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Cait is a tremendous team player - it's just necessary for her to score for her team to win. Also, she's a great kid. Anybody who criticizes her for being a hot-dog is way off base. Even if she were an average player, she's the kind of kid you would want on your team. She's emotional and competitive. Too bad that offends some people.

Typical is right - I wonder how many times over the years Austin-East has gotten away with hand-checking and physical play.

Justin Hare - hands down!!!

Baumann does a great job and is a good, Christian man. I'm happy for him and his players. They have had a great year considering who they had to replace, although the young players there last year were better than most people realize. The program should be consistently winning 15-20 games and contending for region berths each year. Baumann does it the right way - hard worker, intense, and very classy. Nelson does a good job every year. Granted, the past few years he's been loaded with talent. But it's not fair to criticize him for not winning when he doesn't have talent. Say what you want to about coaching, talent is 90 percent of the battle in high school basketball. Coaching plays a big role, yes, but not when there is a big gap in the talent level. There are many coaches with poor records who do a great job, but no matter what they do it would be difficult to win. Likewise, there are coaches with great records who don't do that good of a job because they out-talent most people. Nelson is a good coach. Will he win the district next year after he loses Tipton and Gaskin? Probably not. But that doesn't make him any less of a coach.

Chuck King would be a great choice - played and coached at Carson-Newman before getting his own program.

Most of us would agree that Gulmire is a little better than everybody else at this position, but here are few comments on some others that I've seen play...Burroughs is exceptional, having hit buzzer-beaters to beat Bearden and Heritage, and he provides great senior leadership...Bennett would have to be on this list, but he does play a lot of wing for West out of necessity...Eakins isn't really a point guard, but is one of the better wing players in the area...Haven't seen Plumlee play...Dye does a decent enough job, but he has weapons all around him, inside and out...I've seen a couple of others that are worth mentioning - Cameron Sharp at Halls and Grant Snoderly at Heritage...Sharp is only a freshman but has a tremendous future...Very quick and an excellent ball-handler...Snoderly has been hurt most of the year and isn't 100 percent now, but he should be outstanding next year...Hard to tell who Bearden's point guard is, but White has tremendous potential and I believe he's young for his grade - should be a freshman age-wise.

Very impressive year for the Govs. It just shows what hard work and unselfishness will do. Baumann does a great job and is very classy. Could be a real force in the district and region tournaments if they shoot the ball well. Should be real dangerous next year.

Catholic has a nice team, but their schedule isn't that strong. It is difficult for the AAA schools in Knoxville to play them because in District 4 they are locked into 14 league games and District 3 is locked into 12. Those schools don't have as much flexibility with their schedules, and Catholic does. That's not a criticism - just the way it works. I don't believe anybody has backed away from playing Catholic because they are a good team. I wonder how many tough games they sought out. It's just hard to consider them one of the best in East Tennessee when they haven't played any of the following teams - Bearden, Farragut, South-Doyle, Fulton, Austin-East, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Clinton. These teams beat up on each other, and sometimes that takes a toll in other games.

I think this how the teams would be seeded as of now, but there are several key matchups left, so this could change. Not sure if I'm accurate on these seeds anyway. I believe Maryville, Farragut, Bearden, Heritage and Sevier County are locked in at 1, 2, 3, 7, & 8. The 4-6 seeds are up for grabs, and that is key because 4 gets a first-round bye and the 6-7 winner would have to play Bearden at Bearden in an elimination game, which nobody wants to do. W-B, West, and S-D will be fighting to stay out of that 6 spot. W-B has an advantage because they've beaten South-Doyle twice and West once, with one more game against the Rebels. 1. Maryville - best two players in the league in Andy Tipton and Tyler Gaskin...rest of their players know their roles and fill in nicely...well-coached...big and athletic...probably the tournament favorite, but can be beaten. 2. Farragut - have several seniors that have started since they were sophomores...team chemistry is better than in the past...have so many weapons with players that are versatile...good athletes and good size...Greg Gibson is capable of big numbers every night...don't really have a true point guard, but are so talented at other positions it hasn't mattered much. 3. Bearden - not playing as well as everybody thought, but are still very good...will be hard to beat in the tournament on their home floor...depth will help them at tournament time...If their guards are shooting well they are really difficult to beat...Holiday is tough to handle inside and Domsic is underrated...Sibley has really stepped up lately...If Holiday is in foul trouble they could struggle against teams that handle their pressure. 4. William Blount - probably the best shooting team in the league...Hard-nosed defensively...Aaron Eakins changes everything because of his range, and other players have stepped up for them, especially Jordan Glasgow and Alan Stewart...They rely on the three-pointer a lot, so a bad shooting night could get them in trouble...Lot of young talent - could be a real force next year. 5. South-Doyle - outstanding point guard in Tate Burroughs and Logan Johnson is a matchup nightmare...Adam King is playing like a senior should and Andy Mapes has stepped up to hit some big shots...Lack of depth could hurt them...Burroughs hit buzzer beaters to beat Bearden and Heritage...Still a bit hard to figure out - have wins at home over Bearden and Farragut but were swept by West and William Blount...Probably the one team that could lose in the first round and just as easily make a run for the title. 6. West - lost a lot of close games but also have two big wins over South-Doyle and a win at home over Bearden...always have a chance because they are so athletic...Don't have lot of depth...Two good posts in Sekou Tyler and Lateef Michael...Anthony Bennett is one of the top five players in the league...Dropped in 34 in a loss to Heritage and took over in the win against Bearden...Need some other guards to score and they need to force turnovers...Everybody feels like they can beat them, but nobody wants to play them, especially if Bennett is making shots...Very dangerous team. 7. Heritage - playing better lately with a win at West and a close loss at home to William Blount without two starters...probably better than their record because Grant Snoderly missed five weeks with an ankle injury and Justin Bruce missed about 6 weeks...Those two make up the starting backcourt...Cody Russell has emerged as a scorer and Neal Leatherwood is solid in the post...Don't have a lot of depth, especially in the post...need to shoot the ball well to win...Could be dangerous with the return of their two guards...Don't match up well with Bearden or Maryville. 8. Sevier County - a little better this year because most of their kids started as sophomores last year...more competitive in some district games, especially at home...Brett Book has been a pleasant surprise for them, and Philip Chaney brings them some savvy and toughness...Shoot the ball pretty well...Beat Heritage at home, but the Mountaineers were missing two starters...Played Farragut at South-Doyle tough in Sevierville...Playing with more confidence.

