hedgehog

Sorry, philtenn. The "attitude" wasn't directed at you. I was speaking in general terms. People should support their child and their child's team. Many people do use a particular thread to "beat their own drum". It seems like every year a new group of parents get the notion that their child is the next WNBA star. The fact is there are an awful lot of good high school teams in all divisions througout the state. There are also a lot of great kids who never get recognized because for whatever reason they don't play AAU or any other summer ball. But many of the upper class players who are "stars" on their team have gone through the same doors, contributed as freshmen on their high school varisty teams, and have even led their teams as freshmen. Quite often the teams who are highly ranked in the Dandy Dozen do have girls on them who have played AAU for years, and have finished high at Nationals. For example, players on teams at Briarcrest, Ridgeway, Hamilton, Munford, Bartlett, Kirby, and many other schools played on AAU teams that won back to back AAU National Championships. It would be no wonder that if all those girls make up the nucleus of their high school teams, their teams have a chance to be really good. I don't doubt that there is a ton of talent in this current crop of freshmen, but it has always been pretty much the same. It just might be that some of these girls are now going to schools where in the past no one would have found them.

It is so amusing to see how many people get on this board and use it to propagandize their child and/or their child's team etc. The fact of the matter is, while Lausanne may have a spotless record, look at the teams they have played. True if it were a D-2 dandy dozen maybe they should be ranked. Briarcrest not only has proven itself year after year; also year after year they seek and play the toughest competition they can. Not only is Bartlett not on Briarcrest' schedule this year, they were not last year, or the year before that, or several years before then. Ridgeway proves itself year after year. C'mon it is the dandy dozen because it contains the "top" 12 teams in the Memphis Metro area. If it were the "dandy five dozen" I guess it wouldn't be so dandy, would it? Stop whining and support your daughter and her team. As the old saying goes, (or somethin' like this) "Basketball fans and basketball players know good ball players and good teams when they get on the floor". AND sometimes mediocre teams play good teams close - or even beats them. It doesn't mean the mediocre team is still not mediocre. It just means that on that given night . . . . It really shouldn't be necessary to down grade other programs, and their players to lift yours up. Surely you can't feel that bad.

Does anyone know anything about the 2005 Dragonfire Tournament to be held at Collierville High School over the Christmas Holidays: dates, times, teams entered, etc. I believe in the past it has started a couple of days after Christmas. Past tournaments have fielded some good, and interesting teams from throughout the state of Tennessee, and Mississippi. Looking forward to catching it this year, and wanted to be able to make plans for it. Thanks.

Having attended the region 7-AAA tournament, I am not surprised that Dyersburg won this game. I think that Northside has some great talent in Sha Brooks and Amber Penn, but Dyersburg played better basketball: better defense. Their guards were really active. They cut off passing lanes, and pressured the ball well. Northside did not play defense as well throughout the entire tournament. Even though they won their first two games against Cordova, and Bartlett handily, they showed flaws in their defense. Unlike Bartlett, and Cordova, Dyerburg has enough skilled players to capitalize off of the weaknesses that showed in Northside's defense. Finally, having seen Kayla Holloway play as a freshman, and now as a sophomore, I am impressed by the huge improvement she has shown. I believe she truly will become a dominant player not only in their district, but will likely demonstrate it in the upcoming sectional game against Ridgeway or Craigmont (the 2nd place finisher in region 8-AAA). Good luck to all the teams from Region 7-AAA and 8-AAA. I think any of these teams would represent West Tennessee well in the state tournament

I was lucky enough to see this team play in the Collierville Lady Dragonfire Christmas Tournament. WOW! A well coached, athletic team, and skilled at every position. Guards some times shoot a little too quickly, and forget sometimes to involve the post players enough. But all in all, I would think a tough team to match up against. One of their post players, don't know her name or remember her number often stepped outside and knocked down the three pointer. A fun team to watch!

Jray32. I can tell by the way you write that you are a basketball genius, and a scholar. So, please forgive me. You are great. I am not worthy. All hail Shelbyville Sport Shop: the best in the state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world!

I don't intend to be a spokesperson for Ross Jordan, or the Tennessee Lady Tigers. I am always amazed by the things that people "see" or "hear". One fact is, the Tennessee Lady Tigers is made up of a core of BALL PLAYERS that have won two AAU National Championships - as 12u and 13u. The fact that they lost to Shelbyville in the state tournament; especially under the circumstances in which the tournament was conducted, is insignificant in the long run. I wish all the teams from Tennessee good luck, but in the National Tournament the teams have to earn their wins.

