BroadwayBaller

if the toppers can actually play defense (which besides Wattad they can't) they have a shot... otherwise greeneville wins.) I'd love to see Wiggins/Wattad guard each other, but neither coach will probably risk getting their best player in foul trouble

all this is true, and i don't think it contradicts anything ive said. I said they need to improve half court defense.. which is in line with your statement that the press doesnt work. I said they'll need to find scoring... which falls in line with your statement that besides Wattad name one person who can hang with the likes of Jovann...etc. I also said the coach is in need of motivating the players better. Why do you think they dont go to Legion and Carver like in the past? Answer: they dont care to win for a coach who they don't want to play for. Do you think, Pitts or not, they would act so apathetic under mike poe? I don't think so.. guys don't go to the gym because the system and the coach dont provide incentive for them to do so..... that is why only truely talented players (like Wattad) who desire more than what SHHS can provide are the only ones that do well under a coach like cutlip. Omar goes to Legion and Carver almost everyday. Not only could he hang with the like of Jovann, Shane and rob, or Demetric... he ACTUALLY DOES (they play at least once a week together)... so yes the other guys are not as motivated but why would you be when you know your coach doesn't care about winning, he cares more about controlling players. And yes... the AD WAS COMPLAINING when his son was starting he just WASNT the AD at the time.

This conversation wont happen next year. WHY? No Wattad so science hill will have to create scoring out of no where No half court defense... yes they can press, but they coulnd't guard a chair in the half court If Cutlip is still struggling with figuring things out at this time next year. He won't be around much longer after that..... this is not just an opinion it is a popular consensus amongst the fans, players, and even the Athletic director has mentioned his distaste for Cutlips style of coaching. If they can't put it together with a great player on the squad, you think they will be better with less talent... i doubt it.

also dont forget @Crocket home vs DB Home ve EAst

ryan langhi 6-10 keith dodd 6-8/6-9

Agreed, I'd give him the ball more than he gets it now. Yes he has to do too much, but no i dont think he is being allowed to do as much as he could...

I spoke to coach Pitts during the month of December, and he expressed to me that Omar was under utilized. His exact words were, " I would have him pass and cut to the basket EVERY possession." Pitts was a great proponent of delegating roles and making sure the STAR got hte ball (ask david harrison, branden wright, Jovann Johnson)..... i agree cutlip hasn't gotten it together. ITs january and he is still tinkering with the lineups... most teams have their bench shortened and their rotation at 7-9 players at most. Cutlip is still changing his lineup every minute...

ask anyone at their AAU team and see who they say made everyone else play better.... the answer was Omar. The problem at shhs is not just one but many. 1. Selfishness- the players at the hill all think they can lead the team, unlike in Greeneville where the role players know they are role players. That is why "mediocre" talent plays at its best potential with Antwaine, where as "seemingly unlimited talent" is just that.,.. seeming. The supporting cast at the hill are not as talented as people believe, and they CERTAINLY are not talented as they THINK they are. 2. the System- Coach Duncan's motion offense is by far the best offensive system in east tN, and perhaps in the state. It puts shooters in the right position, it has scorers getting the ball, and it lets the ball handlers do the ball handling. Science Hill's system (or lack of a system) is primarily focused on the perimiter, there is not a tendency to attack the post, nor is there a product that by design makes shots inside of the 3 point line highly availabe. This results in a lot of 1-on-1 ball and makes the offense lacksidasical (sorry bout spelling) 3. Work Ethic- Greeneville's guys work harder than shhs players. The guys at the hill are lazy and act as if they are entitled to win. Without focusing on practicing the fundamentals they are only using the talent they have and not improving upon the talent they have. 4. Use of personnel/Coaching.... The best players get the ball and play the most minutes in the game at Greeneville. Not the case at science hill. Ashlon Adams has the most potentional on that team (besides wattad) has been under used and even put in the wrong position (plays post, should play wing). Even their "star" is under used. I blame this on the coaching staff. You put the ball in your stars' hands and let him/them win/lose for you. Don't set your team up to fail. I realize development of players is important but during the game is not when you want to teach lessons, that is what practice is for. 5. Desire No one questions Omar's desire or Antwaines desire to win. The difference is the other guys on Greeneville want to win, the guys at the hill show an indifference that baffles me. I once spoke to some players at the hill after a loss and all but 3 guys(who i won't mention) said they didn't care and they just wanted to get the game over with..... that attitude stinks and no matter what one player does it cannot be changed. These are just five reasons that the hill suffers and the devils excel... if the guys at SHHS read this i hope they take it to heart and play with some passion. Instead of being jealous of Omar, emmulate his work ethic and passion for the game, much like the devils emmulate Antwaine and feed off of his silent leadership.

Whats great about this matchup is how close Omar and Antwaine are. They are really good friends and the game will be competitive mostly because they want to play hard not because they don't like the other guy or team. I don't doubt that if you asked Antwaine if Greeneville couldn't make state who he'd want to see make it, he would say Omar and SHHS. The same for Omar with Antwaine and Greeneville. My hope is that these two guys both make it to regional finals, so they at least both have a shot to win a substate game and go to state. Out of all the players in the region these two deserve a shot at a state championshp more than any others. Whether you hate or love either of these guys or teams, they are definetly the two players who get East TN( knoxville- east tn) the most respect

Loyalty.... although in hindsight he probably should have transferred. Cutlip doesn;'t utilize him correctly,.,, Duncan would get the most out of him. Just my opinion as someone who has coached Omar before...

Yeah I know. But this summer Antwaine was hurt so you never really got to see the two of them ball together that much....

