gatorbillmsu

WOW, congrats to LA. Great job!!

/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":unsure:" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" /> /unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":unsure:" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" /> /unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":unsure:" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" /> I dont get it. first and foremost.....how would you, or any of the rest of us know how much this kid has grown since the beginning of the season???? This kid is 15 or 16 years old....I can promise you she is still growing!! my kid is in 8th grade. She made me measure her this morning. We line her up to the door, square her head off to the side of the door and put a mark down. She has grown 1/2" since October. And who is going to know better about her height......ME, or some message board slackey that only knows my kid by what they read about her, or see on a basketball court? I think Mom probably has a better idea than we do. Just a guess though. SECONDLY, why would it matter whether one kid ever reaches the height of another. Skill, desire, coachablity, attitude, ......will all matter more than height. "you cant coach height" is an over used quote. You cant coach it, but you can sure outplay it. Congrats to the Lady Bees. I will see ya'll on Thursday!!

I was talking about both teams. As I said, I have not seen your team play. I checked your roster and knew you were loaded at the bottom end, so I knew that would be a factor for you as well. Good luck tomorrow, I am sure it will be a good game also.

ohhhhhhhhhh, you do NOT want this rule. This is badbadbad. My own kid, god bless her, is a certifiable drama queen. nuts Im tellin ya. Give her a rule like this, and she would make you think she took a 2x4 off the back of her head, just to make sure that the girl who just blew by her didnt get an easy layup. You so thoroughly don't want this rule.

I was not at this game, so I don't know how it all went down but here is my experience with this: If a player goes down with an injury a ref is to: a) not blow a whistle until the kids mother is crying over top of their contorted body B.) only blow the whistle if it favors the higher ranked team c) blow the whistle just before the players team, that is down by one, hits a three point shot. Thus disallowing the shot. d) only blow the whistle after the players coach runs out and steals the ball from the opposing team. This usually is after the opposing team gets three shots, and is scrambing for the ball over top of the injured player. (I have to admit to doing this one once, and getting T'd up for it....it is only a game after all) d.5) when he realizes that the prospective tourney MVP can't get her 20th layup if the injured player is not removed from the lane. Seriously though, Refs discretion. And we all know that this is usually not a good thing. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Thank you. I will do that. I was told that I have to be careful of WHEN I call, because of the whole "recruiting" thing. I enrolled the HS'er today, but the MS'er won't be enrolled for a while so I probably have to wait. Thank you though, I will certainly make that phone call. Much appreciated!!!

You are very welcome. I enjoy watching a team that works hard, and plays the game with enthusiasm. I have felt very welcomed in "Beeville" and I know my family will love being there. My daughter will be a freshman next year and I'm trying to keep her informed, long distance, as to how things are going. (I got her signed up for next years classes today, she is very excited) They are still living in Michigan until after the school year, so they have only been able to make it to one game. But they loved it. I try to be very careful of what I say, and how I say it here, because I know how loyal and hardcore some of the people here are to their teams. I have a lot of respect for that. But at the same time, I will always be honest always and upfront about what I feel. Your kid certainly seems (from my very short time in town) to be a great kid, works hard, enjoys the game, and is polite and respectful. Much to be proud of for certain!!! I could go on and on......but if you get a chance, tell Scott and Jamie that GatorBill said to save my lucky seat for me saturday. I have to be back in MI this weekend, but I will want it back next week. (if you ask Scott , he will tell you why I cant go on and on!!!) /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> Good Luck to the girls on Saturday.....I will be back next week for some more bball......GO BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESssssssss (Im hooked)

You also have to figure in the development of the freshman and sophomores since the first meeting very early in the season. This will make for almost a completely different games. I have not seen Sequatchie, but when taking just this one fact into consideration, I like Upperman's chances.

Just remembet that you are posting to the "fans with the big heads" not the "team with the big heads". That is pretty vital information right there. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> edit: I was not at the first game. I shall make no prediction. Unfortunately I will be out of town for this game also. Good luck.

