ritz22

Just for your information, you are totally wrong! Coach Green did not say a word to the official. The official that made the call, that was a terrible call, was on the other side of the gym with his back turned and Coach Green just wave his hands and another ref (who by the way, who had his arm around Coach Smith having their usual friendly conversation before the game) that had been awful the whole game was the one that T'd Coach Green up. That ref didn't have a clue. I know that Coach Green didn't say a word and surely didn't deserve the technical. But you can mark my words on this...leave it to the Athens Association to make the game about them and not let the kids decide the game. There wasn't a fan in the gym that left Friday night without commenting on how bad the officiating was both ways. Good officials are the ones that go unnoticed and don't have to take games in their hands.

All you have to do is ask Rhea County's coach what happened and he will tell you for himself. He let the kids vote before the game to decide if they wanted to win or throw it and lose. The kids voted to throw the game and try to lose. They don't believe that they can beat Bradley and wanted to be in the opposite bracket in the region tournament. And yes, they chose not to guard the out of bounds play with 2.1 seconds left in the game and leave it in McMinn County's hands as to whether the game would go in overtime or not. Ask the coach that question too. He will tell you that he let the kids decide during the timeout right before that play if they wanted to just go ahead and win or still try to lose and they again said they wanted to lose. They decided to see if JuJuan could make the shot and he did to put it in overtime. Now if I were the teams that are in their bracket in the region tournament I would be out to get them. It is an insult to all of them that Rhea threw a game in their district tournament to be opposite of Bradley because they think they can beat every other team in the region.

I would like to make a correction. Cleveland boys did not lose to Farragut in an early season match up. That was the girls. The boys have not played yet.

I just hope her Dad will leave her alone and let her be a part of the team and enjoy her senior year. I fell sorry for her but wish her luck!

Blackgold--I have to say that your last remark was a little much and in fact, a bit immature! No one is GOD. I have seen Sequoyah play a few times and I think that Coach Hull does a fine job with his very young team. You have to remember that coaching 14 and 15 year old boys is always going to be a roller coaster ride because of their inconsistencies. With players that young (he starts 4 freshmen and 1 soph.) you have to teach so much more than just winning. You have to teach work ethic because many young kids that age have relied on talent not hard work. You have to teach them how to do the little things. Young kids don't want to do the little things...they want to score the most points because that gets their name in the paper. Playing good defense, making the next pass, rebounding, diving after loose balls...all of these are vital to success but they don't get you recogition in the paper. You have to work on their attitudes. You have to teach them to be a part of the TEAM not self! You have to teach them to find their heart and to play with that. I could go on and one but the point is that it takes more than just pure talent in kids to win. You need a coach that will work day in and day out to develop every aspect of a player. So many coaches would rather be handed players than have to develop them. You need someone that wants to develop them as people as well. The good coaches are few and far between. I know that Coach Hull puts in the time and wants nothing more than to develop his players. So if I were you I would be thankful that I had a coach as enthusiastic, as motivated, and as passionate as he is. A wise man once told me that Rome was not built in a day! Coach Hull will do a fine job there. If given the chance he will develop those KIDS.

About the officials--refs will miss calls throughout the game. However, when the game is on the wire and they don't let two great teams determine the outcome of the game that is just WRONG and certainly unethical! There is no way with just seconds left that an official should make the two calls that were made--a jump ball and a reach in. The jump ball was clearly a foul. Heck, Bradley was trying to foul. The reach in was clearly a clean deflection. It is just sad to think that two grown men can honestly cheat children and feel good about themselves!

You can start talking when you play somebody worth a flip! Meigs,City,Bledsoe,Seq.Co., You haven't even played a AAA team!!!!!!!

Yes, Cleveland is returning every starter, key players off the bench, and have a transfer point guard. BUT, there is another key component to this team that will return this year. Lavonte Barber is going to play. He played as a freshman but sat out last year to concentrate on baseball. Cleveland already gets after it defensively but by having Barber back into the mix takes it to the next level! If you look at every position for Cleveland, there isn't much that they are lacking. I don't think another team in the district matches up position for position.

Just so you know, Cleveland IS hosting the district AND the region.

How did Clevland do last year? Record? What are they looking like for this year. Their record last year was 21-11. For two years Coach Green has played young guys, which only makes him strong now. They return every starter from last years team with all the key reserves as well. They went undefeated this summer in camps. He has been preparing these guys for the past two years for this year and next. This year has the potential to be a BIG year...this is when the hard work will pay off!

One of the best young coaches that I have seen at the high school level is Aaron Green at Cleveland High School. Cleveland was fortunate enough to hire him as their head coach right out of college and he immediately began making an impact. He has the heart, passion, and knowledge that it takes to do BIG things and that is not easily found in most coaches (young or old). He has played and been successeful at the highest level in high school as well as in college, and he carries that over to his coaching. Anyone that watches him coach can see that he relates so well with his players. He gets the most out of them because he puts so much in. Cleveland High School is very lucky to have him!

Trey Tindell has potential to be something special at Baylor. He is one of the few "true" basketball players that I have seen in a long time. He defines work ethic both on the basketball court and in the classroom. He is the complete package. He has and knows what it takes...most kids these days don't.