No kidding....just imagine if wiggins and wattad were on the same team.... they'd compete nationally not just in state

I believe a Central player dropped the "n" word against a Red Bank player at the Topper Palace earlier this year but no one made a board on here to blast that kid.... What's worse is that I've coached Omar before and I know that this type of behavior is not typical of him. 99 out of 100 times he is the classiest player on the floor, this game he happened to be at his worst. What I know is Omar is a competitor to no end. He hates to lose more than most love to win. If you were at the game then you would also notice that Ken Cutlip refuses to let Omar take a game over. To him its more important to sit his best player for taking an ill-advised 3 pointer with the game tied in the third, and lose any momentum the toppers had, than it is important for him to win a game. That to me is bad coaching. Hats off to Central and coach Vaughn for sticking to their plan and making it work. Cutlip micro-manages the game too much as a coach and its not working out. Frustration is starting to show on the court with the attitude of all the players including, Omar who would give anything to win if given the opportunity. Attitude or not you don't ice your best player to make a point. Its hard to stay positive when your coach isn't positive at all, hess express would agree with me on that one, PLAY your BEST PLAYERS Coach.

that said... other guys have to step up. They've had the whole season.. including the first half where omar didn't even start, to step up and play as a team, and they still don't do it well. When wattad is in the game, everyone else just coasts. If he's not in the game everyone else doesn't try any harder. If your always worried about developing players you won;t ever worry about the present. Guys on that team have to realize that Wattad is the cornerstone of their team, or they won't win in the playoffs. Do you think that you can honestly say the rest of the team will win in district, or in region without Wattad putting up numbers? I dont think so... Last year for example a team that was loaded with seniors couldn't even get a double digit scorer besides Wattad in the region vs Greeneville, and in district championship against Central. If they want to win NOW they need to revolve the game around Wattad. That doesn't mean let him jack it up when he feels like it, but it means scripting some of the play calls to ensure he touches the ball, so he can at least get other guys open looks. Also, with an impact player like Omar you have to know that you will get open looks as a role player and you have to practice shooting. These kids worry more about their cross over than their jumpshot, that is a coaching issue. The talent is there, the work ethic is not, and that starts with the coach and trickles down

You sort of hit it on the head. The Devils depend on wiggins to get it going. but don't rely exclusively on him to get it done. The hill has the ego problem. all the role players don't play there roll. Everyone of them thinks they can be the next Wattad or the next Wiggins, when in reality maybe 1 guy has that much potential. Coach Duncan makes sure his role players play their role. Can;t say the same about Ken Cutlip. No control over the situation. Good game plans, but no reactions. Too much one-on-one, not enough sets to get the "star" the ball. When Wiggins is on the floor at greeneville he at least touches the ball almost every possession. Watch the toppers play and their will be 3-6 minutes periods where the rest of the team doesn't even get the ball to Omar. Selfishness is a trait in every athlete, however a good coach makes sure the players put winning over selfishness... something the coach at SHHS hasn't done

Science Hill needs to establish an "everything evolves around Omar game" much like Greeneville utilizes Wiggins, much like Bradley Central keeps getting the ball to terrence. Science Hill doesn';t even let Omar play the whole game. His points/per shot are just as high as ogelsby and wiggins, his coach just doesn't know how to coach and not play politics.

But after watching the Travs in the July and April period. Wiggins, Wattad, and Oglesby were the starting guards for the majority of the summer. And they held their own or were better than all the other guards in the country that they squared off against. They, to me, are all top 150 players in the Nation.

This is a little out of date. I believe Wattad now has a full athletic scholarship. Why? you may ask. Well the hoya roster is now down to 13 players with the transfer of Thornton and Eggerson. The team now will have, (assuming no more pros or transfers) Hibbert, Green, Summers, Sapp, Wallace, Ewing, Macklin, Crawford, Spann, Rivers, Freeman, Wright, and Wattad. Count em up.... that's 13 guys 13 scholarships. 5 seniors...2 juniors...3 sophomores...3 freshman

I would like to see all three, Wiggins Wattad and Ogelsby be successful in DI basketball. I would also Like to see both Wiggins and Wattad lead Greeneville and SHHS to the State via the substate game. One win at home, one win on the road. Both teams need to play better to close out district, and district tourneys. Then they can head on a colision course to a regional championship matchup. If it all plays out, both teams could be in a substate game, either at home or in region 2, and both teams could win and go to state. Or they could just as well screw up in district tourneys, and matchup a round too soon like they did last year... and sadly one of them would go home without that chance to play in the state tourney. Still alot of basketball but I hope they BOTH make the state this year.. looks good on our region.

I'm not Omar Wattad. I coached an aau team which Omar played on in elementary and middle school. I had the pleasure of coaching Omar in middle school and I enjoy watching my players progress. Odem reportedly sat out for disciplinairy issues. ps. I enjoyed your hit "LIKE a ROCK" back in the late 80's early 90's

Yeah Indians looked really good tonight., they gave a great TEAM effort. I can't say the same about the bunch at Science Hill. Besides Wattad, there is NO heart on that team. I've never seen a bunch with so much talent, squabble amongst each other and never give effort on the defensive end. The hill should rename their team, Omar featuring the Zero effort Toppers. Anyone who questions Wattad as the best player in the conference does not know basketball. He single handedly carries that team. The hill would be dominate if someone else stepped up. It looks like the same story as last year, stop (or at least slow down) Wattad and you beat the Toppers.

I know that SHHS has been clearly ahead of the curve in the BIg 9, but with the return of Coty, can the indians give them a challenge or do they face the same fate the rest of the conference (besides east) have faced.

shhs beat volunteer at volunteer on december 21 in place of the game from last night. there next matchup will be january 16th at the topper palace.

some guy from Eunemclaw won the three point contest with 18, don't know all tourney yet...

Michael Krop wins 76-59