John Hardin Bulldogs
2019-2020 Record – 30-4
After going 93-13 the past three seasons including two trips to the KHSAA State Tournament, what could the Bulldogs do for an encore? The problem with being an elite program develops problems such as unreal expectations every season by it’s fan base and head coach Jared McCurry knows that. He believes the 2020-2021 version will definitely look different from the one they are use to seeing with highlight players like Mickey Pearson, Alex Mattthews, Trevon Harris and Preston Murrell. The new John Hardin team will be smaller, but could be a better shooting team thanks to the infusion of young talent and a couple of tranfers.
Junior Devon Rogers will be the only starter back from last year’s team and the former Sophomore of the Year, will add on to the 232-points he scored last season. Junior Jalen Tyus could be another starter, who played significant minutes last season, along with 6’3 guard Anthony Bowen, who transfered in from Oklahoma. Corey Brown is another newcomer, who played for Fort Knox last season and could make a difference.
Players, who could be a big factor and have impressed early are Darius Williams, a 6’3 senior, A J Doctor and Jake Potts, who should see lots of time on the court as McCurry plans to use five guard sets at times to combat a lack of size, but a quicker lineup.
Because the football playoffs are going on at this writing, McCurry would like to see his two sport athletes in action and by mid December he can then begin preparing them for the future battles with Elizabethtown, North Hardin and Central Hardin which will help shape this team.
John Hardin Lady Bulldogs
2019-2020 Record – 10-20
At one time, the Lady Bulldogs were challenging for the 5th Region Title and then just like that, they are looking from the bottom up with a 5-17 record. So Nicki Coleman became the team’s third coach in three seasons and had the inenviable task of rebuilding a program which saw the good times and bad within just a few years. Despite working with a different deck of cards as opposed to the 23-10 team a couple of years back, the Lady Bulldogs did show some progress and although they had to weather a brutal learning curve at first, John Hardin did show some progress.
Although they started 3-11, they finished 7-9 and were actually in a lot of the games they would eventually lose. Keeping games close became a ralling cry and a vision for the future if the program is to turn itself around.
The program did lose Brooke Graham, the team’s most dependable outside shooter and Mickenzi Graves, the teams’ third leading scorer, but Coleman does return Forward Sharon Tidwell, who led the Lady Bulldogs with 370-points as an eighth grader and pulled down 193-rebounds (also tops on the team). With Graham and Graves gone, Reana Butler, Kristeen Kettelhake, Destini MaCallister, Paris Parker and Jamya Drain will look to find their roles.
Malia Smith (junior) and Patricia Gregory (eighth-grader) is new to the team and will fight for playing time.
When practice restarts in mid-December, the Coleman and the Lady Bulldogs will prepare for opening day (January 4th against Breckinridge County) and will look for the continued improvement that see saw at the end last season.
