bbjunkie

YOu are correct to clarify the top 100 by position vrs overall. The rankings have fluctuated in the low 80s to 90s by position. No misleading intended. where are the other players listed by position or otherwise? There is a great difference between mid major and high major but take every player in HS basketball..how many play any college? whether it is private Independent, Naii low or high D3..D2 D1,,,when you get to D1 you are a very select few. This is in relation to the sportswriters opinion not in comparison to the very very best players in the nation. I am familiar with many high school players and teams as it is what I do so I dont wish to disrespect any players but for the sake of BB when the sportswriters only focus on who scored most it detracts from so many factors, Most teams do best when 3 or more players hit dbl digits, when you out rebound, out DEFEND, out coach, out hustle becuase you are in better physical condition for the 4th quarter...that is the heart of the game. Players growing up in this culture of sportswriting think if I am high scorer then I am on my way to NBA. (note Iverson who cant win because he cant share the ball). The illustration of guards was to demonstrate how crazy writing has become and maybe for players to be accountable to a higher standard so that they too can get a chance to play college

Shaughnessy the 6'9" center from Grace Baptist academy. He is 85th in the NATION per ESPN. He was selected pre-season regional top 5. He in his career has shot over 65 percent from the field and over 80 percent from the line. He has only 3x in his high school career been outscored by the opposing center. He made all tny team (MVP), all state team ( all players in state) and STARTED in the All Star Tn East west game. HE was signed D1 with Charleston Southern in the Big South. Maybe sports writers should focus less on high scorers (one is recognized in this poll scoring over 20 a game while shooting under 35 percent from the field and as a point guard less then 3 assists per game!!!)The game of basketball is more than who shoots it MUCH MORE. Lets have a poll to find the best sports writers who have a clue.

Please tell me what teams maybe available for an above average 15 yr old post player in the Greater Chattanoooga area.

All the best to Manassas, you were the better team. Both teams played hard and clean. It is impossible to debate with those fans who use the game to hide behind their own insecurities.ie "my player dunked on yours" type of mentality but my responce is to the high school kids who want to progress in their game. Manassas exploited the gifts that Buckner has.. getting past the Grace guards and shooting 5 foot jumpers at will. That is good strategy. The game was close into the 3rd quarter (6point difference) when Grace tried a full court press to swing the momentum back their way. Manassas broke the press and hit two BIG threes in a span of about 20 seconds to break Graces will..double digit lead. Sometimes you just have an off day, we all do, and grace's best scorer had 2 or maybe 4 points up until the fourth quarter where the rest of his points were meaningless cause the game was put away already. Grace, didnt do a good job protecting the ball and threw it away or had it taken away far too many times for them to win. When you look at Shaughnessy's game he scored 10 points essentially in the first quarter and then didnt get the ball passed to him at the block for the rest of the game. He had about 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. Because Manassas was able to penetrate into the lane he was often the lone defender against 2 or three players and without his speed in defending agaisnt multiple players the game would have been much uglier for Grace and alot earlier. Shaughnessy isnt being persued because he has already signed with D1 Charleston southern University during the early signing period. Outside of Buckner he was in my opinion the second most effective player out there. So again, Good luck to Manassas...lets enjoy this game whether we win or lose with class.

As stated previously, Grace nation thanks the Grace players for being willing to sacrifice from your individual talents to forge yourselves into a team. Here are some unsolicited recommendations: 1. Keep trusting eachother ...dont try to take over Individually 2. Play every minute as though your are down by 2 with a minute to go. 3 Watch your video tape ALOT. We need to Call out screens/picks. We need to get past the screen or fight through everyone of them. The better teams you will face can shoot the lights out on uncontested 3s..contest everyone of them ,one way or the other. Arms wide at all times. BOX out with all your heart and soul. 4. The further we get away from Chattanooga the more it would seem the refs are going to let you play so expect it rough ..dont get caught up in that just focus on the goal..win as a team. 5. Fundamentals..less turnovers=win, more rebounds=win, more free throws made=win. DEFENCE=WIN 6. Size up your competition...if they are slow- OUTRUN em..smaller-Go INSIDE pass high. sometimes we make it complicated. Keep it simple . Enjoy every minute! stay humble and with good sportsmanship ..play with honor. ANy other suggestions for our players? GO GRACE!

