tnwareagle

I agree about Jaycee Coe. One of the best players regardless of classification in the state. As is Middleton. Two of the best I have watched play.

District 5aaa should be held at McMinn or Bradley every year, because quite honestly, they have the only gymnasiums worthy of hosting. Just my opinion!

Well, almost every football game does the same thing. Bradley charges 3.00 to park. It is a donation, but like you said, the average person pays without thinking twice. If they simply had people collecting donations with no amount, it would be better. By giving an exact amount, it makes it seem like they are charging to park.

Playing in the weak district Brooke does, ( no fault of her own) definitely hurt her. Probably hurt the two girls from Science Hill also. Girls basketball is going thru a weak phase in East Tennessee. The named three had to bring their best night after night, where Brooke normally didn't play fourth quarter! The middle Tennessee basketball is a different kind of ball. As for Chattanooga girls, with the exception of Bradley, are there any other above average teams in the area? It would have been tough to pick a girl from Chattanooga area unless it had been Brooke. Brooke, the two from Science Hill and Davenport are all excellent players. As for where they sign, don't let the conference fool you. MTSU and UTC are better than many ACC or SEC schools. And Lee University is top notch. Several girls and boys have played there and turned down D1 to do so. There are many good players that you may could argue should have been named, but face it, only three can be finalists. And many factors are taken into consideration, not just stats. I, personally, wish Brooke or Davenport could have made the cut, but they have had awesome careers. And I think the three chosen are also good choices. As for winning it, it's not always the one with the best numbers who win. Middleton should win AAA, but you never know....

There are always really good players left out! Remember only three can be finalists! Just because someone doesn't make the list, doesn't mean she isn't a really good player. Plus, are you saying the ones chosen are not good?

Thanks! Around what time?

The year my daughter was finalist, they announced February 11, so I had thought it would be this week. I know we already knew before district tourney!

Or let the play in games occur then simply have regular season one and two play for championship and the winner of play in game play for third and fourth!!!! I don't like playing two games at one time!!!! But, who asked me???

Wow.... No wonder they have been so successful. 3700 points between two girls is awesome. Both of these two should be finalists. Then you have the sophomore from Blackman, girl from Science Hill, Copeland, and the Columbia girl. It will be a toss up between all of them. It is definitely a huge accolade to be chosen as one of the three best in the state. The girl from Science Hill signed with Middle, a top 25 program.... Then Middleton signed with Lady Vols. Both of them signed big. Where did the girl from Columbia sign? Copeland and Davenport also signed d1. You can't go wrong with any of these, but I believe the two from Riverdale will be shoo ins!!!!! I would like to see Copeland cuz she is a Bradley Bearette!!!!!

Some states allow an athlete to make one transfer during the four years without being penalized. I like that policy, as I see nothing wrong with transferring. Kids transfer for academic reasons and are still eligible to graduate with honors or even as valedictorians. Kids should be happy, and many times coaches get accused of recruiting when in actuality it is the program itself that attracts a family and not the coach. My daughter was heartbroken after her coach left her sophomore year. She wanted to transfer immediately. If I had had the means to do so, we would have transferred. I just don't see penalizing a kid. Also, it's funny that every program that becomes successful, people start crying and complaining about recruiting. When my son played at Bradley, they were in state every year and dominated the area. Naturally all the basketball players wanted to go to Bradley, and Bradley County does not have a zoning policy. However, the local schools began yelling about recruiting!,,, I mean seriously? What ball player who was serious about the sport would not have wanted to play for Kent Smith or Jack Harlow. Again, maybe we should allow one free transfer then make the athlete sit out.....

It's a shame that Riverdale, Oakland, Columbia, and Blackman all are in the same region!! I don't see anyone beating Riverdale, although if anyone does it would be Columbia. However, I would LOVE to see Oakland upset Riverdale in the semifinals. Bradley Central should easily be hosting one of the above teams in the substate. It is possible, if Bradley plays a great game, that Bradley would upset one of these teams and be state bound. It is tournament time and there is always somebody upset!!!! If anyone could pull that upset in the substate, it would be Bradley at home!

Way, way too many teams make it to playoffs..... Four classifications is all you need. What was wrong with A, AA, and AAA. Too many "champions".. That's the "feel good" concept. A team should be first or second in the region to advance. The argument that the third place in region is better than another regions champ is not valid... True, maybe...but it happens in other sports. Murfreesboro has probably the very best basketball in the state, throw in Shelbyville, Wilson Central, Mt Juliet, etc....but only two from region can go to state. Bottom line is that you have to earn your way to the playoffs.... Right now it is pathetic..... Two years ago a team went to playoffs only winning two district games!!!!! Ridiculous!!! Something has to be done. Plus what TSSAA did to Cleveland and to Sullivan is unforgivable. Take away the crazy formula they use to choose teams, but to make one team travel so far for game one is totally uncalled for. Back several years ago there was no need for a formula for a team to go to playoffs...there was a tiebreaker and that was it....

I think Cleveland and McMinn both lose an additional game before playoffs......to the BEARS

It's a shame the Bradley/Walker game is during Fall break. Also, tonight is Walker's homecoming but Bradley plays at home in a huge region game, while McMinn and Cleveland play in a big region game.

