AlumnI01

You are correct. I'm a SH alum and couldn't be happier for John Good, Patrick, Brendan Coleman and the rest of the Pioneer team about their win over my Toppers the other night. John is a SH alum, played a big role in SH's success over the years as an assistant and is very well respected by the community. Hated to see him leave SH to take over at Crockett but completely understand why he did. SH fans were cheering for his team Friday night because he's one of our own, he's a good guy and his team deserved the win. He and his family are still a big part of the SH family and always will be.

I wasn't able to go. New job has got me traveling a lot and I haven't been able to catch any games over the last few weeks.

Kid is a very good player but he's playing on a really bad team. Honestly, without him Crockett's awful. He is the only playmaker they have. I know he wants to play for his dad but still surprised me he would transfer to play for a team that is traditionally one of the worst in East TN. Don't get me wrong, his dad is doing a nice job over there trying to turn things around but what will he do once his son graduates? It's not like Crockett has a good feeder program.

Ok........... what is this even doing in this thread? He plays for Elizabethton which is not in the Big 7.

This team was completely overachieving to start the season. Any Topper fan will tell you they were shocked at some of the wins we were getting in November/December. Truth be told, we should've lost by 20+ to you guys and if we were to play again, I think we would. A lot of teams hadn't found their groove yet when we played them in November/December so we were playing in some close games against some good teams that probably should've blown us out. Now that teams are starting to find their groove, we're getting exposed. In all honesty, we're probably the 4th or 5th best team in our conference, and our conference is extremely weak this year. Next year and the year after you'll see a Topper team that you've come to be familiar with over the years. The JV and Freshman teams have a lot more talent and athleticism than the Varsity squad. Everyone has a down year and this is ours. When you lose 3-4 extremely talented underclassmen to transfer and injuries there's just not much you can do except play with what you've got and hope for the best.

My buddy said the DB and SH crowds were pathetic. He said he was especially disappointed in the Indians crowd and just so you know he's a TN High fan so he could care less who won tonight. And you can stop with the gloating. Like this wasn't really expected? You're acting like this is some huge win. If you all didn't win by 20+ tonight I would've been shocked. Everyone in the conference should probably beat us this year except for Sullivan Central and Volunteer. We're a bad team and any Topper fan will admit that. I knew it before the season started and said as much on this board. As for your 25 pt average in wins since January 1. Play somebody and then gloat. You all haven't played a good team yet. In fact, you've played 2 awful teams and 3 pretty bad teams and that's it. I'll give props when you all actually beat a quality team. I can't give props when you've just beaten up on weak ones that you should beat.

Good but expected win for the Indians tonight. I wasn't able to go but had a friend there and he called the crowd(for both sides)pathetic. What a shame to hear. I remember when these games used to be the biggest ticket in town. Standing room only and wild, enthusiastic fans. Has the biggest basketball rivalry in the Tri-Cities really turned into Crockett/Boone? What's this would coming to?!

Patrick Good is going to be one of the best players in this state by the time he's a Senior. He's already considered one of the top underclassmen but give him 2 more years and look out! That kid has all the tools to be one of the very best. Crockett is a completely different team with him with him out there on the court. The kid is something special and there isn't a player in this area that comes close to being as good as he is. Just as the Indians little streak had to end in football so did the Toppers in basketball. Truth of the matter is, the streak should've ended weeks ago but this Topper team has been overachieving thus far. The loss to TN High is honestly something I expected. Truth be told, they should've beat us the first time we played them a few weeks ago. The Vikings may be the best team in the conference this season. If SH loses Friday night will anyone really be shocked? No. The Indians should win that game. They should've won the first time they played last month too. Look, as I've said before, this is the worst Topper team in decades. If you're going to beat up on them, better do it now. The JV and Freshman teams are full of talent.

I just have to comment on this. Patrick Good from Crockett is the best PG in the district and it's not even close. The kid is a Sophomore and averaging 30-40 points a game. In fact, he almost single-handedly beat your Indians at the Dome a month ago. Foreman is a good player but the Good kid is by far the best player in this area.

