koufax32

Lilolme was right, there is no need to apologize. The Giles girls just took the long way around to get to LC. Is it true that at one time they were enrolled in three different Mid-State public schools? How many "visits" did they take? How many telephone calls were made? How many coaches were contacted? Homeland Security would be challenged to find out the answers to these questions. Health issues, family issues, driving issues all are legitimate concerns but where does the truth stop and fiction begin. Any coach in his/her right mind would love to have the girls; but dealing with the Mother may be more than a coach can bargain with. She may not fear Mr. Bernard Childress; she just might get to meet him at some point and time as eligiblity forms go in to the TSSAA. Is the package all tied up, nice and neat, with a bow? Time will tell! The one person that ought to be fit to be tied is the Giles County coach, he has to play them twice. And I believe that the real estate market in Lawrence County must be avoiding the current recession; in case you cannot read between the lines that is oozing with sarcasm. No apologies to me, I got this one right from the very start. Hwy 64 West is just a little more crooked that I even thought.

Congratulations to SC, a big road comeback win. Down as many as 15 and 10 going into the 4th quater to a very good and well coached MJ team on their floor in the new school is quite an accomplishment. To get mommentum and apply the pressure and hit big shots with J. Graves out and H. Dawson feeling the effects of a cold is just awesome. This team can go a long way when it plays like they did this past week in beating Lawrence Co. and MJ. C. Phelps, K. Whorley, K. Johnson, C. Buchanan, and others stepped up and got it done down the stretch. There were doubters going to MJ after the Wilson C. debacle, but this team has the capacity to prepare and take the game plan and go out and execute and when they get excited they are really good. Hats off to Coach Burkey and his staff as well as the players for a memorable game late in the season.

Mercy, mercy controversy! I know a coach that always wanted to know what was going on in the teams he played in girls basketball. He liked it when the other teams were in turmoil. Bad chemistry causes a team to give less than their best. Sounds like WC is a victim of controversy. Letters and meetings by interested parents and fans are well meaning in most cases. Coach Eades will not quit the job until she is ready and I believe her brother is the AD...so I don't see him firing her or easing her out some other way. Is there an answer? WC should be better than it is in grils basketball. WC has not been really good since Mike Shockley left several years ago, I believe his team had the last 20 game win season. The next coach was not able to sustain that success and the program fell into the doldrums of losing. I know what it takes and it is no real secret and I have already expressed that in an earlier post. Turning around a program can be so remarkable; don't give up...there is someone out there that given the time can lead WC to competitive girls basketball. Remember Rick Insell was just looking for a job out of MTSU from Cannon County when he started in Shelbyville. Now he continues to win at MTSU. Remember the old addage, misery loves company, so if you want change go for it.

More intrigue in the Tullahoma girls program. Rumor control says that a meeting is taking place this pm to discuss what to do about Coach Seals. Parents and interested adults are upset with his treatment of players. Is changing coaches really the answer? Again, look at the feeder schools and they have won a combined two games thus far and East beat West in their first game. East has 8 players and a new coach while West has the same coach for the last three seasons, I believe. Coach Seals should be frustrated and if that manifests itself into a tough stance taken with his team, that would be acceptable as long as the language did not include profanity. THS has no post game, limited dribble penetrators, and a bunch of catch and shoot girls that are small. They have not grown much or improved much since the 8th grade. Plus the psyche of THS girls is thin because no one in the school or community really expect them to win. Meaning it is easy to give up and/or to look for someone else to blame and it is easy to blame the coach. Coaches are hired to be fired, but Coach Seals has not been given enough time. There is no easy or quick fix and any immediate help does not appear to be on the horizon. The highly educated persons attending this meeting won't be around in two or more years. These people are the now and winning is not going to happen. Frankly, there is not enough talent, strong work ethic, dedication/commitment, and support from the community/school to produce even a mediocre 12-12 record. The situation is not hopeless; just difficult to say the least. Give Coach Seals five years, make changes at the middle schools espcecially at West, allow him to work with the players that are willing to work as much as he can; the culture of girls basketball must change from the ground up before you will see any significant improvement. Why would a 6th grader or outstanding 5th grader, and they are out there, want to play for THS? Parents, today, would drive 30-50 miles to give their daugther the opportunity to play on a competitive and contending team. The results of today's meeting should be shared with Mr. Landis and from there with Coach Seals and that is as far as it should go, but stranger things have happened. It is funny a coach at the middle school, a great teacher, can lose 19 of 20 games let's say and keep the coaching job and a high school coach with no material gets fired for venting to players that get most of the quality playing time and can't produce even though they are good kids. Look at Coach Muckle at Coffee, he is winning a few games with smoke and mirrors, i.e. little talent. But Coach Muckle is relentless and knowledgeable; a tireless worker and he has an AD that is behind him 100%. Watch out parents your meddling might help CC beat you next time and therefore send you on that long, winding, cold ride down Hwy 64 for a date with L'burg in the district tournament first round, and the uniforms go up again til next season.

