bucdaddio

yeah, I gotta get signed back up. e-mail me at: blazerdad@comcast.net

I thought Blountville Middle feeds Sullivan Central......................

Before you come on here and write a paragraph about these girls lack of work ethic, let me say, you don't know these girls. They have still been working out almost every day since they left the team. There is nothing wrong with their work ethic. Before you come on here and proceed to tell everybody that these girls have had everything handed to them, you don't know these girls. My daughter has had it pretty tough. Some of it is her fault, some of it is not. But she goes through things that a lot of teenagers couldn't handle. And I'm proud of her for hanging tough. I won't get into it on here, but Krich knows what I'm referring to. I don't think I could have done it when I was in high school. No, I wasn't getting "personal" about the Coach. His personal life is not my business. And vice-versa. I realize that he is good friends with your coach. They are both excellent coaches. But that doesn't mean that he can't be wrong, either. Nobody has a problem with "constructive criticism", it is "destructive criticism" and what the players call "mind games", that they grew tired of. All I'm saying is this. You came on here and wrote a paragraph trashing these girls and giving everybody a reason for what happened that blames it all on them, and you don't even know the situation, or the girls involved. And I was getting personal? I never trashed Coach Campbell. He is a smart coach and I have respect for him. I just think he handled the situation wrong this time. I never asked anybody to feel sorry for these girls. But if you want to know why they quit, ask them. Don't assume you know what happened, without getting any of the facts. And good luck to your Bulldogs, they are a tough team.

Daniel Boone standout Holly Nickels signed a scholarship with King College in Bristol. She joins a Lady Tornado team that finished runner-up in the AAC tournament last season. She will be joining another local signee, Jasmine Treadway from Elizabethton. Congratulations to both girls, and good luck!

Agreed. They need to pull the trigger soon, though. Summer camps and such are here already. Need that time for team and coach to bond.

With one possible exception, they most likely weren't going to play college ball. And I know exactly how tough college coaches can be. Not the same thing. Personal attacks that have nothing to do with basketball or school. It's no big deal. These girls were hard-core ball players, but if the fun is out of it, and there's no desire to play, than everybody's better off this way. The girls just didn't want to spend their last year of high school miserable. They actually seem relieved so far. There is an awful lot of pressure at Boone to live up to the history and tradition of the girls' team.

Yeah, you know, sometimes it's not all about basketball. They have taken alot since they got there, and I won't divulge that here, but they did work hard, and they stuck together as teammates and friends, even to the bitter end. Personally, I'm upset because, from a selfish point of view, I wanted to watch these girls play together one more year. But I wouldn't want these girls to think it was okay for anybody to keep calling them worthless over and over. They are far from it, and they deserve to have a little dignity. It sounds like Volunteer made a pretty good hire. And you're right, they are capable of pulling off some surprises. Best of luck to them.

and once again, like I said, you don't have all the facts.

I understand your point, but it wasn't the point here. Also, the two transfers you're referring to are long gone, and have nothing to do with the situation. Really not much infighting went on, to be totally honest. And the girls who were playing since, got along better than any team I've seen. Coach Campbell IS one of the smartest coaches in this area. I believe that, and I don't think many will dispute that. I feel for Coach Campbell, because he has had a tough year personally. I'm afraid though, that maybe he let that spill over into other areas. I have coached a little, and have been around a lot of good coaches, and I expect a lot of yelling and screaming, throwing stuff, etc. That's part of basketball. If you're not hard on them, you're not going to get their best out of them. I think what wore on this team over the past year, was that the attacks became too personal. Yell and scream at us about basketball, make us work hard, make us do our best. But don't continually tell us we're worthless, the worst you've seen, don't attack our character, don't say things about our families that have nothing to do with basketball. I'm sure Daniel Boone will be fine eventually. I'm glad some of the younger girls will get plenty of playing time. They are great young ladies. It's kinda sad that these girls gave up their last year of basketball. But they had started to hate it. That's what's really sad. It used to be what they lived for. I'm proud to say that they did learn the meaning of friends and of team, because they did stick together, and they did stand up for what they believed. So, whatever you go on to do girls, I'm rooting for you, and I know you'll end up winners.

You can bump Boone on down to the bottom of that list. 5 of their 6 returning seniors quit this week.

wkktnvolsfan, what I was referring to, is that 5 of the 6 seniors at Boone quit the team this week. I won't get into a public debate about why, although I'm sure some of these "experts" will. If nobody has interviewed for the TN High job yet, then blame whomever at Boone made it known to the team that he had. Now Captain Caveman, if you want to tell me what else I've posted on here that that was bs or gossip, I'll have that debate.....

No, you're clueless. I know you. And I know you don't know what you're talking about. You are either hearing things from the wrong end, or you're trying to act like a big shot. Either way, it doesn't concern you. You don't have all the facts.

Not sure. There may be some shocking news afoot in Gray, and not all of it is coaching news. That's all I can say for now.........................

Tim Campbell from Daniel Boone has interviewed for the Tennessee High job.

