mscoach44

I'm sure the cost is a big part of why that practice stopped (along with the fact that, to my knowledge, nobody ever tested positive on the random tests anyway). I agree that, if a coach or administrator has probable cause to suspect something, then go for it. If a parent is looking for satisfaction from their child passing a drug test, let them administer it. Team unity and discipline come from experiencing things (on the court and off) together and is instilled into a team by a coach, not by peeing in cups in stalls beside teammates.

both teams have tremendous guard play, and are capable of scoring big points. The X factors tonight could end up being which team gets more offensive rebounds and makes their free throws. If one of the teams is ice cold, it could be a long night for them. Both teams have streaky shooters, and, with A-E losing, both should lay it all on the line to get the home sectional game. If Region-1 is going to make a run to Boro in AA, this is the year to get it done. In the end, I think Unicoi County makes just enough shots to get the home date on Monday: Unicoi - 73 Union - 66

Quarterfinals Unicoi County 78 Claiborne 62 Union County 66 North 51 Gatlinburg Pittman 59 Happy Valley 50 Grainger 66 Johnson County 61 Semi-Finals Unicoi County 65 Gatlinburg Pittman 58 Union County 59 Grainger 55 Finals Unicoi County 71 Union County 63

Excellent choice....Huskins will do an outstanding job, and the mood around the school (administrators, coaches, AND PLAYERS) is unbelievable....Coach Huskins has already hit the ground running and set a tone of "all business" and restoring pride...Best of luck Devils!!!

very true, but they have been able to get some in the past, whether by chance or whatever, such as Robert Phillips and Orville Bufford (now playing for the Tennessee State Correctional Community College Inmates I believe).

if it does go to mason and he brings in some of the guys who played for him this past year at Mary Hughes (i.e. Jordan Cross), UH will be an exciting team to watch over the next few years.

It was definitely a very exciting game. I thought that the officials did a good job. They called it as consistently as any game that I've seen all year. Unicoi missed some big free throws down the stretch, had some very costly turnovers, and Pigeon Forge got hot at just the right time. They got some clear looks late and knocked them in. Kids from both teams made big plays all night. It just came down to which team got the oppotunity to make the last big one, and PF capitalized on it. They will host Austin East and Unicoi will go to Fulton. Will be two tough games. I would love to see Region One represented by two teams in the Boro, but both teams will have to play near flawlessly to pull them out. Will be difficult, but by no means is it impossible.

Yeah he could flat fill it up. We played a box and one on him in the regional in 2000 and he took it inside against us. And he had some athleticism to be so stout. He moved well without the ball and hit the offensive boards hard.

oh, sorry......forgot about the WHY? part of the question. I look at two specific reasons why I believe Unicoi will beat Pigeon Forge. First reason is the recent play of Unicoi's bench. I mean, 2 of the 3 All-District selections were coming off the bench those 3 games (sophomores Cameron Miller and Derek Shelton). Second reason is Unicoi's size. And I think the size advantage will be on display more on the defensive end than the offensive. Weaver will get his 16-20, but their length on the wings with Scott, Canady, and Rice will allow them to contest shots on the defensive end, dramatically reducing the open looks that PF's shooters get. The one place I believe PF may get a lot of points (and the majority of their open looks from deep) is in transition. Unicoi will have to find shooters in transition defense and pick them up beyond the arc quickly. PF will not hesitate to take open looks early in the possession. Also, Unicoi will need solid guard play against pressure, limiting turnovers and knock down a few jumpers to keep them from doubling and tripling weaver. I believe it may be close early, but Unicoi will pull away late, providing they convert at the free throw line (all erwin faithful remember the unfortunate foul line meltdown at Austin East two years ago). My ultimate prediction (above) is Unicoi 68, PF 60.

Unicoi by 8.....then they will host Austin East, and PF will travel to Fulton......at that time, all bets are off!!

AA is a cakewalk??? Look at District 2 in A!!!! It's about the same thing as just having another district tourney???

I've seen them play three times this year....very uptempo and guard oriented. A couple of excellent shooters. UC should have a huge size advantage. If they keep their turnovers down, they shouldn't have any trouble getting points in the half court. They will have to contest shots from deep though. You can't just sit back and let PF play horse all night. Should be a fun game to watch.

Could you be thinking of Nathaniel McCoy from Pittman (Graduated in 2000). He was an inside-outside threat. I think he had about 22 against Unicoi in regional quarters, and 37 or so in the regional semis that year against happy valley. I think they ended up losing in the substate that year (they hosted Fulton I believe). I know he signed to play at Walters State after that, but haven't heard anything since.

Pigeon Forge 67 Rutledge 60 Unicoi 58 Johnson Co 45 FINALS: Unicoi 79 PF 70

a few more names Region IAA Sydney Ellis - Seymour (college at Maryville) Jordan Simmons - Unicoi (Milligan) Marc Pinature - Pittman

Personally, I think it rarely ever, if ever that a ref purposely blows a call. I sincerely believe that the extreme majority of the time, the refs are doing the best that they can. But the quality of officials has seemed to decline lately, and I believe that one reason is because of the increasing demand of 3 man crews. The idea seems like it would be beneficial to have 6 eyes on the action istead of 2, but when you consider the sheer number of games that occur on any given night, it is baffling. There is such a plethora of games, that the TSSAA can ill afford to require extreme restrictions on who can become a referee. When you consider that, on a typical regular season night, each game site must have 2 officials for JV games and 3 for the varsity, the number of officials needed is incredible. And that isn't even taking into consideration Freshman or Middle School games. So many times, officials are inconsistent or "bad" for both teams continuously throughout the game, but a team only remember the calls that went AGAINST them. Because of this, it often comes down to who gets shafted at the very end of a game, regardless of what has happened ealier it the game. It would make since that the quality of officiating would become much better come tournament time, and, from what I have seen and experienced, it does. I just think that a lot of times, people accuse the officials of cheating or whatever, when, in all actuality, they really just aren't a very good referee.