McNine4MVP

You gotta love Shad turning into Larry Brown. There are just so many oddities about the moves he has made in the last year or so. If his daughters follow him to Blackman, that kind of paints his move in a "slightly" better light. Otherwise, he looks like a diva doing what he's done. To be honest, I feel bad for Bud Raikes and Smyrna in this deal. 1. He hired the guy at an extremely young age 2. Was more than patient with that man when they fell hard in the playoffs year after year (a couple of those playoff losses were bad, bad, bad) 3. Relented to give Shad an all star staff with Robbins and those guys 4. Catches lighting in a bottle (more like Sonny and Rod) and wins two state titles 5. Bailes when the cupboard would have had to be redeveloped to go spend time with his "family" 6. Then walks out after about 8 months to go coach against his alma mater After thinking about it, Shad should split whatever raise he got at Blackman between Sonny and Rod, if that isn't an NCAA violation. They got these perks for him, that's real talk.

Absolutely, Prayers for Bobby and his family.

For the first time EVER, this Region is an absolute toss up. I could see every team in the region, except for LaVergne, making a run at this thing. I just don't like what Smyrna did this offseason. Losing Shad was not a shock, but the replacement was. This guy might be a great coach, but it sure hasn't resulted in much on the field recently. They still have a lot of talent, but when you combine losing Robbins, Rod, Sonny, and Shad.........could be a 5-5 or 6-4 season on Almaville Road, unless their O-Line dominates people. Riverdale has become the enigma. Regular season producer, playoff disaster. Lots of O-Line losses and their backfield personnel has gotten progressively worse. I hear their young QB could be a star, but they look very green. They look 6-4 ish to me as well. Wilson Central seems to be the team that makes the most sense to finish first, but they lost some very good players. The McChurch kid was just a heck of a football player and did so many things for them. If they can get some decent QB play, they will win the Region, but that not so small fact has a huge question mark. Blackman probably has the best skill players in the Region, but they just haven't done it yet. They could finish first or last and I would not be surprised. Patton and some of the other older guys' leadership will determine how far this team goes. Michael Crocker is the HUGE X-factor here. If he gets his head right and focuses on what really matters, this team could go DEEP. Good gamble here on Wells part. Really like Jerry Jones picking up Pacman for 15 cents on the dollar (not in any way comparing Mike to Pac....but you see the point). Minimal risk (one year), potential high rewards (region championship). I have no confidence in Siegel, simply because they have had some talent recently, but their staff can't seem to put it all together. I think this is a put-up or shut-up year for that staff. This Region is wide open, and they have the talent level to finish third or so. Lebanon is another team that I just can't figure out. They could finish first or last too. One thing I noticed is the Maynard kid was severly underutilized last year. That kid reminds me of McChurch in that he can do everything really well. Oakland is intriguing too. I look for them to make a bounce back in the next two years, but I kind of think that this will not be the year. But they will ruin somebody's season. LaVergne is young, young, young. I really think Hester will be a great coach. I like his style of play and he knows how to utilize his athletes in space. But, I hope he learned his lesson last year in that you never leave your fate up to the leg of a 17 year old if you don't have to. He got conservative in the red zone twice last year (Lebanon and Smyrna) and it cost them dearly. That is a team that could have done serious playoff damage if they would have gotten in.

Look, I'm as hard on Metro coaching as anyone for on-field decisions.....i.e. playcalling (please throw away the Wing-T, LOL)! But I don't think any of you guys, outside of a few like WIP, RTB, WIP's dad, Moonwink, and a few others have any concept for the challenges that occur daily at any Metro schools. At some Metro schools, you're just happy to see a kid show up five straight days, due to a variety of issues. Some the student can control, some the student cannot. Schools like H'Ville and Gallatin have some inate advantages over many Metro schools in support levels, income, and "buy in" from the athletes. Its hard to tell a 15 year old who is the "man" of a single parent household whose mom works two jobs what to do, they can drown you out sometimes.

Let me add a second "Yes He Does" vote to Elrod's impact on Wilson Central's success. Trust me, that old man has forgotten more football than most people know! His absence contributed to their 2006 demise and equally to their 2007 success. Wilson Central had a better D in 2006 than they did in 2007, but only had 2 Dub's to show for it.

Hmmmmmm.....this is an interesting hire. I've always heard good things about Williams, but this seems to be a MAJOR step up for him. Raikes may have staked a small part of his legacy on this pick. There isn't far to climb, but you could fall off a cliff easy with this one.

