mhalionboy03

Trey Williams from Harding for DII Mr. B-Ball

That's possible. I didn't know they changed it from last year. We will know for sure tomorrow after the official brackets are set at the coach's meeting tomorrow morning.

The 1st Round, the column posted by Brownhut, will take place at Hutchison School in Memphis this Saturday at noon. The quarter-finals will be held on Monday at MUS, next door to Hutchison, beginning around 3:00-3:30. The Semi-Finals will be on Wednesday at MUS around 5:30-6:00. The 3rd place game will be on Friday night at MUS, same time, and the Championship game will be held on Saturday night at MUS, same time. On Friday and Saturday nights, the boys games will immediately follow. Good luck to all the teams. My picks real quick: 1 ECS 2 Briarcrest 3 Harding by 3 pts over Hutchison GO LIONS!!!

Not that it happened anyway, but Briarcrest could not have finished 2nd in the district unless Briarcrest won AND Harding lost AND Briarcrest won the tiebraker (coin toss???). But Harding won and Briarcrest lost. So here's the final standings in West Large: ECS (7-3) - 1st round bye at Region Tourney Harding (6-4) - will begin Region play Sat. @ 7:30 MUS (5-5) - beat CBHS 2x CBHS (5-5) - lost to MUS 2x Briarcrest (4-6) St. Benedict (3-7) Lausanne and Bishop Byrne are the 1st and 2nd seeds from the small district, so Lausanne will get a 1st round bye. The D2 West Region Tourney will begin with 1st Rounds on Saturday at MUS. Quarterfinals will be on Tuesday. Semifinals on Thursday. 3rd place game on Friday. Championship match on Saturday night. All games at MUS. Don't hold me to any of this stuff, Region meeting tomorrow to officially set brackets and times, etc. But it should be pretty close to this. And BTW, my preliminary picks: 1st - Harding 2nd - MUS 3rd - Lausanne note: I think Lausanne is the 2nd best team after Harding, but they are on the same side of the bracket. GO LIONS!!!

Harding came out focused and determined tonight, knocking off the ECS Eagles on their own Senior Night. With this result, ECS has secured the district championship, top seed in the Region Tournament, and a 1st round bye. Harding will finish second. I believe that Harding will begin the Region Tournament on Saturday at MUS at 7:30, but I don't know who they will play. Harding got ECS in foul trouble early, and were in the double bonus before the end of the 1st quarter. John Bradford did a good job attacking the basket and played tough defense, rendering ECS giant Brad Cottam ineffective. Trey Williams also put in a solid effort, but it was Adam Rodriguez that proved to be the dagger to the heart of the Eagles. He drained 3 after 3 after three, and then ran in on fast breaks and picked up fouls. For a game that didn't affect ECS's standings, they certainly were emotional, picking up 2 Technical fouls arguing with the refs and the game was stopped b/c the ECS wouldn't stop heckling the refs. Harding led by about 18 at halftime and won by about 15. Good win going into the Region Tournament over a good team. GO LIONS!!!

It is also Senior night. The class of 03 will be playing their final game ever in the Ellers gymnasium. They've had a great run so far and they aren't through playing yet. They have a Spring Break trip to Murfreesboro coming up, I hope.

After a 3 point loss earlier in the season, Harding came out and dominated Christian Brothers from the opening tip, winnigng 69-44. Harding was led by Senior John Bradford with 21 points. Byron Taylor and Trey Williams both pitched in 15. Harding is still alive in the district title hunt with 5-3 record. Depending on the MUS/ECS game tonight, Harding is either tied for 1st place with ECS or tied at 2nd with MUS. Harding will play St. Benedict this Friday and travel to ECS next Tuesday. GO LIONS!!!

Headed into the 4th quarter, Harding lead 54-35. John Bradford can't be stopped, he has 19 points. Byron Taylor has 12 and Trey Williams has 11. Chris Mosby has 12 for CBHS. [Edited by mhalionboy03 on 2-11-03 8:50P]

...weis...er Cheers to you, bud!

Harding leads Christian Brothers by a score of 42-20 at halftime. John Bradford leads the Lions with 12 points and Trey Williams has 11. The Lions are shooting 61.3% and holding CBHS to just 30.4%. Harding already has stolen the ball 9 times, compared to the Wave's 2. Harding must win this game to stay alive in the district title hunt. [Edited by mhalionboy03 on 2-11-03 8:51P]

After several slow starts for the Lions recently that have led to losses to CBHS and MUS, Harding jumped on top of CBHS quickly and at the end of the 1st quarter, they lead the Wave 24-8. John Bradford leads the Lions with 10 points. [Edited by mhalionboy03 on 2-11-03 8:50P]

St. Agnes keeps it close for most of the game, but the Lady Lions pulled away in the 4th to take the win. Harding did a good job taking care of the ball and played good defense to beat the Stars. Harding had just 4 turnovers, while St. Agnes had 17. Freshman Sarah Phipps led the Lions with 14. Senior Rachel Black chipped in 13 and Sr. Blair Jackson had 12 in the victory for the Lions.

