sourone

Reckon the creeks are over flowing from all the Larry Ricker tears. Poor Valneesha no team to wish she played for now. What she doesn't realize is ricker doesn't want a showboat like her. Afraid it will up stage him.

Anyone heard a score?

Nice to see districts pulling for their own teams. Unlike the Cyclones "especially Redd who sat behind South Greenes bench" pulling for South Greene over Unicoi County. But I guess it worked out for them because they Betsy knew they couldn't beat Unicoi County again. Good luck Oliver Springs. Stop Baugman and let Hall show them what a ball player looks like.

Stop Baugman and the team is stopped. Redd's showboating will get her in foul trouble.

Why didn't you go? Fairies have wings don't they!

Where did the 18 point lead come from? Second quarter. What caused Sparks and Headley on bench in foul trouble. South Greener started 2nd qua. shooting 2 frre throws with every foul.S. greene has a good aggressive team. Yet you can play a little more aggressive knowing you aren't going to get whistled.Compared to being called every time you move. S.Greene played whole game same way but of course you saw that. Then why were they called for 8 more fouls in last 3 minutes of game compared to just 4 the prior 29 minutes of game.And 29 free throws made will beat you when you just get 9. And coach as for cleaning up their act at least the devils have cleaned up theirs unlike betsy. God must have hated Carter County so he just put every ignorant person no one else wanted their. Yes betsy wanted S.Greene to win why because they knew UC wouldn't give them another win. And yes I said give and Betsy knows they couldn't beat them again. So enjoiy your little trip its the last on for another 20 years.

I guess you watched enough of Unicoi County game to see one of your very own sitting right behind the S. Greene benching cheering every move that S. Greene made. Reckon Valnessa Redd didn't think that betsy could beat UC again. But myself I think it was just plain sorry of her to do it.Shows exactly what she is made of. Everybody else hoping to see both teams from conference advance but her true loyalty came through. As sorry as sorry gets. Must be sucking up to ricker for some reason.

Well I just watched South Greene blow out Unicoi County. What wasn't surprising is the way it was done. Through the first 3 1/2 quarters the foul calling was pitiful. Unicoi County had 19 to South Greenes 4. Good team that can play that long without fouling. Unicoi County really stunk but with 2 starters on the bench with 3 fouls with 6 minutes left in 2nd quarter. What more can you expect? South Greene had 29 points from free throw stripe to 9 for UC. Then when you think you've seen it all. What do you see sitting behind the South Greene bench cheering he_ll for South Greene was none other than Miss Valnessa Redd. Shows what she is made of. Evidently she didn't want play the Lady Devils again. Then again she might think ricker mught recruit her. Not a chance. As sorry as anyone could possibly get.So much for patronage to her confernce. True colors come through again.

How many of the district refs are Rickers kin. Usually at least one.

How many of the district refs are Rickers kin. Usually at least one.

Does your referees eat at your hospitality room? I don't see schools paying what they have to for the refs then the refs come in a hour early just to eat free.

The key to beating South Greene. Get them down early. That way it gets Ricker started crying about the refs and everything else. And he will cry like a cut ape.Always has in everything he has attempted to coach. From little league on up. Never lost refs has always beat him. GET AHEAD EARLY.

where do you get the arrogance and unsportsmanship???? Just go read former ucdaddy, ucweaver, and ucsparks comments!!! And you might wanna watch some tapes of Unicoi games...i believe THEY are the ones throwing the elbows...we just do it in retaliation (which i'm not saying is a good thing) Anyway...championship game tomorrow night...2 key players injured from both teams. It's gonna be a show. This statement proves your ignorance. Everyone knows that ucdad, ucweaver, and ucsparks is none other than some idiot from Betsy. As for the elbows just watch the game films. Hv is the dirtiest team around. And don't think the betsy girls don't use the elbows. UC does also but not enough. Thats why the other teams lay all over them.They need to put a few of them in some ribs. As for Redd. Theres no room in high school ball for the forn of shooting show boating.I think that to score is why they are out there. Not to put on a show to get noticed.

Just where do you come up with this arrogance and unsportsman junk about the Lady Devils. What and where are you basing your facts on? Plain lack of knowledge. They all could be like Redd. Who likes to run down the court with the shooting pose after making a shot. Maybe they might decide to use H.V. and beyst's tactics. Using the elbows every chance they get. Even if Weavers ankle is alright. There is no need to play her against Betsy. Can win without her and won't that be heartbreaking to E-Town. If the devils lose they play the thir place team in regionals .Not any difference.

Sorry, but I think the tournament format is voted on within the past season.

This is just typical Charlie Bayless. All it takes is four coaches to make decisions. Watauga has always been screwed up when Happy Valley is benefited.

Just curious. How many of South Greenes players are from their boundries? And many use relatives addresses.They've done it all along why not now? Ricker has never won anything going by the rules in any sport.

Anyone have a clue where the brackets can be found? TSSAA site is useless. Also why aren't all tournaments the same? When they are posted look at how unfair District 1 AA boys is.Brackets should be equal to. But all teams not chosen ones But TSSAA doesn't care all they want is the money. They could care less about being fair to the young men and women.

