OS91

My views are soley as an Oliver Springs fan? That's comical and an assumption. A) I don't even live in Tennessee . I follow basketball from a naitonal perspective NOT a state one since the mid 90's since in becoming personally familiar with Blue Star camps and of course Mike Flynn out of Philadelpha. I could go on and on as it seems you would like to with your resume, but that's not me. That's all fine and good, but there is nothing funnier seeing someone throw their personal perspective around like it's the word when in reality it's simply "your opinion". Good for you that you've seen all the players and you believe your self proclaimed opinion should take more precedence as you are now the authority on player rankings on coacht.com. What's funny is the lists that are out seem to DISAGREE with you on the national and state level. Interesting to say the least, don't you think? _______________________/cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" /> I've shown 2 naitonal websites and 2 TN websites that support my perspective. You attempted to show a website that didn't even have Christopher's name on it, but it did have a player from Oliver Springs who only averaged 6 ppg last year and was touting her as one of the best 100-200 players in the country for the class of 2009. Anyone with sense from a national perspective would automatically dismiss that website as being " bush" league- not because it had the one player ( who is going to be very good this year) who only averaged 6 ppg, but that it didn't have a player the caliber of Christopher who is a high major prospect. Rick Bolus' High Potential?® Basketball Recruiting Service, Inc. Girls ~ May 2007 Edition Tennessee??™s Top Rising College Prospects For 2007-2008 NAME HT CLASS POS SCHOOL Top 12 1. Glory Johnson 6-3 Sr. F-C Knoxville Webb Univ of Tennessee commitment, best player in Sophomore class 2. Kayla Christopher 5-9 Jr. CG Oliver Springs Best player in junior Class 3. Faith DuPree 6-3 Jr. C Clinton Anderson County 4. Lauren Avant 5-8 So. SM Memphis Lausanne Univ of Tenneessee commitment best player in Soph Class 5. Abby Andrews 5-10 Sr. CG Collinwood MTSU commitment 6. Kayci Ferriss 6-8 So. C Carthage Smith County 7. Kortni Jones 5-7 Jr. PG Oak Ridge 8. Jasmine Hassell 6-2 Jr. C Lebanon Wilson Central 9. Michelle Davis 6-2 Sr. F-C Cleveland 10. Alex Jarrell 6-4 Sr. C Shelbyville Central 11. Hannah Dawson 5-10 Jr. CG Shelbyville Central 12. Laken Leonard 5-10 So. C-F Red Boiling Springs Again, we are running in circles now. We can revisit this type of debate next year when the dust has settled. I suggest you travel out of Tennesse some. It might broaden your horizons some without allowing emotion to dictate rankings.

"dont take it personally i have girls that play for me i wish were rated higher! no matter how talented a young lady is there is always someone that has more skills or more god given abilities! " Agreed. This is why I take exception to her comments. She's attempting to take her personal opinions and deliver them as gospel. It seems many disagree with her. As far as the website, I've already found some major flaws with information on it. I'll wait until more clear and concise rankings comes in the spring out. I've already provided 2-3 links that support my perspective.

PG12, I asked you to provide a list. The one you did was "googurlz". The list had a player listed on Oliver Springs team who only aveaged 6 ppg last year. It didn't even have Christopher listed. That's all you need to know about that website. Also, you mentioend Faith Dupree. Let's see Christopher was the Knoxville News Sentinel's Sophomore of the year beating out Faith Dupree. Christopher is listed way ahead of Dupreein the Knoxville News Sentinel player rankings this year. Did the Knoxville News Sentinel have an article abotu Dupree being the next big thing out of East Tennessee like it did Glory Johnson and Kayla Christopher? Nope. Dupree wasn't even talked about. Speaking of the ultra athletic UT signee ( I believe she's a sophomore this year, right) from Memphis, it's always a gamble to recruit kids that early and hope they improve. PHS has an eye for talent and she knows what she is doing. That still doesn't mean this kid is currently a better ball player than Christopher. The bottom line is I've shown lists that back up my claim- you call them rumors and speculation because it conflicts with your personal opinion. The bottom line is you've provided one website that I've shown has a huge flaw already. I do believe you've seen all the players in person. Good for you. However, it's easy to see your opinion is a personal one. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It is what it is. Later in the Spring there will be more player rankings. We can continue this debate at a later time.

It seems as if there are 3-4 sources that disagree with you and yet you can't find any source that names those players ahead of Christopher except for some website www.hoopgurlz.com . I checked out the class of 2009 on this obscure site. It looks like a low rent cheap site and it's obvious it's rankings are way off. Oliver Springs has a player listed in that class as one of the best players in America. Guess what? It's not Christopher. Her name isn't even on the list. That right there tells you all you need to know. I suggest checking out accurate sites like Scout.com and so forth. What would an intelligent person derive from your perspective compared to mine? Mine if from the informed perspective that has numerous examples. Yours if from a personal opinion that lacks merit that's left googling hoping something fits. Btw, I am very familiar with the recruiting proccess. Does the name Mike Flynn ring a bell?

