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This years group of seniors may be the best there is for awhile. They did well in middle school but haven't developed much since. The administration doesn't want a basketball program. As far as Snipes, he is only as good as the talent that comes out of the rec centers. His record reflects that. Great guy. Not the answer as a coach. Heard he teaches kids to stop under the basket so when you miss a layup, you can rebound your own shot. Would be wise to have them attack the basket full speed with the expectations of making your layup. There was a coach Tucker at East Middle that did a good job with the girls a while back. There was a tall McDonald guy that coached at West Middle that went 19-1 with sub-average talent (except a red head that I believe was his daughter). She scored 38 points in one game against our cross town rival and scored 24 against our box-n-one we tried on her at CCMS. They beat us twice and we have a lot more kids to choose from. His sister played at MTSU. I don't know if he was the one that played at the University of Tennessee or not. Anyway, I'm sure THS will go another route as usual. As far as THS basketball future, the same as it has been. No commitment from administration to develope a program. I've said it before so I guess I'll sound like a broken record. The tallent on the court this year was about as good as has been in Tullahoma in a while. The senior class of last year wasn't too shabby either as far at Tullahoma basketball goes. However, the total talent pool isn't being used in Tullahoma. Success in other athletic programs in town such as soccer, volleyball, softball and track has watered down the talent pool. Given the opportunity to play for a winning soccer, or volleyball team or play for a struggling basketball program doesn't pose much of a choice.

PH, I think you're off base on this one. Most of the time I agree with what you have to say. But, if I'm reading this correctly, you're saying that Tullahoma is getting girls to move to Tullahoma just to be swept away by Shelbyville? No one that I know of in the last 6 or 7 years has moved to play in Tullahoma and then been gobbled up by the program in Shelbyville. I can only think of two girls that have moved from Tullahoma to Shelbyville and neither ended their career there. Both of those girls started their basketball in Tullahoma. We've only had one girl in that time frame move to Tullahoma to play and she did end her career here. On the other hand, I haven't seen an exodus to Coffee County from Tullahoma either. I'm just not sure where you're getting your info. I still think Tullahoma is very capable of competing if we get a good coach in that is willing to promote the program and keep as many girls as possible interested in the program. Oh yeah, the administration will have to keep him/her around for more that a couple of years.

If the ball lands any where between the lines and stays there it is a fair ball. I've seen some teams eliminate the front, plate side corners when lining off the fields. That is probably for just that reason. Another thing I've seen alot of in the last 10 years or so is an umpire calling a ball foul just because it bounced off of the plate. That is another call that has always driven me nuts.

If it were only as simple as TALKING about the games on a message board

Being on both sides of this situation at one time or another, I think I'd like to chime in. First of all, in 2 1/2 innings, the coach didn't have time to turn around twice, much less put in any JV. The varsity needs work for at least 4 or 5 innings. Since there was a JV game before the varsity game, the JV had their chance to play. On the other hand, if CC didn't do anything distasteful to intentionally run up the score, as the losing team I would have to use it as a learning experience. Everyone in the district at one time or another has gotten "dusted" by CC and the good programs find a way to get better and bounce back. It may not be this year or next but getting embarrassed should light a fire under the coach and the players to keep this from happening again. I hate to play and coach games like this no matter what side of the score you end up on but sometimes everything falls into place and someone gets beaten bad. Even to pro baseball teams win or lose by big scores from time to time. Sorry for the team that lost, but I'm sure the CC coach will have his work cut out for him too in keeping his players' heads on straight after a win like that. That sword cuts both ways.

Here's another situation that was unbelievably funny after it was over but I got abused from the stands over it during a minor league game. The batter took a full cut at the ball and got just a piece of it. The ball hit the plate and bounced about 6 feet in the air. As the ball came straight back down the catcher, still in a full squat in the catchers box, reached out with his mit and trapped the ball on top of the plate. I walked from behind the plate, removed my mask and signalled a fair ball by pointing out onto the field. The catcher picked the ball up, threw it back to the pitcher. The batter took his position in the batter's box for the next pitch, the pitcher looked in to get the signal from the catcher and I was still standing out by the plate signalling fair ball. All this time, none of the coaches had a clue what was going on. At that point I figured it was pretty even odds for the offense and the defense so I leaned over between the batter and the catcher and whispered, "that was a fair ball". The batter took off running and the catcher started yelling at the pitcher to throw it to first. The ball beat the runner to first by about a step.....AND THE FANS WENT WILD as did the coaches.