Harding will host Christian Brothers in a huge D2 matchup. The Wave held off a Harding rally to beat the Lions by 3 last time. Both teams come into the game with 4-3 district records. MUS, also with a 4-3 record, will attempt to knock ECS out of the top spot. All 4 teams are still in the race for the district title. If Harding, ECS, or CBHS win out, they would be the champions. MUS would need ECS to lose again to win the title. The Harding game will tip at 7:30. [Edited by mhalionboy03 on 2-11-03 8:50P]

Harding will host St. Agnes in a very important D2 matchup that will be important in seeding in the region tournament. The Lady Lions defeated the Stars earlier this year. The game will be webcast live. Follow this link: <www.hardingacademymemphis.org>.

I agree with bubba1. Seen Briarcrest play 4 times and I remember about six names b/c of their play. Wm. Walters is not one of them. If he even got to play Varsity, he didn't standout very much.

Mark Gasol from Lausanne is 7'. He is Pau's little brother - the Memphis Grizzlies.

No way.

I watch the Harding Lions, who use the 3 pointer a lot. It has brought them back in a lot of games, i.e Hendersonville, CBHS, MUS. Adam Rodriguez is a great 3 point shooter, so is Trey Williams, John Bradford, and Brennon Martin. That said, I wish that the 3 pointer were abolished. I would rather the player earn it on a free-throw, or force the turnover. I think it is stupid to have a little circle that determines if you get an extra point that was added long after the game was thriving. Does it make the game more appealing to a lot of people. Yeah. Frankly though, I don't care. Basketball is all about defense and the skill of shooting, not the athletic ability of jumping to the rim. This is basketball. They high jump competition is in May. Take your dunking over to track & field. If I were a coach I would never allow a player to dunk the ball, EVER, unless they're out on the playground. I would use the 3 point shot, because it is at times necessary and a coach has an obligation to win games within the rules, and the 3 pointer is. I think that the 3 pointer has hurt the game of basketball overall. Has it won games for my team? Yeah. Has it lost games for my team? Yeah. But regardless of the fact, I feel that it has hurt the game and that stupid circle should be ripped up. A basket is 2 points, period. If you need an extra point, go for the foul and make your free-throw.

I respect your opinion, but I won't just suddenly fall in love with the dunk or three point just because it is a part of the game. How do you think that they became part of the game in the first place, people called for a change. Basketball changes with the generation that plays it, and I accept that. Hopefully someday, a generation will get rid of the dunk and 3 pointer. The reason I think the 3 pointer is cheap is because it is so arbitrary. If your foot's one inch from the line, it's 3 points, at half court, it's 3 points, but if your foot is on the line, it's 2 points, if you lay it in, its 2 points. Why give an extra point from THAT line. Yes, players should work on their outside shot and jump shots, but they should all be worth 2 points. That gaudy half-circle causes more trouble than it's worth. Players are always worried about where there feet are, that causes them to take their mind off the shot. Then a defender is in their face or the lost the concentration. If all shots counted the same, you would see much more confident shooters and quicker shots. About the dunk - I can't stand the dunk, never have, never will. But if you want to dunk it, go right ahead, take all skill out of the game. The dunk is based on athletic ablility, jumping, not skill, shooting. Basketball is a skill game. Sure, athletic ability is a major, major factor, but fundamentals can make up for a deficiency of it. I accept that they are a part of basketball, but I don't like it and I wil voice my opinion about every chance I get and to as many people as I can, because that's how change comes about. A team should be motivated by wanting to win the game, not by being hyped up because of showboating, that is all dunking is.

I just had to post something about Michael Jordan's final All-Star game tonight. He had a dismal start, 0-7, and had only 6 by half-time. But I guess Mariah Carey inspired him, because he finished with 20 pts and almost won the game. It was a tie game and the East had the ball with 24 seconds left in OT. Kidd passed the ball to MJ, who hit an absolutely amazing fade-away jumper to give the East a 2 pt. lead. Of course, then Kobe got fouled on a 3pointer and hit 2 freethrows with a second left and sent it into double OT, in which MJ didn't play and the West won. I was sitting on my couch when Jordan hit the jumper and I literally jumped out of my seat and had to clap for him. It was a classic Jordan moment and I am so glad that I got to see it.