Why will next year be any different? Unicoi County only loses Headley from this team.

Where are coach, Osu and betsy hiding today? That hole under their noses rattled off more than the betsy girls could back up didn't it. Typical E-towner running off and hiding instead of facing facts. Looks like if Betsy is going to win a championship its going to h ave to go on down to single A ball.Couldn't win at AAA or AA might as well try single A.

Didn't know Leroy was dressing out Friday night. But evev with him playing I'll take the Lady Devils Don't think he can help that little wind storm that much.So ride a cyclone to Erwin because there won't be much wind left in your sails to get back home after the game. Just all depends on if the officials that are all friends with Doug show up or not.

Been watching Betsy play for many years and I 've never seen the class. Nor have theyever walked the the floor a winner against Unicoi County. Talk the trash to people that doesn't know better. All of East Tennessee knows Betsy is who talks the talk but they also know that Unicoi County walks the walk though.

Yep they have improved. Unicoi County just beat them 56-21 Saturday night.

Story published: 6/3/2003 • Print Story • E-mail Story to a Friend • Back to Sports TSSAA says money needed for ‘catastrophic insurance’ By Douglas Fritz Press Sports Writer dfritz@johnsoncitypress.com Many administrators and coaches have expressed concerns in recent years about the amount of money the TSSAA takes from the schools. They have questioned how the money is used, and if there are ways the organization that governs high school athletics in the state could take less and still get its job done. So when situations arise like moving the Spring Fling to Memphis — or the current issue of taking the boys state basketball tournament to a city that’s farther away from Northeast Tennessee than the Atlantic Ocean — many area people seem skeptical whether the TSSAA’s intentions are guided by anything more than greed. However, Sullivan North principal Richard Carroll, a member of the TSSAA’s legislative council, said the organization just doesn’t have a lot of money. “Most people have a false impression of the money the TSSAA has,” said Carroll. “It has a certain amount of operating expenses and salaries. I’ve heard it many times, but I’m telling you the money is not there.” Carroll’s stance is understandable, but the TSSAA takes 50 percent of the gate receipts from every high school football playoff game around the state. And that”s 150 games in Division I alone. So where does that cash cow hide? Carroll said the biggest part goes to pay a $500,000 catastrophic insurance policy each year. “That’s the big item,” said Carroll. “It’s a tremendous amount of money.” TSSAA executive director Ronnie Carter said the football playoff money only pays a portion of the catastrophic insurance. “We used to have a one-third, one-third, one-third split of the playoff money,” said Carter. “When catastrophic insurance came in, the schools said we can”t do it individually. They said the only way they stood a chance was to come together. That’s when we changed to the 50-25-25 split.” Carter added that the remainder of the catastrophic insurance is paid for by a $5 assessment based on the number of players on the football teams along with other money assessed to the schools annually. He said the $5 per football player item is included because the majority of catastrophic injuries occurred in football, driving up the cost of the insurance. “If you’re talking to coaches, they want more money out of the football playoffs,” said Carter. “Nothing would be better for us than to get out of the catastrophic insurance. But they would have get the insurance on their own and that would be a real dilemma.” If the TSSAA has so much trouble paying the catastrophic insurance bill, perhaps it needs to look at how things are done by its neighbor to the south. The Georgia High School Association adds the one-third of the catastrophic insurance bill to the school”s annual dues. The GHSA pays the other two-thirds of the bill. Joyce Kay, the associate executive director of the GHSA, said last year’s bill was approximately $400,000. “The goal has been since we started the catastrophic insurance to eventually pay all of it,” said Kay. “We’re working in that direction.” Also, the GHSA takes only 12 percent of the gate for high school football playoff games, a whopping 38 percent difference from Tennessee. In basketball, Georgia takes 40 percent while TSSAA schools send in just under 20 percent for district and regionals and then 33 percent for substate games. So how does Georgia get by with less money? Perhaps the answer could be found in administration. The GHSA has four administrators and four secretaries. “We only have eight people in the office,” said Kay. “Tennessee has a great deal more.” Indeed. The TSSAA operates with five executives, five assistants and four administrative assistants. That’s a total of 14, but Carter said only 13 are funding positions — still five more annual salaries than Georgia has to pay. To get an idea of what that means in dollars, a source said Carter made just under $100,000 two years ago. If Tennessee dropped down to the number of office staff Georgia uses, it could possibly save enough to pay for a large chunk of the catastrophic insurance. “We have only had four executives in the GHSA since its inception,” said Kay. “And every one of them has tended to pinch pennies. They have all leaned toward that direction, cutting corners everywhere to help the schools as much as they can. They’ve never tried to get rich. They just try to make enough to function. “I think in this business you are always making somebody unhappy, but I think in general everybody in the state of Georgia believes we are trying to run things as well as we can to assist the schools. That”s what we here for, as a service to the schools and we try to keep this in mind.” Carter said his immediate response is that Tennessee needs those extra salaried positions. “What you will find if you look at both associations is a lot of differences,” said Carter. “Georgia is very low. They don’t do a lot of things other associations do. If you cut from 13 to eight in Tennessee, we would not be able to do some things we”ve done over the last 25-30 years. “An example is the officiating program, which is recognized as being one of the tops in the nation.” But the bottom line is the money available to the schools for participation in things like the football playoffs. It can be a battle to find the funds when road games turn into bills for the traveling team. “I obviously think the TSSAA does a good job,” said D-B head football coach Graham Clark. “But I know it”s awful tough to have to end up paying money to play a playoff game. To go on the road you lose money, if you take an overnight trip. If $5,000 was an average gate, we would get $2,500 and that would be just enough to cover the buses. And everything else that”s paid at the stadium, other than the referees, comes out of the gate money. So you wouldn’t even get the $2,500. If you have a good night selling popcorn, you might break even.” Another area Carroll said the TSSAA has been forced to spend money on is dealing with the Brentwood Academy lawsuit. However, Brentwood Academy football coach Carlton Flatt disputed that. “It is my understanding they have an insurance policy to pay that,” said Flatt. “They have a one million dollar policy and they haven’t spent that up to this point. I certainly feel like it wouldn”t be a true statement to say they have spent money dealing with court costs and lawyers, but I don’t know it for a fact. “I also know from day one we tried to keep this thing from going anywhere, and they were the ones that said things about us

