knoxbball

Yea I moved to knoxx for job purpose but recession sent me back home. No reason to change names

I say this being a Melrose Alum and went to every game this season. Its dangerous to predict scores or margins. This is just for fun and not and exact science. These are kids and u know they can go nuts at any given moment. That being said the Golden Wildcats are ready. They have been battle tested. They have played on the big stage starting at the Arby's Classic, so they will not be camera shocked. JJ will go 9 Deep and 10 if he has to sit Nate any time. Melrose has been in some really huge games over the last 3 weeks. Games where up to 1500 fans have been turned away. They have played a variety of different teams. Central huge team (OT win), Southwind tremendous 3 point shooting team (Blow out), Played White Station twice 1. District Championship game (win) 2. Region championship game (Blow out), Jackson Northside with stud Prather (Blow out). They are coming into this game playing their best all season. Getting out of Memphis was the roughest it has been in years.

Terop I agree with the ref issue. Melrose plays aggressive defense. If they have ticky tack refs it could cause a problem. They will just have to adjust. I was at the sectional when they played Jackson NS. The refs were not from memphis and from the opening tip they had the rule book in their hands and called everything albeit on both teams but it can come back and bite a team like Melrose. Melrose had to get such a big lead that the refs could not cause a problem. On these zone teams u have to run everything, get lead and like u said make them come out of the zone. All these teams going to have nightmares trying to defend WS and Melrose. WS u have to focus on Joe. Melrose little more difficult. Melrose and WS has played on big courts many times this year and won.

I think at this point of the season Melrose and White Station is more battle tested. The Loss Melrose had to White Station is a distant memory. They have played them 3 times since, 2 in Championship games and It was not pretty. I think they had that adversity and got better over it. Even the coach. The big wins over Central, Southwind and White Station 3 times has proved that. White Station is battle tested also they went to a wild Dyer county and handled business. At this point its going to take more than one player. Its got to take a team effort and some good coaching. White Station must have other players step up. One of their bigs really need to have a good tournament. Melrose big 3 Jones, Rucker and Thomas must play as they have over the last month. If they have any of the other guys on the team play well it will be trouble to everyone. I dont think neither team will be shell shocked because they both have played on the big stage many times. Over the last month they both have been in huge games. White Station took out Ridgeway twice within a couple week. This should be very interesting. Im hoping they both make it to the big one again.

abe the draw is tomorrow morning. And the teams in the same region will play opposite bracket

I agree. When the brackets come out this board should be on fire. And Hopefully all the stupid topics are over and we only talk about the games of the week.

And it would have generated more if the powers that be would have had the games at bigger venues. Trust Me White Station and Melrose will bring huge crowds next week.

AAA yea

Saturday morning here is the brakets link http://www.tssaa.org/2009Champions/Stat ... racket.htm Appreciate you knoxball. I was just wondering... I graduated from Melrose in the same class as Joe Jackson's aunt and remember his dad and uncle playing on the Melrose state championship team back in '78. Nino was at Melrose last year. Would you or anybody else on the board happen to know what other players on White Station's team have Orange Mound Ties? All I know of right now is Nino. I wish he had stayed. You talking about a huge help to Nate on the Inside. But it has worked out for him also, so im happy for that.

Saturday morning here is the brakets link http://www.tssaa.org/2009Champions/Stat ... racket.htm

Commercial appeal of the game http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/20 ... -wildcats/

As Traderb said yes. It was typical Melrose Defense. Jackson is not even in the same league as Melrose. From the opening tip it was over. The lead was up to 30 at one point. Melrose big 3 was unstoppable. Chris Jones 32, Adonis Thomas 18 and Nate Rucker 18. Nate and Adonis put on a dunkfest with alley-oops and rim catchers. The Prather kid had trouble with players his size or taller. He could not shoot over Adonis and on several attempts he double pumped in mid are and chunked something up. He also was forced to play defense which is the reason he fouled out. Nice crowd and Congrats to the Golden Wildcats for heading to the state.

End of first Melrose 25 Jackson NS 10

I called the School and they will not start selling tickets til 5pm. Another Stupid move. But this is coming from TSSAA

True Jody. If everyone returns it will be interesting again. Should be Melrose, Southwind and Central. as the top 3.

