bballwizard2

My comment on Turnham turning Alex loose was referring to last year. I stated I would like to have seen him do more of that last year instead of using him as his third option. He really established himself this year and I think he would have been even better had he been allowed to do more the previous year. Coaches can hold back players as well as develop them. I think Turnham held Alex back and you have to give Alex credit for putting team first.

Great year in 7AAA in my opinion. It was very unpredictable and in my opinion one of the more exciting seasons we have had in many years. There were a few standout players but for the most part it was a blue collar hard working group of kids. Will miss seeing Alex and Paul play for the Blaze. Both were great kids and represented BHS well. Alex I really enjoyed watching you develop at BHS and wish Turnham had allowed you to show us what you were capable of last year. I will never forget your 42 point game, your last second shots that won Blackman many games over the years and how unselfish you are. You had an amazing year and I wish you the best.

I agree N2, good post. Some people are just jealous and can't give credit where it is due, or if someone has a bad game they really enjoy it.

Siegel will beat Shelbyville by 20 points. Shelbyville does not have an athlete that can compare to Siegel. You won't be able to double team any of Siegel's players because they can all shoot. Your post player cannot handle Hughes and Hammonds will run through you.

I know. I was hoping Turnham would try to get him some help but he seemed content to let his other guards try to shoot. They are good defenders but they just can't shoot the ball. That has hurt Alex all year because there is no one to help with the outside shooting, so they can key on him. Shelbyville knew it. The refs did not help because they let it get to rough on both sides and they were pretty much holding Alex the whole game as he was trying to make his breaks. We got a few calls but not enough. Would love to have seen him have another big game because I enjoy watching him play but there were a lot of memorable games this year. BHS will really miss him.

I think everyone has a right to cheer for whoever they like. I like you, wanted to see the Boro get the win but I think WC will represent us well. I don't know what happened with Blackman last night. They did not come into the gym until after half time of the championship game. By that time there was nowhere to set because Siegel had invaded where Blackman was sitting. I was sitting across the gym but my guess is they were having fun with the WC cheering section who was right beside them.

Congratulations White County it was an awesome game! You have a really talented team and I hope you make it to state. If so we will be there to support you. As for the Blaze, they didn't have it last night. The ball would not drop and I can't say Oakland was shooting very well either but they did enough to win. Paul had a great game rebounding just couldn't get the shots going, the guards had a horrible night passing. Missed Alex and Paul numerous times on back door cuts. Alex just didn't have enough juice left for this game. There is no way a player can run around the court like he was having to do to get open and have anything left for the end. Coach needs to design some different plays. Good luck in the Region tournament to all 7AAA. As for the All District Team I was surprised by that too. Why bother having one if you are not going to recognize them. If it wasn't for CoachT I wouldn't even know who was on it.

I will take Blackman and WC.

Cutter's problem is he likes to draw attention to himself. Evidently, he is starved for attention. Glad to see his coach yelled at him and put him on the bench, at least for a few minutes. I agree WC has some players with lousy attitude with the worst being Delaney. He is very immature. He did not shake hands with the Blackman players after Blackman beat them at home nor after the tournament game. When offered a hand by the Blackman players after a tumble on the court he just brushed off the hand and got up on his own. Basketball is a rough sport and everyone is competing as hard as they can. Show a little class instead of pouting.

Congratulations to Paul Stephens on his All-District and to Alex Carter for his MVP. I was glad to see the coaches got it right. I think the coaches did a good job with the first team, but I'm not to sure about the 2nd and 3rd team. I really think Maupins and Puckett were better than 3rd team.

I can agree with Cutter, Delaney, and Carter as the top 3 but I think Carter is the MVP. Cutter and Delaney are on teams loaded with talent and other go to players, especially Delaney. Arguments could be made for Green to be MVP as well. Where would Blackman be without Alex. They have fought their way to 4th in the district. Where do you think they would be without him. I would guess 8th. Blackman has some great kids that play hard but they are young and if anyone other than Paul and Alex have scored in double figures this year I don't remember it. As for Alex going quiet in a couple of games I am sure you can look back at Delaney and Cutter and see where they had a couple of games they did not do so well in. Alex is face guarded almost every game and has to work for every point. Can't say the same for Delaney because you have Brown, Green, and Mitchel who can light it up as well. Alex's stats are right there with everyone. I can't remember the latest ones but I remember a couple of weeks ago he was listed in almost every category and averaging almost 17 points a game. He is a class act and you know that can't be said for Cutter and after watching Delaney at Blackman on Friday I can't say that about him either. Regardless of the outcome of the game you shake hands with the other team. The rest of the WC players did.

Siegel did not out play Blackman in effort but they out played them in converting. Blackman does not match up well with Siegel. Cutter is at least 5 inches taller than Smith and he should be able to score easily. Every player but Alex and Paul gave up 4 to 6 inches. I am sure Tate loved having a 5'8" player guarding him underneath and Siegel did a good job of converting. Blackman's biggest problems other than height is the decision making of the point guard. Smith cannot get the ball inside to Paul when he is open, and Alex cut the lane wide open several times but Smith is to hesitant. Those are the mistakes Siegel did not make. To many turnovers made my Smith, Crutchfield, and Collier. They are young and will learn with more experience but it made for a very long ball game for the Blackman fans. But Blackman played hard and they can be proud of that they just need to play smarter. If Blackman had another consistent scorer besides Alex and Paul it would help. Let's hope for a better game at Cookeville on Friday. As far as taking the starters out in the 3rd it didn't happen. Cutter was running in and out of the game until there was only 3 minutes left and big number 52 fouled out in the fourth. Blackman took Alex and Paul out mid way through the 4th so I didn't understand why the coach felt the need to continue to run Cutter in.

Sorry, didn't remember exact amount but if I knew 4 points meant so much to you I would have checked my facts. I think I did put about 18 points.

I remember the Siegel/Blackman game at Blackman being about the same last year with Siegel being on the other end of the score. Blackman scored 36 points in the second quarter and had a 27 point half time lead. The game was much closer the next time they played. The point is that teams have those kind of games. Siegel came out hot and Blackman could not buy a basket. Things just went down hill from there. As for Carter, he had not played or practiced in about 3 weeks so it took him a little while to find his range and you could tell he did not have his legs back. He still managed to score around 18 points and helped to bring Blackman back in the second half. The kid's had a rough fall so you really have to admire his work ethic and dedication.