The girls that play for Science Hill have been playing together since they were young. They didn't transfer there to play basketball. They've grown up in Johnson City and have been attending school and playing basketball together since their elementary days. There's a lot to be said for the successful program they've built over there the last few years. They've done it the right way.

Love will add a much needed boost to this team but how much? Only time will tell. Who are the 2 players that quit?

Final. SH-66 Crockett-13. Crockett is just a bad, bad team. There's no other way to put it.

SH starters probably won't even play after halftime. The 2nd string will see plenty of playing time in this game.

This. SH will be able to score easy and often. I'm going to guess the final score will be SH-90 Crockett-35.

Final. SH-79 Elizabethton-63. Good win for the Toppers.

Told ya. Lady Cyclones are good but the Lady Toppers are better.

Bus ride from FL won't be a factor. The Lady Toppers have been back in Johnson City since yesterday. For those who don't follow them, they just returned home after winning the KSA Holiday Tournament in Orlando, FL, where they beat 3 good teams from TX and PA. This should be a good game Friday night. Elizabethton is good but I'm still going with SH. They're currently 18-0 and playing very, very good team basketball right now.

A few of us have been discussing this in the Arby's thread. Since you're a DB fan, can you tell us why the basketball team dropped out of the Arby's after playing 2 games? Look, I don't know what exactly is going on over there in Kingsport but things just aren't clicking for whatever reason. Your team had all the hype coming into this season. By far the most experienced and talented squad in the Big 7 this year and definitely the best team DB has had in 15-20 years. This team looks excellent on paper. However, on the court, they look unprepared and frustrated. They're 5-9 or something overall, with 6 straight losses. Is that right? Like you said, there is no excuse for that. None. I don't care that they're missing the Love kid either. This DB team should have no more than 3, 4 at the most, losses right now. They absolutely should not have lost to SH, TN High or Cleveland. And to be totally honest, they really should've beaten Knox Webb, Oakland and the team from Mentor, OH. Instead, all 3 of those teams beat them pretty good. I don't know if it's simply coaching or what. If I was a DB fan I know I would be looking for some answers. You all have far too much talent year in and year out to keep putting these average teams on the floor.

Oak Ridge definitely proved they can play with anybody in the state. I said it the other night and I'll say it again. Keep an eye on this team. They're going to do some damage come tournament time in March. Surprised by that Milton, GA vs CPA score. That team from Milton is really surprising a lot of people at the Arby's this year. I know they didn't have much hype coming in.

They definitely don't deserve to be asked back, especially when other teams wanted to play in the tournament and weren't able to get in. I was told Hampton was one. Something is certainly amiss over there at DB. The team is currently on a 5 or 6 game losing streak, can't remember which. This is a team that was supposed to be very good this year. A team that their coach compared to that of the great 90s teams of Science Hill in a preseason interview. Have heard the players are talking like they could care less whether they win or lose. And now this? Dropping out of the Arby's. Yeah, something's off.

So what were they going to do had they actually made it to the semifinal or championship games at the tournament? Sounds to me like they dropped out because they weren't playing well and didn't feel like playing in a consolation game. What an embarrassment. When you sign up and agree to play in a tournament, you play and finish it out regardless of what place you're playing for.

Are you joking? I have a buddy who talked to some of the DB players after their game vs Oakland the other night and he said it sounded to him like the team has turned their backs on their coach. He said he heard a lot of them saying they were "getting sick of all this".

McGue and Martin typically score about 10 a piece each game. There have been a few games lately where Martin has scored more. McGue is a better defensive player, probably the best defender SH has. He draws the defensive assignment of every teams best player. The Toppers are playing pretty good ball right now. They beat Knox Webb, who is one of the best teams in Knoxville. They gave Oak Ridge all they could handle and anyone who has seen Oak Ridge play will tell you they are one of the best teams in East TN and will probably have a good showing at the state tournament in March. They also played a very, very good team from California very tough yesterday and almost came out with the W. SH has played/is playing a much tougher level of competition than say, Hampton or Elizabethton.

Uh. SH was also missing 3 of their starters, Malik McGue, Ian Martin and Aaron Adams. So, had they played, the score would've been worse.

Nope. SH would still win. Not by 40 like they did in November but would still win. Hampton doesn't have anyone that can stop Songster.