jmourning

I was surprised that Telfair went to Louisville. If he can keep Telfair around long enough for Smith to join the team, they will be a top 5 team without a doubt.

doitnow needs to grow up a little. He/she/it is easily the most ridiculous poster that I have ran into in a long time on the internet.

To doitnow, You are an idiot. If you don't think that Brittany Frazier could have played high-level Division I basketball, you are an idiot. If you doubt my basketball knowlege in any way, you are an idiot and it makes a negative statement about you instead of me. By the way, you are an idiot.

Great performance by Oak Ridge tonight. It was 10-10 after the first quarter. Oak Ridge then outscored DB 15-0 in the 2nd quarter. The run extended to 18 when OR hit a three to open the 3rd quarter. Oak Ridge ended up winning by about 25. Brittany Frazier had a beautiful fadeaway against multiple defenders for the last basket of the half. I've only seen Oak Ridge play twice this year, but Keke Stewart has really impressed me also. She's only a freshman and is already very physically dominant with a soft shooting touch. Good luck to Oak Ridge in the state.

Thanks to incredible luck, I will get to see Oak Ridge play at Daniel Boone tonight. My question is, does anyone know what Brittany Frazier is going to do after high school? She talented enough to play SEC level basketball. I know that Angela Philips will play at Kentucky. I would also like to know the colleges that Stephanie Holbrok is considering. I'm not a DB fan or an Oak Ridge fan. I just enjoy high school basketball and know greatness when I see it (Oak Ridge). Congrats to DB for a fantastic year also at 29-3. I'm looking forward to an exciting game tonight.

The Unicoi County girls are undefeated in the conference and that counts more than the kinds of bastardized logic that some of you are putting forth.

If Sade Buley doesn't make that team when she is a senior, I will kill someone. There certainly aren't 24 better players than her in high school.

They are both very good. I saw them play in Elizabethton and it could have gone either way. Redd's little sister is quite good. I believe that Unicoi County is the deeper team, and would be the favorite but Elizabethton could pull the upset.

They can't play against fast teams like Cloudland or last year vs. Oliver Springs. That's their problem. Little, fast guards run circles around them.

A team that you may want to consider in AA is Unicoi County. They have won something like 10 or their last 11 and are currently 12-3. They have 6 or 7 solid players on that team, but the only thing they lack is speed. That's why Cloudland beat them at Cloudland. Unicoi County did, however, beat Greeneville this summer. I'm not sure if Greenville was 100% (may have been, may not have been), but that's quite an accomplishment. Greeneville has a solid chance to win the state in my opinion.

6-3 guard Matt White from Unicoi County is a sophomore for Unicoi County and is averaging 15 points a game. He scored 27 points at Volunteer, 19 with UH's Brandon Bradley guarding him the entire game, and has led Unicoi County in scoring in just about every game. He's an all-around player who always make a positive contribution on both ends of the court. He really carries that team at times. For example, a week ago they were down 20-7 to Sullivan North. He scored 10 points to lead a 14-0 run in the 2nd quarter to get them back in it, finishing with 19 pts in the win. Just out of curiousity, is Lambert a senior? I was just trying to get an idea of how Elizabethon will look next year after they lose the big 3. [Edited by jmourning on 1-21-03 4:43P]

Name some child actors that have crashed as adults. You said most so I expect that you can at least name 4 since I named 3 who have not. I guess that college is about what you want it to be about. For me, I want it to be about getting a degree so that I can make money. For you, it may be about having fun and enjoying the college experience . If you look at the #1 rated players how have left early for the NBA, none of them have failed. They are all better off than they would have been if they had went to college. McGrady, Garnett, and Kobe are the only 3 who were rated #1 in the last decade. As for players who are not rated #1, they should consider college because it will help them make more money in the long run. I guarantee you that Lebron will be a huge success too.

I was just curious if you also think that it is wrong for Hollywood to use child actors like Jake Lloyd. Was it unethical for them to pay him millions to be in Star Wars? Was it unethical for Kirsten Dunst to be in Interview with the Vampire based on her acting skills? Or how about Drew Barrymore in ET? Anna Paquin in Hurly Burly? Does that send the wrong message towards kids? All three of the latter are turning out to be successful people and seem to be wealthy and happy. I doubt any of them would spend 4 years going to college, why would they? Sure, there have been some child stars that have taken some wrong paths during their teen years, but there are a lot of good kids who make wrong decisions later in life. All things considered, I believe a kid will grow into a better adult if he (going back to the previous example) takes $500,000 rather than turns it down. There will be exceptions, but the general trend will be that they will be happier in my opinion. [Edited by jmourning on 1-19-03 1:20P]

I understand the quality of an education. I'm about to graduate with a 3.97 gpa in Computer Science. However, you would be absolutely insane to go through 4 years of college when you are making $30 million a year playing basketball. If someone did do that, hopefully they would take an Economics class with the great instructor I had and realize that they are wasting their time. Also, I don't give a flip what other adults think. If they think that it is wrong to give $500,000 to kids that are too poor to buy shoes, then they have quite an interesting view point but I disagree with it. Perhaps they could use that $500,000 to go to college and improve their lives and increase their happiness rather than live off the taxpayers like the parents. [Edited by jmourning on 1-19-03 12:43P]

"Will you think it would be okay for a talented 8th grader to receive a contract for $500,000 because of his athletic ability and potential future earnings?" Yes, giving poor children $500,000 for wearing shoes is a positive thing.

