GC Grizzlies

Who are the top players from each team in the District? Are there any newcomers that we can expect to hear from?

Lets hope the Grizzlies get it turned around for the Regionals. They played poorly last Saturday in a 2 point semi final loss, but gathered themselves in the consolation game to win in OT. They had a very slow start in that game, but did away with a double digit deficit in the third quarter. They came back to win 60-57 after only having 21 at the half. If they play to their potential they can make it back to the Region finals again this year. If they continue to slide, it will be a long ride back from Johnson County. Grainger truly has a good enough team to get back on track. They can't sit back in their matchup zone if JC shoots it well from the perimeter. The man-pressure defense was the difference in the consolation game in the second half. If all the teams play to their potential, I believe the Grizzlies can win against anyone in the Region. Good luck guys! Just turn it loose and go out and have some FUN!

Great point "LDG". When I started the thread about Grizzly baseball and posed the question about McBee, I too hoped he might help some, perhaps as a pitcher. I am sure many of the baseball players have been working hard all summer, fall and winter getting ready for the season. It will be a fun and interesting season for the Grizzlies.

I agree it was great to see Farmer light it up Thursday against Cherokee. Farmer shot the lights out hitting 7 threes in rout to 28 pts. If he and Humphrey are able to continue to be scoring threats along with Skylar the Grizzlies are at there best. One thing people don't get to see in the box scores is that when McBee was doubled or triple teamed he found the open man for the shot. People that are saying he didn't play well are looking soley at points. He probably had double digit assists last night against Cherokee. He does whatever he has to do to help this team. Tony Jones came all the way over to Hancock County to see Skylar tonight. He didn't arrive until halftime...wonder if he got lost trying to find it. The game was more like a wrestling match than a basketball game. Skylar did not play his best in the first half, but he took the ball to the rim 6-8 times in the second half and lived to tell about it. I was worried he would get hurt before they could get him out, but they held on for a 12-14 point win after being up about 20 or so. This is at least 5 times UT has been at his games this season.

Can anyone imagine what an ugly team UT could put on the floor next year if Chism and Tyler Smith go pro? Sure they need some bigs to replace them but a shooter like McBee would be a great addition. They wouldn't have many scorers, especially perimeter shooters, available with the players they have coming back. No player on that team has proven to be a consistent perimeter shooter/scorer. McBee is a workaloholic, a great team player, and a coaches dream with a Dane Bradshaw like attitude. I know anyone going into college will need to lift and get stronger. With one year of college weight lifting and a year of Bruce Pearl coaching, I would definitely not count Skylar McBee out of anything. For anyone who has not saw him up close...he is probably stronger than half the players on UT right now. The sky is still incredibly high for him and I believe he will only get better and bigger. I could see him getting 15-20 minutes a game next season. If Bruce makes him an offer and gives him the key to the Arena, I guarantee you the custodian will get to know him really well! He's the type of kid you love to coach because he does everything you tell him to do and more no questions asked.

Grizzly fans don't forget Phil Garner will be speaking at a dinner the 20th for the baseball team.

All those hours in the gym really paid off last night against Carter. Skylar was a little bit off in the first quarter, but as good shooters do...he kept shooting. By the second quarter he was hitting his stride and Carter didnt have anyone that could buckle down on defense and stop him. By the third quarter Grainger was hitting on all cylinders and Carter began to get frustrated. The Grizzlies built their lead and finished up winning by 18 after leading by 20 or more in the fourth. Two big coaching moves that were key to the game...one by Coach D and one by Carters coach. Coach D went with a man to man all game after playing a lot of matchup zone this year. This was key to the Grizzlies success in the game. The Carter coach changed his lineup and did not start Meady the 6'9" tower in the middle. This really helped Grainger more than Carter, because they could match up with only one big man easier than both of them at the same time. I think Carter started a player to try and play Defense on McBee. This didnt seem to work last night as he dropped 44 points on them. Really a great game for the Grizzlies last night. Its a shame you didnt get to see this one.

Girls game was very close if I remember correctly, but Grainger did not have their #1 player Ashlee Acuff in that game. 6'2" post/forward that is playing really well right now. I too hope the boys game is closer than the last. Carter didnt have one of their players in that game though. Grainger will have to play a lot better this time around. The height advantage of Carter could be the difference in this one. Good luck Grizzlies!

