FairInMyFavor

I know this is a high school message board, but high schoolers can learn a lesson from UT's performance in the Peach Bowl yesterday. I was there and I was embarrassed by UT. Their players talked too much smack, and they received too many peanaties....a sure sign of lack of discipline. This smack talking has been addressed several times on this board. I sure hope the high school kids don't try to emulate UT. Without the penalties, UT could possibly have made a game of it. High schoolers take note...KEEP YOUR COOL! A 15 yd penalty for a late hit is bad enough, but then another on the same player right then for taunting. WHAT is UT's problem?

Did you ever see Kelly Holcombe, who played at Lincoln County and who is now playing on Sundays?

Do they still have the same Athletic Director and Principal?

Talk to any college recruiter for ANY sport, and they'll tell you that in addition to individual stats, they are quite interested in players who have played the stiffest competition. A player with great stats from 1-A competition will simply not get the respect that a player with great stats gets if they happened to play for any one of the outstanding programs mention in earlier posts. Some schools have a reputation of turning out good players. College coaches look there first. Why wouldn't they?

Yours was a great post....and exactly as I had this story told to me. If you were referring to an earlier post of mine when I said Coach Insell tried to discourage Kim and her parents, I never meant to imply that Coach Insell was not greatly impressed by Kim. He, himself, told me he tried to discourage her from coming....not because he didn't want her or because he didn't think she could play for him. He tried to discourage her because he knew she would be subjected to just this type of criticism. He knew she would be scorned by folks at Lincoln County. He was thinking of HER well being when he warned her and her family of the crap they were in for if she did move. That is generally his approach when ANY girl wants to talk about transferring to Shelbyville. He tries to discourage it because he knows what they're in for...and there is usually no guarantee that they will have a successful career at Shelbyville. I guess that I, like so many others on here, get tired of people constantly blasting Shelbyville for recruiting, especially when NO ONE can prove that a rule has been broken. Does anyone think that ANY sports program in Tennessee comes under more scrutiny than Shelbyville's girls' basketball? Why have NO charges ever been brought? Surely, MANY investigations have been conducted. Surely, after all these years, some girl who moved in would not have been as successful as her parents might have thought she would....and surely by now, Coach Insell would have rubbed some of these parents the wrong way. Had they truly been recruited, why has NO disgruntled parent ever spilled the beans on how their daughter was "recruited"? Coach Insell does do a great job of selling his program...as evidenced by his preseason #1 ranking and by Dateline's coming to follow them. Coach Insell SOLD them on his program. If his program is that attractive to "USA Today" and Dateline, is there any wonder that it is appealing to some parents and players right here in middle Tennessee? As I've said earlier, I am not from Shelbyville...and my team has been beaten soundly by the Eaglettes year after year. Still, I respect his program and his accomplishments...and wish we had the same success right here. My hat's off to a winner...who should be an inspiration for other coaches to raise their level of play.

That's pretty cut and dry, huh? So does the TSSAA use a psychic hotline to learn what parents motives are when they move from one town to another?

Tiffany Woosley lived in Moore County. I talked to her dad and her dad told me the reason he sent her to Shelbyville was that the Moore County coach at that time told him that he should not expect Tiffany to play as a freshman. He had his starters in place and it was not his policy to start freshmen. So, Tiffany's dad took her to Shelbyville, where she started for 4 years. I've heard all the same stuff about Insell's recruiting, and he MAY have sometime, but I also KNOW that he has tried to discourage girls from transferring to Shelbyville after he learned they were considering it. A recent example is Kim Dye who would have gone to Lincoln County. She and her folks wanted her to go to Shelbyville for personal reasons. Coach Insell did his best to discourage her transfer...even going so far as to call the Lincoln County coach and tell him that he was about to lose a player over small time garbage. Coach Insell begged the Lincoln County coach to address the situation and keep Kim Dye in Lincoln County. Kim Dye's family can vouch for that. Despite Insell's best efforts, Kim Dye transferred to Shelbyville. She also got a full scholarship to Florida upon graduating from Shelbyville. Now if that's recruiting...getting scholarships for his players, then, yes he does. Another fairly recent example is Abi Ramsey, now at Vanderbilt. She was attending Grundy County. Some ex-basketball girls jumped her in the hall at Grundy...knocking her down and tussling with her. Abi was the one who got suspended. Her father said in the principal's office that Abi would never play ball there again. That was not a case of Insell recruiting Abi. Shelbyville was just a good place to go when she and her folks felt they had been shafted at Grundy Co. By the way, the principal involved with Abi is NOT the principal who is at Grundy now. That story comes from Abi, herself...much after the fact. I don't know the stories of all the girls who have played at Shelbyville, but those are some fairly recent, high profile players that Insell was accused of recruiting. So, I did a little investigating.

