Some storytelling and thoughts from the mind of Mark Maynard.
Author: Mark Maynard
Managing editor of Kentucky Today, the digital newspaper of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, since July 2017. Worked 42 years for The Daily Independent in Ashland, Kentucky, the last 12 as managing editor and editor and the previous 30 in the sports department, including 17 years as sports editor. President of Amy For Africa, a faith-based Christian ministry serving Uganda. I'm a husband to Beth and father to Stephen and Sally, grandfather to Brooks and Addy.
No surprises in the opening round of the Sweet Sixteen on Wednesday.
Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Ballard and Clark County advanced to the quarterfinals. There were some impressive performances from a powerhouse upper bracket.
Ashland plays Knox Central Thursday night at 8 in its opening game. The Tomcats, dripping with basketball tradition, will be going for their 50th Sweet Sixteen victory – already more than anybody else in the state. This is Ashland’s 35th appearance in the Sweet Sixteen, second only to Owensboro’s 40 appearances.
Knox Central is a 3-point favorite over the Tomcats in Dave Cantrall’s Rating the State. Knox, like Ashland, has won three regional championships in a row.
Three may be a key word in this one.
Double-ring ceremony?
Ashland is one of four schools who won football championships playing in the Sweet Sixteen. Bowling Green, Boyle County and Paintsville are the others.
Hunter Gillum could become the first Tomcat since 1934 to play for a football and basketball state champion. Eleven players currently have that distinction in Ashland history. Those players were members of the 1928 (basketball) and 1928 (football) teams and the 1934 (basketball) and 1934 (football) teams. So it has been 87 years …
The football championships were “claimed” titles with undefeated seasons. Kentucky didn’t start football playoffs until 1959.
The journey for Hunter Gillum to become the 12th member of that elite club starts with defeating Knox Central.
Tomcat-Knox Central connection
Former Ashland Tomcat coaching great Harold Cole, who took four teams to the Sweet Sixteen, finished his coaching career at Knox Central. Cole died in April 2019 at the age of 87.
Ashland has a 3-1 all-time record against Knox Central.
How to watch the game
To watch the game Thursday go to nfhs.com. Cost is $10.99 for a one-month subscription. That will allow you to watch the entire boys and girls state tournaments. But don’t forget to cancel or you will be charged $10.99 in future months.
No. 21 for Tomcat ‘Voice’
Thursday’s broadcast by Dicky Martin on WBVB 97.1-FM will be the 21st TOMCAT game in the Sweet Sixteen that he has called. He has some great memories with semifinal team in 1977, Jeff Tipton’s 41-point game in 1980 quarterfinals, and the 1996 run to the finals among the highlights.
Triple-play
Three regional championships in succession is rare even for the Tomcats, who accomplished the feat for the first time since winning five in a row from 1976-1980 under Paul Patterson (four) and Ernie Simpson.
Other years of at least three in a row: 1969-1971 (Harold Cole), 1960-62 (Bob Wright), 1931-34 (Jim Anderson and Paul Jenkins), and 1924-29 (Jim Anderson). The six in a row is the longest in their storied history.
A prediction …
Swami says Tomcats will prevail 68-63 in the Sweet Sixteen opener.
MOREHEAD – Denied the chance to compete in the Sweet 16 last year because of the coronavirus, many saw Ashland’s 62-58 victory over Rowan County in the 16th Region championship as a day of destiny, a payback for what was taken away from them last March.
How else can you explain a rally from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter with your playmaker supreme relegated to being a cheerleader with more than 6 minutes to play?
Improbable? You betcha.
Destiny? Well maybe.
Something else? Read on.
As much as it was easy to feel good for those Tomcats who get their chance to play in the Sweet 16 next week, I still feel for Justin Bradley, Ethan Hudson and Nolan Phillips – three 2020 seniors who had so much to do with Ashland’s 33-0 season – because their destiny ended in limbo. Talk about March Madness, that was the epitome.
Now I’m sure, knowing the three of them, they cheered their guts out on Saturday. Probably nobody wanted the Tomcats to win more than them. But I still feel bad for those young men who were so vital and had a memory for a lifetime taken away because of a virus that has taken so much away from all of us.
It’s good that some of these other key players – Cole Villers, Colin Porter and Ethan Sellars – get their chance to be in the Rupp Arena spotlight. They deserved it last year and they will be able to take a bow next week and maybe finish a job they thought was left unfinished last year. And if you asked any of them today, they would say those three seniors from last year had a lot to do with what happened this season and even Saturday, when all hope looked lost.
Here’s why. They helped establish a new culture with Tomcat basketball. A culture where winning is all that matters on the court, where making the extra pass is better than scoring, where team means everything.
These Tomcats may not have been a mirror image of last year but they were pretty darn close in the things that matter. They love each other, they respect their opponent and they know how to represent their family, school and community with the most class I can ever remember any Tomcat team doing.
Ashland Tomcats 16th Region champions for a third consecutive season.
It’s not that Ashland had a lot of bad characters, they haven’t. But these kids are setting a standard of excellence on and off the court that hopefully will be duplicated for years to come. And if that happens, there will be more celebrations to come. More regional championships and trips to the state tournament. Success breeds success. They have the blueprint and it’s up to the coaches not only at the high school level but in middle school and below to follow the plan.