The Lady Grizzlies played a great game Friday night and defeated CG in a close one. The girls have played well the last half of the season. If they can keep playing like this they have a great chance in the district tournament. Good luck ladies!

I have never watched McBee play baseball and I don't know where he could play if he was to come out for the team. I saw the Pioneers play last year and they were in need of some experience up the middle. They played a freshman at SS and he struggled quite a bit. He looked very athletic, but was kind of small if I remember right. How is Grainger's depth in the IF and OF this year?

Sorry if you thought carter has come up with the new way to guard McBee. Blanketing McBee is definitely not a new theory when playing Grainger. But, you are definitely right when you say that they will need to spread the scoring around. At carter early in the year it seemed everyone was tight. They never played their game all night. Grainger has won close games when Skylar scored 30 and when he has scored 15. The key is not necessarily what he does, but how some of the other guys step up. If they are able to get a couple of other guys in double figures, it will be a good game to watch. Humphries and Farmer are very valuable and can be the guys to get to double figures. carter being third in the Knox AA district doesn't mean anything. A-E and Fulton are 1,2 in that district and maybe in the state. carter has a good team, but they know this will be the last time this year they will see Grainger. The odds of them finishing ahead of A-E or Fulton are slim and none. And that's not a knock on them, its just the fact they are playing out of a district with those two teams in it. Grainger has a better shot at going farther in the playoffs just for that fact alone. I've been suprised carter has been able to keep A-E or Fulton from stealing some of their top players that want to have a chance of playing past the district... This being a Grainger thread...thats enough about carter. I can't remember anyone say Grainger is a Great team. We are definitely PROUD of our team! They have a very good team and have battled hard all year. Coach D and the staff have done a fantastic job getting the most out of each and every player. With a couple of district games left the worst they can do is a tie for 1st, but I know they want to win it out right. They have been a great tournament team the last few years. The district has a lot of tough teams in it and the district tournament at Grainger this year should be a good one. Good luck to the Grizzlies the rest of the way!

We've played pretty good lately. What about our chances against PF and GAP? What does everyone think we need to do to win?

What will be the possible rotation this year? I know that no one knows who will be 1,2,3, etc...but who are some of their pitchers and what do they bring to the table?

Lady Grizzlies beat Claiborne on the road by 1 (52-51). Grainger led most of the game and Claiborne tied it up late in the game. I said earlier that the Lady Grizzlies could be a team nobody would want to draw in the tournament. The district is way down this year and I think the Grizzlies are as good as anyone when they play like they did tonight. Good luck girls!

Grainger wins a big game on the road at Claiborne 50-38. They led pretty much the whole way. Claiborne has a good team, but Grainger got a good effort from everyone tonight. They don't play again until Friday @ Union County. That should be another good game to watch. good luck Grizzlies!

What can we expect from the Grizzlies in their inaugural season? Does anyone know who is coming back and if there will be any suprises on the team this year? How about you KevB, what insight do you have on this years team? I heard one big rumor about a possible newcomer. Is there any truth to the rumor that Skylar McBee may try his hand at baseball, perhaps trying his hand at pitching? ( He definitely has a great arm. He can throw a football 65 yards.) What can we expect from the Grizzlies this season?

UC coach was upset on the play, but I didn't see him get in Skylars face. I noticed one official talked to the coach as he walked off the court. Maybe he said something as he walked by Skylar on the way to the lockeroom, I don't know. It was an intense moment and he probably thought the foul could have been called before the shot or not at all. In reality there was a bump as Skylar came up the court to shoot the desperation shot. The coach could have been upset with his player for putting himself in that position on a long shot like that. Regardless if anything was said or if the foul was before the shot that play woke up the Grizzlies. That was a key point in the game for them. Grainger used that play to pick up their intensity and it would have been better for UC if it had not happened. This sure was a great game to watch for the fans. Nice to see such a big crowd, too. Bad weather and no school didn't keep anyone away. Good luck the rest of the way Grizzlies!

