DCHS

Thanks for the info. I forgot about that year. When was the last Big 9 Region winner?

I agree. He should be recognized for the job he, and his team, did this year. His team finished 5th. What were they picked in the preseason? I know it was below where they finished. Hats off to him. By the way, congrats to the Big 9 this postseason. It has been a while since we have taken 3 out of 4 in the region.

Right on Cap. Last years DB team was the best in Region 1. They suprised Bearden. Could have been considered an upset. At the state they were probably the 7th or 8th best team in the tournament. The point is there are two types of good, NE Tenn good and west of Knoxville good. This years DB squad is limited at the point guard position. Boy do they miss Williams and they have very little depth. Depth that they had lots of last year. SHHS is better than DB this year and THS is just as good as DB.

DB at Crockett opening night. Should be a great game. Both teams will find out a lot about thier teams that night.

Not to mention they have a field to practice on all year. Jumping around from field to field trying to practice and not having a "home field" most of last year really effected the Tribe last season. I know it sounds like an excuse but that takes a toll on a team. They have their field ready and their practice facility is top notch. This will provide the stability and consistancy they missed last year.

What I do like about the league this year is most of the teams have a pitcher that could give them a shot anytime they take the hill. True SHHS will win the league, but due to the pitching depth of the league they are going to have do more than throw their hats out on the field to get a win. They will have some battles during the regular season and will not have to depend on going out of the area to face quality teams. This will help the whole league come post season time. I think that has hurt our teams in the past. It is usually the Big 2 and the Little 7, with not much of a challenge for the top two (in league play). This year is more balanced than in recent years, which will allow our reps in the sub-state to be more battle tested. Cant wait until it starts. Good luck to all teams and hopefully the State Championship comes back to the Big 9. It's been 11 years.

What are the predictions this year?

Science Hill Crockett/THS/South (take your pick for 2,3,and 4) DB Volunteer Boone Central East

Victory, I agree with you. Both Good and Moody are the glue that keeps their teams together. This year in the Big 9 we dont have a really dominant team. I know THS has only one loss, but they have been challenged. What we do have are some great individual players. Let me have Montgomery, Murr, Good, Moody, and Frolich (Campbell SS, Devine DB, Burleson THS, and Edwards DCHS off the bench) and I think we have a pretty good team. The point is, the Big 9 has plenty of talent but it is more spread out this year. That being said, we will probably have a "co" player of the year. Who is the Coach of the Year??

Both are great. No question about it. This is how I look at it; if you take Murr off of Crockett's Team and they probably have only one or two wins this year. Take Montgomery off of THS this year and they still are in the top three in the league. That is why I feel Murr is the Player of the Year. She is that valuable to her team.

She should. From an indivudual standpoint she has been incrediable this year.

Science Hill is without question the team to beat in 09. The 2 seed will be a battle. I like Crockett as my dark horse to be runner-up this year. They return a solid team from last year and have 3 quality starters on the mound. Should be a competitive year in the Big 9 2 thru 9.

I dont disagree with a word you said. True, coaches do have a heavy influence over their players behavior, but I believe their parents have more of an influence. A lot of parents teach their children to stand up for themselves and not get pushed around. I hear it all the time from parents, "..if that would have happened when I played we would have taken care of him." What message does that send? How does a coach combat this? In reference to the "give the coaches some credit" statement, I was wanting to give them the benefit of the the doubt. I still believe we give coaches too much praise and blame. I was defending the Crockett coach because I know what he has done for those players. None of which were done to get wins. It was to hopefully develop character and integrity with his players. Those players are great students and wonderful people. No one involved with that program condones what has happened. Fans and coachT posters may want to win at all cost but our Big 9 coaches strive to build quality programs. Not win at all cost programs. Just my thoughts.

There is not a coach in the world that doesn't tell their players to get more physical. It is a physical game. Post players push and battle for position the whole game. How is telling them to be more physical a problem? When I played we touched a sign leading out of the locker room that said "Whatever It Takes." Now does that mean we were to punch other players and play dirty. No, it meant play as hard as you can and do everything within the rules to the best of your ability. My whole gripe is we dont hold the players accountable. The coach didn't push anyone or start a bench clearing brawl. Remember we are dealing with emotional teenage boys that get caught up in the moment. They are fully aware that this type of play is wrong. Make them responsible. Remember when you were a teenager. We all did foolish things that we shouldn't have done. If we did the crime we had to do the time. You dont become a coach to get your name in lights. You do it because you want to teach the game. If you want fame and fortune the last place you would be is coaching high school basketball. I'm sorry you have a problem with the coach at Crockett. Maybe next year you can get Bob Knight to replace him. I hear he is looking to coach again.