I mean no disrespect towards Miss Ferris when I say this, infact I have a huge amount of respect for her as a person and a basketball player. But my only reasoning for NOT giving her the MVP has more to do with leadership than with numbers. It is more of the intangible things that a person brings to the game. She is only a freshman, she will learn all of these things as she goes. I have no doubt about that. Wait, let me rephrase that. She is capable of learning all of that. She will get out of this game exactly as what she puts into it. If she wants to, desires to, she will be a big star in this game. Right now, I don't think the MVP belongs to her. She had a couple games with some great numbers. And she certainly deserves consideration, and to be in the MVP conversation. But I think that it probably is more deserved somewhere else...this year. I think I am very fortunate to be new to this area, and to not have any preconcieved opinions about any of these schools/players. I have had a fairly neutral outlook on everybody. I have a small bias based on where my kids WILL be going to school after they move down here this summer, but I have still been able to keep an open mind on the rest of the kids. I know she has not put up the numbers that she has been used to putting up, but I can tell you that Taylor kid is still the glue that holds her team together. She does not need to score to have a huge impact on how her team plays. Is she the MVP, no. But she brings the sort of intangibles that are needed to lead a team. She is a good leader. I would like for her to go off for 40 pts some night soon, just to remind people that she has not graduated yet!!!

The first time I saw this, back in december, I thought you were nuts. "Maynard, who the heck is Maynard?" I said. I thought you were a certifiable nutcase. BUT, after watching them all season, I am in full agreement with you. The parents of these two girls can rest easy, barring any unforseen disaster, these kids won't have to come up with money for college. There will be a spot for them on somebody's roster, somewhere.

Upperman sports 4 seniors and 4 freshman. 2 sophomores can gun it from anywhere, one freshman proved last night that you cannot leave her alone or she will jack it up also. She is sitting behind the 2 sophomores and could be starting on many teams. The big freshman is talented. She has more skills right now than most kids her size will ever develop. She is pretty technically sound. LA has proven that they can play with and beat anybody. It will be a great game. The only thing that concerns me is that LA has also proven to be physically undisciplined. (last night was a fine example. I know of two specific calls at the end that were NOT made and should have been, and could have changed the game) If the refs allow things to get physical, the game gets ugly. I have seen too many times this year where 2 refs call the game tight and one lets them play, or the other way around. It makes for some pretty ugly basketball. The last time these two teams played it got ugly. It is a shame to have to watch that kind of basketball out of two very talented teams.

Great post Antwan. I think the important thing that people are missing is that Kayci is just a kid. She has a lot of physical and emotional maturing to do. Just like every kid her age does. I could go on and on about things I like about her game, and things that I would like to see her improve about her game, and things that I have seen other people do better. But the bottom line it this: She is just a kid, with a lot of time to learn and grow. I am new to this area, and I have seen a LOT of great basketball. I have been a basketball junkie for a long time. I grew up watching Earvin Johnson, and his equally talented sister Evelyn play ball. They were just the beginning of some great basketball history from my hometown. I have spent many hours watching and coaching boys and girls basketball and I can tell you that there are some very special players in this area. I am looking forward to the next 3 years of watching Kayci -v- Karissa. Those two can learn a lot from each other. They are both D1 'cant miss' prospects, and by competing against each other they will make each other better. Like I said, these girls are all just kids. Heck, I moved 1100 miles from home the day after I graduated HS and if I had to do it all over again, I would have done it completely different. Why, because I have learned lessons that can only come with experience. Give all of these girls some time. Good Luck to Kayci. Like ALL HS freshman these days...she will need it.

I am new to the Cookville area, moving the family down this summer. My youngest daughter will be going into 6th grade and has a HUGE interest in Lacrosse. I am told that Cookeville HS has a team but is there anywhere for a middle schooler to play in this area? She will be going to Baxter Schools, that much is already determined. I was told by the district that once the kids are enrolled I can contact Cookeville HS about my Freshman playing there (if she chooses). But I have no idea how the middle school stuff works around here. Any help?? Disclaimer: as I was saying, the kids will be in Baxter Schools, so whatever is said here will not in any way persuade us to change schools. (had to put that in for all the recuitnicks that want to assume all people are evil)

yes I did, and yes they are indeed awesome. They get more amazing every year. They are one of the most talented and innovative drumlines in the country. Several current and former members also perform during basketball season as the "Detroit Pistons Drumline". I have seen most of the true greats that have come through MSU, one of them is one of the founding members of the Pistons Drumline and performs on weekends at clubs around Michigan. His website has some very cool stuff on it also. www.toddohme.com If there is ever anything that I can do for you folks, if you want information on MSUs drumline, anything at all, just let me know. you can email me at gatorbillmsu@hotmail.com This is my familes email address, Im sure you will all be respectful of this.