I would agree with Knox West - they've lost a lot of close games, but have some good wins, including a 10-point win over Bearden. Gibbs is around .500, but have some quality wins and have played a lot of other people close. Heritage has played for a good part of the year without two starting guards, who are now back. They pulled a big upset at West last night. Campbell County is better than last year and they seem to competitive in most games and have a good win over South-Doyle. I'm not sure of their record, but Morristown East looks dangerous, and that's a program that isn't used to consistent success. Decker does a great job there.

Heritage has a good shot, but there are other good teams they must go through. The region tournament final four, barring an upset, should be Heritage, Powell, Oak Ridge, and Sevier County. You could roll the dice regarding who wins the championship or even makes the sub-state. Winning is particularly important because a trip to Greeneville is likely for the runner-up. Too close to call on this one.

An impartial observation on Tony Fox after seeing him play once: Plays very hard with a lot of emotion...Takes some bad shots and makes some bad decisions, but also makes key plays...Seems like a good leader...Emotions get the best of him sometimes, but sometimes his emotions pick his team up...Kind of guy you would like to have on your team because he so hard-nosed...Will be very difficult for him to play on the next level...Not too sure of the quality of Catholic's schedule...Haven't played any of the better teams in Knoxville area (Oak Ridge, Clinton, Farragut, Bearden, A-E, Alcoa, Fulton, Karns, South-Doyle), so their record is misleading...But they are a better-than-average team.

They're all good coaches - hard to go wrong with any of them. Marsh and Nelson are having great seasons and Baumann's team is better than most people thought after losing almost everyone. Rines is having a rough year, but Snoderly's injury just wiped them out.

Randy Moore (Seymour) - very classy, and one of the best coaches in the area...probably the most underrated coach anywhere - been to state semis with both boys and girls at Seymour. Gary Petko (West) - one of the nicest guys in coaching

A comment on Catholic - very well coached, play well together and play very hard with great help defense - Fox makes some bad plays, but also makes big plays and plays with a lot of emotion - got to admire a kid like that. My only gripe is their strength of schedule. They beat a good Baylor team in spite of a great effort by Jonathan Adams and beat a good Sullivan Central team early, but they haven't played any of the better teams in Knoxville - Bearden, Farragut, South-Doyle, Fulton, or Austin-East. They do a great job, but need to fatten the schedule up a little bit.

Sounds like Sevier County's fans are whining a little bit too much. You got beat - get over it and grow up!!! As for Brooke being a dirty player - If anything, she isn't agressive enough. I saw her play last year and thought she needed to be more physical. Isn't it also time to give Randy Moore credit as one of the best coaches anywhere?

Lee is now playing about 15 minutes a game and shooting the ball very well. The knock on him so far is that he hasn't been shooting enough. That just shows how unselfish he is. I think he will get better as his career progresses and enjoy a good four years at UF.

Why all the talk about one game? These teams will play again in a few weeks and could meet a third time in the district tournament. It isn't really a make or break game for either. Comparing common opponents is worthless because there are so many factors involved in that - where the game is played, injuries and illnesses, good/bad shooting, officiating, matchups, etc. Farragut is probably a little better because they are more athletic, bigger, and deeper, but if S-D shoots the ball well they can win because King and Burroughs are playing great and Johnson is a matchup problem for most teams. It should come down to small things like free throws and which team's role players play well/poorly. I would expect both teams to play well. Farragut is ready to get off their losing skid and S-D is playing with a lot of confidence. I'll take Farragut in a close game, but I could see S-D winning the rematch in a few weeks.

Top two are Heritage and Sevier County - could go either way or maybe a tie. South-Doyle, Farragut, William Blount, and Maryville are all about the same - different strengths and weaknesses but all are dangerous. Don't know much about Bearden. West is weak.

Rushawn Reeves is definetly higher than honorable mention. I would add Tate Burroughs from South-Doyle.

I think the game was a little closer than 15 - more like 6 or 8. Heritage looked really good in the summer but have had some problems. One of their starters lost his father to a sudden heart attack last week and they've had some players out with the flu. They called off what should have been a pretty good scrimmage with Pigeon Forge last week.

Heritage beat West by 6 or 8 in a scrimmage at West. West also lost to South-Doyle by about 15, to Pigeon Forge and Kingston. I'm sure they are missing some football players. Don't know much about East.

If you want to debate who will win the game, fine. But it shows a lack of class to get on this board and put down the education program at Fulton. That is slander to the hard-working teachers and administrators there. Debating football is one thing - slamming educators is another. I thought this board was about football.

Best I ever saw in person were the Collins brothers from Jeff County, James Stewart at Morristown West, Dante Hickey at Cleveland, Stefan Scotten at Cleveland, Andy Kelley at Rhea County, Todd Helton at Central, James Bates at Sevier County and a running back for Oakland named James House or James Rouse, I think.

Any thoughts on District 4-AAA. This would include (alphabetical order) Bearden, Heritage, Farragut, Maryville, Sevier County, South-Doyle, West, William Blount.