johnk731

Cloudland will be tested over the Christmas break,Opening up with a very hot Volunteer team then turning right back around and possibly facing Unicoi. And if they survive that they will see either Morristown West or Elizabethton. So not a bad group of teams to prove yourself to over the christmas break.

I blame Wilson for this one. He obviously didn't take the time to check Gordons background before hiring him.The only winning season the guy ever had was at the University School in 2003,Not to mention had alot of trouble diciplining players and controlling his temper. All in all this was just a big mess from the start and I think there was no research on this decision and it would be once again all on his shoulders if doesn't take the time to find a good "basketball coach" and not who fits the system for the Elizabethton program

Deffinitely going to head over and watch the Science Hill and Tennessee High matchup tonight should be a good one. Im going to make a small prediction for the outcome of this game. Science Hill-62 Tennessee High-43

Went up to the roan to watch this matchup last night just for the simple fact there was no games being played in this area and I must say I was impressed. Cloudland came out of the gates as hot as a pistol. Committed some silly fouls down the stretch to try to let a good freethrow shooting South Greene team make it respectible but in the end Cloudland was up by more than 30 at one point until they subbed. South Greene got in foul trouble early with their physical style of play very poor officiated game both ways by the way. South Greene just had no answer for the Rhodes girl from the get go. Cloudland is hands down one of the top 5 teams in 1 A period. And if what I heard was true over the weekend about the Mcneese girl tearing her ACL which I hope is not true it's going to be a nightmare for opponents in the WVC.

They are improving game by game just got to get better on closing out games and pretecting leads. I see Cloudland beating them by 35 at Sonny Smith and 23 to 30 @ Snavely. But I will make a wild prediction for their conference. If they shoot well I could see them upsetting North Greene at their place.

I agree turnovers killed Cloudland the other night. Yes the foul differential was pretty lopsided but if your going to be a state tournament callibur team you cannot turn the basketball over like that in crutial parts of the game. My hats off to Elizabethton for battling back it seemed like the 2 or 3 possessions they scored on to cut the lead to 2 before hitting the buzzer beater was just lack of defense on Cloudlands part. But I do agree with you about Edwards she deffinitely makes them go and I love the way she is able to get other players involved on the offensive end of the floor and play just as hard on the defensive end. King is a good spot up shooter from the outside and Gardner is a physical post presents on the inside. Both conferences is going to be a battle this year and should be very fun to watch.

As far as playing well goes I can see Unicoi being in front of Cloudland and Elizabethton at the moment. Cloudland is not playing well for the most part the past 2 games I have watched them play. My assesment so far between the Tri-County teams goes like this. Unicoi- Overall I think they are more of a complete team than Cloudland and Elizabethton. They are getting more production out of their bench they have 2 or 3 kids that shoot the ball well from the outside,tough post play and they have kids who take care of the basketball. I believe that they will split in the series against Elizabethton but see them going very deep in the post season. Cloudland- As of right now I see 3 pretty good players on the floor Rhodes,Wilson and Clarke. Bench play has to be better in order for them to be a state callibur tournament team Sparky. Rhodes has to be a better inside player as does Wilson. Clarke is playing about as well offensively as she can if shes not on the floor and Rhodes and Wilson isnt contributing they are hurting.They are playing about 8 to 9 kids which I think fatigue wise is fine but IMO they are a 7 man rotation team and thats with the red headed guard Johnson and other senior sub Chambers. Elizabethton- They play their guts out defensively and for the most part they are a role player type of team. There is no certain kid that stands out offensively they just all do their job and make eachother better.The depew girl is a true pointguard who in my opinion does a good job of running Elizabethtons team. Roberts is going to be a very good inside player in the future and does a good job of doing her job defensively and offensively. I see Elizabethton finishing #2 in that Three Rivers Conference. Hampton- Has really only played one game so It is hard to tell what they are like. They have Elizabethton here shortly at home so we will get to see how they are right off the bat. Unaka- Very guard oriented team does a pretty good job offensively but as you saw in the South game the other night gives up alot of points. If they could get better defensively I could see them being a very decent team in that conference. Happy Valley- I think they have a good starting 5 but thats about it. Blakenship has to play better in order for them to compete for 3rd in that conference.Not very well coached needs more structure but in time they will be fine. Johnson County- Plays their butts off every game i have watched them and coach Whittemore does a good job of keeping his patients with this group of girls. There is just not enough talent to compete in the conference they are playing in right now.

