There will be those who disagree with me on this, and that is fine. But, outside of the Sweet 16 and the All A Classic, there is no other tournament like the Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass, which just completed its 2018 run Sunday night, as Collins lost a heartbreaker to South Shore in the championship game.
This year’s edition of the KOB was the 38th, having started at Fairdale High School, which is in a rural part of southern Jefferson County. When you look at it on a map, or drive through it, you would not likely think the small community as a place that would be a focal point for high school basketball, and draw in some of the best talent anywhere year after year.
To quote Wikipedia, “Fairdale is a former census-designated place in southern Jefferson County, Kentucky. The population was 7,658 at the 2000 census. In 2003, the area was annexed to the city of Louisville due to a merger between the city and Jefferson County’s unincorporated community. Fairdale is now a neighborhood within the city limits of Louisville.” So, if you took Fairdale out of Jefferson County, it essentially would feel at home in most rural western Kentucky counties.
Tournament director, and former Fairdale coach Lloyd Gardner and his crew do an incredible job getting top teams at the event, and then professionally running the show once it gets underway. They manage over the span of five days to get all of the games in without having any game start before 3pm. We all know that some of the tournaments that take place have teams playing in the morning, and that often times teams that have to play before lunch, which is time they virtually never pay, struggle to get going. Starting later in the day seems to give teams a better chance to be at their best, which makes for much better competition on the court.
In addition to the great basketball, and there is plenty of that, there is the chance to meet a great number of people who are involved with high school basketball across the state, college coaches, and many others. I had the chance this week to meet KyKy Tandy’s next coach at Xavier, and State Representative Rocky Adkins, both in a setting where it was about the game, the kids, and great basketball.
And, I will admit, the hospitality room for officials, coaches, and media, was like no other. Run by groups of ladies I will call “the church ladies.” The ladies, which were from different churches in the Fairdale area, fed everyone well, with some really really good food.
Even with the food, one of the best things, is days of talking basketball with people who know and like the game, and watching some of the best players in the country give it there best on the court.
For those of you who aren’t aware, Fairdale has a little history of its own, in addition to hosting the King of the Bluegrass. The Buldogs won three state titles in five years, 1990, 1991, and 1994. Two of those were under the leadership of legendary coach Stan Hardin, who is a fixture at the tournament, and one under tournament director Lloyd Gardner, who also happened to be on the staff when the Kentucky Colonels won an ABA championship.
The 2nd Region has had its share of representation in the tournament’s history. This year marked UHA’s second trip to the KOB. In 2007, the Blazers reached the championship game, losing to Male in the title game. After this year, Madisonville has now played 18 games in the KOB, with a record of 9-9.
Other 2nd Region teams to appear in the KOB are: Christian County, Hopkinsville, Henderson County, and Caldwell County.
The best finishes for 2nd Region teams:
2016 – Christian County wins consolation bracket
2013 – Hopkinsville wins consolation bracket
2007 – UHA runner-up
2004 – Henderson County 4th place
1995 – Christian County 3rd place
1988 Madisonville 2nd place
When all is considered, and I said at the beginning, you may disagree with me, and that is OK, there are a lot of great tournaments across the state for sure, however, the 38 year run of the tourney just before Christmas at Fairdale, has it in position as the states “King.”