Showtime7, not that I disagree with you about Ashley Herring, but could you name some of the publications that have her as highly rated as you mention? I too have seen this young lady play both AAU ball and varsity basketball with Bartlett. She has the rare combination of athleticsim, skill, knowledge of the game, and great attitude about team ball that you will rarely find in a freshman ball player. She is a highly recognized basketball player on the national summer "circuit".

Reading the story in the State Gazette, it seemed like as far as free throw shots were concerned, it was fairly even. Halls shot 27 free throws. Dyersburg shot 23. The difference - Halls was 23 of 27. Dyersburg was 9 of 23. By this comparison only, it does not appear that the officiating was all that lop sided. "But it was the Trojans' own foul shooting that ultimately cost them the game. Dyersburg finished the night 9-of-23 from the line, including missing three in the final eight minutes." (State Gazette) What a terrible example for any coach to set by publicly criticizing the officials. It's one thing to feel the way he felt, but to accuse the officials of cheating? Come on!

Spree 1024, I don't intend to make this a a venue to argue back and forth with someone about something as inconsequential as the posts on this board. Suffice it to say that you miss the point. The original post asked folks to identify some freshmen who they thought were good players. The information I first posted about Bartlett's team was for informational purposes. I noted that they start two freshmen on a team with only one senior. No one to my knowledge said that Bartlett was one of the best teams in their district, West Tennessee, or the state. I mentioned the two freshmen to reflect that it was a young, inexperienced team. Say what you want, Ashley Herring and Nikki Thompson (the two freshmen) are solid players. Last thing; any average player, no matter how they are classified can look good on a great team. When you have 14 year old players who can step on the floor and playe with 16 through 18 year olds and perform at a high level in every phase of the game, I say they are good. By the way, didn't Ashley Herring make the all tournament team? Don't expect any other replies from me regarding this. I have no reason to argue with you on this message board.

Spree 1024, Just out of curiosity? By what do you measure talent or ability. You say you are not impressed by Bartlett's two freshmen, or their team in general. Do you look at skill, poise, aggressiveness, making right decisisions, making the right plays; or do you just look at whether they score 20 points or more in a game. Different people measure ability by a number of different parameteres. I would like to know. Just give us the name of one team not in this tournament with which you are impressed - so we can all know what your high standards are. I would not ask you to name a high caliber player. I wouldn't want any of the many talented ladies throughout the state of Tennessee to be embarrassed by your recommendation! Secondly, the snide remark "Is this why Bartlett is undefeated?" showed your lack of understanding of some things. The teams that play in the tournament are from a variety of places. None of the teams in the tournament (or in any tournament) select their opponents. There will always be a variety of ability levels. Thats why some games are blowouts, and some games are closer. Sometimes, even lower caliber teams play great (or over their heads as we say); and some great teams play poorly.

Bartlett will be in the Collierville Lady Dragonfire Christmas Tournament. They play on Saturday the 27th at 6:00 p.m. Bartlett starts two freshmen, one senior (the only senior on the team) one junior and one sophomore. Currently 10-0. Notably, they have beat Houston twice, Woodale twice, Cordova. Not many give them a chance in this tournament with teams like Hamilton, Central, in it, but expect them to make an impact. Lack of size, experience, and depth their major shortcomings.

This is stuff legends are made of. Ashley Herring has played up since she was 9. Virtually the same group of girls that won the AAU nationals 12u, and 13uplayed together for a different organizationas 14u. These teams consisted of Alisha Easley of Briarcrest, Jazmine Taylor, LaKendria Phillips, DaNae Lawrence, of Ridgeway, Alexis Givends of Kirby, and several other notable players. The last three years of AAU competition they have played for three different sets of coaches; not because they necessarily wanted to, but because the circumstances dictated it. The thing that places all of these girls on a different level is that even with a team of stars, they played team ball. It made it virtually impossible for any team to try and lock down one. Any one on the team could (and often did) take over a game and win it. They not only possessed the skill, but knowledge of the game; that is exhibited in every phase of their game: ball handling, shooting, passing, rebounding, defense and team ball. No doubt Ashley has benefited from playing with these girls, and when you watch her play for Bartlett you will see that even though she could easily score 20-30 points she does whatever it takes to help her team win. She is fiercely competitive, but a modest person who has not let any of her personal success on the court go to her head. She is a force to be reckoned with by any measure. I know all of these kids mentioned here, and she like they are, is the real deal.

Gomab, I am curious if you are surprised by some of the schools that some of the notable players signed with (or did not sign with) during the early signing period. I know its hard for the average person to know who might sign with who, but with your insight, and contacts, I am wondering if you have been surprised by anyone that signed with an unexpected school. Also, have you been surprised by folks who were expected to sign with a school and didnt.