Why are there so many posts on Tullahoma and Warren County girls basketball? There are similarities in the two programs. Both programs have been somewhat inept in girls basketball. Why? I believe the bottom line reason is both communities don't really care that much about girls basketball. Warren County has elementary basketball and middle school basketball to feed the high school. If the people who make the decisions about coaching could come together and treat the situation as a problem that needed to be solved, I believe Warren County could be more competitive. Hire coaches that teach the fundamentals and really love working with children/young girls. Coaches that want to coach and not people just to fill in and don't really care. The middle school girls coach should be an arm of the high school staff. That coach should be included in the philosophy and strategy of the high shcool, not on his or her own to just coach. There needs to be continuity throughout the girls program. Elementary players need to know the high school coach. The high school coach should be visible at the middle school games. The high school coach should have an inexpensive camp in the summer for the girls of the county. In the Spring and Summer months the high school coach should help find qualified coaches to develop talent by way of travel or AAU teams. The gym at WC should have designated times for young players to come and workout, but not to violate the dead period of the TSSAA. Good PR by using the newpaper and radio to let the people of WC know what your team is doing is another way to promote the program. The answer is really qite simple work, work, work, study the game as a coach, and promote and pray that one day that "great player" happens to come your way and they will. But if you languish in woe is me and woe is us, that "great player will leave and go somewhere else and end up beating you over and over. If I had a daughter and all she athletically could be is a role player, but she really loved the competition, I would see that she had the opportunity to play in a positive situation where the coach and community cared about girls basektball. Did you see Ronnie Carter's interview? Crazy things have been done to get a child eligible to play in this state. That will not happen in a community that does not care and Tullahoma and WC don't really care. Look at the girls that leave THS and go play elsewhere. There is a formula for success some just choose not to follow that path. The Coach at WC is fighting a losing battle, she works hard, she is knowledgeable; I don't wish her bad luck. It is almost like she is beaten down by the circumstances, but give her credit she has not quit. Tullahoma on the other hand changes coaches at the high school quite often; though I believe the present coach is safe for awhile. Coaching should be fun and I don't think it is fun for too many at WC and THS.

The Rebelettes seem to having some difficulty within the ranks of 8-AAA, losing to Lawrence County on the road and then losing at home to Lincoln County. The old grads and fans had to be disappointed with the loss to LC, since it was the 40 year reunion of the 1969 team that won the STATE. FC was fighting for second, but now will have to get some wins to finish 3 or 4. Three teams are 3-3; FC, LC and Columbia. District 8-AAA is half way through its schedule. A two girl offense makes it difficult for FC. The Rebelette offense is predicated on a number of quick hitters primarily for Zimmerman and Cunningham and when they are contained the rest don't seem to be able to make up the difference in a close game. Coach Wild will make adjustments and we will see what happens as the season moves on. I am sure he is looking for someone to step up and have the confidence to make big shots. Congrats to Shoma and Jan and the rest of the '69 Champs, kudos to you.