I was at Friday nights game. Trust me, Crockett's big man got pushed way more than he pushed back. The first "T" was a real piece of acting. He turned around and the East player threw himself to the floor like he was hit by Mike Tyson. We have all seen East play. They flop anytime someone takes it to the basket. They lead the league in charges taken with no contact. The second "T" was no excuse. He deserved it and now he will be a spectator for two games. Why do we have to blame coaches for everything? Why dont we hold the players accountable? We blame refs, coaches, and fans but we never make the student athletes accountable. Give the coaches some credit. Do you honestly think a coach is telling his kids to fight or play dirty. I know the staff at both Crockett and Volunteer and I can promise you they dont teach their players to behave this way. Also, if the coaches are so bad bad; go back to school, get certified to teach, and apply for these jobs. Then you can be under the microscope like these men are. It makes me sick to hear the constant criticism. Every head coach in any league puts their heart and soul into their job for their players. They spend their own money when their players have a need, they counsel them when they have no one else to turn to, they give them rides home, spend more time with their players than their own families, and countless other behind the scene things that 99.9% of the fans have no clue about. And what do they do it for? Criticizm. Slanderous comments. Personal attacks. However, they overlook all of this because they feel they have a calling to help these young men. I know all of this goes with the job and sometimes they go overboard and deserve some of what they get. I just think we need to step back and let them do their job and let the kids play for their coach. It is hard for a kid to have 5 or 6 coaches, with all but one in the stands.

Congrats. to Lauren Murr of David Crockett for passing the 1500 point mark for her career in last nights victory over South.

Tennessee has not seen the last of Brien Crowder. If his Alma Mater was open he would be back in Johnson City faster than you could say Howie Mandel.

In Arizona. Dont remember the year but he won the state there and he won the National Small College national championship while at Bristol University.

Yeah, it was not the same DCHS team last night. Should have won the game. I also agree that Central beating Elizabethton was a fluke. Having watched both teams play, Elizabethton is the better of the two teams. Central is a long and athletic team but pound for pound Betsy is better.

Right you are. Betsy looked great tonight. Those three 1 AA teams have probably been better the past 5 or 6 years than the top three in 1 AAA. If not, then it is pretty close.

Crockett is a team that could beat anyone in the league on any given night. They finally have an inside game that compliments a very good player in Murr. Could be a spoiler down the stretch. The league is pretty solid this year. Every team has to bring their A game each time they take the court.

East will be out in 08-09.

Thanks. Sometimes we (county schools) have a chip on our shoulder. I might have been a bit overly sensitive to your post. Besides, I am a fan of NE TN sports and I, like yourself, want to see what is best for the kids. East gets the benefit this time. Four years from now we are going to go through this process again. Maybe then the TSSAA will devise a playoff plan that most people other than astro-physicist can understand.

The problem is you have two schools, DB and SHHS, with a dis-proportional amount of students compared to the rest of the region. I dont think it is going to hurt either one. How did either team benefit from the 1995 re-classification? DB lost two conference games in that amount of time? Did it help them in the post-season? Still no state titles since the 1950's. I'm just saying DB is going to dominate, east of Knoxville, no matter what conference you put them in. Heck, historically, DB had better comp. when it was the Big 9. They have had more dominance in the Big East than they did in the Big 9. So I dont think they are going to be worse off. Tricitiessportsfan please dont refer to schools like Crockett and Volunteer as "such teams." Your direct quote was: "As a Dobyns-Bennett fan, it makes me shutter to know we will be playing such teams over the next four years." I'm truly sorry we dont measure up to your standard. We try. We really try. We are limited in many areas but I promise you we try very hard to be the best we can be. I'm not going to list the differences between city and county schools. We all know comparing city to county is like comparing apples to oranges. So if DB doesn't win the state in the next decade, dont blame this change. East is the big winner in the new classification. Every school (Central, Volunteer, Boone in the mid '90's) that moved down in classification in the past have benefited. Maybe not directly in football but in every other sport, the positives out way the negatives. I think it is good that East finally gets to compete against schools that they are equal to. East will benefit so much in every sport. Finally, a third place finish will not be looked at like a successful season. Central won the District in 2006. Guess who has won it every year since the mid '80's. DB or SHHS. Point is, East will get to feel like the City schools because they are now the big dogs on the porch. Good Luck to East.

Crockett Football- 2000 7-3, 2001 5-5, 2002 5-5, 2003 0-10, 2004 1-9, 2005 0-10, 2006 4-6, 2008 2-8. What was different about the 2000-2002 teams? They had depth. I dont mean numbers either. They had legitimate depth. What that means is not only do players get a break and your team doesn't miss a beat, but in practice you knew you had to bring your "A" game or someone else was going to take your spot. The 2008 Pioneers physically look good. They have been in the weight room and it shows. I'm not going to say they will finish in the top three but a four spot is not out of the question. They will be a very dangerous team that no one should overlook. The Five Rivers will be a very strong league this year. 1-3 will be a war and that 4 spot could go to any of the others. Good luck.