I deffinitely dont think it will be a 20 point game However! I do believe Science Hills press and halfcourt defense will give Cloudland fits throughout the game. I also believe Science Hill is a little more battle tested schedule wise being that Cloudland has played Cumberland Gap,Tri-Cities Christian and Sullivan East.As to where Science Hill has played Mo West and William Blount thats the only thing I could see playing a big factor. But all in all we are up for a good week of basketball in NorthEast Tennessee this week. Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving

Heres a few that are very good players. 1.Carly Frye/Chucky Doak SR- Quick point guard with great court vision unbelievable scorer for her size. Shoots the 3 and 15 footer off the dribble very well and has the ability to take over a game with ease. Only problem is shes plays on a very bad team. 2.Mindy Mcneese/North Greene SO- 2 guard with unbelievable range and understands how to play the game.Very confident scorer that likes having the ball in her hands plays on a very good North Greene team which allows her to make plays to kids that can finish would probably end up playing a 2 or 1 in college but she has to get a little bit quicker but all in all deffinitely has the tools to be a good guard at a small D1 school like a UT Chattanooga Atlantic Sun type of conference player. 3.Chandler Christopher/Greeneville SR- Probably the best overall point guard in NorthEast Tennessee to go along with Tarter and Frye.Great floor vision in the open court with a scorers mentality everytime the ball is in her hands. Very hard kid to press just for the fact her ability to dribble through or get kids open in those type of situations.Very good free throw shooter needs a little work on her outside shooting but I think she deffinitely has the tools to be a very good small D1 player if they get her in and fix a few things. 4.Laken Morrow/North Greene JR- Long athletic post player who finishes down low.Very good rebounder and shot blocker moves very well without the ball but needs to get a little more physical to play at the college level but I could see Laken playing at a mid major D2. 5.Courtney Clarke/Cloudland So- Very raw point guard that is an outside threat from anywhere on the floor.Could be a very highly recruited shooting guard just by her ability to knockdown the outside shot consistently but had to get better defensively and her decision making. right now she would be a good NAIA type of guard but with a little work I could see her being a good shooting guard at the D2 level. 6.Morgan Knack/Science Hill Jr I believe- Good spot up shooter with a quick release from the outside. Plays on the most athletic team in NorthEast Tennessee which allows them to get more possessions on missed shots which means alot more kickouts along with their motion type offense style of play when kids have to help on other players it frees her up for open shots alot.She could be a very good shooting guard at somewhere like King College or a Lees Mcrae. 7.Gabby Lyon/Science Hill/So- IMO outside of Rhodes from Cloudland she is the best post player in the area by far but their game is very different.Shes very physical in the paint good baseline dropstep move that knows how to finish with the basketball.Very good shot blocker that makes it tough for opposing inside players to score. I could deffnitely see this kid playing somewhere like a David Lipscomb,Etsu or Middle Tennessee State.

I agree Sparky and I am not counting Elizabethton out by no means I think you will see a big improvement out of them once Christmas time rolls around. Epperson infact needs to win this year because I am hearing about the same choice words you are hearing and they aren't good. East has alot of potential to upset any of the top 2 teams in that conference. They are very well diciplined Offensively very sound defensively got a decent crop of good shooters and good role player type of posts so dont count them out. Johnson County will battle your tail off every night and atleast compete. Happy Valley hasn't really played anybody yet so it's hard to tell with them. I think the Cloudland vs Science Hill game this week and the North Greene vs Cloudland series will be the best 3 games all year. But it pretty much goes like this if u are in Cloudlands situation. They can come in fearless and play their best basketball and allow themselves a chance to win or come in flat and get beat by 40. I will go out on a limb and make my predictions for this weeks top games. Science Hill 58 Cloudland 51 Cloudland 55 Elizabethton 46 Tennessee High 61 Greeneville 45

Well from getting a chance to watch a numerous amount of games through out the week I can kinda share what I think about our girls basketball outcome could be in this area. My top 6 for this week goes like this. 1.Science Hill- Hats off to the Lady Toppers for defeating a very tough but young Lady Trojans team at Daniel Boone High School this week by a very large margin. Copney and Tarter are probably the best two "Athletes" in the area bar none. Lyon is one of the top 5 post players in this area absolutely dominating Morristown West last night along with the way Knack is shooting the ball right now the Toppers are heading in the right direction. The Toppers will be tested on Friday though as they play my #2 team in this area the Cloudland Lady Highlanders. 2.Cloudland- Big win over the Cumberland Gap Panthers on Friday.Brooke Rhodes proved to show everyone why she is one of the top players in this area recording a double double with 21 points and 16 rebounds along with tough Sophmore Courtney Clarke having a good showing for the night with 16 points. Started off shaky against Sullivan East but ended up pulling it out at the end by 9. Landers better come in focused Friday or it could be a long night at the Valley. 3.Tennessee High- Lost to a tough Jeff County team 61-55 but bounced back over the week with 2 key wins over Elizabethton and Morristown West 56-55 and 66-46 over Elizabethton.Mitchell and Neil are very tough players they will be tested tomorrow night though against a good Lady Greene Devils Team. 4.Daniel Boone- Big 52 to 44 win over North Greene this week.I think they are going to fair pretty well in that big 9 Conference this year possibly finishing third. They are very well coached patient on the offensive end and they play very good defense. 5.North Greene- Took one on the chin to Daniel Boone but picked up a solid win over Elizabethton.If North Greene can stay healty and get production consistently out of Bailey like she played against Elizabethton they are going to be a force in Single A. 6.Unicoi County- With 2 wins over Sullivan South and Volunteer Unicoi showed why I think they are going to win the 3 rivers conference.King,Thompson,Gardner and Bennett are all playing well at the moment I think this is one of the better Unicoi teams they have had in a while.