I think it is difficult for people to understand the relativity of numbers sometimes. Lebron could either: 1. Spend 4 years in college preparing to make $30,000 to $50,000 a year in a boring job like the rest of us. 2. Go immediately to the NBA and make $30 million to $50 million (inclusive of endorsements). The difference is literally 1000x more money for choosing the NBA over college. Also, consider the 4 years of unpaid preparation. It's not a difficult decision.

Darko Milicic, a 7-0 pf with pg skills from Europe who will be the 2nd pick of the 2003 draft, is two months younger than Lebron James. Yet, he is even more arrogant that Lebron. However, I'm sure people will let him by with it since he is from Europe. I hate it when people say that Kobe is arrogant. Kobe is very confident and plays with arrogance, yet he doesn't explicitly make arrogant statements like Lebron James, Darko Milicic, or Tracy McGrady. I think Kobe has the right kind of confidence. He doesn't give the other team bulletin board material yet he absolutely knows that he is better than anybody he plays against. You can see it in his eyes. He knows that he is the best and has proven it over the last 3 years. I like all four of those guys, and wish the best for Darko Milicic and Lebron James. However, make sure that you don't treat Lebron the same way you treat Milicic. I guarantee you that he is every bit as arrogant if not more so from everything I've read about him including interviews. [Edited by jmourning on 1-16-03 2:54P]

I've never seen Ashley Shields play, but I am quite sure that those are the best stats of any player in the state. I would probably have to vote for Shields of Miss Tennessee if I could vote. 57 points is amazing. Anyone have any idea how many points per game Sade Buley from South Doyle is scoring? I would imagine that she would compete for the award, as she is one of the best players in the nation and has a great future.

Just how good is Kait McMahan? Everything I've heard about her so far is positive. Do you think she would be top 25 in the nation? Top 10? I love to the see players from Tennessee get National attention.

I've seen Lebron James play 5 times, and he is going to be a bit below McGrady and Kobe. I would put Kobe above McGrady right now because of the 3 rings and his special playoff performances when the Lakers needed them most. McGrady may be the better individual player, but Kobe has learned to play within the team concept. For all those who would scoff at that, three rings don't lie. Back to James, he had a bad game the other night, but you could still see the awesome potential. He is a better shooter than people give him credit for, but needs to work on the fadeaway and off-balance shots. He's not quite as agile as Kobe, but he's stronger and plays more physical. I'd probably put him at 2 in the NBA his first few years, but he could eventually play the 3 position. With the Cavs blowing their season, look for fate to land him in Cleveland with perhaps a little help from David Stern.

Sullivan Central could beat anybody in AA. They have that potential due to their 3pt shooting, quickness, and depth. I predict that they will beat Elizabethton at least once this year. Laseur is quite a player, very athletic. Volunteer has unlimited potential and could beat either Central or Elizabethton. If Volunteer finished 1st in the conference that would not be a terribly big surprise. Most people consider them to be the 3rd best team, but they could beat the top 2 if they play to their ability. Unicoi County (6-6) is certainly not top 10 this year, but they're a team to watch in the future. 6-3 forward/guard Matt White (16 ppg) leads a talented sophomore class that continues to improve. Unicoi County lost 3 games early in the season that came down to the buzzer and could easily be 9-3. The key to beating Elizabethton is taking away their easy baskets, making them shoot from the perimeter. However, don't let B.J. Miller shoot from the perimeter. They are a good choice for #1, but they can be beat. Anybody else wonder why Vince Redd didn't make the US Army All-American game? He should have been there. He's a lot better that one US Army All-American that I know about, Sian Cotton from Akron St.Vincent-St.Mary. [Edited by jmourning on 1-8-03 4:45A]

As for AA... Vince Redd - Elizabethon, senior dominate on the defensive end, space eater B.J. Miller - Elizabethton, senior great 3-pt shooter and explosive scorer Walter Brown - Elizabethton, senior very athletic, plays his role well on the great Elizabethton team Brandon Bradley - University High, senior 6-5 or 6-6, dunks the ball with ease and also has a nice 15 foot jumper Matt White - Unicoi County, sophomore 16 ppg, very efficient, good all-around player Chucky Lindholm - Volunteer, sophomore dominate inside player on both the offensive and defensive end, lots of potential

In reply to CHHS72, White has now scored 11 points or more in all of our games this season.

Reread this sentence... "He's a 6-2 forward/guard who scored 27 points at Volunteer, probably the 2nd best team in the Watauga Conference after Elizabethton." Which team do you think I am talking about? I was talking about Volunteer.

I didn't say that Unicoi was the 2nd best in the conference. I said that Volunteer may be the 2nd best team besides Elizabethton. Judging by what the newpapers have reported, White is getting about 8 rpg. I'm not sure how many assists but I'm sure it's more than 2, and he does shoot a high percentage from the field, line, and 3-pt territory. And yes, Matt is "giving assists, rebounds, and steals". I'd say that he would match up well with anybody in all of those categories. I'll have to get some official stats on all of those for you, but he does much more than score if you've ever seen him play. Funny you'd say that without having anything to base it on, just because he is a good scorer.