HOW THE POLL WAS MADE

This is the inaugural Kentucky High School Daily Preseason Top 25.

As part of KHSD’s preseason survey of boys basketball coaches across the state, KHSD’s Joshua Moore asked coaches to rank their top 10 teams. A total of 130 boys coaches returned surveys from all 16 KHSAA regions, and every region had at least 5 participants. Coaches were allowed to vote for their own teams.

Teams ranked No. 1 in a ballot received 10 points, a team ranked no. 2 received 9 points, and so on until a 10th team received 1 point. This process was repeated for every ballot received. Some coaches named fewer than 10 teams; their rankings were awarded the same values through the end of their respective ranking. About 15% of ballots returned without any statewide ranking; often, coaches used that answer field to offer a self-assessment re: their lack knowledge beyond their own region, which was perfectly acceptable.

Multiple attempts were made to contact every coach via publicly available emails or phone numbers. If you did not receive communications from KHSD, please email kentuckyhighschoolgmail.com to ensure that you do in the future!

Disclosure: Coaches who returned a survey received a discount code for a Total Package subscription on the day this poll published. Coaches were not informed of any participation incentives prior to this poll’s publication.

The Cougars defeated rival Knott County Central in the 14th Region championship match (3 sets to 1) to make their first state tournament since 2021. It’s also their first region title under VanHoose, who’s in her third year as the head coach at Letcher after three seasons leading Shelby Valley in the 15th Region. She played high school volleyball at Johnson Central.

Questions and answers lightly edited for clarity and flow.

KHSD: This was your first time getting to experience a region championship game as a player or coach. How did you feel going into it? And your team?

Taylor VanHoose: I was very, very, very nervous, and I think it was just because I knew that we could do it. My assistant, Lakyn, I let her know that I was nervous going in, and other people like that, but I did not the girls know that. The girls, they were ready. They were okay. Going into the game, the biggest thing was going to be managing our emotions. We always get too emotional playing Knott Central because that’s our rival. It's easy to do, especially when you're a teenage girl, to get riled up like that. And the fact that they ended up doing it was insane. It still doesn't feel real.

We won the first set and led the second set the whole time but then they kind of went on a scoring run and we lost that. We won the next two but we would kind of let a little bit of a run happen and get a little bit down. In that fourth set, that’s exactly what happened. We only needed one point to win it and I was like, "Guys, it’s OK. All you need is one.” These kids, they're so funny. The biggest thing for them, they’re like “we want to ride the fire truck.” So I said, “guys, one point and you're on the fire truck.” And I just kept saying that.

After the match we got back to Whitesburg and met the guys at the fire department, and they had the fire truck ready to go and we went through Whitesburg. I didn't know that was a thing but just seeing the joy on their face, sitting on that fire truck, it was just so amazing. They they worked so incredibly hard to just do that, and the fact that it was against our rival? It meant a lot, and it it meant a lot to do it with the seniors that I have because they've been the building blocks of getting Letcher Central back here.

KHSD: Tell me about your history with the VanHooses (J.R. VanHoose, former Mr. Basketball at Paintsville/current assistant at Johnson Central, and volleyball coach Kayla VanHoose, presently the head coach at Alice Lloyd College).

VanHoose: J.R. was actually my teacher in high school and Kayla was coaching at Sheldon Clark at the time. I played at Johnson Central and we had played Sheldon Clark and they played very competitively, it wasn't a complete beating that we did against them. So I messaged Kayla and I was like, you guys played great, you know? And then it just kind of started from there, we continued talking and developed a relationship. She has been in my life ever since then. And, y’know, helped me when it come to like what I need to do for college, got me ready for like my homecoming dances, all that stuff. She’s mentored me in so many ways.

And J.R. has always just been like a dad to me. So, January of 2020, I legally changed my last name to VanHoose. I didn’t do a legal adoption because then I’d have had to terminate the rights to my mother and I’m still close with my mom, so I just changed my last name so it’s the same as theirs. They’re my parents, they’re there for me anytime and it’s so just great. I love it at games cause J.R. goes into full dad mode, turning that phone camera sideways and everything.

KHSD: So, on Facebook I saw that you mentioned seeing bears after winning the region?

VanHoose: Oh my God! Whitesburg has so many bears. OK, so Lakyn and our friend Sierra, who’s our bookkeeper, ever since districts we’ve been going on field trips around Letcher County. They’ve been taking me places I’ve not been. And we’ll just go around looking for bears.

So down by the Mexican restaurant where the Walmart is, there were huge bears. We saw five. They were just hanging out around a dumpster. It’s so crazy. We stayed in Sierra’s car, so we can drive away if they come to us, but we maybe did turn the car off with the windows down waiting for them to come around.

Before I’d gotten the job at Letcher I’d never seen a bear in person. Now I’ve seen a few. If you want to see some bears, come to Whitesurg around 10:30, 11 at night. They’ll probably be down by the Subway.

A quick note on every first-round playoff game in Class A and Class 2A. Other classes to come later in the week. My game pick in bold.

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