Here are my top 3 teams to go to the state tournament from upper East Eennessee. Science Hill- Coach Barnwell has a very athletic group of kids, very good shooters and alot of depth this year. I think they will win the conference with Tennessee High finishing second. Their toughest opponent will more than likely not be until they reach the substate to where they could possibly run into someone like Knox Farragut or Morristown West,Tianna Tarter and sophomore forwards Enjelica Reid and Shy Copney played a very big part in last years state tournament to go along with sharp shooter Morgan Knack. Good guard play to go along with a good shooters and post game and throw in the depth of good role players Science Hill should deffinitely be in the Murfreesboro come March. Cloudland- Cloudland returns everyone back from last year including 6'2 transfer D1 prospect Brooke Rhodes and two very good Sophmores in 5'11 Courtney Wilson and 5'5 sharp Shooter Courtney Clarke.they go very deep off of the bench and in my opnion I think they cake walk to the state tournament but you better believe teams are going to make the Highlanders beat them from the outside so I believe their biggest challenge is their guards knocking down outside shots. More than likely they will face someone like Wartburg Oneida or Oakdale in the substate which I dont think will be a problem for the Highlanders. North Greene- After just falling short of a state title last year North Greene is looking to get back to Murfreesboro returning 4 out of 5 starters off of last years team and 2 super players in Laken Morrow and Mindy Mcneese. I think in order for North Greene to get back to the Murfreesboro they are going to have to create some type of depth to go along with a very tough starting 5. They are the type of team that will wear you down offensively in their halfcourt set and can beat you from the outside as well. They deffinitely do a good job of attacking the rim and in my opinion have one of the most underrated coaches in East Tennessee James Buchannan who has been doing a successful job.I think it will be between both North Greene and Cloudland in their conference and regionals but both teams are good enough to win on the road in the substate.

In defense of Captain I will back up his opinion and yours both superdave. I got word from a spectator that told me Oakdale was heads and shoulders above Cosby in last years sectional. I actually got to see Oakdale play twice last year while doing some recruting for the AAU circuit and I thought they was a very good basketball team and very well coached. Now in Captains defense he is is pretty much dead on,I dont know about betting the farm but I do know that Cloudland is loaded loaded loaded,as is North Greene. As I said in one of my previous posts Cloudland returns every player back from last year including a good Sophmore guard named Courtney Clarke who I believe plays with team hustle out of Knoxville,and a 5'11 post/guard Courtney Wilson who is very capable of being a good D2/NAIA type of player. Rhodes 6'2 is deffinitely a D1 calibur type of player and in my opinion a top 20 player in the state who is a very fierce competitor and wants to win. Very high profile scorer/rebounder. She's capable of putting up big numbers night in and night out and this goes from competition from A to AAA she is that kind of player. North Greene returns all 5 starters back for the exception of the Britton girl,but they have 2 kids back Laken Morrow and Mindy Mcneese in my opinion are gonna be 2 Mid Major type of players by the time they graduate. Mr Buchannan does a good job with the kids he has playing for him,which I think he is probably one of the most underrated coaches in East Tennessee. As for the recruiting comment theres no players family in her position with her being recruited like she is and known about across the state going to illegaly transfer if thats what you are refurring to. If it's something else please enlighten me.

my mistake,I dont know why I put that must have gotten a little confused.

Couldn't agree with you more Tarpit. I actually got to watch Lake County and North Greene both play last year and you talk about 2 good basketball teams. I will go out on a limb and yes I know its early but make a little final four prediction. Lake County- in my opinion the most athletic team out of the bunch with one of the top 5 players in single A TT Flowers look for Lake County to be back once again just falling short last year to North Greene.the only knack I see with Lake County is they struggle shooting the outside shot. Clay County- Joe Simms has a very talented group of Seniors to work with this year and they are very guard oriented that can kill you from the outside.They are very diciplined both offensively and defensively. They return standout players such as Sydney Roach,Emma Ogletree,Mckenzie Hamilton,Allie Brown and Casey Cooper. Cloudland- It was a good summer for Cloudland especially when they heard the news that highly recruited D1 prospect Brooke Rhodes was transferring to Cloudland.With every starter and reserve returning including a pair of talented Sophmores Courtney Wilson and Courtney Clarke look for Cloudland to make alot of noise in Murfreesboro. Jackson County- After losing to Loretto in last years State Championship the lady devils will be out for revenge this year returning every starter including Senior standout Caroline Warden,6'4 Mckenzie Hensley and a very good Junior in Jaycee Coe. Jackson County is deffinitely my pick to win it this year in 2012. Jackson County-58 Cloudland-55