PEARLBALL

That old boy at Tullahoma is a ticking time bomb. Add that spark plug of an assistant coach to the mix and it’s all gonna blow up. It’s a matter of when, not if.

The addition adds depth this year. I don’t see the transfer as a difference maker this year. The team was strong already. Over the next two years it will pay off for them though.

Oh boy. I heard this an hour ago. Forget what I said about meshing the team’s personalities. It’s Daddys and Mamas I’m worried about now. With that said, it’s perfectly legal.

8AAA is gonna be a war this season. Can't wait! How Coach Cope blends the young talent with the experienced players will be interesting. His first couple of years, CC went 7-8 deep. More players to work with this year versus previous years. That's not always a blessing at this level, but I think managing personalities is one of his strong suits. I think the regular season champion very well could have 3-4 losses in district play.

CC wins first game against a RC school since 2004 after beating Siegel Friday night . Big win for the Red Raiders.

I don’t want to talk about it. But I will. I’m more interested to see if CC will fight til the end. Last year against Tullahoma they quit in the 1st quarter. CC showed some spunk and grit in the opener. Looked competitive for 3 quarters against FC only to unravel in the end. Multiple turnovers ( somewhat expected in a first game), but they did look like they knew where to lineup and also looked like they understood what they were trying to do on both sides of the ball. But again, they show promise in the 1st game most years only to return to old ways. How they respond this week will tell much more than last week. It’s easy to go with Tullahoma if for no other reason than they have John Olive. Closer than last year, but Tullahoma wins by 17.

Of course I have surpassed the number of articles I can view on The Tennessean, but I get the idea from the headline. Sad Nashville is changing. Unfortunately, things like this are the byproduct of growth. Nashville is desperately trying to ruin the very thing people find appealing. Small town feel, with big city attributes. They are pushing growth that will only make them like every other “big city”. Hope no one was hurt.

When the season ended, I thought it could be a toss up for 1st next season. After seeing what Cope has added in youth, I think they are back as the front runners. Both the freshman PG and post should be able to contribute by Christmas once they have gotten their feet wet. From what I saw this summer, CC will be stronger in the post than last year and have a good mix of veterans and youth at the guard spots. Oh yeah, Also return the POY- Bella can play any position on the floor and do it very well.... Losing Morgan and Vaughn will hurt, but CC will have a deeper roster this year and that is a plus. Tullahoma has the players to contend but I wonder about the chemistry. Gotta get the post touches to keep her motivated. LC’s team has finally gotten to the junior or senior level. Those youngsters are veterans now and I think Tipps is outstanding. Who’s the best PG? Hard to say as the talent around any player is important. SCHS or FC may have the best PG but it may not actually show based on the talent around them. I love my Vols, but man I’m ready for basketball season.

LadyCavsFan, I see CC and Cookeville aren't on the schedule next season. CC picked up White County in their place. I don't know why, but I was sad to see that. I remember the girls coach threw a pretty big fit at CC last year. I don't know if that's the reason or not. From the W-L point of view, I would have preferred to have kept Cookeville. Not a slight to the team, its just that Sparta is a really tough place to play.

I kinda wish it was still 2004. For us old timers, the T is still solid gold. The Facebook and Twitter generation will never understand how great this site was back then (and still can be sometimes).

What the heck Ole Eagle Eye? Thought she was a good one and did well with what she had.

The most uninspiring hire CC has made in a while and that's saying something. lol The AD went deep into the old friends list for that one. But, in her defense, I'm sure they weren't coming out of the woodwork to apply for this job. In every other sport, CC can at least be competitive most years. Football is a totally different animal. Yeah its a big school and all of that, but we are not a Murfreesboro school and that's not likely to change any time soon.

As with most every school now days, it will be interesting to see how the mommas and daddys take to his discipled approach. His style is exciting, but there are no “l” in his teams from what I have witnessed the times I saw his squad play.

