JohnJacob

So are you happy with the Wade hire or not, Quickstrike? Or did you not know about this hire before you posted this statement above?

Just announced. Heck of a hire by BA. Experienced. Knows the league. He will not be outworked. Well done.

47 years is a good run anywhere in any profession (26 as head coach). Coaching wise it is remarkable. Very good man.

This was just announced today: The OSSAA (Oklahoma) Board of Directors approved an exception that allows one free transfer for any high school student who has established athletic eligibility at an initial school. The student won’t have to sit out a year or move into the district. Here we go.................................

Have to sit out a year if they have an athletic record in high school. There is not like the transfer portal in college.

The current FRA coach?

McGugin probably. Just a hunch. His kids go there.

No, back at Ensworth. Bowers coached at BA before under Flatt. The went to MBA, then Ensworth. Bowers is not coming back to BA.

Pretty funny reply. So you were on probation already.....Which means that's two "strikes" before the hammer goes down. And you commit another violation. So you are toast. That's the way the world works. I don't care if the kid was in 5th grade, 8th grade, or 10th grade. There was a violation. Y'all got caught. And then you admit that there was an issue with the "deuce debacle". So that's two violations AFTER YOU WERE PLACED ON PROBATION. When you are placed on probation by the TSSAA you better be squeaky clean. As far as the kids missing out on playing in the post season, they knew what they were getting into -all of them. They are not stupid. They know that Lipscomb was horrid for years and presto they suddenly had kids coming from all over the country and other schools in Nashville in August every year to play to football. So does Mawae get fired? You said it was "on the coaches". Too blatant and dumb? Wow. I would love to have you on a witness stand in a court case if I were a lawyer. Maybe stop while you are ahead. I can already see the Lipscomb defense - "everybody does it". Here we go.

When you try to win at all cost you get burned. The powers that be at Lipscomb got sold a bill of goods by Dilfer. The University has no football program. They were going to make Lipscomb a household name by making their high school football program a national "power". They all bought into it - college all the way down to the lower school. If anyone thinks this is just football they are mistaken. All of their other sports have exponentially "grown" with transfers and strange enrollments. Dilfer did not care one bit about rules. He openly was calling kids from other schools and talking to them after 7 on 7 games. This is similar to what Hugh Freeze did at Briarcrest but much more obvious. Freeze did a good job of covering his tracks and he kept it to girls basketball and football (the two things he coached). I bet this all stems from the two Mississippi kids. They got caught (Lipscomb) with their living arrangements and those kids probably sniffed it out and then bailed. Then I bet they narked on them and squealed like pigs about what happened when the TSSAA came calling. The stupid thing is they were already on probation. What idiots. I bet you this is Kevin Mawae's last game at Lipscomb tonight. Easy bet. Bet he has already called his real estate agent.

All of what you are saying was preventable. The arrogance of Masters and Mathews to not seek input on the new coaching hire has backfired. They refused to listen to former players, alumni, parents, and community members and they hired a cocky inexperienced assistant coach who they could control. This hire proves that just because you played in the NFL Does not mean you know how to hire a football coach (just like playing in the NFL does not correlate to head coaching - ask Lipscomb). BA needs a unifier at the top job, AD, and head football coach They have zero of that now. It is salvageable but serious decisions need to be made. BA does not have Frists and Ingrams as donors but money is sitting out there. Believe me when I say that that money will stay on the sideline under the current set up of leadership. Masters cares about robotics, outdoor chapels , and new parking spaces. The sad thing is that all of those things were possible (and much more) if they just listened. The world has changed in the private school landscape especially in Nashville. They just don’t get it.

< Laughing> Nope. There was no search committee. Facts.

If you were a talented football player and knew that a 5 star QB was going to be on the roster and that 5 star QB's games/game film were going to be looked at by almost every major program in the country, then you would be interested in such a school (because then you would be getting looks as well). Not that hard to figure out.

Facts that back up your point, 6one5, from my BA friends: 1. Basically, almost every single head coach has been replaced or left in the past 16-18 months except girls basketball and swimming. Oh, no. Nothing to see here. Nothing at all. 2. 13 kids on the CPA football roster have at least one parent who went to BA or a long standing BA tie from the past. Hmmm. Pure coincidence I am sure. 3. Cody White was the smartest one in the room. He left a job last winter at BA without having another job yet. No coach does that. He 100% knew what was coming even with a 5 star QB for two more years. Think about that for a minute.