Ashland’s players aren’t in the face of their opponents, popping their jerseys or talking smack. They lift a hand out when somebody hits the deck. They give their opponents credit in the newspaper. And they aren’t afraid to share their faith (which I especially like). Good kids make for good experiences for parents, for fans and for a community. Kudos to coach Jason Mays for establishing a culture of excellence that shouldn’t be underestimated.
They are pretty good basketball players too. We’ve all enjoyed watching them compete and their will to win, well, you saw it on display again Saturday. It was an epic and historic comeback, one that I’m sure made Justin Bradley, Ethan Hudson and Nolan Phillips proud.
Knowing these Tomcats, I’m sure they will find a way to honor those three seniors when they take the floor next week against Knox Central. I know because that’s the kind of culture that exists with Ashland basketball these days.
Congratulations guys. You’re doing things right and it shows.
MOREHEAD – Hunter Gillum may not go down as the greatest athlete in Ashland history, but he has to be in the conversation as one of the toughest.
And Gillum, who leads with his heart, is a winner where few others have tread.
You can add a second regional basketball championship to his resume, to go along with a football state championship where his grittiness was equally on display and a big reason why the Tomcats won that title last fall. He’s the kind of player that if he’s on the other team, you just hate him. But if he’s on your side, you sure are thankful.
“You can’t quantify toughness,” said Ashland coach Jason Mays. “You can’t put a metric on toughness. Whatever that metric is for Hunter Gillum, it’s off the charts. He says ‘my hearts as big, if not bigger than yours.’ He helped us win that game tonight. He understands everything execution-wise from the point guard spot. Coaching against him, he’s like an aggravating gnat.”
More like a maroon-and-white Murder Hornet.
The Tomcats’ marvelous basketball team was on the edge of the cliff, but Gillum’s toughness helped them cling to the edge and then will them to an improbable come-from-behind 62-58 overtime victory over Rowan County in the 16th Region championship game Saturday afternoon.
Hunter Gillum (middle with trophy) has brought a toughness to the Ashland basketball team that has provided an undeniable spark.
Ashland battled back from an 11-point deficit with its heart-and-soul point guard fouled out with 6:24 remaining on a questionable call (let’s leave it right there). It looked desperate. Maybe even impossible. No team had rallied from such a deficit in region championship game before in history.
It’s a history that said when a team took a lead into the fourth quarter of the championship game, it was all but net-cutting time. The biggest deficit overcome going into the fourth quarter was only four points when Mt. Sterling trailed Grayson 21-17 and won 24-21 in the 1942 regional finals. The biggest deficit overcome after three quarters of any regional tournament game was 12 points by Sharpsburg, which trailed Carter County 56-44 before rallying for a 74-72 victory in a first-round game.
But back to Gillum, who last year in the regional tournament emerged as a key player during the 33-0 Tomcat campaign. His last start because of football’s run to the title meant he was going to be coming along a little slower this season, and in fact he did. But his spark (more like a lightning bolt) has been apparent again toward the end of the regular season and especially in the postseason.
Gillum’s energy ignites the defense and he has become a cautious and efficient point guard he chooses when to shoot wisely. Even when Rowan County was daring him to shoot, he chose to penetrate and dish to the more reliable Cole Villers or Ethan Sellars. That’s evidence of a player who understands his role perfectly and has decided it’s team over me. Winning is all that matters and he gets it.
Ashland isn’t planning a trip to the Sweet 16 next week without Hunter Gillum, and the Class AAA state football championship trophy that the Tomcats own is in somebody else’s trophy case without him too.
History may reflect this as being the team of Cole Villers, Colin Porter and Ethan Sellars – and rightfully so – because those three guards are unflappable and tremendously talented. But sometimes you need that winning play and toughness that only some players have deep down inside them to become a champion.
Ashland has that in Hunter Gillum, a senior who will be remembered for being the toughest guy on the block. The Tomcats are glad to have that bully on their side.
Ashland plays Rowan County today at 2 p.m. in Ellis T. Johnson Arena for the boys final and Russell and Boyd County meet in the girls final at 6 p.m.
The Tomcats are in the regional championship game for the fourth year in a row.
Coach Jason Mays has an 8-0 record in the regional tournament since arriving on the scene. The Tomcats are 52-4 the past two years. That’s astounding when you think about it.
Somebody asked the other day on Facebook has there ever been a better time to be a fan of the Tomcats?
It’s hard to imagine. Last year, the Tomcats went 33-0 in basketball and followed that with an 11-0 state championship football season.
The 1966 Tomcats won the regional basketball tournament and went 25-0 to win the state baseball championship that spring. The following year the baseball team (again) won the state baseball title and the football team followed that fall with a football state title.
Colin Porter protects the ball against tight defense from West Carter. John Flavell, a fixture at the regional tournament for years, took this photograph. His pictures tell the story as well as anyone could. John, a teacher at Morehead State, is one of the finest photographs in Kentucky and a great friend to me over the years. His work is appreciated by all who see it.
