etnmom

It was in the local newspaper....DNJ.com Thanks for the info! Reporter seemed certain that he's at MTSU. Can't blame us for hoping he was coming back up here. Good luck Coach Burkey and we still miss you!

I've looked at MTSU's web site and don't see anything about Coach Burkey on staff there. I may not have known where to look. Question - Is is really going to MTSU or is he coming home?

So glad that Coach Ricker was around for his induction. He was a great coach and a fierce warrior. Even his accident couldn't hinder his love of basketball. Bet there are lots of East Tennessee coaches and players that can honestly say they learned a lesson from playing against Coach Ricker at South Greene. He will be fondly and respectfully remembered. Prayers going out to his family!

Okay, going through basketball withdrawl from playoffs. Watching playoffs made me wonder how some of TN's best players are recovering from their injuries that we didn't get to see play this year such as Avant, Crouch, and others. Updates?

Larry Neil's health is rapidly declining. If being paralized and losing his son wasn't enough, he is now battling cancer. Coach Ricker, though a TIGER at heart would doubtfully be able to coach any team physically or mentally. The community is still praying for it's "HERO". Yes, Coach Ricker needs our prayers. Sounds like he has an army lifting him up!

Graves is a sophomore as well....she's awesome!! She played with the USA U16 team last summer.... Here's her evaluation from Hoopgurlz: ***************************************************************************** Evaluation USA U16 Trials-May 09: Bashaara Graves of Clarksville, Tenn., is much stronger than most other high school freshmen. The physical 6-2 forward isn't afraid to mix it up in the paint. She has all the athleticism to be a top player in the class. She has good timing coupled with very good leaping ability, which makes for a solid shot blocker. She caught some of the taller posts off guard quite a few times in that regard. She could improve her footwork on the interior and finish in traffic more consistently, both of which should occur over the next three years. Her performance was impressive enough that USA basketball asked her to stay and practice with the team in place of injured forward Morgan Tuck. ***************************************************************************** Williams & Barbee have gotten alot attention & deservely so, but this young lady is just as good, and probably better in alot of ways. She is just in the wrong area of the state where she won't get as much attention because Clarksville is more of a softball town. I think all of us on the AAU circuit knows about Ms. Graves & know she will only get better as she continues to play at the high level of competition the next few years. What a great ranking for a sophmore. Hoping that all three young ladies stay healthy because it sounds like all three could have been nominated for Miss Basketball this year! It will be fun to watch all three play high school for two more years.

Any chance they will bring back Coach Ricker?

I think next year you can book Shacobia Barbee of Riverdale and Caya Williams of Mt. Juliet as AAA Miss Basketball candidates. As good as Barbee was the last time I saw her, which was this past summer in AAU, she was even more impressive and dominating yesterday than I have ever seen her. She, and Williams, will play in the SEC or some other major conference, because they are both scary good at their age. Did you see tht Bashaara Graves from Clarksville made the Parade's All-American High School Girls Basketball Team? She would appear to be definately in the mix if she gets this type of national recognition. What grade is she in this year?

Well the gold ball wasn't meant to be for East Tennessee...this season. Maybe next year will be the year!

Make it three persons in a row...thought Elizabethton would be there.

Good luck to North Greene, South Greene, Greeneville and Morristown West. Hoping that everyone has a safe trip and that all teams represent our "neck of the woods" well!

Does anyone think that there can ever be a more exciting game th is season than Greeneville vs. South Greene contest last week? I think that Greeneville will have their hands full with Betsy tonight. Should be great games again!

Let the battle begin! No predictions on the winner since all teams are capable. I think that the best team play will determine the championship. IMO, defensive play will be key. Good luck to everyone and wishing all the girls a safe tourney!

Yes congratulations Coach Ricker! You have been so strong living through so much adversity for the past few years and you deserve this honor!

IMO - The Blue Ridge Conference is offering the best level of excitment this season in East TN. Greeneville and South Greene continue their city-county battle, and Chuckey-Doak is hot on their heels and actually won an exciting game over the weekend. The title will come down to who wants it the most and who can remain the healthest during post season play. We're seeing some younger girls stepping up their play as the season continues. Can't wait to see how the championship turns out!

That is a shocker of a score. If Elizabethton is playing that good and can keep it up, they can pack their bags for a trip to Murfreesboro.

I agree with you. I wish that the off color comments, cursing, and vulgar language would be totally banned from every section of the gym, from the floor to the stands. One last question, did calling a ref names or using crude comments about their calls ever really change how they call a game? No one is perfect including ref.'s and they get critized from every angle. It's a hard job and you need to try it just one time. Some posters have challenged using colorful language as their right, but what about the rights of those of us who don't appreciate colorful language. It is a high school game and no more.

Yeah agree that some ref.'s were better than others. GreenBank did a wonderful job again this year with the tournament. BRAC was well represented this year and I enjoyed watching our local Region 1 teams. South Greene and Greeneville looked different at this Christmas tournament than they did at the Thankgiving tournaments. South Greene appeared more in control and played good team ball even with the loss of their post player. Dye looked more confident. Greeneville also played well but didn't have enough offense. Chuckey Doak is always close on their heels and North Greene had a good showing also. DB had a horrible first draw but kept up their efforts until the end. I thought that Cocke County was the biggest local surprise in this tournament. Mt. Juliet was exciting to watch with their great post player and many other talented players. The Cosby team certainly had spurts of greatness but just couldn't keep up the momentum the entire game. The Livingston team was also fun to watch with a great wing and point guard. Maryville also played good team ball and their point guard sure did have a good showing. I still think the BRAC championship will be down to the final wire as I could see any of the top three teams taking the prize on any given night.

Sorry but the games are held at the C. Hal Henard Elementary School, 425 East Vann Road, Greeneville 37743 and it is located beside Greeneville Middle School. I'm very excited to see lots of local talent on the floor in Greeneville and GreenBank puts on a great tournament.

First, congratulations to all our Tennessee girls on their scholarship offers! There are two ways to look at college ball. Is basketball a way to pay for college so that they can get a job immediately after college? Or is college basketball viewed as another stepping stone to WNBA which we all know is a very elite club. I would think that a basketball scholarship is a way to pay for college for most. Kayci Ferris would appear to be the winner of the group so far with a scholarship to Vanderbilt which is a nationally recognized highly respected college with a huge price tag while still getting to play in the SEC. I'm looking forward to seeing our girls play on television and really didn't realize how many we will get to see play regularly. As far as the Pat Summit posts, IMO she is and will always be the gold standard of women's basketball coaches.

I think that Volunteer will place higher than predicted. It's going to be a interesting winter of basketball!

Congratulations! So nice to see a well rounded young lady going to such as great college. Nice scholarship!!

I think that South Greene will definately be at the top of the pack since they're returning everyone but Casteel. IMO, Greeneville's success will depend upon how well players mesh as team. Think that Kelley, Story, Shipley, and Christopher will have to play consistently. Still think that the South Greene and Greeneville game will be the best ticket in East TN this season. Don't count Chuckey-Doak out as it's about time for Coach Frye to bring on another good team.

Everyone please remember the family of Jake Logue in your prayers in addition to the students, coaches, and staff at Sullivan South. What a tragic way to start the football season and school year! Incidents like this really make you understand what is truly important in your life and that everything in life does not revolve around a ball. May God give everyone strenght to deal with this horrible loss.

Not on the subject, but how is former SG Coach Ricker doing?