You have got to be kidding right? You are going to question Coach Insell's coaching ability? Better check his wins and at the highest level in high school basketball. Also, there is no other school or coach in the country that has played the very best in the nation over the last 15 years. Those comments are riduculous! Like it or lump it, the man can coach! Couldn't agree more. All the good coaches whom I have talked to have the highest regard for Insell's coaching ability. There is still much jealousy out there. Look for him in Murfreesboro in March.

Answer to question #1. YES Answer to question #2. YES Commentary....Just hide and watch.

The #1 rating was also based in part on the difficulty of their schedule. Had they gone through their schedule undefeated, then who could have made a more legitimate claim to #1. Things just didn't work out for them this year in the National Rankings, but as far as Tennessee is concerned, they are still a team to be reckoned with come tournament time. They just seem to find a way when it really counts.

Anyone know anything about that game?

Late in the 4th, it was 21 - 7 in favor of Camden County. I am sure Camden won. Don't know whether they scored any more or not. After their late score, Valdosta tried an on-side kick...unsuccessfully, I might add. Lincoln County coulda beaten either one of them.

score?

Heartiest congratulations to Oak Ridge. All of Tennessee should be proud of you and happy for you.

Obviously, this is a year when Shelbyville doesn't have the depth to overcome injuries to their two best players. But then, who could?

Also funny how Shelbyville seems to always be at the Big Dance in March. Until they lose some more games and to some mediocre teams, they're still a top ten team IMHO. And I think you have to overlook losses they have with Fuller out, cuz she'll be back by tournament time.

What is the tournament in Phoenix where Oak Ridge and Shelbyville will be playing? If anybody hears their scores, would you please post any results you have.

Everybody knows what an outstanding athlete Michael Edmiston from Lincoln County was/is. And he got just recognition. Lamar Divens was an imposing figure at defensive tackle....and has been duly recognized. Everyone who played LC or saw them play comes away talking about their TWO monster tackles. The unrecognized one was THEO HORROCKS. I saw them a bunch. I'm not sure Lamar is better than Theo. I'm puzzled why Lamar Divens go SO MUCH attention and Theo Horrocks go so little recognition. Theo could have started for any team in the state...easily...yet he didn't even make third team all state. Go figure.

I bet the Peach Bowl will be ALL ORANGE with Clemson and UT there.

Columbia 45, Lady Falcons 23. final

Or you can move and get your son into a winning program where the coach DOES promote his athletes. Like him or not, Coach Rick Insell promotes the heck out of his girls at Shelbyville. That is one reason so many parents want their girls to play there. It would be interesting to see how many of his girls receive scholarships compared to girls in other programs. I think coaches ought to promote their players who have a chance of playing at the next level. Like everything else, some coaches do a better job of it than others. Each parent has to evaluate their own situation...and promote their son if he's a player.

Congratulations to all the players who were selected and to those honorably mentioned. I guess these posts show our own biases. Personally, I think Michael Edmiston is quite deserving. I, also, saw several of these guys play...and Edmiston several times. He is as good as any I saw.

In the TOC, I noticed there are 32 teams from CA and 11 from AZ. Good luck to our TN girls as they go out to show the country what TN basketball is all about.

No, it's sure not life. How in the world did the "Fair" you described ever get that name? From playing too many of the games they offer, I think they should change their name from "The Fair" to "The Crooked."

I think a lot of what's wrong with education now is that there is no merit reward. I have taught and coached...and I have been a high school administrator. I have also been in the military. The reason I left each profession was lack of merit pay. If you are good, you should be compensated accordingly. If you are no good, you should be terminated. Teacher's unions will not allow that. Most school administrators don't want to have to make that call, even before a teacher is tenured. Speaking of tenure, I think it is one of the worst things going in public education. On the other hand, in the real world, the president of a company can hire whomever he/she wishes and pay them accordingly. If they don't get the job done, they can easily be terminated. The president of the company is charged with doing exactly that. If the president of the company does not make the hard decisions and get rid of deadwood, then the board of the company can get rid of the president. That is NOT the case in public education. There are too many teachers, not all, but too many who are simply drawing a paycheck. Regardless of WHAT they are teaching they should not be making the same amount as an outstanding coach, band director, or fellow teacher. Not all teachers are equal and not all do the same job. Consequently, not all teachers should be paid the same. Some hard decisions need to be made, but again the NEA raises its ugly head.