I know that they are forever attached to the game, but I can't stand either one. I like the 3pointer better, but it is just so cheap. I don't care if I ever see a dunk in my life again. And frankly, who cares about the fan. Real basketball players are out their because they love the game, not the attention from the crowd. How many fans attend cross-country races? or golf matches? What if we let the golfer, once on the green, push the ball into the whole with the putter instead of hitting the ball. That would be stupid. Why? Because it takes less skill. Basketball is about defense, ball-handling, passing, and shooting. If it takes a slam dunk to get a team excited, they shouldn't be playing. I saw MUS's Ryan Baum dunk the ball Friday night up in double digits on Harding mid-way through the 3rd. It backfired on them b/c it woke up Harding and they ended up in triple OT. Although I wish that the 3pointer wasn't in bball, I like to see it used wisely, but it rarely is. Too many 3 point shooters could step in about 2 or 3 steps and have an easy shot, but instead they blow the possession trying to fire up their teammates.

1st off, by mentioning Memphis State as an example, you totally ruined your credibility. When was the last time they were in the NCAA tourney?...uh-huh. And unless they beat Louisville they won't get in this year. Maybe it has something to do with relying on the 3 pointer. Probably more with bad coaching and lack of talent and too-big egos and bad attitudes, but possibly relying on the 3. 2nd off, the dunk is ridiculous, I would never let a player dunk. It's literally a waste of energy unless they can dunk without jumping and without holding on. I think it is so hilarious when someone slams a dunk and the ball bounces off the back of the rim. The 3 pointer is cheap. I've seen some tough fade-away jump-shots and lay-ups in traffic that should be worth 4 points. Defense and fundamentals win games. If a team can get consistant scoring coming in off the baseline, I like their chances much better than a sharp-shooting 40-50% 3point team. Instead of running to the outside, rush in for the offensive board. 3 pointers are just the easy way for short teams to compete with bigger teams. Go in and draw the foul.

It was a great game, and I'm not mad. I mentioned it before the game even started. I never said MUS stunk. I am simply using a public forum to express my displeasure in the poor taste of MUS. I am not trying to bash them, they have a great team, that's why their tied for 2nd in the region. Win or lose, it was very poor taste. That's all I'm saying. I also expressed this in an e-mail to Mr. Haguewood and got a response. If no one on the basketball team is upset, good. I'm not mad, just highly disappointed. It was bad judgement by smart people. I'm not calling for a lynch mob. People make mistakes. I'm sorry, 4ever, if you misunderstood what I was saying. MUS is a great school and have proven that by apologizing - they did apologize. I'm MUS's biggest fan come this Tuesday when they play ECS. I know it didn't affect our team, we just couldn't shoot at first and then had a great rally. [Edited by mhalionboy03 on 2-9-03 10:47P]

I really don't care what the basketball team thought about it. I'm just upset that a school with as good a reputation as MUS would either intentionally plan such an insult or, the more likely scenario, didn't have the foresight to realize the implications of their actions. It was perceived as racially offensive, whether meant that way or not. They used bad taste and poor judgement and I expect more from a school like MUS. And it wasn't very smart for a group of MUS fans to tell me that it was for "Harding Day" after the game. Just think about your actions.

Give 100% of your effort 100% of the time. I've seen too many games, especially in boys basketball, that were clearly "put away with a 20+ lead headed into the 4th and then a barrage of 3s and steals get the losing team back in the game, maybe down 6 or with a minute left. You have to finish strong in what you started. Basketball teaches many life lessons that these boys will need when they're older. How would you like to go to a Dr. who does a flawless heart operation, but doesn't stitch up the wound right because he considered the operation over. This is applicable in driving: most car accidents occur w/in 5 mi. of the home of one of the drivers. They slack off when they almost have it, and then lose it. And losing teams can't whine about a bad loss. Both teams went out there to play basketball. If the winning team's starters want to play and have fun, then let them. If you don't want to lose, don't play. There are very few undefeated teams in basketball. A loss is a loss. It goes down in the record book if it's a 10 overtime, 1 point loss, or a 100 point loss, or a forfeiture. If it's clear the game is out of reach and the losing team doesn't want the winning team to score anymore, leave the floor and forfeit. Of course, no one does that. That's not what we want to teach players. Teach them how to take a hard loss and get over it, they will need that in life. A lot of lessons should be learned from a loss. Look for the good things that the team did and move on. But don't whine about, that's not what we need kids to learn. There's already plenty of that. Give your best, no one can ask for more.