I have not posted on this board in over 15 years. I even forgot my password and had to ask for a new one. But I had to stroll over here because I have followed high school football and sports in general in this town for a long time and I was 100% certain there was going to be some activity over here about this subject. I watched the game on TV and I watched it closely. And that was absolutely the WORST defensive BA football team that I have ever seen. Most of what I am talking about is pure coaching and is correctable. The technique is awful and there are no adjustments whatsoever. I have heard that this new coach was supposed to be a "defensive guru". I question that title. In speaking to those in the BA community, they all wanted one particular coach who had BA roots and BA was too chicken to make the hire. Shame on them but you reap what you sow. Had they made that hire, the place would be united and the money would have poured in. The sad news is it is going to get worse before it gets any better from what those with BA ties tell me. Sounds like BA needs a clean out and refresh.

It was brought up in an earlier thread if the official were from Middle TN or from another region (i.e "neutral"). I was answering the question. Don't be so touchy, Owl. I know the inferiority complex you Memphians have. And no, I am not attacking your wonderful referee association that throws people out of football games with the best baseball style I have ever seen.

It has been confirmed that the crew was from Memphis.

Another important fact - the official told Bowers that would not be coaching next week. That is the TSSAA's job, not the ref's. That was way way out of bounds and they have it on tape. The ref's job is to maintain control, interpet the rules, and move on. This just shows he had it in for Bowers and knew exactly what he was doing.

You have to listen closely to the Fox video. The ref says "you bumped me" or "you are bumping me" Ricky says "I am trying to get through !" The the ref does his best baseball style ejection (something I have never seen on a football field) Where the ref is screwed here is the video. In most instances the TSSAA would take the word of the official and back them up. I don't see any bumping. I think Ricky was trying to get past the ref who was in his face. Did he touch the ref ? Probably. But I would bet the ref was touching him too. Disclaimer - I am not a Ricky or Ensworth fan. This ref should be suspended.

Get out of D2 ??? And go where ?? Ryan will always have to be able to give financial aid, period. No they cannot give as much as others but they have to offer it. Thus they either drop football - they won't. Strip the studeny body enrollment down to D2A levels - they can't. Or get better. Reality.

Could not agree more. Excellent post. Spot on. At issue here though with all this is how insulated Gioia has made himself with the Board of Trustees. Everytime an "old guard" member quit during the past 10-15 years he replaced him with one of his boys. So essentially the board is "stacked" in his favor. Oh, and when one of his "boys" got named to the board the all of the sudden the son of the new board member got selected to go to Europe with MBA's study abroad program (one example). How ironic ! We'll see how far that loyalty is extended very soon.

That is good news if true about Gioia. Scott O'Neal the AD is an upstart guy. He loves the school and attended there. His problem is that he is absolutely powerless. How many times did you ever see a quote from him about ANY of this ? Never. I am told that he has stood up to Gioia on numerous occasions and informed him that he would not be the fall guy. Well, he may very well be. This is the way Gioia works. He wants his hand in every single thing that happens in every single department. He micromanages to an extent that everyone at that place cowers and is intimidated. This is not just something that just started happening. Ask faculty members who have left during Gioia's tenure. I guarantee the majority would all say the same thing. The guy needs to go. MBA will not be able to heal until that happens.

I cannot wait until somebody mentions Bowers as a candidate...........oh wait.....I just did Pack, to me, is a game changer. He would energize the current students and players and bring back all of the alienated alums that are out there. Knowing what he is about I think he is a better fit at BA than he would be at his alma mater (MBA).

Love seeing another "Johnjacob" on the board. How original you are "Mr. 321". Of course we all know the song - "his name is my name too". Back to my point - the last thing that needs to happen is to have Gioia hire a coach and then resign. His leaving would open the door to many coaches who would not consider it if he were still the headmaster. Let's see.......maybe I should change my screen name to something real original. Like rollredroll2....or Kwoodruff55...yeah that has a nice ring to it. Signed, the real Johnjacob

If Gioia had any sense he would resign. He would still be viewed as a top tier hire for another school in another state. His 17 year record at one school would be impressive to many. MBA is too fractured for him to stay. It will never be the same for him and he should know this. The writing is on the wall. The only was to fix it is to re-build it and start by hiring a new headmaster. The problems at MBA go way beyond football. All of this can be repaired in time but not without new leadership. MBA folks should not worry about spring practice, next fall, etc. If Gioia leaves then this will be the biggest hire they have had in the last 50 years. They need to take their time and get it right. If they get the right man, he will lure the right coach.