Asitis

I haven't really seen any evidence of him being left out of conversations about being one of the best in his class?

I guess you could say that I was probably guilty of getting involved in that as well. In my opinion, I think the move to D2 plus having talent (all be it the same kids just older) seems to have revived that fire that Coach Russell was always known to have. What I just said sounded good, but I think you know the real story. Sadly, win and your a great coach, lose and you're not. Just the mind set of today's society and the sometimes over involvlement of disgruntled parents. Getting after it defensively comes with knowing you have a chance to win if you ask me? Face it, I'm not on here to bash D2 by any means, yet there are some pretty weak teams in the smaller division? Even so, you are playing in the classification that was created by the powers be that you belong in, so winning is an accomplishment still the same? I personally wish they would schedule some non-district competition (outside of the Holiday Tournaments) just to see where they stand. Even so, not letting Russell of the hook completely. I still think he loses control every once and again with some of them and the substitutions seem a little sparatic. He's only playing 7 or so and sometimes he seems to let some of them get tired before resting. Other than that, I think he is doing a good job coaching to his strenghts and letting each kid know their role on the team.

I guess after watching the first part of the season, that is the thing that has impressed me the most. All of them seem to be leaving everything they have on the floor defensively. They still are not playing but 7 or so and I am afraid that foul trouble will be an issue down the road. Ball movement was better the other night. It is just a matter of time before all the pieces of this team come together. Looking forward to the Christmas tournament to see how we do outside of district play. Starting slow seems to be the norm, yet I am impressed with the way these kids are playing right now.

I understood what you meant, and I agree he will need to change positions at the next level. My point was only that at this level as far as the teams's success goes, he needs to continue to dominate inside until someone proves they can stop him. Like I said though...and if you've watched over the last couple of years, eventually good coaches will immediately drop 5 in the box with the first post pass. In my opinion, kicking it back out a couple of times and opening up the floor with Miller and the rest of them will only benefit him more with better looks? Although like someone said earlier about doing something this year or next, my thoughts are that it needs to be this year. Miller and Pierce are 3 year starters and only Glover, Mayhall and Winslow will be back next year (and Fendley will be a Junior). They will need to find that true 2 guard to fill Millers shoes and handle the pressure. I just think that although next year they will be fine..it needs to happen this year. The move to DII was the best thing they could have done, yet in my opion, this is the best team Russell has had in a while. As with the football team, it will hurt them come tournament time to have some very weak teams in this classification. When you ease through with easy wins for weeks, you suffer when you actually have to play someone? I do disagree with you about JCS however. I don't see much there nor a lot of room for improvement. They just seemed to throw shots up (one kid actually hit the cheerleaders with a 3 I think). Bowles is a great athelete but not a baskeball player. As the kids mature and size becomes less of an issue, that dominance you had over the years based on atheleticism and size disappears. And why you start the 4th quarter with your JV team didn't make any sense to me either. Yes, you were probably down 20, but stranger things have happened? I've heard the same about Glover....mid-major. I am afraid he has gotten stuck in that mid-size range where another couple inches of height would have propelled him to a whole other category. Ending up at a school where he has to play the post has not helped him either and limited his ability to progress as a 2 or 3? Either way, you know how hard he works and I look for him to prove most of the nay-sayers wrong. Barkley was 6'-4" if I'm not mistaken. Good luck to this team. They will find out soon enough just how special a time like this can be.

This team has all the potential in the world regardless of the competition (or lack there of as some have stated). As long as they play together as a team and put personal numbers aside, the sky is the limit. Sometimes they get a little (or a lot) one dimensional and it will not take long for talented teams to collapse and shut down the inside game. Miller can light it up, yet seems to be in a little slump right now Knowing how hard this kid works, I can assure you that he will not stay there long as was evident over the last couple of games. Glover is fun to watch yet I disagree with utfan3 as far as needing to step out more. Why would I do that if NOONE at this level had been able to stop me to date? I think he needs to kick it back out every now and then which only open up the middle for him that much more. Right now he seems to be destined to go to goal regardless of the situation and ends up sometimes with some very difficult shots (which he still makes more often than not!). Miller needs to move to the 2 and stay there. Not sure what position he will be asked to play at the next level but Mayhall needs to run the point and let Miller shoot. Mayhall is not a scorer and EJ will better benefit scoring wise from the off guard spot rather than the point. This would also open up more opportunities for Mayhall to drive which he used to do very well. Pierce, Winslow and Fendly can all shoot extremely well, yet are getting very few opportunities to date. Involving these 3 more from the outside will not only open the middle up for Glover yet create penetration opportunities for Miller and Mayhall. Grady Hall is a welcome staple in the middle. You see an entirely different team in the game when he subs in. Ball movement becomes the goal and the outside game becomes more prominent than with Glover. It's an added dimension and look that will be something teams have to deal with. Overbey is the only other really getting any playing time and provides some rest throughout the game for the others. He's rusty as far as basketball is concerned and should be of more help later on throughout the year. This should be a fun team to watch throughout the year and if they learn to play together, they will only get better. Let's can put personal goals and numbers aside and realize that they have a chance to do something as a team that they will remember far longer than what their stat line said for one specific game. If you haven't had a chance to see Miller and Glover play you should.....it's worth the cost of admission for a true basketball fan.