I used to umpire quite a bit and was very good at it too. This situation brings up a play that happened to me one time and the fans went wild on it. I was umpiring a little league all-star game. At the time, the field umpires were eligible to call the infield fly. We were working a 2 man crew and there were runners on first and second. I was set up behind the short stop in the grass so I could keep up with the lead runner and stay out of the infield. The batter hit a towering fly ball that was going to fall about 5 feet into the grass behind second base. The short stop ran over and called the ball and was sitting there waiting on it to come down. I called "infield fly". The short stop and I saw the center fielder flying in and he was yelling that he had it. The short stop stepped to his right a couple of steps to allow the outfielder to catch it. The outfielder didn't get there in time so the ball fell to the ground and all HECK broke lose in the stands. Both runners took off running, the fans were yelling, and the coaches on the offensive team came running out screaming at me. The lead runner got thrown out going to third. The coaches were saying that because the ball was hit into the outfield grass it counldn't be an infield fly. Needless to say, it took a couple of minutes to get everyone calmed down. I know I made the right call because the short stop had time to camp under the ball and then move, but the fans and the coach really thought I had blown the call. Just another example of no one (including the runners) knowing what the rules are or why they are in place.

I guess I may be too conservative. I've always looked at a squeeze as a BIG GAMBLE that I would use as a total win or lose situation. A "safety" squeeze is just as effective and it doesn't put your runner in peril. I agree that you play to your strengths and if I have a player that is a great bunter, I would definately use her in that role to move runners or to even squeeze. I agree that agressiveness is an attitude generated by the coach. I've always been of the opinion that if you push the other team into mistakes you stand a better chance of winning a game. Every team is different though and every team has to play to its strenghts. As a matter of fact, most coaches will chose players that best reflect their approach to the game. If they like to play small ball they will usually keep as many fast, agressive, slappers and bunters as they can. If they like to play long ball, they will usually have a team full of bruisers that can knock the daylights out of the ball. However, some teams don't have options and they play with who they get. A good coach in that situation must be able to adjust to the players that come to play. I think that bunting is a very important part of the game that doesn't get taught enough. I've always been of the opinion that if a player can bunt and slap, they will be able to hit and they will also be some of the toughest players to strike out. By the way, SORRY I USED THE WORD "IDIOT" IN MY EARLIER POST. I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAME OVER ME. I'll temper my coments more.

Bad situation for the player although she's not through. She'll be playing for Motlow next year. She's a solid ball player and Tullahoma will miss her while she's gone. Actually I'm hoping by some miracle she'll make it back for the end of the season. One of the hardest workers you'll ever run into and she loves the game. I haven't counted her out yet.

I agree that bunting and slapping should be part of the game if you have the athletes that can run. I know as a coach, in the past we have used slapping as more of a defensive strategy at the plate when you run into a dominating pitcher (especially in the younger age groups). It seems that if you have a dominant pitcher sometimes your defense tends to be weaker because they don't get as much work during games. However, if a team has the speed to bunt and slap successfully, it ads a whole new demension to the game. You don't need to do it all the time. Just the threat of a fast slapper or bunter can make a defense (and coaches) tight to the point that they make mistakes. That could mean a run or two every game. Maybe you wouldn't be losing those one run games. But I don't think all coaches know how to coach it properly so they ignore that part of the game and sit back and wait on the big hits to come. I for one think that bunting and slapping makes for a more entertaining game and I wish all teams did it. Any coach that would give a straight steal and a bunt at the same time is an idiot. Just for that reason.

I'm not picking on you "onpoint" but you are one of many who has commented on the competition between basketball and softball. Last I checked, the sports are played at different times of the year. Soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and softball in the spring.