Story published: 6/3/2003 • Print Story • E-mail Story to a Friend • Back to Sports Memphis bidding on TSSAA hoops By Douglas Fritz Press Sports Writer dfritz@johnsoncitypress.com Just a couple of weeks after giving Northeast Tennessee the cold shoulder by moving the Spring Fling to Memphis, the TSSAA could go for the daily double this week. At the annual Board of Control meeting for the organization that governs high school athletics in Tennessee, bids will be held for the 2006 state basketball tournaments. Memphis has put in a bid for the boys’ event, and conventional wisdom says it will have the most financial backing because of the NBA franchise in the city. The decision is expected to be announced some time on Wednesday. And if the dollars are there, it’s hard to imagine the TSSAA accepting less money to put the event in either Murfreesboro or Chattanooga, the other two cities involved in the bidding process. The 2004 and 2005 state tournaments will be held in Murfreesboro, where the event has been held since 1989. Science Hill head coach Mike Poe said if the TSSAA insists on moving the basketball event to Memphis, it should rotate it to the middle and eastern parts of the state in the following years. “I don’t think it would be fair economically for it to always be in the west,” said Poe. “Other schools should have to pay as much as we have to pay to get there. And there are the same number of schools going to the state tournament that come from the west as there are from the east. “So if it’s in Memphis, it should be in Murfreesboro the next year and then Knoxville the next year.” Some people might argue if the event is in Memphis one year, it should be in the other corner of the state the next year. That would put the state tournament in the Tri-Cities, but Poe said it’s probably not feasible. “I don’t think we have a facility that could host it,” said Poe. “We don’t have a 15,000-seat arena. That’s why Knoxville, with Thompson-Boling Arena, would be the closest thing.” Elizabethton head coach Tony Hardin said he feels having the state tournament in Memphis would greatly decrease the chances of a state champion from the eastern part of the state. “I think it would definitely hurt East Tennessee teams,” said Hardin. “It would make it even harder for an East Tennessee team to win than it already is. You talk about Memphis always having great talent and now you also give them an advantage of little or no travel. That really puts East Tennessee behind the eight ball. In Middle Tennessee at least the travel is 50-50 for west and east. “I think in any conference, it’s much better to find a centrally located place for tournaments. That’s common sense.” Factor in travel issues for East Tennessee teams, and it opens up potential problems for the world of academics. The extra travel increases expenses for the schools, but another issue is simply the time it takes to bus a team from one end of this horizontal state to the other. “Travel would be a major problem,” said Hardin. “Expenses would definitely play into it. And the worst thing is the amount of time kids would have to get out of school. It would be an extra day and maybe two. It’s very possible you could play one game down there and miss almost a whole week of school.” TSSAA executive director Ronnie Carter said the decision on where the tournament is played will be based on several factors. “We look at facilities, hotels and restaurants, media coverage, groups we work with and the financial package,” said Carter. “And when we surveyed the schools, the No. 1 response was having good facilites to host state championship events. “Then we factor in those dealing with the geography of the state. But we are still going to give the opportunity for any city in the state to present a proposal to host an event. We think that’s the right thing to do.” Poe said the TSSAA’s insistence on including Memphis in the bidding process and awarding that city the Spring Fling shows the organization doesn’t really have statewide fairness high on its priority list. “In this situation it doesn’t seem like the TSSAA is working in the best interest of the entire state, for the Spring Fling or basketball to be in Memphis,” said Poe. “I don’t have a problem with Memphis if the tournament goes to Nashville and then Knoxville, but I would rather keep it in Murfreesboro.” Said Hardin, “The TSSAA is always telling everybody to do what’s right. And what”s right and fair is to make a decision based on everybody in the state. I know there is a financial end, but we should do what’s fair for the kids.”