This might be where you are wrong. So far getting "hot" seems to be the worst thing he can do. I just don't understand it. Mayhall is the point guard you are referring to and is probably one of the most hard nosed kids you will ever run in to and will be a huge assest from a defensive standpoint. Although.....anyone that has seen him in years past knows that he does not shoot the ball very well and at 5'-2" or so tall has always made a living driving to the basket......something he is no longer allowed or engcouraged to do. The kid from Middleton you are talking about is actually from Bolivar and supposedly came to USJ as a Senior from Bolivar. The fact that noone has ever heard of him should tell you something. That and it only took one team camp to see where that was headed and I don't see him lasting very long. He could be an asset, yet will not fit in to that system or style....AT ALL. Miller and Glover have the potential to play at the next level....without a doubt. The sad part about it is I honestly feel they will suffer from this experience. They will constantly be held in check and forced down to a team level. There are a couple of kids that come off the bench that can shoot yet you can see the frustration in their eyes having to spend 35 out of 40 minutes watching balls bounce off the side of the back board. As long as the offense goes through the appropriate number of progressions and passes.......Bricks seem to be allowed. He kept one rising freshman this year who promptly came off the bench last week and hit 4 threes in a row or so. That is very frustrating to sit and watch from anyone's standpoint. Two of the better shooters are actually sophomores who I think have figured out that there is really no place for them in this system. You have to fit a mold to earn playing time and sadly, shooting is not part of it. If you don't have all the other tools needed....you will not play. Coach to your strengths and use them all.....defense is the name of the game but there is also a reason there is a scoreboard. Put some numbers on your side. This just needs to change. These kids have one opportunity to live these specific 4 years playing a game they love. I am starting to understand why so many have quit out of frustration over the past many years. Like I said....track each one from the time they came and other than growth and general maturity.....none of them will be better than they were in the beginning. Most will go from "Living for the game" to dreading most if not every day of it during the high school season. Once again.....JMO

You may very well make a few valid points relating to attitude but I can assure you that in the JCM game previously mentioned, attitude had nothing to do with it. It was almost as if the light bulb came on and the thought of "wow, I'm only down three" came on and the result was taking out the only two players who were capable of scoring. It really made no sense whatsoever....none. Talk about team camps as playing different players in different combinations, yet only about 6 or 7 played this game and for some reason, being close to winning was good enough at the time. I have a trememdous amount of respect for Tommy Russell. He is one of the best "men" you will ever meet. He has proven himself in the world of coaching longer than I have been alive, yet anyone close to this situation would be talking about something they know nothing about if they thought this was now a good fit. Keeping true to form of years past.....there is no room for the individual in this program. Before I get bombarded with "team sport" and no "I" in team comments, let me explain. Every team has one or two players that excel above the rest. You can still be a great "team" player, yet put up numbers and contributions that exceed those around you......that's just part of the game. When the over-emphasizing of "team sport" becomes more important than allowing your scorers to score and possibly win....It becomes a problem. Every coach has that "favorite" type of player. Coach Russell has always been the type to favor the aggressive, in your face type of kid that spends every ounce of effort causing as much chaos as possible. Who doesn't? Only problem is, if you continue to try and make basketball players out of football players instead of developing your basketball players in to more aggressive players themselves, you will continue to suffer and not win. Defense is the name of the game, yet if I hold opponents to an average of 20 points a game while only scoring 15.....I still lose, bottom line. That along with the fact that the kids that can score are either too scared to shoot for fear of being pulled or don't even see the floor will lead to the big move to DII that some were so optimistic about as being no change whatsoever. If anyone doubts what I am saying, that is certainly your opinion to do so, yet if you get a chance.....go watch a couple of these kids play in a different setting and then compare that to what you see them do here. It is truly night and day. If you can't see the disgust on some of their faces and do not truly see that, for the most parts, these kids will leave not being as good as they were when they came. That alone should be reason enough for change. Russell is here to stay and in my opinion will be here as long as he wishes. As long as this sport has this priority at this school and the "connected" ones remain happy.....why would he leave? Like I said.....Great Man.....I just personally believe the drive and desire to win is no longer there. JMO

Word on the street is that you would have to play with more than one ball for anybody other than these two to get a shot off. You really can't expect to get on here bashing the upperclassmen without some sort of comeback can you? When your post player thinks he's a shooting guard and your point guard's priorities are drive, shoot and pass as a last resort.........you will lose. That combined with a 25 year old offense and a stand around defense will you up to the 4-9 record you are sitting at. 9 being the loss today.

Bruins all the way.........just poking at one of them........he knows who he is.

I'm still waiting on the "lethal mid-range jumper". Maybe he was talking about JV.

Doesn't look 6'-7" to me.....think the height is exaggerated. But I do think he guest-starred on Entourage Sunday night.

Based on the initial description, I think if he actually existed we would have already seen him talking to Bryant Gumbel on Real Sports. I am afraid the joke is on us.

Not what you said. Maybe you should have said "Trinity does better in it's district than the others"??? I responded to the comment you made.....not what you later meant. Could really care less, just thought it was an vague comment based on absolutely nothing.

Your kidding, right?

That was mean.

I am a woman.

Even though I have no idea what you just said......You are right, I am sorry.

Is there a set number of nominees? For him to be included, would someone else have to not be? I agree that with a clear consious none of the others could be taken off the list, yet not many conversations about High School football in West Tennessee did not have this kid's name mentioned at least once. Rediculous.

My guess would be he goes to which ever school you picked him up at yesterday????

Wasn't talking about you.....was talking about kid that was going to "outball" me. I never said that, but you do have a good point.

couldn't have said it better.

My mistake........now go to class!!!

Read farther back.

Brackeen will never see the floor? You know nothing more than the kids names. All of the Sophomores and three of their freshmen will play before him?????

Very good point. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />