rajohnson31508

Can we please move on from this TOPIC!? Im sure there are several teams over the years that would love to have a RE-DO and/or RE-PLAY after getting the shaft from the officials at Smiddy Arena (Bradley Central). Get over it and move on!!! PS....Bradley blew an 11pt lead in the 2nd half that had nothing to do with the officials!!!!!!

What does Cocke County have this year?

How good will they be this year? How have they done in the preseason?

In a 32 minute game there are NOT enough minutes to realistically play 11-12 guys. You are taking away minutes from your top 3-5 players when you do this!!!!!! BOTTOM LINE>>>>>>>>>Keep your best 5 players on the FLOOR the majority of the time!

Any thoughts on this years boys basketball team? Who have the scrimmaged in the preseason?

What's the outlook for Cocke County this season? How have they done in their preseason scrimmages so far?

I must agree totally with all of your post. I know OR is young this year, but there is NO excuse for them to be below .500. They are extremely boring to watch, and play like they are scared to make mistakes. Not sure why OR hired Wortman anyway? Other than winning a GIRLS state championship (AA) in 1995 with Hickman County, what has he done? Didn't really win at LeVergne or Shelbyville and has jumped around a lot. Not to mention, he is a Middle Tennesse guy. His style of coaching doesn't fit at Oak Ridge! The athletes will not continue to play for a guy like Wortman. Bad hire for OR! Yes, OR is getting what they deserve!

I've had the opportunity to watch several chattanooga teams play this year, and I would say this could be one of the toughest AA districts/region in the state. Tyner, Brainerd, Red Bank, Howard could all make runs in post season.

Oak Ridge lost again tonight in an embarrassing loss to Hardin Valley who had only won 2 games in the last two season combined (tonight was their 3rd win in two years). I think Oak Ridge's record this season is 5-8...something like that. I'm sure Oak Ridge is down this year, but they shouldn't be losing to Hardin Valley. Any thoughts on what is going on with the basketball program at Oak Ridge? When is the last time Oak Ridge had a losing season?

I know Coach Jesse personally, and he will do a great job at Union County. Great coach and person!

I agree totally. My daughter had last period basketball in high school, and it made life on me a lot easier.

So your saying Oak Ridge should hire this guy because he has coached "less talented kids" and "had a chance to win most of the time" Did you really just post that? I'm sure that would convince the OR community that he is the right guy There are a ton of coaches that get a lot out of their players not sure that makes them a candidate for this job.

Winning a state championship at Pickett County (Single A) 15 years ago does not make him a lock for the job. I can name several coaches that have state championships on their resume that are not very good coaches. I also think there are other coaches that have applied for the job that have won state championships (dont know that for sure). Ask yourself this, if Buck is such a great coach/hire WHY IS HE STILL AT STONE MEMORIAL? I'm sure he has tried to get other jobs in the past. Someone told me he has been trying to get out of crossville for years, and now all of the sudden he is the leading candidate for the Oak Ridge job. I don't see it

I have seen him coach...not impressed! If Im not mistaken, this is the first year that Stone has won the district, and the district was down considerbly from years past. I wouldn't even consider that a strong district. How did they do in the region...think they lost in the semi-finals? Yes, they had a good year, but lets not jump to conclusions. Simply winning the district is not the standard that Oak Ridge has set! Look at his body of work over the last 15 years. At Cumberland Co. he struggled to win there year in and year out. At the time, it was a very large school (over 2,000 students?). Their are several coaches in the area that compete and beat some of the top teams in their district. I wouldn't say that qualifies them for one of the better jobs in the state! A guy that has been in Crossville for 15 years is not prepared to handle the Oak Ridge job. Nothing against the guy, but he would be a terrible hire!

I must disagree TOTALLY. What has he done at Cumberland Co. and Stone Memorial over the last ten years? Plus, coaching at Oak Ridge is just a little different than the environment he is used to at Cumberland and Stone Memorial. I can't see Oak Ridge making that move, especially after the splash they made in getting Blade from Hillsboro. I feel they can do A LOT better.

Give us a hint of who and why you think that

I'm sure he's doing a great job at GP, but does not enough experience/success to handle the Oak Ridge job.

How can you say a guy is the best fit for a job, and he does not have any head boys coaching experience at the high school or college level. I've said this before and I will say it again....it will be a little different coaching Oak Ridge boys compared to Maryville College (Girls), Roane State (Girls), and Oliver Springs (Girls). Its a totally different animal....regardless of what you say. Also, how can you say that one would have more free time coaching at the college level? Are you serious? Everyone knows that college coaching (at any level) takes up more time than coaching in high school. How do we know that Wright left Oak Ridge on good terms anyway. Seems fishy that he would leave oak ridge for an oliver springs assistant position? Just a thought......

I can assure you Oak Ridge will not hire a guy just because he coaches an AAU team with one or two future Oak Ridge players. Give me a break. Stewart would not be a good hire for Oak Ridge! To be honest, I have never heard of the guy.

Come on now...don't put words in my mouth! I never said anything about taking Green over Wright. Jody just won back to back state championships. Jody would be the front runner for most high school jobs in the state regardless of the competition.

Anyone that has coached girls and boys basketball would tell you there is a huge difference. This is a discussion for another day.

Yeah I have watched Green coach at Cleveland when he beat Jody Wright (Fulton) and Mark Blevins (Bearden) during the Super 16 at Bearden. Also watched him coach Cleveland in the Boys AAA State Tournament in 2005.

I totally disagree! Coaching the girls at Oliver Springs, Roane State, and Maryville is TOTALLY different than coaching the male athletes at Oak Ridge. I believe that coaching girls is a different world. Plus, the only head coaching experience he has at the high school level is Oliver Springs Girls.....I wouldn't make the hire! If Aaron Green is interested in the job you would be crazy not to hire him. From what I understand he has two kids now, and is wanting to get back into high school coaching if the right situation comes available. The college lifestyle is not the right situation for his family. It should tell you something about Green if Pearl is wanting to keep him on his staff. I have been told that Pearl has created a spot on the staff for Green this next year. So to say Green would leave OR as soon as a paid assistant moves on doesn't make sense considering he has a chance to stay on staff now. Green was successful at Cleveland (similar demographics to Oak Ridge), and has two years experience under one of the elite coaches in college basketball. Not to mention, the success he had as a high school and collegiate player. Its a no brainer as far as i'm concerned.

Not sure if Clarence would be a good fit since he does not have any head coaching experience and I think there are some skeletons in his closet as well. Just my opinion! Aaron Green would seem like a great fit considering he had success at Cleveland High School (similar to Oak Ridge), and has two years under Bruce Pearl as well! He played at Tennessee under Kevin Oneill and Jerry Green. Aaron is an excellent coach and person. Oak Ridge would be lucky to have him. Who is David Scott and where is he coaching now? I have never heard of the guy........not trying to be mean either

I know from someone thats close to Aaron that he withdrew his name when they called to request a 2nd interview. That was early Monday afternoon. Thomas said he turned down the job on Tuesday. Timeline suggests that Thomas was offered the job (if he even was offered) after Green withdrew his name. That would make sense considering it was down to those two guys.