I didn't even think about Crawford until now. He's a great choice, if they can get the compensation right. Brentwood is becoming a tough job again. Ravenwood's rise and BA's resurgence, along with the oncoming train that Centennial could be makes the Bruins a less than desirable job in some areas. I think the plum job is really going to be the Stewarts Creek job, whenever they break ground on it. I just love the location of that school. That might kill Smyrna and Blackman.

Butch, Luke, and Larry were three of the best players I ever played against.

I don't have any inside information on the job at SHS, but if I'm Raikes, I make one phone call over to Wilson Pike and ask Brian Rector if he's interested......nobody has done more with limited talent than Rector has.

Yep, You can't exactly call it the Good Ole Boy Network anymore, but the same basic principles still apply. There is a lot of dead weight coaching in Metro today due to that fact. All the while, a lot of the coaching talent runs off to the Private Schools and the outlying counties. And we wonder why Metro hasn't won a state hoops title in 28 years!! Nununu, Is Nollner still running that zone down 15 points with the superior athletic talent??

Is Reverend Jim gonna get his job back at Jonny O?

This Shad rumor has been out there for a while H'Ville. Everyone in Rutherford County has heard the MTCS rumor since the close of last season. Whether it happens or not, I don't know, but it sure is fishy that they have not filled that slot on Memorial Blvd yet. If I'm Smyrna, I put an all-out press on Rankin. There are some things I don't like about the guy, but he's a winner and runs a similar scheme. However, word on the street is that Ole Gary has his eyes on either the Siegel or Blackman job...........whichever one comes open first. Both of those jobs have a load of potential, but they can't get right. How many D-I players does Siegel need to be competitive??

I'm not a huge Wing-T fan, but it can be effective. To me, though, its the ultimate "mascara" offense. It covers up for weaknesses up front or a size differential. Wes Elrod at Wilson Central has always been masterful at this, but they run so many sets out of a Wing-T concept, that its more of a hybrid spread offense that made teams defend horizontally. And with personnel lacking in size, it makes perfect sense for him. This is where my rub with Riverdale comes in. The personnel Ron has had the past two years was perfectly suited to be a downhill I-formation run team. With those beasts he had up front, they could have coasted until the semifinals using that set. Iso left, Iso right, lead left, lead right, a little speed option, bootleg with a flat/go/backside drag concept, stretch......and that's all you needed. My high school coach would have been in heaven with that personnel. Instead, they decided to run trickeration with no stretch the field component and little dynamic edge speed, and it killed them in the end. Aydelott is a very good high school coach that I respect greatly, but I think he was in error when he changed what Rankin had done with success for ages. Now, without Spurlock, Lillenthal, and those other big boys, the Wing-T may make more sense, but he needs to retool that thing and go to more of what Wilson Central has done. Football is still about who blocks, tackles, and takes care of the football, but even down to the high school level, you are seeing that the best teams are able to run it and throw it. Like Ron Jaworski always says "Points come from the passing game". You control the game by running it, but as Sonny Gray, Rod Wilks, Brett Burnette, Zack Rogers, etc have proven.......it all goes better if you can throw it.

Good post, and you're exactly right on the ever-dangerous first time look at teams. But, on first glance, you would think Siegel was a slow walking team, but when you look at the stats, they average scoring more than anybody in the field. They did what they had to do last night to frustrate Antioch and pin them in. And to be honest, they won without an explosive game from anyone. This wasn't a Tyler Cutter 26-30 point night, a Kerry Hammonds 20+, or a Montori Hughes 17 & 24 board night (which I was on board saying had to happen...win some....lose some). The thing I see is that Ridgeway is so similar to Antioch, its scary. They don't shoot the ball well at all and if the points aren't coming in waves from transition, they aren't scoring. And I don't see Cutter throwing the ball all over the court against the press. Siegel understands spacing, and that could serve them well tonight. The thing that concerns me for Ridgeway in this game is how anemic their post players were against some not-so-good post players from Clarksville. They play like that against those bangers Siegel has and they could be in trouble. Hughes and Mitchell throw that 600lbs around down there and could push those leaner Ridgeway guys. Siegel, athletically, is probably the most underrated team in the field. Hammonds, Hughes, Gooch, Cutter, and those guys can get after it. I really think, if they can shoot 45% from the floor and stay around 12-13 turnovers, that they can win this game.