I think they are referring to Montgomery's teammates, who have been grumbling more and more about the "1 woman show" at TN High. Every one knows she's one of the best in the area.......definitely the best on the team...........at the same time, you don't want to alienate the other players, because no one can do it alone. Hopefully the new coach will be able to strike a balance. There are 8 rising seniors, including Montgomery, according to the school website. By the way, congratulations to graduating senior Nakita Jones, who signed today with Hiwassee College.

Yeah Price is pretty good, Gilliam is good. Thought Bledsoe handled pressure as good as anybody on the team. It may all come down to who gets the coaching job, and how well they motivate and get this team believing. Main observation is this: They had a tough year last year, placed near the bottom. What will make them any better this year? Not putting them down, just don't know what's coming up. Will they be able to hang with Science Hill or D-B? That would take tremendous improvement. And no, I don't have a vested interest in anything or anyone in Church Hill. I've only met Channoa and her Mom, and they are good people.

If they are looking to promote from within, then assistant coach Angie Fickes would be a good pick. Standout player at East and ETSU, and has been assisting Coach Bright for years.

Without going into detail, I think the situation at Boone is resolved. Coach Campbell always gets offers, and always listens, but there was a situation that might have had him wanting to leave that has been resolved, and that's all I will say. Coach Bright's resignation was a big surprise to me. I can understand the family issues thing, but I always wonder if there's more to it....... I heard some parents gripe and complain mercilessly last year, which is ridiculous, since they had one of the area's best coaches, and I don't know if that factored into the decision or not. I hope not. Aside from coaching, she is a good person, who helped my daughter with words of encouragement, even though she was on a rival team. Hope Volunteer makes a good choice. They need a coach who can get those girls to believe, and pull together.

Where is everybody going for camps this summer? Daniel Boone is going to Eastern Kentucky and to Alan LeForce's Coastal Carolina team camp, I think. What about everybody else?

OK, I'll bite. It is very, very early, but here goes............................ Same 3 teams at the top. Science Hill and D-B may be a tossup. 1. Dobyns-Bennett - Really started to gel at the end of the season. Most talented team from what I can see. 2. Science Hill - Lots of seniors this year, just like Boone, but Science Hill's seniors are all scorers. Most athletic team. 3. Tennessee High - It's all about Montgomery. Coach Bright's job is going to be to get some others to step up. They are growing weary of Montgomery's shadow up there in Bristol. 4. Sullivan Central - They finally found their game in the 2nd half of the season. This run and shoot style seems to work for them. 5. Daniel Boone - Maybe. Other than Harmon, there are not really any scorers on this team. There are several with potential, but will they step up, or are they too used to watching Nickels and Caldwell do the scoring? 6. Sullivan South - The talented freshman will be a sophomore, but can she carry the team in the absence of Williams and Pickwell? Probably not. Others will have to step up and help her. 7. Sullivan East - They are not without talent, and could finish farther up the list, but not up there with the top 3. 8. David Crockett - There is some talent there, but not sure if it is being utilized to the fullest. Not enough horses to place in this race. 9. Volunteer - Not great last year, and Bledsoe is gone this year. Gilliam is good, but not much help for her I'm afraid.

Every time my Lady Trailblazers go out for the season, I die a little /sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" /> , but just wanted to get on here and congratulate the Region winners and I'll be rooting for you guys now.

Knew MoWest was a dangerous team. Science Hill would have matched up better against Greeneville than MoWest. D-B apparently didn't match up very well. Good luck to both teams going forward. Congrats to Brittany Watson on making the All-Tournament team. She played with my girl up here, back when her Dad was coaching "Boone Hoops" and the ball looked bigger than they did............

Don't count out TN High just yet. They lose Salyers underneath, and Nakita Jones, which will really hurt, but they are very well coached, and Coach Bright will find a way to get the other girls more involved, which she knows was a weakness this year. That said, Science Hill loses Jordan Douglas, which will hurt, but they have plenty of scorers to fill in, and PG Alexis Fields, who is out with a torn ACL now, anyway. I think they will be the favorites. D-B will be a close 2nd. Not sure who they lose to graduation, someone took their roster off of the team page. Frolich and Osborne will be back, so all they need is someone to feed the ball in. Central is pretty talented, and can beat anybody, but not sure they can beat everybody, which is what it takes to win the conference. South's freshman is outstanding, but not sure she can carry the team like Pickwell and Williams. Boone, much like SH, will have 6 seniors on the roster, but the problem is, with the exception of PG Harmon, there are no scorers. Everybody has fed the ball to Caldwell and Nickels and watched them go. Somebody (or several somebodies) will have to change their mindset to the scorer's mentality. East can separate themselves from the bottom two, but they aren't going to get very far up the ladder, although they could if Boone and South don't pull it together. Bottom 2 is a toss-up. Volunteer loses Bledsoe, and Crockett loses Murr.

Boone hosted Cocke County last year, then lost by 1 pt. to Greeneville. Not sure why you're so down on MoWest. Watched them play at the Happy Valley Tournament in November, and they looked very impressive. Only thing that shocked me was that they finished that low in the regular season.

It was a good season. Anybody want to take a guess at next year yet? I see: DB, Science Hill, and TN High at the top, South, Central, and maybe Boone below that, and everybody else just below that.