No it's not. Care to elaborate further? Christopher is the #1 class A player easily on the recruiting scene this year and will certainly be next year. She's the #2 College prospect in Tennessee in ALL Classifications this year behind only UT signee Glory Johnson. Could that change? Yes. As of now, Christopher is the #2 prospect in Tennessee not only here in Tennessee but on the national scene too. Do a little research or at least explain your answer further with facts or simply say " it's a personal opinion".

She's one of the top 50 players in the junior class in the NATION. http://web.utk.edu/~smarshal/2009.htm There are NO other class A girls that are even close to being on this list. Christopher has an opportunity to be a prep All American. She is considered by many to be one of the top 1-5 guards in the South for the class of 2009. Scroll down to class of 2009 http://connecticut.scout.com/a.z?s=342&p=2&c=581574

There is only one player in Class A who is SEC caliber at this moment and that's Oliver Springs Guard Kayla Christopher. Christopher is the #1 junior prospect in all classifications in the state of Tennessee.

Knoxville area teams were well represented in MBORO last year. Oliver Springs was state runner up in Class A losing a heartbreaker to Gleason. Austin East was state champions in AA. Knox Webb was state champions in Private Classification. All three teams have the talent and leadership to win the state championship again this year. Knox Webb Knox Webb has prep All American and UT commitment 6-3 Glory Johnson. She's one of the top overall players in the nation. When you throw 6-2 junior Faith Dupree who is one of the top juniors in the nation, Knox Webb sports one of the best frontcourts in the country. Knox Webb could be the best team in the state and certainly one of the best in the nation. Expect the Spartans to enter the USA today Super 25 rankings. Oliver Springs The Lady Cats were a couple minutes in the 4th Quarter in the state championship away from knocking off West Tennessee power Gleason. Junior Kayla Christopher who is ranked as Tennessee's 2nd best player behind only Knox Webb's Glory Johnson should have the Lady Cats primed for another run at the state championship. Like Webb's faith Dupree, Christopher is considered one of the top 50 junior prospects in the country. Add the great veteran play of Barger, Hall, and other Lady Cat players, and the coaching prowess of Coach Christopher, OSHS should be ready. Knox Webb plays at Oliver Springs this year in what could be one of Tennessee's better high school basketball games of the year featuring outstanding talent. Austin East The Lady Roadrunners are the class AA defending state champions. A-E has solidified itself as one of the powers in Tennessee high school basketball as the A-E program just keeps rolling along. There is no rebuilding at A-E-just reloading. Goss and Robinson return from last year's championship team. That doesn't bode well for A-E opponents. Look for the fast break Lady Roadrunners to approach 30 wins and be positioned to play for a back to back state championship. Oak Ridge The Lady Wildcats return many from their state tourney team. This veteran team is hungry. Look for Reagan Thompson and Kortni Jones to lead a high powered attack. The Lady Wildcats should be among the best overall teams in Tennessee this year. It's a shame with the towns of Oliver Springs and Oak Ridge seperated by just 2 miles that it's been 40 years since OSHS vs. ORHS have played. These two teams need to meet on a yearly basis . There is too much success and talent on both teams for it not to happen. Who are the other teams in the Knoxville are has the talent to compete for a state championship?

Roane County would dominate every year. Simple populations of the counties illustrate this. Roane has a population in the mid 30,000's. Morgan County's population is close to 17-18,000. Morgan County would be better off playing Scott County or even the two High Schools of Cumberland County. Roane County would be better off playing Anderson or Loudon County. You also need to remember Oliver Springs draws about 1/3 of it's enrollment from Anderson County/Norwood. It's unfair to ask Morgan Country schools to go up against Kingston, Oliver Springs, Harriman, Rockwood, and Midway. While Morgan County had produces some special athletes over the past 20-25 years, just look at the athletes the Roane County schools have produced in comparison.

