bluedevilfan100

How about Charlie Baxter? Been to probably 15 State Tournaments or so. Going back again this year.

I'm totally an outsider here...but why would anyone want to move to Unicoi County just to teach? The pay sucks and the benefits aren't much better. I couldn't imagine anyone in their right mind saying pack your bags honey I want to go teach in Unicoi County. Common sense would tell me that unless his wife is from Unicoi County, or just likes to have lots of snow days....they would probably be moving so he could coach at Unicoi County. They do have a very proud tradition and they are loaded for the next few years. Not trying to degrade Unicoi County, but that seems like a long ways to move just to teach there. It's not like it pays as good as Maryville, Oak Ridge, or Kingsport. Lol

Good point uchsbball!!! He seems like a young guy but he has apparently already coached at 4 or 5 different schools. Last time they hired someone from outside (football a few years back) I don't think it worked out very well. Oh well, the cupboard is full for the next few years so he probably won't be packing his bags until after that. I hope they know what they are doing.

A lot has to be said for the challenges facing schools like Volunteer. Competing against the likes of Science Hill and D-B is not easy. They just have so many students (therefore so many athletes), that it's hard for some of the other borderline AAA schools to compete, such as Volunteer, Sullivan Central, etc. I played and coached in Unicoi County during both the Coach Morrison and Whittemore years when Volunteer dropped down to AA for a while, and I can say that Volunteer had some of the best teams in the area those years. Coaching against Whittemore's teams was never easy. His teams always seemed prepared and played extremely hard. Anytime there was a loose ball, you'd see 5 Volunteer players diving on the floor as if their life depended on getting that loose ball. I know I was never a player in his locker room, but from another coach's perspective, it seemed that the players loved and respected Coach Whitt by how hard they played for him. And to hear that his former players still come back to see him is a testament to the kind of man Coach Whitt is. As a former Keith Turner player, I was lucky enough to play for a man who continues to reach out and help his former players and students. It's nice to hear that Coach Whitt is the same type of man. Congrats on a great tenure at Volunteer, and any school will be lucky to have you as their Coach. Best of luck.

Sounds like quite a track record. Only thing about an outside guy like that is...will he be committed for the long haul or is it just a stepping stone until a better job comes open? Based upon past experience, Unicoi hasn't always made the best decisions when hiring from outside of the system. The pay isn't great, which kind of leads me to wonder why Epperson would leave a more established program. Granted, he would have excellent facilities, a fantastic middle school coach that prepares the girls extremely well for high school, a very passionate fan base, and a stable of talent for the next 5 to 6 years for sure. I'm sure he's a great coach, but my vote would be for Coach Simmons or Coach Smith. Coach Simmons led this year's 8th grade boys to their best finish ever, and his college playing experience should be a plus. Coach Smith has remained loyal to Unicoi County for a number of years, and I'm sure he has turned down other jobs to stay at Unicoi. His JV teams are good year in and year out. Looking at the success of the boy's program over the past few years, you have to think that Simmons and Smith had something to do with that. Regardless of who the new coach is, he will have a lot to be excited about.

I don't know a whole lot about Coach Epperson. Is he a younger guy? How long was he at Cumberland County?

The situation was not ideal for anyone involved. Being thrown into the fire merely weeks before the start of the season is a tough situation for anyone to be put into. Without the spring and summer to put everything in, the team was put into a really bad spot. Add in the injuries that the team faced last year, and it was an uphill battle from the get go. I respect Coach Wright's stance and having the guts to make a difficult decision and stick to it. I have heard that many of the players from last year have boycotted/quit basketball because of him, and sure the easy thing would be to cave in and do whatever is necessary to get the players back and have a better chance of winning this year. However, what kind of message does that send? A head coach should not make decisions just to make the parents of his or her players happy. If the parents want to run the show, tell them to either go get a teaching degree and apply for a high school coaching job or take their kid to the YMCA, Parks and Rec, or Boy's Club, and they can be their coach there. He is willing to take his lumps for a year or so in exchange for instilling some sense of principle and discipline. As a coach myself, I'd much rather have 8 players willing to give me everything they have and parents that support the team than to have 20 players who are not willing to sacrifice and understand the fact that the coach is in charge. I've had the opportunity to coach against and with Coach Wright during my coaching tenure, and I can say I've never worked with a person who is more committed and dedicated to a team than he is. You may or may not agree with some things, but I can guarantee you that he is working tirelessly to do what is best for the program.

Hey genius, Chucky Lindholm played his senior year at Twin Springs in Southwest Virginia so I doubt he was all upper east tennessee as a senior since he was playing in a different state. The talent in the region has gone way down since 2000 so I don't think you can compare Ike Weaver to guys who played around 2000-2003. Nobody in that league is over 6'2" except for Unicoi's monsters

Rumor has it that Mason may just be the man. If he could bring Jordan Cross with him, he'll be bringing a player that could be as good as Aaron Woodacre in a couple years. His team this year only last one game and that was to a very good Science Hill team that they led in the third quarter only to get blitzed in the fourth quarter and lose by 20.

Billy Duncan is not an option at Science Hill as long as administration stays the same. Anything less than the state tournament is considered a failure there. But with the group of sophomores, along with an 8th grade team that won the Eastern Sectional for the first time in school history, there will not be a shortage of talent for whoever the coach is.

Who is the team to beat in the Watauga next year?