It is, of course, an advantage to post in this thread AFTER the game has finished, but I have to make 2 quick comments based on the comments in this thread. 1) I was at the game tonight. And I was a bit disappointed with the LA fans. There were MANY LA fans, but they were not very vocal. They didn't bring their A game. 2) I do not know him personally, but we all know who you are talking about and I have to say this: I sat next to the hardest working fan in HS basketball. He is vocal, he is loud, he is fair and he is honest. He is extremely knowledgeable of the game of basketball, and how it SHOULD be played. d) sorry, one last thing to add. The refereeing that I have witnessed over the past 3 1/2 months has been horrendous. A 3 man refereeing team should be able to communicate better than what I have been seeing. It seems that there is always ONE guy that wants to take a game over, and he/she will make calls that just dont make sense. That game tonight got beyond "physical basketball" I firmly believe that basketball is a contact sport. It is how I teach it, it is how my own kids play it. But some of the things that happened there tonight were beyond reasonable.

yes, $70 per ref for two games is correct. While $35 per game is not a TON of money, it is not bad money either. I have always felt that if you are a ref/coach/teacher and you are in it just for the money, then you are doing the wrong thing. I have coached one sport or another for 20+ years. I have had good and bad refs. I have had guys/girls that didnt know enough about what they were doing but were busting their tails TRYING to do a good job, and I will take those refs over the "I know everything but am not trying" type of refs anyday. If you care about what you are doing as a ref/coach/teacher and you are trying to do a good and honest job, and what is right for the kids, then the money is secondary. I have a ref back home that comes over and shakes my hand before every game and says "are you ready to teach these kids how to play ball?" That is a good ref. These kids need to have refs call things fairly and consistently. If there are 3 refs, they either all need to let them play or they all need to call it tight. One ref letting them play hard, while another calls all the touch fouls is not going to work. Makes for a very hostile crowd. (and it got me kicked out of the gym last saturday.....Im not perfect, but Adam Sandler with his striped shirt and baggy gym shorts, and not going more than 2 steps past center court...well...he got to me after a while)

I watched a ref single handedly bring a team back from a 35pt deficit and make a good game out of it. It happened this year, to one of your local teams. The guy was only about 40 or so. He was confronted on a couple of his calls by his partners but refused to back down. He had an issue with the coach, and the way the game was going, and he was out to do something about it. I coach an 8th grade team (not in TN) and we had a ref last week that could not have been over 25 years old. He was an Adam Sandler look-alike. He would not go any farther than 2 steps over center court either way. And I believe his whistle was broke. I recieved my 2nd technical with 30 seconds left in the game. The best I can figure is that I called him "Mr Sandler" too many times. My point is, age and weight is not the only reason a ref needs to think about hanging it up. Indifference and incompetence are two other reasons. Back home we pay $30 a game per ref. That is plenty of money for just over an hours worth of work. The HS athletic associations need to do more to recruit new referees. This is their responsibility as a governing body. It is what our money goes towards. Pressure needs to be put on at that level to get something done.

first things first. I was wrong about who would win. Don't get used to me being wrong. It doesn't happen very often. Secondly, I don't know any of you here, I don't know the kids, but I do know sportsmanship. And calling out a HS kid here on a bulletin board is just not right. From what I read, it was not meant to be malicious, not meant to be a huge slam against the kid personally, but you folks should be a little more careful than that. (the kid mentioned is a fine ballplayer and I hope she drills a big shot or two in these upcoming games. She has plenty of game.) Lastly. Home court advantage is only as good as you make it. If the stands are filled with LA fans, they will gain advantage. Both teams have plenty of experience on that court. The only place homecourt advantage counts is a) in the stands on a court you have never played on before.

I do not mean to discredit or disrespect LA in any way. And I feel that this game will probably be low scoring as well. These are both fine teams that will be trouble for a lot of teams in the next couple weeks. I will stick with my 8, and I 100% respect your 4. And we can meet back here next week and see how far off we were!!

Back on topic. The bench for UHS is deeper than anything I have seen in many years of basketball. They beat you with the press, they beat you in the half court, the "out physical" your man to man, they out shoot your zone, the play better half court D than anyone I have seen in 25 years of actually PAYING ATTENTION to these things. But I know where this game is, and who it is against, and that will make a difference. I do not have kids/relatives/friends/etc at either of these schools, so relatively impartial, I have to say...... Upperman by 8.

for you drumline fans. A couple vids of the Michigan State Drumline. Consistently in the top TWO at the PASIC competitions. A multiple national champion drumline. Enjoy. Martian Mambo reich drumming Also the link to the the Michigan State Drumline Homepage and the MSU Marching Band Page. http://www.spartanband.net http://www.msu.edu/~drumline/ I was a member of the MSU drumline back in the ....80s. I participate in the alumni band functions every year and am very active with the current line. If you have any questions, please let me know. Bill