I think positions 1-3 will be more competitive than they have in a while. Spots 4-7, I would agree with. I still think CC has the advantage. It will all depend on how well the supporting cast for Vinson comes thru. Tullahoma and CC will both be strong at guard and each have a post player with lots of upside. Those 2 games next year will be a war. As a unit, LC is strong. They have good coaching and have taken their lumps with a young lineup and this may be the year it pays off. I don't see CC dropping to 3rd. Just don't think anyone can contain Bella night after night. I do feel like the #1 seed for the tournament could be decided by a tie breaker. It will be an entertaining district race next year.

Nice hire. Born and raised in Coffee County. Made a run to the State Tournament a couple of years ago with Macon. Quality person. Quality coach.

If his son were willing, he could be a difference maker in district 8AAA. From what I've seen, he would be the best player in 8AAA the day he stepped foot in the gym. He is quite a player and Dad is quite a coach. I will never know what Moore County was thinking, but everybody has their reasons. This would be a coup for Tullahoma, but agree, Slatton isn't going to miss his son playing the next 2 years. It's gonna be really fun for Dad watching the kid play.

“Old Tullahoma Coach” is a pretty extensive list... which old coach?

I do say so. They have gotten progressively worse in each of the past 3 years and have had enough raw talent to win in this district. “Winning” meaning a district title or at least playing for one. Herb Horton won 20 games at CC 3 seasons ago, but won nothing and didn’t beat anyone of consequence. 20 wins doesnt necessarily equal success. On top of that, he had a bad attitude. Sorry to ruffle some feathers, but your boy didn’t do a good job.

I don’t mean to kick a coach when they are down, but FC has gotten progressively worse the past 3-4 years. This year looked like the girls flat out quit on him. Can’t see Southern or any other coach who has any kind of team returning making the jump to FC. Holt is probably their best option. Based on his Motlow days, his demeanor probably suits the girls too.

Bella finished the game with 15, but she worked hard for it. The 3 wasn’t falling for her and Riverdale played her tough in the paint. The team as a whole had some good looks from behind the arc, but they were going in and out - particularly in the first half. Vaughn hit 4 threes, but also had 2 or 3 good looks that she would like to have back I’m sure. They took away the drive and held Morgan in check. Riverdale’s quickness really hurt CC in transition. They probably got 8-10 points on breakaway layups. The big post had her way down low in the first half too. CC dug themselves a big hole, scratched and clawed their way back, but Riverdale made enough plays at the end to snuff out the comeback. No complaints here. They gave all they had. I felt like one of the best efforts of the year on the defensive end. The offense looked good too. They handled the press and limited the turnovers. The shots just wouldn’t fall.

We couldn't buy one in the first half. We had no answer for their post player either. Still, it was a game we could have won. CC should have never let it get to that point, but its hard not to think back to the district championship. If the officials let the teams decide the outcome, CC is most likely playing in the sectional Saturday. Even so, we were good enough to overcome that, but the ball didn't bounce our way. This was a special group of girls. They loved each other, played hard for each other, and never quit. Last year they would have backed down after Riverdale got up double digits. This year, they fought hard and got back in it. VERY proud of this team. It will be hard to replace the seniors, but CC will be in the mix next year. Vinson is a player you can build around. Tullahoma, Shelbyville, and Lincoln County will all be better. It should be a very competitive and entertaining district season next year. I'm ready to get going today. lol.

Thanks O. I’m old enough to remember and witnessed the Eaglettes dominance. Still in awe to enter that gym and see all of the gold balls on display. Only as I grow older do I truly appreciate what Coach Insell did over there. Some questioned the methods, but the results were astounding. I remember a typical, middle of the season game being played to a packed house. The support for those teams was tremendous. Sad to see the away team bringing in more fans to Shelbyville than the home team does on some occasions. Good luck to you next year provided they aren’t playing my Lady Raiders.

Plus, in most cases, both the girls and boys coaches have to agree on opponents. What is an easy win for girls, could be a sure loss for boys and vice versa

So here I am again. The rumor WAS true. Girls game now Monday and boys on Tuesday. Confirmed.

This was a bad rumor. My apologies. Game is on for Sunday