By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Ken Collopy took on a new job last March and his one-year performance review looks pretty good so far. In his first season as head coach of the Newport Central Catholic boys’ basketball team, the Thoroughbreds have won 20 games and are back in the hunt for the 9th Region championship that they won last year.
If NewCath wins three games in the regional tournament that starts on Wednesday, it’ll be an impressive achievement for a team that started the season with only two returning starters.
“It’s been exciting and I’m really proud of the way our kids have developed,” Collopy said. “We looked forward to us getting back (in the regional) and we’re here, and you never know what can happen now so it’ll be fun.”
NewCath will play Ryle in the opening game of the 9th Region tournament at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University. The other first-round match-ups are Covington Catholic vs. Dixie Heights, Newport vs. Lloyd and Cooper vs. Holy Cross.
The Thoroughbreds have a 5-4 record against teams in the regional bracket with three of the wins coming against Newport. Ryle is the only team in the tournament they did not play during the regular season.
“I know they’re a good team and they’re well coached,” Collopy said. “It’s another opponent we’ll have to hang our hats on to beat somebody really good. But we’re looking forward to it.”
NewCath won last year’s 9th Region championship and made it to the semifinals of the state tournament with 6-foot-7 senior forward Ben Weyer leading the way. He averaged 21.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game during Ron Dawn’s final season as head coach of the Thoroughbreds.
Collopy, a varsity assistant at NewCath since 2012, was named head coach last March shortly after Dawn announced he was stepping down. He took the job knowing there would be a lot of work ahead to maintain the program’s winning tradition.
Junior point guard Brennan Hall and senior shooting guard Luke Moeves were the only returning starters for NewCath coming into this season. The Thoroughbreds got off to a 7-7 start before winning seven straight games in the All “A” Classic regional and state playoffs. That’s when the players started coming together as a team.
“Brennan Hall is a very special player and Luke Moeves can shoot the ball very well,” Collopy said. “Those two have been very consistent for us. After that, it’s been a different guy every night. They’ve all stepped up in some way and there’s been a game here or there where if each one of them hadn’t stepped up we probably wouldn’t have won.”
Hall and Moeves both have double-figure scoring averages. The team’s leading rebounders are senior forward Trey Wurtz and junior forward Brendan Luken. The coach said junior guards Stephen Pangallo and Jalen McDaniel have been doing “a lot of the dirty work” on defense this season.
“Stephen and Jalen have been fantastic guarding the best player on the other team,” Collopy said. “Stephen is probably 5-foot-8, but he’s never afraid to guard somebody bigger than him. They’ve both been fun to watch.”
Northern Kentucky boys’ basketball teams will also be competing in the 10th Region tournament at Mason County High School and the 8th Region Tournament at Henry County High School that start this week.
The first-round games for the 10th Region playoffs include Campbell County vs. Clark County at 6 p.m. Wednesday and Scott vs. Mason County at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. One of the first-round match-ups in the 8th Region tournament is Walton-Verona vs. South Oldham at 8:15 p.m. Thursday.
Here are the complete schedules for regional tournaments that include Northern Kentucky teams:
9TH REGION at BB&T ARENA
Wednesday — Upper bracket
Newport Central Catholic vs. Ryle, 6:30 p.m.
Covington Catholic vs. Dixie Heights, 8 p.m.
Thursday — Lower bracket
Lloyd vs. Newport, 6:30 p.m.
Holy Cross vs. Cooper, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Upper bracket semifinal, 6:30 p.m.
Lower bracket semifinal, 8 p.m.
Monday, March 6
Championship game, 7 p.m.
8TH REGION at HENRY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Wednesday — Upper bracket
Gallatin County vs. Williamstown, 6:30 p.m.
Oldham County vs. Collins, 8:15 p.m.
Thursday — Lower bracket
Anderson County vs. Eminence, 6:30 p.m.
Walton-Verona vs. South Oldham, 8:15 p.m.
Monday, March 6
Upper bracket semifinal, 6:30 p.m.
Lower bracket semifinal, 8:15 p.m.
Tuesday, March 7
Championship game, 7 p.m.
10TH REGION at MASON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Wednesday — Upper bracket
Campbell County vs. Clark County, 6 p.m.
Harrison County vs. Bracken County, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday — Lower bracket
Paris vs. Robertson County, 6 p.m.
Scott vs. Mason County, 7: 30 p.m.
Monday, March 6
Upper bracket semifinal, 6 p.m.
Lower bracket semifinal, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 7
Championship game, 7 p.m.