It's ridiculous for anyone to say Oliver Springs is not the favorite in this district. Allow me to inject some reaity into this topic: The past 6 years of Oliver Springs basketball 1) Oliver Springs has won 6 district championships in a row. *4 of those were in AA - 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 *2 were in A - 2006 and 2007 2)Oliver Springs has been ranked in the top 10 in AA or A every year since 2001. This includes #1 in AA for most of the year in 2004. That was the year after Laura Hall graduated from OSHS. 3) Oliver Springs has made the state tourney 4 of the past 6 years while playing in Class A and AA. In 2003, OSHS was Class AA semifinalist. In 2007, Oliver Springs was Class A Runnerup. 4) Oliver Springs has generated numerous All State players during this span. 5) Oliver Springs plays one of the most difficult Out of Distrcit schedules of any team in Tennessee. The Lady Cats usually play AA and AAA powers that makes them battle tested for class "A" opponents in the district and come playoff time. 6) Oliver Springs has Kayla Christopher. She is the number 2 college prospect in the entire state of Tennessee as a junior placing behind senior All American UT signee Glory Johnson. Katyla is considered one of the top 50 players in the nation and will most likely be Tennessee's best and most recruited player for the class of 2009 and most likely will be a High School All American. I don't think this district really knows of appreciates the caliber of player it has in Christopher . The top 40 players of the class of 2009 in America: http://web.utk.edu/~smarshal/2009.htm Tennessee's top 2008 player rankings regardless of classification: http://www.angelfire.com/ky/prephoops/0708...lusTNGirls.html 1. Glory Webb, Knox Webb, University of Tennesse signee, SENIOR 2. Kayla Christopher, Oliver Springs, JUNOR Throw in Barger who is one of Tennessee's best player in her own right with the seasoned veteran play of Hall, OSHS is ready to defend it's title. Also, last but certtainly not least, let's not forget about the coaching prowess of Coach Brown-Christopher, It's unfathomable for anyone suggest the path to the district championship doesn't go through Oliver Springs ? The bottom line is the Lady Cats reload. They've done it time and time again. This year will not be any different. Granted a couple teams going into January in the District might have better OOD ( out of district ) records, but that means nothing. OSHS might lose a couple games to Tennessee powerhouses like Jackon County, Webb, and Upperman, and in the big time holiday tournies specifially designed to allow Tennessee's best women't programs to play each other, but I doubt Coach Christopher and company mind those Losses. It will help mold this team into a cohesive unit come late Febuary/March when OSHS is marching toward MBORO. 1) Oliver Springs 2) Oakdale 3) Oneida 4) Coalfield 5) Wartburg 6) Sunbright Any questioins?

OS continues it's dominance over Morgan County teams. There is a reason why OS wins 90 percent of it's games against Morgan County teams. Good Job Cats!

Boy, Gleason fans are taking their shots at Oliver Springs's super sophmore Kayla Christopher while pating their senior star Kayla Hudsonon the back at the same time. Couple points on comparing the two players. Class difference: Hudson is a senior. Christopher is sophomore. Schedule difference: Gleason played one of the worst Single A schedule playing an unorthodox style of play. Oliver Springs played some of the elite AAA, AA, and A teams during the regular season. College Recruiting: Hudson signed with a NAIA school at Union. There is nothing wrong with that. Union is a good little NAIA school. She will do well there. Christopher is most likely the top sophmore in TN in all classifications. She will most likely play in the SEC or ACC. She is being recruited that heavily. These Gleason posters have been stuck on the farm too much.

The Knoxville Area will possibly have Tennessee's best girls basketball next year with some outstanding teams and players. Best Private Team: Knox Webb ( Division II champs this year and has possibly the best frontcourt in the country with 6-3 Johnson and 6-3 Dupree for next year) Best AA Team: Knox Austin East ( easily the best team in AA this year with all starters coming back who could challenge Webb as one of Tennessee's top 2-3 teams overall in any classification. Possibly Best A team: Oliver Springs ( Class A runner up this year with 5-9 super PG Kayla Christopher ( arguably TN's best sophomore in any classification) leading the charge with many other talented players returning. Throw in teams like Loudon, Knox Powell, Stone Memorial, and Oak Ridge. Should be another exciting year of girls high school basketball in the Knoxville area.

I just hope all Tenneseans who have issues with insomina attended the Class A championship game. If they did, Gleason cured their condition.

State Championship games shouldn't be the cure for insomina. Shot Clocks are needed.

Maybe TSSAA will have a new tourney classification for the " Gimmick, Circus, and Offensive challenged teams" next year who only know how to play basketball the way our great-grandparents played a couple generations ago. This way fans won't mistken modern Tennessee basketball from Class A, AA, and AAA with "Circus Stall Ball". Players who play in this tourney will receive full fledged clown costumes, face paint, and custom built huge red nozes. This uniform will be essential as the four players on offense that don't touch the ball during "stall ball" can go into the crowd and entertain so fans don't fall asleep from boredom of a gimmick brand of basketball. Also, this might be a new demographic the TSSAA can appeal to - Kids under the age of 8 who are usually don't attend the games. A win win for everyone! Embrace the "stall ball"!

