christian takes on Bracken County on Jan. 6 at 2:30 p.m. in their opening round matchup.
The 8th Region All “A” Classic started Tuesday at Walton-Verona with Gallatin County taking down Cornerstone Christian. The first local team in action is Walton-Verona vs. Trimble County Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Williamstown plays Gallatin County in the semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m. If the Bearcats defeat Trimble County, they’ll face Eminence in the semifinals on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The final is Saturday at 5 p.m.
The Bearcats are looking for their sixth regional All “A” title since 2017 and 10th overall, winning seven 8th Region titles and two 9th Region titles. With Aaron Gutman pouring in 22.5 points per game and Julian Dixon (15.4) and Zach Smith (14.3) complementing him, the Bearcats look poised to be the team lifting the championship trophy come Saturday evening. Walton-Verona lost to Owen County in the championship last year.