Not that anyone disputes Riverdale's, Science Hill's, Clarksville's and the Memphis schools superiority in the standings, but there may be other teams that will try to challenge the standings before the end of season. Mt. Juliet is currently in the top 10, but could raise their standing quite a bit before all is said and done. Franklin County has been showing stronger, and each person is allowed their opinion.
A coach is a coach is a coach...regardless the season. Coaching girls basketball in Tennessee, especially Middle Tennessee is probably one of the more difficult task any coach could take on as a challenge whether it be a sizzling summer or freezing winter. I don't envy one of them, for the fire is pretty hot in any pan in this state.
Transfers...interesting topic. This past school year Oakland has one(eligible), Mt. Juliet has one(eligible), Riverdale has one(eligible), Franklin County has two(1 eligible, 1 non-eligible), and Smyrna has four(three eligible, 1 non-eligible). All the eligible players are playing, per the TSSAA and the two that are not know when they will be eligible to play per the same authority, the TSSAA.
Many of the girls on several of the TOP 10 current teams, do play together in summer ball and play well on a national level. It is increidble watching them bring back what they have learned on the road all summer to their home floors during school ball. It's then very interesting watching them compete against each other during school ball. And yes...someone HAS to coach them and those few coaches who get the opportunity to work with that talent in the summer, take that knowledge of coaching home in the school season to better their own players who they do not get to coach in the summer per the rules.
Regardless,of where a team stands now, when these and other strong teams from Middle Tennessee split up over Christmas, they were all some of the strongest teams in their perspective tournaments and some of those tournaments were noted as some of the toughest competition tournys in the USA.
For this you can be certain, when a team plays here in Middle Tennesse for the most part, everything is left on the floor by all the girls playing, by the coaches coaching and by the team mangers keeping them all watered up during the game. It's stiff competition and any one in the TOP 10 now should be very happy. Any team that works hard enough to move into any of those slots by the end of the season should be equally as proud. I, for one, do not think any team is resting on their laurels and as the season progresses, the natural objective is to plateau to their highest evolution. Sounds like a lot of great ball to watch for the fans of all the teams, and alot of hard, unseen work, for the young ladies we will all cheer for by State Tournament time.