Yea Trop With Hollimon getting Offered from NIU its so great for orange mound. They will be ok next year. They going to miss Jones Ruthlessness, Nate's Toughness and Hollimons 3's. Adonis will be able to shine because he will be the focus. They must get the young big kid with some toughness. He will not be Rucker but he is taller just need to stay on the court all summer.

Terop u are correct. We loose Rucker to NIU and its rumored that Hollimon will be going to NIU also. No way Jones will get a hardship so Im sure he is gone but Wilkerson is just a Jr.

Yea guys give updates during the game at DC and Us guys at the Melrose game will do the same

I think this went away from Melrose vs Jackson NS to Prather vs Melrose which is so unfair to the rest of the players. As big a fan as I am of Melrose I hate it when People do all this player and that player that stuff or Adonis this Jones or Rucker that. When we do that we make the players more than the team. Again lets see who is the better team on Monday night. Nobody is taking away anything from Prather he has earned it. But look back on all the post from the first and see where any of us clowns from orange mound said any one of our players was going to be unstoppable. All we have been saying is our TEAM

Ok this is going to turn into who has got the bigger you know what. I dont care if he get 80 points Im only concerned with the win. The Pressure us adults put on these kids is just stupid. Adonis is not the best player on Melrose team. He is one of the great players on the Team. Hear the key word TEAM. We got Jones, Parks, Wilkerson, Hollimon, Ced, Thomas Hampton and Rucker down low. Thats a Team then some. I hope he do go for whatever we been there done it many times before. Teams that beat us do it with team play. Not 1 on 1. Ask Joe Jackson. He going to learn real quick that u got to play defense. Melrose fans lets not even get into this. Monday night at 7 will end all this.

I think who is a better player right now is an argument that has no merit. The question is who has the better team. Because I think the best team will win this game. Jackson will see team defense and a unstoppable offense. What makes Adonis a special player is just what jody said. He dont have to score big. Its the other things he does. If he is having a big night hey even better for the team. They must keep up the pressure, rebounding, pounding it inside and just have that fierce mentality. Jackson will have a big question. Who do u focus on? Answer!! U cant because they have a team full of scorers. If Jones is off no biggie they will go to the next option and so on.

A Video I saw posted that will give everyone who has not been there an Idea of what to expect. The gym is huge and look like it can hold quite a lot of people http://exposureroom.com/members/AkinVid ... df67b5767/

Melrose is back to early season form and even better. White Station was no match for them tonight. They played a very good defensive game. Nothing else to be said. Go Golden Wildcats.

White Station = Joe Jackson. Really dont have to say more. They have a 1 - 2 record against Melrose this year. Melrose has won the last 2. White Station has two big post in Marvin Williams and Nino Johnson. Everything with go thru Jackson. They will Play man to man and some Zone. White Station's Andre Hollins is a streaky shooter but when he is one White Station is tough. If he is not It will be hard for them to beat Melrose. Melrose Is loaded. At least 7 D1 players on the roster and could be more. PG Chris Jones is a Scorer, Adonis Thomas great wing hard to defend. Nate Rucker dominate post player that will bang and dunk on you just ask Nino. Jermaine Hollimon 3 point Threat. Bobby Parks jr Slasher. Telvin Wilkerson hustler. Devonte Hampton grew up a lot tonight so there u have it.

Great Job White Station. Joe Did what he does. He was is deff in a Zone. He even embarrassed Black on a fast break,. I have no clue why Black jumped. U just knew at the end Joe was going to win it. But I give the game ball to Nino. He out Played Black. When black got the ball in the post he looked lost going up against the taller player. Nino scored and rebounded. In game 2. Southwind came out on fire. Every player that took a 3 hit it. Melrose is battle tested now so they did not fold. Eventually Southwind's shots started falling short and Melrose started converting. Melrose ran off to a 20 point lead but southwind went on a run late in the 3rd. 4th Melrose was just too much Chris Jones. Jones was unstoppable. Scored at will. Southwind is a great shooting team but for crying out loud U got to post that big kid sometime. They did not play outside in they played outside outside then outside. Game Ball chris Jones he was on another level.