You are right about the strength of MJ and WC. They are both well coached and are two fot he stronger programs in the state. They both have great tradition, even though WC is a relatively new school. Had MJ hit a decent percentage of free throws they would have had a real shot at a big road win. MJ also lost the point guard too many times as she hit 4-5 three pointers. WC looks vulnerable to the press and at times does not transition to defense, losing sight of just where the ball is as both teams moved down floor to the MJ end. In the end Hassell did what a Miss Basketball does and secure the win with her play. A great game for the spectators and fans, almost a full house. The teams play hard and for the most part play efficiently. Either one oculd be in the STATE but there are potholes along the way and one will likely stumble.

It may be difficult to find good coaches on the middle school level, but I am not sure the principals in the Tullahoma system give their best effort. It would take some time and networking to find and contact interested candidates with the necessary teaching credentials; but it could be done. Principals are paid to work toward having a well rounded school both in academics and athletics. In many cases it is who you know and even who you are related to that gets a propsect the job. So don't tell me it is too difficult to find qualified people to coach in the Tullahoma system, a system that pays better than most of the ocunty systems aorund the area.

Responding to the topic, Riverdale is playing really good basektball and they are physical. Look for RHS to win by 10 or more!

Noticed the FC victory over Rhea County this weekend. FC must have 14-15 wins by now. Only time will tell what this really means to the program and or to the coach. Seems like nobody cares too much one way or the other based on the responses. Does apathy reign in FC or is support lying dormant until football makes a comeback at the Winchester school?

Coach Jerry Lott gets a well desrved honor from the community. Having know him for years, I know he is one of the "good guys" coaching girls basketball in high school. He is a knowledgeable and dedicated teacher/coach. I am pleased and proud to be a long distant friend.

I will not use this venue to give a scouting report on SC. I, too, was dismayed by the way SC lost to Morristown W. Coach Burkey and his staff work diligently to prepare the team for the opposition. Maybe it was just one of those games, where MW wanted to prove something. After all Coach Burkey has coached against MW before since his days at OR and Greeneville. Maybe it was just an off day for the Eaglettes. Previous scores against quality teams show that SC can perform at a high level. The best teams sometimes don't show up and play their best. Coach Burkey will reevaluate the situation and make the necessary decisions. Hats off to MW they have a fine team and should do well in their district and region with the capapbility of making it to Murfreesboro. SC has the same opportunity, with the girls on the same page, they too can go a long way on the tournament trail. Greeneville is the best girls tournament in the State without a doubt. The teams are really competitive, the fans are knowledgeable and dedicated, and the administrators are first class in how they run the tournament. No wonder so many coaches want to bring their teams to this venue during the holidays. It is first class all the way.

Was it a decision by an administrator to remove posts concerning comments about the two middle school girls (BMS)? Is this a taboo subject or should I be savvy enough to realize that this is treading on shaky ground? If so, I understand; but whoever is in charge should realize that more people know about this than they realize. Maybe the TSSAA thinks it is unwise to allow comments on a subject being checked out. All I have heard is second hand information. I see nothing wrong with stirring the pot. I just want to see who is willing to ocme out and comment one way or the other. Call it insinuation or old fashioned gossip, but when recruiting is questioned, where there is smoke there is a fire. In a perfect world the sisters would stay in Pulaski and play later at GCHS. This may get me reomoved forever from the message board.

A break! The LC defenders come out even on Christmas day. LC has been contacting Loretto girls for years and getting away with it, mainly becasue it is aobut playing time. The BMS girls are about elevation of the program. I would not expect Mrs./Coach W. Scott to be directly involved, I'm not saying that; but she knows about the girls and that is the bottom line and if there is anything going on in the area of recruiting she is hearing about it, though indirectly thru a 2nd or 3rd source. And did she attend a basektball game involving the BMS team recently? Quasi recruiting goes on everywhere, the TSSAA does not have a staff big enough to control or stop it from happening. They have rules and they expect the membership to follow those rules, sort of a self police system. A monetary fine, suspension, coach lose a job, and embarassment are the results of recruiting and being found guilty. The Mom can make the decision on her own, stay in Pulaski or move. This is the USA and people/families have the option to move as they see fit. So don't be sanctimonious over there west of Powder Mill Hill. Recruiting happens! But please, don't think they are moving to Chapel Hill.