The refs are human and the job is difficult...VERY difficult. We cant expect perfection but what is hurting refs credibility is INCONSISTANCY. Clearly the Chattanooga refs where I am from generally call alot more fouls then any other region, all near fouls, near over the back, near reach ins and all bigger players get 2x the calls against them then smaller players. On the west and mid state there seems to be much less of that. With all do respect, and again it is a VERY difficult thing to do, the refs, atleast in our area must improve so that the players can compete in all regions of the state on an equal footing. For the refs who are putting the effort to really improve your game we applaud you and the others we need to do something about. I am calling TSSAA for one to register my dismay at how our area with so few refs are doing. It really is impacting on the game we love.

If Grace continues to play as they have recently with INTENSITY, SELF SACRIFICE, and CHEMISTRY then I say to college coaches RUN to see them play before other coaches do. The College coaches I have spoken to all have said essentially the same thing, that the individual skills are important but does the player make his teammates better when he is on the court. For example, Brandon Herman who has always been a scorer has now made almost unbelievable gains in his game. He is Defending Hard, rebounding and passing better and better. Fuquon Harper, always a threat and a disruption due to his speed, is now making better and better decisions and making the higher percentage choices needed from a point guard. Terrell Church has shut down his opponent completely and has made so many clutch baskets when the game could have gone either way. Taylor Wilson is a beast, especially on the offensive boards and is also reading the defence better inorder to explode past it. Individually ,the players are good and recently as a team they are outstanding! The Team has made Grace nation and the city of Chattanooga proud.

Anyone can and often will beat anyone on any given night. For Grace, the fans will look for consistancy, to be mentally tough at all times, not just up for regional rivals, etc. Good Luck!

What does everyone think are the keys? Going in Temple has the advantage, essentially playing a "home" game. Hopefully, the referees will do better than their second game at Grace, too many flops and refs suckeered into calling fouls which the offenses initiated. Will Grace play as a team? It seems sad that the Grace guards are told they have D1 potential when they either don't see or refuse to see the OPEN man (ie 3pt shooter in the corner or their center completely sealing off his defender). Unless you are a 6'6" phenom as a guard you MUST show you can pass. Maybe your own scoring will lower alittle but forget playing at the next level if you can't win because you wont pass to a player who has a higher percentage shot. The game should be close and maybe the adage, "whoever wants to WIN more" is the largest key. looking forward to it!

I posted on another thread where a rival player, the center for Grace Baptist academy, at their opponents gym at CSAS fouled out where he was run into three times with his feet on the ground and his arms stretched overhead and the notable thing was that the HOME teams crowd was booing the calls and were shaking their head in disbelief. Is it incompentance or bias to call fouls on players who position themselves and play it as passively as possible short of running away from the play? The TSSAA receive the fans money on every TSSAA event and they are responsible for this ultimately. I and my buddies are going to be at all of these games between Temple and Grace and CSAS filming each referee and each call so we can try to stop the refs from being the focal point. As I followed the teams last year through the state tournaments the refs demonstrated that contact is part of the game as long as it doesnt throw the other player's balance or shot etc and that when a player takes a run at another player to sucker the ref into calls they are savvy enough to see it.

Temple, CSAS and Grace all have their strengths and weaknesses but as so many have said previously it depends on two major factors. One who "comes to play" and very sadly the referees who PUNISH players who work their tails off to defend as much as to score. Case in point is the CSAS and Grace game where the refs fouled out Grace's Center. He was run into 3 times with his feet planted on the ground and his arms totally stretched overhead. The HOME crowd was shaking their heads and complaining about this regarding a RIVAL player having his game stolen from him. This demonstrates that good teams and fans want to beat eachother fair and square..my best team vrs yours and do not want the refs incompetence or bias to impact the game. So I am looking forward to the playoffs hoping that the teams "come to play" and the refs allow the players to compete fully otherwise we could do away with the game and the just go unto a 3 pt shooting contest.