Well folks, the situation is so complicated it might take a mathematical genius and a psychologist to figure it all out. A lot of folks talk about fixing the problems with the coach. Some talk about fixing the problem with the "lack of support and interest" in the school system. And still others think that their budding stars will fix the problem. Personally, I think it will take a combination of all of these and more. Remember the age old question, "was it the chicken or the egg that came first"? Well in this case everything has to start together at the same time. Honestly, there are many, many athletes in Tullahoma that are capable of contributing to the program that have chosen to do other things. I think before the program can be as successful as it should be, the high school team has to consistently show potential to compete game after game. Notice I didn't say win, I said compete. Then if you have one of those majical years when you are successful beyond expectations, it will light a spark that could turn into a fire. Every successful athletic program in Tullahoma had that moment when the light switch turned on and everything fell into place. Once that happens, if the right coach is in place, things begin to happen. It all starts from the top. The head coach should drive the program from the top down and put everything in place to give the program the best chance to be successful. We've been trying to drive it from the bottom up. The school system has to go out and find that energetic person who is willing to put in the many, many hours it will take to make it happen. The school system should also help in every way they can to put coaches in place at the middle schools that support the high school coach. Maybe even let him help select who gets those jobs. And in conclusion, the coach and the parents are going to have to be patient. At best, I think this will be a 5 or 6 year endeavor. It could take as much as 10 years. GOOD LUCK TO THE NEXT PERSON WHO TAKES THIS JOB.

First of all I didn't say she was the best athlete in school, just one of them. Secondly, basketball was the only sport she played or wanted to play. Thirdly, she started at point for every team she had ever played for through her freshman year. He cut her when she was a soph. A kick butt mentality by the coach is needed ............. sometimes. Let me ask you a hypothetical question though. Let's say you went to your job every day and you absolutely love doing what you do. And let's say that you aren't very good at your job just because you haven't done it long enough to learn all the ins and outs of what you are supposed to be doing. If your boss calls you in the office once a week and tells you you're lazy, worthless, stupid, and have no talent, is that going to make you better at what you do? Does that make your supervisor a good boss?

I have to take up this conversation when you start talking about Tullahoma competing in girl's basketball. The fact is that the program is at rock bottom and it has been for several years. Building a program from the bottom up does take time and it does take some patience on the coach's part. The athletes are in the school. They have been for years. The girls are very competitive in all other sports including soccer, track, cross country, softball, volleyball. So what's wrong with the program? Like you said, the coach has to play with the deck he's been dealt. In Seal's case, he doesn't seem to be willing to do even that. Several of the girls put up with his garbage for a year or so and decided to go somewhere else to display their talents. Some girls like Sammie Jackson (one of best athletes in the school) never made it past his first try out. If I were the coach I would be roaming the halls looking for anyone who could walk and chew gum at the same time. Granted, there are some great athletes on the current roster but there are twice as many who played until they got to high school and then never went out because the other activities offered better chances of success. When you combine the facts that the program is at rock bottom, not all the athletes are interested in playing, and the administration's disinterest in the program, you get just what we have. A HUGE MESS. I have to disagree with all the folks that think being dedicated to just basketball 12 months out of the year is going to solve the problem. When you force the girls to choose between basketball and the other sports that are out there, basketball will be left in the dust simply because ALL the other programs are more successful. I certainly don't know all the answers but I do know that not having the best athletes and the numbers needed to build a program puts Tullahoma at a disadvantage. My hat is off to the girls who have stuck it out. You deserve better. Better support from the community, better coaching, and better interest from the administration.

This is the exact point that needs to be made when this discussion comes up. I'm from Tullahoma and you can see that although we have been very successful in the past, when we travel out of the district, we are almost always playing schools that have more student. In the case of Tullhoma vs Riverdale, the student population is almost double for Riverdale. So, in my opinion, you can throw all the theories out there you want to about whether club soccer helps or doesn't help. As for me, I would simply rather have twice as many players to choose from when I'm forming my team