Crowder family or not, I tend to agree with that assessment. In Nollner's defense though, if that was a Crowder team, they would have gotten beat by a team like Brentwood in the regionals on that roller coaster ride that was his tenure at Antioch. Just goes to show that all coaches have their strengths and weaknesses.

The Cane Ridge thing seems to have a lot of people baffled. If I were them, I would go after a young, up and comer. Anthony Sewell???? The old Metro "Five Down Five Across" thing that a wise man has posted here seemingly does not apply with this job. Everyone with a brain knew Abner was going to be the football coach there, but hoops, I don't know. I think Metro just needs an infusion of new ideas across the board.

Ridgeway, to me, looks as average as I have ever seen them. With that said, they turned up the pressure late and that got them the win. The thing with Siegel though, is that they have proven to me that they can play any type of game. They have those two space eaters out there who can bang, and they have guys that break the pressure and look to score, where as, Clarksville had guys who broke the pressure to hurry-up and give the ball back to Tyrone. Cutter, Gooch, and Hammonds play strong with the ball, so I don't know if the press will affect them the same way it did Clarksville. If I'm Siegel, I play the same game defensively I played last night. Ridgeway looks like they can't shoot from the perimeter either. I don't buy into the hype that much, but I think the Siegel Nation will have a huge factor in this game. I was actually kind of disappointed in their turnout yesterday. I can remember when they numbered in the 1,000 range a few years back. If they can pick their team up, they can win.

TDNTN, I basically agree with you, but when Antioch turned up the heat there for about 3-4 minutes at the end of the third and early in the fourth, Cutter got bailed out with some ticky-tacks that they weren't calling for Antioch's PG on the other end. Siegel got physical with Upton, but he wasn't getting bailed out. The block-charge on Hammonds late in the first half was pivotal too. For a group of refs that love giving the benefit of the doubt to good defense, the Antioch kid pitched a tent and waited on him for 2 paces, and still got a blocking call. That's usually not the TSSAA officiating M.O. Like I said, Jim Nollner (who I respect....but I have to call it like I see it) handcuffed his own team from the get-go, letting them get lulled to sleep by playing passive basketball, so the refs didn't factor in the game like they did the CPA-Dyer County game, but I thought Siegel benefitted from some 50-50 calls. But, hey, sometimes, you make your breaks and the more deserving team won. I thought about something. College hoops and high school hoops are obviously not on the same level, but the rules are similar. Think about this, take Syracuse in 2003 out of the mix, when has any team in college won a national title since the shot clock and the three point shot, and almost exclusively played zone?? Coach K = man principle Roy Williams = man principle Jim Calhoun = man principle Dean Smith = man principle Tark = man principle Billy D = man principle Pitino = man principle Tubby = man principle Larry Brown = too young to remember fully, but he's a Smith disciple, so it had to be mostly man Nolan Richardson is the only guy that played a "zone" per se, and it was a 94 foot trapping concept.

First off, congrats to Siegel. I did not think that they could execute a gameplan that well with as many young players as they have. Kudos to Chris Harris and his staff, they completely outcoached, outplayed, and out-efforted Antioch. Tate, who I think has been a weak link for the Stars at times, came up absolutely huge in the third quarter. He hit a couple of dagger threes. Siegel's bigs also did a great job holding their own in the post, and not letting Antioch get those momentum changing dunks. On to Antioch, that was a poor performance from the coach on down. Why on Earth did you wait 21 minutes to force the tempo? Siegel found some cracks in the zone, yet Jim Nollner never went man. That is just baffling to me. Plus, his team was lulled to sleep. Press and play man and get the tempo up. This wasn't a Pythagorean Theorem game to coach, this was 101. Temple never won a title playing a matchup 2-3 and Syracuse had to have a once in a lifetime player in Carmelo Anthony to win theirs. When do people learn? Nothing else can be said. Also, too many guys no-showed for them. Big ups to McAdoo and Clarke, who played hard throughout. I've got to say, I 100% disagree with this statement. I was pulling for Antioch (because that's where I went to HS), but I like Siegel too (I live 5 min from SHS), but I thought Antioch was playing uphill with the refs all night. When Tyler is allowed to ward off with his left hand continuously yet draws hand check calls, and Kyle Upton can't get the same call on the other end with Gooch and Hammonds on his back, that ain't even. And when you have big bruisers like Hughes and Mitchell, and only have two team fouls halfway through the fourth, that isn't even either. That wasn't the reason why Antioch lost, they were beat from the jump, but Siegel definitely drew an advantage in the fouls. Congrats Stars and beat Ridgeway, they are very vunerable.