Congrats to the Bradley Bears. Also, I was on Blackmans side a good portion of the game. Great fans and parents. I was a little disappointed they didn't have a bigger crowd, but they were very nice. Tonight's win was a team effort for the Bears. No one star, but lots of stars. Big plays by many different players. I loved it...

Great post!!!! I am a Bradley fan, and I hate we lost under those conditions. But it happened, and life goes on. I am pulling for Blackman to win in the state, unless they Ooltewah. I wish my Bears were there, but maybe next year.......

it wasnt even that ref that called the tech. it was the other ref on the other end of the court. the ref that #44 was talking too did not make the call. get your facts straight.

I actually think that you are dead right. However, it is a tough pill to swallow to lose that way. My heart just breaks for the team, but I do not begrudge Blackman for the win. I would just really, really like to hear the referee's story and not all the stories that people are writing on here.

TRUE, a real competetor wants to win on the court, BUT I don't think any of the coaches for either team lost class during this game. Kent actually held his cool better than most. The Blackman coach did nothing wrong. It was a FEW adults on the BC side and a few students in the Blackman cheering section who acted out of line.

WOW!!!! First of all, I am a Bradley fan and a fan of the player who got the technical. Secondly, my son played on the teams that went to the state for Bradley three straight seasons and had to beat Blackman to get there. I understand Blackman's excitement and enthusiasm. Thirdly, my daughter lives right beside Blackman and teaches in Murfreesboro, so when they are not playing BCHS, I normally pull for a Murfreesboro team. Therefore, I think I am somewhat objectionable.That language should never be tolerated at any point in the game, not the first quarter or the last. However, if he did not say it, then it was a major misjustice to award a technical to the team. IF there was any question at all as to what was said, and if was not directed toward the referee, with one second left in a tie game, I feel it should have been overlooked. Hey, the game was going into overtime. Warn the player, then toss him during overtime at the least little resistance that he may show. However, I have never seen this player display bad behavior on the court. BTW, the player in question is really mild mannered off the court and a really sweet guy. I was not there, and I have heard numerous DIFFERENT stories, so I am assuming that only two people know the REAL story. I hate like everything that this happened. Noone will ever know who would have won the game. We can all specualate. Bottom line is that the call was made and it was a very sad ending to an otherwise great game. Nobody... NOBODY knows who would have won the game.. If, if, if..... Like the girls game--NOBODY knows who would have won the game, IF the senior girl had not been hurt, IF we had not been effected by weather... We could have won, but who really knows??? BC could have won last night, but then again, the end result may have been the same.The problem is that we will never know. The technical did not CAUSE the Bears to lose, rather CAUSED Blackman to win. I wish we didn't have to argue this point and that it was settled on the court. What I was even more disappointed in was though, was the way many adults handled the situation.....I also was disappointed, very much so, in the way Blackman student section was allowed to taunt the Bradley students after such a wild finish. Where was the Blackman administration? The Blackman fans a were absolutely awesome until the ending. I know, I know, we had some adults who acted just as bad. It was a stressful situation at best, and I just hated so much the way it ended, but everybody has their own opinion as to how it should have been handled. Me, I am a disciplinarian, so I like discipline, BUT I am also a competetor so I like games settled on the court..... Just a bad situation!!!! By the way, Blackman fans---I was so very impressed by your rock band and band during the football game in the fall!!!!

Bradley should not have any problem with Cumberland. Their first real test since Thanksgiving will be Lawrence County. Should be a good game.

Should have beaten Columbia in 2004. Still makes me sick to remember that loss. Sorry to say, but Middle Tennessee just plays a different brand of ball. It's not so much that the teams that beat us are better; they just have played many tight games during their season, play tough competetion, play in quality holdiay tournaments, and are just simply prepared for these tight games. They don't have better coaching than us, no better players, just accustomed to these type of situations. Very few of their games in Middle Tennessee are blow outs. They have to fight for wins. That always hurts teams from here when it comes substate time. By the way, did you notice that the Harlow/Insell coached team upset Blackman????? I was so proud. I don't see anyone touching Riverdale though, do you????

He always has his teams ready to compete. The group that graduated in 2004 went 100 wins with 10 losses in a three year period. They made three trips to the state tournament, and many other years would have brought home state championships, but those were the years of the White Station dominance. Two years after graduating 7 seniors, Kent took yet another team to the state tournament. I am not counting them out to make another trip this year.

First of all, there was nothing whatsoever wrong with the old A, AA, AAA.... There's nothing wrong with the top four teams making playoffs and playing the other region in playoffs. Just like basketball, it could be possible that the top two teams in the state are in the same region and would have the chance to meet ONLY in the state championsip. It's like our whole society nowdays. Too many teams make playoffs. It should be a privilege and honor to be in playoffs. HOwever, in the old system, there were a few regions that only had 4 or five teams and teams would advance with 2-8 records. That happened here a few years ago. Embarrassing. I don't know the answer, but I still don't see the problem with the way the system was run in the early 80's.... We don't have all the divisions in baseball and basketball, why football?