"Just remember offense gets your name in the paper, but defense wins game especially championships. The girl who plays defense gets little credit other than the fact they get a championship ring. " You are mistaken. Defense has nothing to do with Gleason's championship run. The low scoring is a product of holding onto the ball on offense, not "great defense" There is a huge difference in good defense versus a team that holds onto the ball on offense and as a result the opposing team's scoring is low. Most would assume the low scoring is the product of great defense. Actually its the product of stall ball where each team doesn't have opportunities to score the basketball because of the gimmick offense Gleason runs. Gimmick Basketball= ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Gleason's coach put high school basketball back 50 years with his "stall ball" in the 4th quarter. A shot clock should be implemented by the TSSAA. Anytime a team that has only lost one game feels the need to stall with 6 minutes left in the game with just a 2 point lead is simply "bad basketball". Middle school teams with players that are just learning the rules of the game who are evolving into better players are teams that should maybe hold onto the ball for 2-4 minutes per possession in running an offense. Make no mistake about it, If Glerason would have won playing "normal" basketball I would be the first to congratulate them. However, what their coach pulled was an embarrasment to Tennessee girls basketball which is typicall regarded as the pinnacle of girls high school basketball throughout the country. Fans of the tourney deserved to see basketball played at its highest level exhibiting great plays by great players to decide a close game in the 4th Quarter on a stage as big as the State Championship game. Instead Gleason's coach delivering a boring brand of"stall ball" where he wanted free throws and officials to dictate who won the game playing "gimmick" brand of basketball usually only ran by inferior talented teams when playing a superior team.

Embrace "Stall Ball". Its the new rage in Tennessee. Forget playing "modern" basektball on the state's biggest stage- The state championship game. A game that is typcially a showcase game for the state of Tenessee illustrating great talented players and coaches that 110 percent while playing an up and down game of basketball in a closely contested games that leaves fans on the edge of their seats. Instead, surrender to watching teams ONE LOSS teams with a 2 point lead with almost 6 minutes left in the game hold the ball for 2 to 3 minutes daring the opposing players FROM A SEVEN LOSS TEAM ( albeit against a lot harder competition than Gleason's schedule) come to halfcourt and foul them as they run the game clock off instead of playing basketball the way its suppose to be played. BTW, What Gleason did in the State Championship game was exactly the reason the NCAA ( both mens and womens) and NBA have a shot clock to prohibit coaches from making a tragedy of the game of basketball. Maybe Tennessee needs to look into doing the same. I guess the TSAAA expects when you make it to the state tourney game ( especially if you are a one loss team) that a coach believes his team can win games without the "gimmick" offense.

Embrace "Stall Ball". Its the new rage in Tennessee. Forget playing "modern" basektball in the state championship on the state's biggest state- the state championship game. A game that typically illustrates great talented players, coaches, and players who give 110 percent to play an up and down game of basketball in a closely contested game that leaves fans on the edge of their seats wanting more. Instead, surrender to watching teams with a 2 point lead with almost 6 minutes left in the game hold the ball for 2 to 3 minutes daring the opposing players to come to halfcourt and foul them so they can shoot free throws. "Emrbace Stall Ball"- Its the Gleason Way! /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

I'm just surprised Gleason decided to play Gimmick Basketball in the 4th quarter. Its surprising when a 1 loss team decides to play stall ball in the early 4th quarter with just a 2 point lead. That's the reason college and pro have shot clocks. I'm sure the fans, coaches, and media of all teams present were disappointed that Gleason decided to play basketball that resembles the 1940's rather than the 2007. Only vastly untalented teamsshould ever stall. Btw, my post above doesn't lack class. Its dead on. A mighty one loss team SHOULD NEVER stall. Possibly being in a close game with a comprable team was too much for Gleason's coach to handle.

Gleason held onto the ball for 12 minutes during the game? Unbelieveable!!!! Whoever mentioned that the top coach in the state is GLeason's coach is sadly mistaken. There are many great coaches throughout the state. I don't know how often GLeason Basketball plays with "other" top programs from throughout the states, but rest assured there are many coaches that have better resumes. Hopefully next year's state championship will have two teams that can play up and down the court where one team isn't scared to play basketballl because they might lose the game if they do play that way. A state championship game should be a showcase of great players and coaches for all the state to watch, not a game of "stall". Unbelievable!

Has Kayla signed with any college? Congrats to Gleason. It looks like I was right on target in saying Gleason was a "slight" favorite. Highly touted and recruited super sophomore Kayla Christopher and the rest of the talented Lady Bobcats will have a couple more opportunities for a state championship.

Gleason looks to be the slight favorite in this game as they have only lost once all year. A closer glance reveals Gleason's schedule rank is 55th compared to Oliver Spring's 10th. Oliver Springs might be more battle tested having played some of the best AAA, AA, and A teams this year. No doubt this should be an outstanding championship game. Good luck to both teams!

You must bust out into laughter for no apparent reason other than possessing a laughing disorder. Did I say Oliver Springs is the best team in East Tennessee? NO. One of the best teams? Absolutely. They are one of the better teams this year as they have like they have been the past six years. Also, OS beat Austin East last time they played. Anything else?