WOW! What a great game and especially the 2nd half. Grainger only scored 4 in the first and had 15 at the half. The half ended with Skylar getting fouled on a desparation half court shot that had the Union coach livid. Skylar hit two of three and the Grizzlies took the momentum to the half and came out on fire. (This was proof you had better let a sleeping dog lie.) They quickly took the lead and it went back and forth until they went up 5 or 6 and Union could not get the lead back. Two good teams and an exciting game! Farmer played well in the 2nd half and may have been the difference tonight. Sklyar and Humphrey both played their usual strong game and the third option made them dangerous tonight. Great job guys...good luck as you go on into the remainder of district schedule.

We did not play too well at Gap, but we bounced back pretty good against GP Friday night. The Lady Grizzlies have swept GP this season. After seeing all the teams in the district it looks like PF, Gap/Claiborne, Grainger, GP and Union. I still think there is no clear cut team that stands out like in the years past. I believe any of the top four teams could win the tournament. Good luck Lady Grizzlies and keep improving!

We played some of our best basketball at Union County tournament, but did not come away with a win. Could of possibly won a game or two, but we cant put together two halves like we need too. I still think we will win some district games and have a shot at the District title. Come tournament time it would not be good to have to play the Lady Grizzlies! Good luck ladies and keep improving.

We've got to committ to playing harder on defense if we are going to be our best. We have too many that want to shoot the ball and they think it ends there. It doesn't matter who the primary shot takers are, but they have got to get that figured out. I think Crews, Acuff and probably one or both of the freshmen should be the four taking most of the shots. I also think we have plenty of peremiter players and we need to post Acuff up on the box more often. She could get 12-15 every night in the low post game and then an occasional outside shot in transition. Crews has a good 12 ft. jumper and works hard. The two freshmen, Cabbage and Maples, are probably the best overall shooters on the team. If the rest of the team can continue to contribute with Rebounds, Defense, and the Occasional Basket the Lady Grizzlies can turn things around. I really think we are better than our record shows. JMO Good luck Ladies!

I know this is a basketball board, but congratulations go out to three basketball players that made the All-Lakeway Football team...Justin Humphrey, Skylar McBee and "Shaggy" Zack Holbrook. I also can't see how Skylar did not make All-State at the QB or Athlete position. I didn't see anyone change any game or have a greater effect on a game than he did this year. When healthy, he was argueably the best player I saw all season...anywhere. JMO

Friday night wasn't pretty for the Grizzlies. Carter put a 30+ point beating on them. This was the worst game of the year for Grainger. They did not shoot the ball well at all. McBee was the only one in double figures as the rest of the team had trouble finding the hoop. Nobody shot the ball well and Carter shot the lights out from the perimeter. The Grizzlies doubled the post and Carter shot the ball well from outside. We were not physical enough and did not seem to play with the confidence we have played with all year. The Grizzlies will get back on the right track and back to their winning ways. Look for Humphrey and Farmer to step back up and help McBee lead this team forward. Good luck in the Union Tournament and on into the rest of the season.

I agree with you totally. If McBee was on a team that had two or three players the other team had to stop, he would be even better. He usually has to work extra hard to get any shot he gets. That was obvious at Carter. He did not get much help from the other players Friday night. Usually he passes too much because the other guys are much better shooters than they showed Friday. Wake Forest has been to two games this year and they told him his weakness was he didn't shoot it enough. He did try to create more against Carter and ended forcing more shots than he usually does. He is a talented player and a great kid. Tuesday night he hit 8 three pointers in the first half and had 29 points by halftime. Friday night was not one of his best games nor was it the teams best. Actually it was the worst game of the season for the team, but Carter played better than Grainger did Friday night. Grainger doubled the post and left the perimeter players open all night. They shot the lights out the entire game. But, that was just one game and there is a lot of basketball left. Grainger will bounce back.

Claiborne played better than Grainger did, but I have to agree the officiating was way too tight. The teams were not playing rough or overly physical. It was pretty well played by both teams. It was almost a routine sight to see an official make a call and one of the other officials walk back down the court grinning, because he knew it was a terrible call. Way too many walking calls in a high school game. I felt like they were guessing or anticipating a walk much you might expect in a middle school game. Both teams are going to have a say in who wins the district. There will probably be three or four teams that have a legit chance at winning the district. Grainger did not play as well as they have most of the season. Thats not taking anything away from Claiborne, they were hitting on all cylinders Friday. Its a long season and we all know that it really matters when tournament time rolls around. The Grizzlies (Pioneers) are all too familiar with tournament time. Good luck Grizzlies!