downtown247

Any news on the new coach?

They could play the tournament at one of Morgan County's fine correctional institutions. Plenty of great parking, excellent security, and time to visit relatives between games. All joking aside, I don't see anything wrong with a school playing host the tournament. However, it should never be the same school year after year. Maybe Wartburg, Oneida, Jellico, and one other school could get on a rotation. That would be fair for all parties. The same schools should have to bear the travel burden every year. That's not right.

Oneida is plenty large enough to host the district tournament. So is Oliver Springs. Seems a bit unfair to have same school host every year.

Is the Mobley kid going to play?

I think Wright is the better hire. He is fairly young and energetic and has a great track record of success at multiple levels and locations. He will do a tremendous job at LC as long as the parents stay out of his way.

If he leaves it's for the money...I can't imagine that he would leave a team that is a potential state title contender to continue the rebuilding process that Wortman started at OR.

The 1 million drills you speak of are important for skill development which in essence when a coach is developing a player's skills he or she is teaching that player something. Also a coach has to be able to tell a player what they are doing wrong. If the coach cannot do that because the player is not mentally tough enough to handle it then the player should play rec ball instead. I am afraid that we are creating a sports culture in which kids can do no wrong and coaches are simply supposed to endure the thoughtless mistakes without correcting them for fear of hurting their feelings. Coach Lee always expected his players to be students first. However, this does not mean more playing time for being an honor student (no decent coach does that). I've never known Coach Lee to play "favorites". The girls he put on the floor were there because they were the most talented. If that bothers you then clearly your little princess is not quite as talented as you think she is.

I can assure you that if he stepped down it was not because he wanted to. I have been hearing that Coach Lee was going to be fired for about a week now. I think this entire situation is flat out pathetic. The administration at LCHS has no character if this is true. Coach Lee has given everything for this community. He has served as a teacher and coach for more than 30 years. It seems to me that some loyalty should be shown to Coach Lee for his many years of tireless, dedicated service to the unappreciative people of Lenoir City. The parents that Coach Lee has to endure truly believe that they should win championships at LC. This is a difficult thing to accomplish when Farragut, Maryville, and Bearden (among others) have significantly better talent each year. Those are the teams in their district. When you add Oak Ridge and Powell into the regional mix you are looking at an LC team that isn't even top 5 as far as talent is concerned. However, I can say for certain that Coach Lee is a top level coach. The parents and members of the administration at LCHS should be ashamed of themselves for the way they have treated Coach Lee. Good luck LC on finding a coach that will put up with your garbage!

I can't speak for Team Hustle but I know that Adidas does sponsor the Celtics and Pyro. They have sponsored the Celtics for a while now and Pyro is a new sponsorship that began this year. The Pyro investment makes a lot of sense because they were able to compete with the Travelers and the teams from Memphis last year. Just because a company cuts some sponsorships that are not considered fruitful does not mean that ALL sponsorships have been cut. Businesses are always looking to make smart investments no matter what the economic climate is like.

I think everyone will be shocked by the OS team when they play Grace. It has been a decade since OS last made it to the boro. I can promise you that Grace is in for the fight of their life. NOBODY has as much heart as the kids from OS!

Thank you to all who have responded to this post via email. However, we no longer have a need for a big man. Thanks

As a proud member of the last team from OS to go to the boro I am extremely proud and excited for the players from OS. I am sure they will make us all proud.

I know now that these teams are not yet matched up. I looked at the bracket on this website and it appeared that they were. All that being said, what do you think of the entire single A bracket? Who should win?

Oliver Springs is making their first appearance in the state tournament since 1999. They have a talented team. They are matched up with Wayne County in the first round. What does Wayne County have this year?

Oliver Springs 49 Hampton 43! Nice game! Spanked our butt!

If half of what is being said is true this is going to be bad for Grace. The last time they got into trouble I thought it could have been an honest mistake, but now it looks more like a trend.

I agree. Wilson dropped 36 on Fulton, I can't imagine East having anyone that can match his combination of size and athleticism.

I know the rule has been in place for a while now, but it seems a bit much since OS added an entire section of bleachers approximately 20 rows high behind one of the baskets about 10 years ago. They would add more but they don't have anywhere to put them. It just seems like TSSAA is punishing the kids for something they have no control over. That gym will seat roughly 1,000 people .I don't know where they will play the game. But they should be playing in Terry Hacker Gymnasium!

I heard a rumor that Oliver Springs is no longer allowed to host tournament games due to a lack of proper seating. Does this rule apply to the sub state game that they SHOULD be allowed to host since they won their region? If it is true then this rule is ridiculous! This is another obvious attempt by TSSAA to make as much money as possible by forcing a venue change due to number of seats! For a single A school OS has good seating.

Wow now...Just curious who has Tyler Hood signed with?? Anyway to your point. Hood might be great and congrats on his signing to continue his education and basketball career but a lot of kids get snubbed for the list. It's only three spots. Now your point is valid for Adonis Thomas because he has 3-5 other D-1 caliber players with him but Joe Jackson and Prather's team would be nothing without them. In AAA Memphis, White Station would be last in the district. Jackson Northside would be the same way. They wouldn't have any size without Casey.. Hood signed with Samford. But that fact is totally irrelevent since the award is HIGH SCHOOL MR. BASKETBALL not "The Kid that Signs with the Biggest School" Award. LC would have no size without Hood. Without him they would be starting 6'1" post players. It is obvious that you are a Memphis homer. Hood has been named All State, 2 Time District MVP, and broken every school record that stands at LC. I find it extremely hard to believe that White Station has no one to go with Jackson...They are ranked nationally most years. I'm sorry but you do not get ranked in the USA Today Poll by having one great player. It just doesn't happen!

The fact that Tyler Hood is not a AAA finalist is ridiculous. He is the best player in AAA in East TN. He has been the MVP of his district the last 2 years and is a division 1 signee. While Hood is not a high major signee I think this award should be based on what you do in high school only, not who you sign with. Hood is more valuable to his team than Jackson, Prather, and Thomas are to their respective teams. Without Hood LC would be at the bottom of the district and would have already been eliminated from tournament play.This is not a lifetime achievement award!

The officiating was awful for both teams, but it appeared that Fulton got the majority of the calls. They always do. I came away from the game very impressed with Coach Blevins. FYI the kid in the student section with the huge mustache was AWESOME!

Meth must be really popular in Loudon. I've never even heard of your freshman. He couldn't carry J. Hall's shoes.

what position does this kid play, and how big is he?

Tyler Hood should definitely be a Mr. Basketball nominee. He was the MVP of one of the toughest districts in all of Tennessee as a junior. He sees numerous double and tripple teams every night and still puts up huge numbers. However, it is not just about his stats. His team is winning games.