No you didn't Starfan /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> I usually agree with you, but the fact that you would compare Antioch to White County is negligent. I've seen White County three times, Siegel five times, and Antioch seven times this year, and I can tell you, athletically (and yes there is more to the game than athleticism)..............White County has one guy who could start on Antioch's team. ONE! UNO! 1! And that's just real talk. And the notion of this Antioch team, whose two losses are to out of state teams that were both ranked in the national Top 25 at one point this season would finish third in 7-AAA is just dead wrong. I'm a 7-AAA guy these days and I could tell you that Antioch might have lost one road game in that district, tops. I think people are buying into this typical Metro Nashville rag tag athlete thought process, and it just doesn't hold water. Jim Nollner is a Vet, this ain't Dolla Store Crowder coaching this team. He'll have his boys ready to go from the jump. Siegel is going to have to play their best game and Antioch is going to have to chip in by playing poorly for the Stars to win. Cutter and Gooch and Hammonds are going to have to score about 55 points between them. I just think Siegel has to play too fast paced to win this game. They want to run, but Antioch thrives in that game.

I see your point, but I kind of disagree. To me, I think you lessen the "fluke" element in this format. Yes, you can have that still happen in the sectionals (see Red Bank hitting 99 threes against White County), but its a lot less likely. Its not like you're rewarding losses against bad teams. If you lose in the Region finals, you're probably losing to another really good opponent. Maybe one better than the team you'll see in the Sectionals. Which leads to............................ This format also does a good job of is exposing weak regions in the sectional cross-matchups. Its not perfect, but its a decent enough format.

I've seen both teams so I feel like I can make an intelligent prediction in this game. I don't think Antioch will just roll Siegel, but I do think that they have better and more importantly, more mature athletes on their team. Wells, Clarke, and McAdoo are just going to be a tough matchup for the Stars. Siegel is a little better overall in the backcourt, even though I believe that Upton will be the best guard on the floor. That's no offense to Cutter, who is a great player, but Upton is always in control of the flow of the game. The key factor in this game, to me, is on the bench. Remember, Jim Nollner took a lesser Whites Creek team and beat a more talented Chris Harris Siegel team two years ago in this very spot. I think Antioch's length in their matchup zone will be the difference. Antioch 69 Siegel 57

I'd love to see a Final Four of Ridgeway, Antioch, White Station, and either Oak Ridge or Siegel. I really think those are the five best teams, with Antioch and the two Memphis schools being the most talented. Oak Ridge certainly plays a unique style, but will that work against the superior athletes? To me, Oak Ridge's nightmare 1st round game could be Siegel, because Tyler Cutter can handle the ball as good as anyone and make good decisions. And when he breaks the trap, Gooch and Hammonds are just great finishers. Scary how young and talented Siegel is. And they have a senior D-I guy with past tourney experience running the show. I will say this, there is just something about this Antioch team. Great talent has met great coaching. If they can get Mike Williams on track from three........................I don't think anybody's beating them. And the fact that they'll get the older Clarke brother back if they win a first round game just adds to their depth.

Its hard to bet against the Memphis teams, no doubt. But, after what I saw out of Antioch last night, you better have two or three guys that can stroke it from long range, because if you go down low against those giants they have, its going to be a beat party. If Antioch can get some good guard play out of somebody other than Upton, they probably have all the pieces to win in the Boro. They are long and mobile and play a zone most teams can't figure out. Williams is the key to that team. If he can stroke three or four long ones a game to make teams honest, Antioch is about unbeatable. You have to shoot the three ball well to beat them.

I went to the game last night and I can honestly say that the refs did a horrible job of policing the action. The ref that threw Clarke out just stood there while the chest bumping and trash talking was going on. If he would have just stepped in like a good ref would have, he could have thrown the double tech and everybody goes to the bench for a minute and cools off. Antioch gets a bad rap at times, some of it warrented, but from what I saw, it was just a little trash talk gone wrong. No blows were thrown that I could see. And none of Nollner's kids left the bench. The only Antioch kid that came out, was a sub who was already at the scorer's table and coming in at the dead ball. Nollner has done a good job of really instilling some discipline into his bunch. One kid got caught up in the moment a little bit, but McAdoo, Upton, and particularly Wells just look like that are having a good time out there. I certainly don't think that kid should have to miss two games for that. And how the Hillsboro kid got off scott free is beyond me.