maddog2020

The 2003-04 season ended for York at Portland in the Regional Tournament. York lost to a medicore team with a SEC class superstar, and the Dragons have NOTHING to be ashamed of. The 2003-04 team had their problems, but all in all they exhibited the heart of true champions. Let's face it, we can't go to the sub-state every year. York was blessed with tallent, maybe even too much tallent. The roster was full on very able players who got playing time. And all of them did very well. We all need to pay tribute to Seniors like Josh Stephens, Travis Duncan, and Jordan Clark, and even to those who didn't have so much time in the games. All of these guys, freshman thru senior put out alot of sweat and maybe even a little blood wearing the purple and gold colors. All in all, it was an admirable season. The Seniors can pass the tourch with pride of a job well done. Now it's time for there underclass counterparts to fill the gap and carry on. As this season ends, the 2004-05 season begins. The boys will need to train very hard for next year. The lineup for next year looks like it'll be Tipton, Garrett, Burke, Ledbetter, and either Buck or Stocton. There's also some guys like Harding, and others who can be important. Whether next season will be a success or not depends on their will and how hard they train and practice. And I think they have what it takes to do it.

No Madness, I was questioning whether Brewer had TWO-THIRDS of the team's points. I'm suprised that he had only 22 out of 41. Like I said, Portland is a one man show, the other four are fairly insignificant. Without Brewer, I doubt they would have even went beyond the district.

Just like Osama said, five good players playing team ball will take out a super star and his roadies everytime. Basketball is a team sport and the five that plays as a team will win 95% of the time. Congratulations MLK!!! I wish you luck in the sub-state. As for Portland....ya'll better take a crash course in team play and work on your technique. You're not going to have Corey next year. You are going to be on your own. Favorable refs won't make any difference then. What did Corey score? 2/3 of your point tonight????

You know what Osama? And I mean no offense at all, Ole Doc DOES remind me of George Jefferson!!! He's a brilliant coach, but he's the spitt'n image of Geroge, more so in actions than looks. and I agree with you on MLK, too. They are an all around good team. No one man show there! I wonder how the rest of the Portland guys feel?? You know, being little more than roadies for the "man".

Brewer is truly a phenominal player. It's evident the boy is gifted when it comes to basketball. But, what about the rest of the Portland team? It seems to me that it's been pretty much a one man show the last couple of years. What are they going to do next year when they don'y have him to carry them through, after all, Brewer HAS done a majority of the scoring. Sorry, but it just doesn't look that much like a team effort to me. The other guys seem to be little more than a bunch of meaningless pawns in a big show for Brewer. I also read inprevious posts how Lipscomb suffered alot of fouls. Could this be a replay of the TSSAA refs trying to protect the "brew crew" like they needlessly did with York on Tuesday????

I agree with Osama. Just the thought that Yourk let alone ANYONE would throw a game is not that bright. BTW how in the world did you come up with that name? LOL. I like it!

York did well in their game against Hogeye tonight...We saw the team work and hustle that has been non-existant during the second half of the season. Every one who hit the floor played hard, smart, and contributed to the win. Even if the outcome of the game had been different, these guys, as well as the fans should have been proud. Hopefully this great group of boys have realized what had happened during the last part of the season and have took action to fix it. I know one thing, If they go into the Regionals playing like they did tonight, they'll give someone a good run for their money. Keep the good team work up!!

They shouldn't get down on themselves. Every post I've seen has acknowledged that they are all good players. Sometimes it takes an anonymous person or an outsider to point out a problem. ....Can they beat Livingston?? You bet they can!!!!!! Can they win in the Regional???? I think so...if they play together.

I haven't seen anyone bad mouthing anyone.... A little debate, soul searching and discussion is good. I think the York fans and players should be able to discuss their good points AND their problems. And this is a good place to do it. We're all on the same side.

I'm not hiding...I'm just waiting to see how it turns out. And, I hope it goes York's way!

I am from Jamestown.....And I pray that the Lord will be with Chad, his family, and his friends. And that Chad will fully recover from his injuries. May God bless him and all that love him.

York Institute Boys won a squeeker tonight in the 7AA tournament against Dekalb County. It was a game that, as a team, they did not deserve to win. Although York was a much stronger team, they struggled throughout most of the game. As a follower of the York team, I have noticed that they have a serious problem. They have as much tallent and ability that anyone could hope for, yet they have been on a marked down hill slide since mid-season. You can actually see it on faces, and in the body laguage of the team during the course of the games. Since I feel that the 2003-04 season is virtually over, I feel urged to voice my opinion. Not in a tone of criticism, but a simple obervation in hopes that things will be corrected before next year. My first observation is that a mindst has developed among the players, fans and staff, that the team should revolve around one or two key players. I've seen this happen many times. It happened this year at York. It's a psychological thing that causes the rest of the team to not play to their potential. And it puts unrealistic expectations on the "stars" themselves. Without naming names, one of these key players had a very lackluster year. The injury to any player is a tragedy. But, the fact that York did not have Travis Tate for half the season last year was the best thing for the team. (although it's regrettable that Travis was hurt) It forced the rest of the team to come to life with their own tallent. And they did quite well as a result. NO team should ever rely on one or two people. The second problem that I saw was the lack of the team working as a unit with determination. It seems that a situation has developed where competition with each other for playing time became more important than working together to beat an opponent. This is a really destructive situation, and one that is hard to fix once it happens. It's the ultimate recipe for a break down of the unit. It's happened during the 2003-04 season, and it's going to take an over all adjustment of EVERYONE"S attitude to see that it ends here. Basketball is a team sport with everyone working together and supporing each other. A house divided will surley fall. And everyone on the team will be miserable. If even one player gets his spirit broken by this situation it's a shame and down right inexcusable. Ability without desire and a team attitude should never be given priority over determination, love of the game and a team attitude. We all tend to blame the players when things go wrong. Yet the staff is also part of the team. They can screw up, too. They're human. And just like the rest of us they tend to overlook their own mistakes. They are just as apt to fall victim to what I've already mentioned as the players. When overwhelmed by frustration they can make bad decisions, too. One example of this has been seen in the player combinations during up to the Christmas break. The team was doing relatively well up then. Since then, the level of frustration and the down hill slide has been plain to see for all. Coach Earnie Winningham is a good man, and an able coach, and I hope he has many years coaching basketball at York. He has been faced, and has been part of a bad situation that has developed under his watch. But I have confidence that he can do the right thing and eliminate these problems in the coming year. It's not going to be easy, but I still think he has what it takes to do it. With good leadership, I also think Yorks 2004-5 players can overcome this. Several immediately come to mind like, Brandon Burke, Dustin Buck,Byrant Tipton, and others. They are all tallented and hard working. It's OK to lose if everyone on the team has played as a team and given 100%. Yet, it's a crying shame to have ability and self destruct. Thats my thoughts at the end of a not so good season.