smalltown

Are there any play days November 5 around the Knoxville area?

Morristown West is clearly the favorite. They have a legit shot at going undefeated in the district. 10-4 or 9-5 might get someone second. The fight for 2-6 should be really interesting.

Wasn't talking about W-B, just Heritage. I've been out of the area for a while, but I think W-B has been pretty good for a few years up until this year? Also, weren't they pretty banged up? Had a friend that used to coach at Heritage - tough spot. I'm sure some kids care, just not enough to be good in 5A

Lack of talent and committment on the part of the kids, pure and simple

Two things I would say about the Jody Wright comment: 1. Most coaches get better with experience 2. Talent does make a difference, but you can't measure the success of a high school coach on record alone - many good high school coaches don't have a chance to have a winning record, because of the talent they have to work with and/or have to compete against. On the flip side, there are a lot of coaches out there with good records who have won only because of talent. In Jody's case, I believe it's both - he does have talent to work with and that makes a huge difference, but he is also a heck of a coach.

Todd Day was from Memphis and played at Arkansas, but he wasn't on the team that won the national title in 94. Corey Brewer could be on this list. He would be a senior but left a year early for the NBA.

Coach Decker was named assistant principal at the beginning of the school year. Since there was no time to search for a basketball coach, he agreed to coach for one more year. He will step down at the end of the season.

I'm a coach - have been for a long time. In my opinion, the Tennessee Thunder is a well-run, classy organization. I would feel very good if my son were to play for them.

David Palmer at Seton Hall would make nine. Shane Dansby, who transferred to Belmont and is redshirting, would make 10.

JD is a good coach. Central's talent is way overrated. They have decent talent, not great. They certainly haven't overachieved, but they haven't underachieved either. When I saw them play I thought they were average. They don't have the talent of OR, Clinton, Halls, Powell or West - key district opponents. They aren't far away talent-wise. I think he's done a good job with what he has. When is the last time a Central team was good, anyway? Nobody wins there. As far as the players not being fundamentally sound, a coach can only do so much. Most players that are fundamentally sound are the ones who put in the most time on their own.

I was at the game. There certainly wasn't home cooking, although Cait got the benefit of a block-charge call at the end of the first half that helped turn the game around. One of the other Heritage guards hit some big three-pointers against the AE zone in the second half that got the Lady Mountaineers back in the game. I really haven't seen anybody else in the area, but in my opinion these two teams are the best in East Tennessee. Heritage won the game because they hit free throws and AE did not. That's usually the difference in a close game anyway, and the free throw line is where this one was won and lost. As for Cait's injury, I would pray that she is OK. She is a great kid off the floor as well. Heritage certainly wouldn't be as good without her - nobody would. But they will still have a good team. They are still well-coached, have some other good players, and play good defense. They struggled without her last year, but they really didn't have time to prepare because of the timing of her injury and two of their guards were freshmen. If she's out an extended period of time, they will struggle some, but not nearly as much as last year.

Could someone tell me exactly what happened with Ron Bliss, and who is the Sports Editor there since he is no longer with the paper/

Is this the team sponsored by Mark Komara from Alabama

Although I don't agree with Gomab all the time, I would have to say he's right on this one. Doaks is very good. I didn't see the game in question, but often in high school it's possible to scheme out a player like Doaks and limit him somewhat. I saw it happen with David Harrison and Lorenzen Wright, and both those guys are in the NBA now. In my opinion, it's easier to do this with a post player because he is dependent on others to get the ball in his hands. It's much harder to shut down a great guard.

Chuck Benson wasn't hired in time to effectively recruit Corey Brewer. You can't blame that one on him. This year's senior class is really the first one he's had a chance to recruit.

For Memphis kids, there are a lot of elite schools that are closer to Memphis than Knoxville, which is a good 6 hours away. It's not really a negative that Tennessee can't get a lot of Memphis players - it's just a long drive and that certainly turns some players off. Memphis has never been what you would call a "Tennessee" town. There are strong factions of Memphis, Arkansas, Alabama, and Ole Miss fans and boosters there that sort of make it a divided city when it comes to college loyalty. I'm not an expert on geography, but I would guess that the Delks won't have to do much extra driving to get to Starkville as opposed to Knoxville. It was a good sign for Tennessee to get Tyler Smith and Matthew Dotson. Jamont Gordon would really round that class out. Keeping the best in-state players is crucial, however. Certainly there are a lot of good in-state players (not from Memphis) in the past few years that would have helped Tennessee.

