When you’re the defending 2nd Region champion and return arguably the top two players in the region, all eyes are going to be on you.
Madisonville-North Hopkins went 30-6 last season, knocking off University Heights for the regional title and taking down Lincoln County in the first round of the state tournament at Rupp Arena.
The Maroons then led Warren Central in the state quarterfinals before suffering a 66-62 setback. However, that could give Madisonville some added incentive to not just get back to the Sweet 16, but make a deeper run next March.
Head coach Matt Beshear returns for his eighth season at the Maroon helm. Beshear is 136-78 at Madisonville, which has been ranked as high as third in the state in the preseason.
Still, Beshear cautions that the Maroons lost three seniors from last year’s squad that are all now playing at the next level and that this year’s squad will have to find a way to make up for those losses.
However, few squads will be able to match up with the Maroons’ frontcourt this season with 6-foot-9 center Ksuan Casey and 6-7 forward Kenny White both back for their senior seasons.
White has several NCAA Div. I college offers on the table, including Evansville, Tennessee-Martin, Kent State, Samford, Morehead State, Southeast Missouri, Wofford and Cleveland State.
Casey has received Div. I scholarship offers from Evansville and Morehead State.
Casey and White were the top two scorers and rebounders for the Maroons last season. Casey scored 15.3 points and grabbed 9.6 rebounds a game while White netted 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds. Casey shot 57 percent from the floor while White hit at a 55.8 percent clip.
Senior guard Keshawn Stone returns after scoring 7.3 points a game last season. Stone shot over 33 percent from 3-point range a year ago.
Marquise Parker, another senior guard, looks to take on a bigger role this season as well. Parker has committed to play college football at Eastern Kentucky University and is one of several basketball players still with the Maroon football team, which plays at Johnson Central on Friday in the Class 4A state semifinals.
Parker is a cornerback who has drawn interest from several colleges.
Deljuan Johnson, a 6-5 senior forward, could step into a starting role this season.
Madisonville has some high-profile matchups on the schedule this season, starting with a home date against Bowling Green in the season opener on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
The Maroons will face a pair of 1st Region powers in the Marshall County Hoopfest, taking on the host Marshals on Friday, Dec. 6, before facing McCracken County the following day.
Christian County visits Maroon Gym on Dec. 10 for an early-season 2nd Region showdown.
Madisonville heads to Louisville for the King of the Bluegrass in December and will open against Clay County on Dec. 20.
The new year brings a trip to South Laurel for the Raymond Reed Classic, where the Maroons will face John Hardin on Jan. 4.
A matchup against top-ranked Louisville Male is set for the Toyota of Hopkinsville Classic on Jan. 11 in Hopkinsville. Male, coached by former Hopkinsville skipper Tim Haworth, is also in the King of the Bluegrass tournament, but is in the opposite bracket from the Maroons.