In 1976, the basketball Tomcats began a string of five consecutive regional titles and that came on the heels of the 1975 JAWS championship football team. So that wasn’t a bad time either.
The Tomcats were state basketball champions in 1961 and the next fall went 8-1-1 in football but didn’t make the playoffs, which started in 1959.
Way back in 1928, the Tomcats went 37-0 and won the state and national basketball championships and the 1928 football team finished 10-0-1. Record-wise anyway, that hadn’t been matched until 2020 with the Tomcats going unbeaten in basketball and football back-to-back in spring and fall.
So to answer the question of Rhett Robinson, who made the comment, it may be the best time to be a Tomcat. Rhett knows about championships too being part of the 1990 state football Tomcats.
Karma calling?
Seems to me that if karma is a real thing (I’m not saying it is or isn’t) then Ashand will defeat Rowan County today in the finals.
Last year’s perfect season had a most imperfect finish because of the coronavirus. They are forever in limbo as a 33-0 team but never really knowing if they would have won the state tournament (unless you read Tomcat Tales, which reveals the result!).
Put karma in Ashland’s corner today.
My Town TV salute
Where would we all be without My Town TV televising games not only last year but this year as the coronavirus raged?
Despite the amazing success in basketball and football, few people outside of parents have seen the Tomcats in-person during much of the season.
But we have been able to watch much of Ashland’s season because of technology. My Town TV does an outstanding job of bringing the Tomcats into our living rooms and I know many are thankful for that opportunity they presented us.
So a tip of the hat to Jeromy Sutherland, Chris Pullem, Mike Miller, Bryan Barber, Tyler Rowland and others involved in showing the games to a fan base that would have been so saddened to miss all this.
That said, I’ve enjoyed the calls from Dicky Martin (like always) when the games weren’t available on television. He is a rock in the Tomcat program.
Porter’s winning shot
Colin Porter’s incredible 3-point shot at the buzzer to end regulation tied the Tomcats game with West Carter in the semifinals on Thursday.
It wasn’t surprising that he hit the shot. My guess is he’s practiced that move hundreds if not thousands of times. I’ve never seen a point guard with the IQ of Colin at such a young age. Remember, he’s only a sophomore. He loves the big moments and found himself in one with the ball in his hands and time running out on the Tomcats’ season. He never hesitated.
Schedule-maker
Coach Jason Mays makes no apologies for a globe-trotting schedule that he said would make the Tomcats better. He was right.
Ashland took on all-comers and two of those opponents, Highlands and Bowling Green, have already clinched spots in the Sweet 16. Johnson Central, Boyle County and North Laurel will are regional championship games.
So as many as five foes could be part of this year’s state tournament.
Highlands and Bowling Green were two of four teams to defeat Ashland.
Streaking Tomcats
Ashland has won 36 consecutive games against 16th Region opponents, dating back to the 2019 regional tournament. The Tomcats’ last loss against a regional foe was to Boyd County in the 2019 64th District championship game.
The Tomcats’ own the region’s longest winning streak at 51 games between 1975 and 1980. Paul Patterson never lost against a regional opponent from 1975-1979, capturing four consecutive region titles in the process.
Ernie Simpson took the 1980 team to the Sweet Sixteen, losing only once in the region against Holy Family in the district championship before avenging that loss in the region championship.
Familiar names, talents
In a year of things that aren’t normal, there are two in the regional tournament that are quite normal and very good: Chuck Rist doing the PA for the games and John Flavell taking photographs for The Daily Independent. The are both artists. I used one of John’s photos as an example. He’s such a good friend and the absolute best sports photographer in Kentucky.
Tomcat Tales podcast
If you haven’t already been listening to Tomcat Tales podcast, then start today.
Friday’s podcast was an interview with Rob Lynch, who led Ashland to the 1992 regional title and has been instrumental in guiding young Tomcats to following their dreams. He comes from my favorite Tomcat family. They have been part of regional tournament basketball champions in 1966, 1970, 1971, 1992, 1993, 1996 (state runner-up) and three state baseball championship teams in 1966, 1967 and 1968.
The Lynches have scored 5,799 combined points and Rob’s sons are coming up through the system so 6,000 points isn’t that far away. Amazing.
Here is a rundown of the Lynch legacy with years, games, total points. Rob would have been in 1,000-point club if not for a broken foot that cost him several games his senior year.
Lynch, Bill ………………. 1964-66 60 416
Lynch, Bob……………… 1966-68 86 1278
Lynch, Chris……………. 1994-96 81 846
Lynch, Dale…………….. 1970-72 90 1025
Lynch, Michael………… 1993-95 99 1348
Lynch, Rob……………… 1990-92 76 878
Lynch, Ryan……………. 1993 2 8
Next week’s podcast includes an interview with Jeff Hall, the former Fairview and Louisville great who also coached the Tomcats for two seasons including the 1992 regional title team.
Search Tomcat Tales wherever you get your podcasts.
And the winner is …
For many years as sports editor of The Daily Independent, the mysterious Swami made predictions of the regional tournament.
Here’s one for the road: Ashland 70, Rowan County 66.
MARK MY WORDS 2 