Best game: AE/Fulton in Overtime Best coach: Jody Wright Best team: Fulton Best senior: Logan Johnson Best junior: Tony White Best sophomore: Cameron Sharp Best fans: Karns Best gym: Alcoa Best game by a player: Allen Dewyse (Pigeon Forge) hitting 12 three-pointers Biggest upset: Seymour over Fulton

I've seen everybody in District 3 except Campbell Co. I think Oak Ridge has the best talent and if they gel, they could make a run to Murfeesboro. Halls is dangerous because of Sharp...Karns can be great or average depending on how they shoot the ball...same with Clinton...Central is much improved and Powell looks solid...Again, I haven't seen Campbell County. I've seen everybody in the IMAC except Cherokee...Greeneville and Morristown East look like the top two, but Jeff County and Morristown East seem to be getting better...Cocke County is athletic and could be dangerous. Haven't seen anybody in the NE except Science Hill

I've seen everyone in this league play except West, and this is the most competitive (in terms of being even) that I've ever seen any league. Here are some thoughts on each team. I think I listed them according to their current district standing: 1. Maryville (1 loss) - no superstars, but they play well together and play good defense...in good shape at the top with only one district loss...seems like they win every close game with the exception of the Heritage game...Brewer is hard to guard. 2. South-Doyle (2 losses) - Logan Johnson is the best player in the league and they are very well prepared to play each night by Coach Smith...they've had a lot of breaks go their way so far, but part of that is because they are well prepared and play hard. 3. Bearden (4 losses)- best guard play in the league, in terms of both shooting and quickness...very dependent on perimeter shooting and they will have a hard time guarding the good post players, but their guards are good enough to overcome it...seem to be peaking at the right time...maybe the team to beat if they are hitting shots and their guards stay out of foul trouble...Tony White is hard to contain. 4. Farragut (4 losses) - best post play in the league with Bosse and Huckens...if their young guards play well, they are hard to handle...young guards mean they are sort of a mystery team, but if they mature over the next month they could even make a run back to sub-state. 5. Heritage (4 losses) - have become a factor this year...seems like all of their games, wins and losses, come down to the wire...they have a lot of guys that are inconsistent (will score 25 one night and 4 the next)...good guard play with Snoderly and Bruce, but nobody seems to play well on the same night...the tournament is at their place...win over Maryville hasn't built momentum, but they seem to be hanging around. 6. William Blount (5 losses) - started out great, then struggled, but looks like they are playing better again...Could easily jump back in the top four if they get on a run...dependent on perimeter shooting, but they usually play very hard and they are used to winning...the team nobody wants to play with a region berth on the line. 7. Sevier County (7 losses) - more talented than their record indicates...close losses against William Blount, South-Doyle, and Heritage...Book is a very good offensive player...enough talent to pull an upset. 8. West (8 losses) - would have some wins if Lateef Michael were eligible at the start of the season...very dangerous because of him and their athleticism...don't shoot the ball well...everyone says they are still playing hard, which is a credit to Coach Petko.

In East Tennessee, the best I've seen are Omar Wattad at Science Hill and Cameron Sharp at Halls.

1. There is more talent in West and Middle Tennessee because there is a much larger population base. 2. Several East Tennessee teams can compete at various levels - Unaka won the Class A title last year, and Fulton, Bradley Central, and Science Hill are all championship contenders in their respective brackets.

There is so much parity in the area, they easily could have won several of the games they lost. They will be a factor this season and come tournament time.

No particular order...more than 10..best players I've seen from each school: Cameron Sharp - Halls Logan Johnson - SD Rushawn Reeves -Fulton Isaiah Ray - Fulton Albert Harris - AE Aaron Eakins - WB Trey Brewer -Maryville Brandon Warren - Alcoa Justin Bruce - Heritage Jody Fersner - Karns Randy Henry - Webb Matt Parton - Catholic Brett Conner - Catholic Ben Williamson - Central Grant Domsic - Oak Ridge Tony White - Bearden Ben Bosse - Farragut Kyle Huckens - Farragut Michael Mott - AC Dandrus Whitt - Clinton Tim Blakely - Cosby

Halls is probably the most improved team in the area...Sharp is a special high school player...overtime win over Heritage and come-from-behind win over South-Doyle, both on the road, were key for the Red Devils...with so much parity, the team that wins the most close games and gets a few breaks will be the one that makes a run...early on, Halls is that team...I think Fulton will be the class of the area by mid-January when the football players get in basketball condition.

William Blount and Maryville are the best two right now, but it's early and there isn't much difference between #1 and #6. Farragut is 0-3, but could be 3-0 - they've had three close losses on the road. Bearden is still good, just not as deep. Heritage and South-Doyle will be in just about every game and could be factors with a few breaks. This should be one of the most interesting districts because of the parity...Lot of close games, lot of upsets.