4topper4

I've worked with and against Coach Barnwell...I don't think there's anything about him that makes him a jerk. He is a man of great focus and intensity, and I don't think he would run up the score to humiliate anyone. Having been a girl's coach at University High, he took his fair share of big losses. I never heard him accuse anyone of running the score up even when we were being pressed down 30 or 40. His answer was always to get in the gym and get better and control what we could control. In response to CTG2X92's comments...you are right in that SHHS and DB should dominate that league in every sport. They are large and have resources that other schools do not. Even given that, how can you explain Crockett's inability to compete with schools like South? They are dropping down to AA so they are quite a bit smaller than Crockett, so based on earlier logic, this should mean Crockett should beat them every year.

I'm afraid Crockett's A.D. talking crap in the JC Press is only gonna hurt their team when they play Science Hill again. After beating a team by 94, I'd say it's tough to get fired up to play them again, but thanks to Kite's comments I would say it's caused the Lady Toppers to come together to want to make the score worse next time. How can Crockett be consistently bad in pretty much every sport every year? They have 5 feeder schools I think, and you'd think they could produce a couple of decent players every now and then. Here's my solution to help out the Washington County High Schools: Build 8 new high schools and just let them compete against each other night in and night out like they do in middle school. Most of those middle school teams just play each other all the time then they are in total shock when they have to play SHHS, DB, and Tennessee High. Either that or enter their teams in a Parks and Rec league so they can compete.

They have split some of the regular season games, but Unicoi County has gone farther in the tournament(s) than T.A. Dugger in 2 of the last 3 years, with this year being the exception when T.A. Dugger won the whole thing. That group is absolutely loaded! Unicoi won the Sectional in 2011, even though T.A. Dugger was probably the most talented team in the area, and 2 years ago, T.A. Dugger didn't even make it to the sectional while Unicoi made it with only 2 8th grade players. Elizabethton is probably more talented, and will be for a few years, but Kerri has a way of getting the most out of her players, and they always play their best at the end of the year. Good luck Lady Devils!

Good point. Why wouldn't he go after Betsy given they have good talent coming up and it pays better than the county?

Can't imagine Coach English leaving Unicoi, being the middle school principal and head coach unless it was a place that could offer a significant pay raise (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol), but my guess is his blood bleeds blue and he's a Blue Devil for life. Ryan Arnold and Justin Penley are very interesting choices...have they applied or inquired about the job? Betsy would be a great place for a young coach with all of the talent coming through there. Have they set a timeline for hiring the coach?

Very good point, but you know how some places/administrations can be. I agree that some guys just have it, and you guys definitely have a keeper with Brandon. I'm always impressed with how hard his teams play.

But if he did go and took his two boys with him, Happy Valley becomes a contender in the Three Rivers pretty quickly. Would hate to see Science Hill lose him, but he is great coach and an even better man. Any school would be lucky to get him.

Just part of the rumor mill right now, but I did hear through the grape vine that Blevins from Bearden had inquired about the job. Not sure how much coaching supplements are in K-ville, but teaching salary is probably comparable from Knox County to Betsy city. Like I said, I just heard it through the grape vine from a fellow coach in the area. What a steal that would be given his track record! What do you think?

Rumor has it that a high profile high school coach from one of the Knoxville powerhouses has inquired about the Betsy job. Would be hard to turn this guy away given his resume.

Lucas would definitely do a great job there. Great knowledge of the game and he would definitely do a good job relating to the players. He took over a very talented group of girls this year and was able to meet expectations by winning the sectional, with only one close game all year. Hire him and you're set for quite a while. Will his youth be a detriment in terms of what the athletic dept./administration is looking for? Do they want someone with varsity experience?

Hopefully they get it right. Not exactly the best track record on hiring the past couple times (with the exception of moving Coach Dugger to boys) with Street and Gordon. Talent seems to be there most years. Whittemore would do a great job there if that group of kids stays around. Best of luck to you all.

Great game by two very well coached and classy teams. Science Hill could have folded when they got down big early, but they fought back. Riverdale could've lost their composure after blowing that big of a lead but they stayed the course. Congrats to both teams...both of you are champions in your own right.

I completely agree. Being an Elizabethton outsider, it seemed strange last year to disrupt two teams by moving Coach Dugger to the boys. With all of the uncertainty from the higher-ups, some really good coaches may hesitate to apply for that job, which is a shame, since the future looks very bright for both the boys' and girls' teams. Their middle school teams have been good the past few years. Too bad the administration has created a 3 ring circus. Best of luck to the person who gets it.

Don't be too quick to count out Crockett. From what it said in the paper, their new coach is friend's with the staff at Greeneville, so I'm sure they will be fine. Haha. From what I've heard about their camps this summer, they've gotten destroyed at both Daniel Boone's camp and Shelbyville's camp.

Well...based on the past two years of middle school basketball, I'd say Science Hill has to be considered at or very near to the top. Two Sectional Championships and a combined 56-1 record over the past two years means they have the talent, not to mention the fact that their team pretty much returns everyone of any significance. If anybody is planning on beating them, they better do it this year because when Reid, Copney, and Knack are juniors, and Tarter, Lyon, and Head are sophomores, they have a chance to be a really special team. Rising 8th grade class has a lot of potential, and a few of those girls will be ready to play as freshmen or sophomores as well.