JKennedy250

Getting tired of all the hype of players....rarely can they live up to the self promotion

PS Just looking at the "Forum Topics" Many of the topics are about "individual Players" as if that is what it is all about Like Halls and Powell have only "one player" each who will be playing one on one against each other tonight? Just tell the rest of the team to say home and we will go and watch two players play one on one game of "horse" or "21" This is how "sick" team sports has become that it breeds jealousy and players seeking to be "the one". Give me five good no name players any day over the "one man teams".

Some good posts since I started this topic. I started this becasue this time of year selfish play may keep a team from rising to the occasion of the post season. Hopefully it leads to team play and putting the team, not self first. Sounds like some team mentioned here, BC is undergoing that transition. Hopefully they and others will make it. Good team work in basketball is a sight to see just as selfish play stinks up the court. How does your team measure up this time of the season?

Of course not Duncan can "recruit" with the best of them. If he lacks talent to win as he did this year , he recruits a kid from North Carolina to make the difference. Look at Greeneville's record before and after adding the recuit and see for yourself? If you think that is good coaching, well then keep dreaming?Greeneville may win the district thanks to their recruiting, but when they face the likes of SH and DB then maybe Duncan will need to recruit another player or two.

I have observed some good team play, where players are always looking for the open man. I have also observed a more subtle "playing" where players seem to "not see" or "fail to make a pass to a particular player". Basketball is a team sport and JEALOUSY has no place in the game. A coach that allows it is asking for a short season regardless of his talent. A wise coach rewards good passing as much as scoring. And selfish players deserve a spot on the bench permanently.

There is no telling how many "game outcomes" are influenced by bad refs. When will they be held accountable? Half the games I have observed this year were in large part controlled or influenced greatly by bad refs. It needs to stop!

Bearden is in a class of their own this year. I dont think Heritage,Farragut,Maryville etc will be able to contend with them nor will Halls,OakRidge etc

Watch for Webb they are a very underrated team. Why is Roach not playing this year? He could put them over the top of Catholic, although I am a Catholic fan and Parton is the man.

Cameron Sharp from Halls would have to be in that group

Better yet at the end of the year ask the other players and coaches. What player gave them the most trouble in head to head competition? It may or may not be sharp? I heard someone held him to 7 points so I doubt he will receive their vote. In other words it must be more than one game, not to take anything away from him as he is a good "shooter".

I agree they have grossly underestimated the popularity of basketball,soccer, and baseball. Hopefully Coach Pearl will change all that real soon. He is the "real deal" and long overdue. Let's hope we can keep him for a LONG TIME.

Players transfer all the time or choose not to play. Not always a reflection on the coaches although we need to see more coaches developing their players on and off the court. I think that has been the downfall of UT Football this year. Coaches can be a much more positive influence if they spend a little time befriending their players rather than just disciplining them when they mess up. It is much like parenting. The best coaches will get the most out of their players. East coaches seem to have done that in the past?

There is some real talent and loaded teams in East Tennessee the next few years. Who are some of your choices ? There may be a changing of the guard?

Who is playing in it?

It is part of a coaches job to post stats. Those who don't do it are telling you they are not interested in promoting the kids. Don't expect those coaches to contact college recruiters to promote their players. Recruiters are dependent on coaches as they only have so much time. Rarely will a kid get noticed in a small town like Morristown when the newspaper is read only be the local yocals. The (team concept) is just an excuse for the fact they could care less. Don't believe it for a minute. I have known a few recruiters and they will be the first to tell you how important coaches and stats are in the process of selection. Palazzola , Francisco and Simpson (with grades) come to mind as kids who should have been highly recruited. I consider that a failure of the coaches and the athletic department to prepare and promote these kids for the next step and that incudes academic mentoring. Who was the last Division 1 athlete recruited or coming out of East? Blake Garretson should be an ACC/SEC recruit in football, but I doubt he will even get a look because of the lack of preparation and promotion at East. Mark my words and wait and see.

I know this may be a bit early and going out on a limb but I predict Jeff County will win the state this year. They have the deepest pitching anywhere and about all of their hitters are hitting 300-500 and with power.

That may be why Morristown East record is not as good as you would expect (lack of pitching). They may have let it all hang out last night with Marshall. Jeff County with their big bats will surely take advantage of any weakness in the pitching category, especially fast ball pitchers they can tee off on! Tonight should be a quick and easy "one" for Jeff County. When do the regionals start? Friday? and where?

I hope UT has the sense to try and sign both of these kids. I hate to see the Vol's no matter what the sport , allow great local athletes sign with the likes of Alabama, Georgia Tech, etc. Hopefully Bowlin will show them why in the coming years. How early can they sign a letter of intent? UT needs to jump on Crouch now and Basile next year if the junior year is it? Still cant believe they let Long and Depew slip by.

Coach of the year should be the coach that wins the district. Player of the year should be the player who leads his team to win the district, plain and simple. So far it looks like Jeff County will win both and place the most players on the all conference team. The problem is most of the coaches have already "gone home" and so won't have any idea. That may be why they vote before the district ends, but I agree Scout that is not fair or the intention of the awards. Let's hope they vote at the END and the other coaches should be required to attend.

What is the best play you have seen this year? Any game winning triple plays or game winning outstanding catches out there? Who, when, where, and how?

How does the IMAC compare with other districts? How about player comparisons? Coaches? I heard Chapman is going to Milligan, Bowlin to UT but where is Jenkins going? Isn't he Jeff's best pitcher?

Science Hill

And here it is Lady Red Advances; Determined Fighting Cocks Fall By SETH BUTLER CockeCountySports.NET ROGERSVILLE - Some consider post-season prep basketball a wonderful place to grab shining moment to last a lifetime. If that's the case, both the Cocke County Lady Red (8-20) and the Fighting Cocks (10-20) made their share of memories on Saturday in the opening round of the Inter-Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, as the Lady Chiefs pushed Cocke County to the limit, before the Lady Red prevailed 38-37. Meanwhile, the Big Red fought hard, yet fell to the Hurricanes of Morristown East 74-62. Lindsey Leads Cocke County Past Cherokee Cocke County's Megan Lindsey certainly grabbed her share of memories Saturday, thwarting a determined effort from the Cherokee Lady Chiefs. With her team trailing 37-36 and the clock reading less than 20 seconds, Lindsey, the lone Cocke County senior, was determined not to see her high school career end on this day. While the 5-8 Lindsey did not yield a rod, she parted a contingent of Lady Chiefs, clad in red, on her way to the basket for a lay-up, giving her team a one-point lead with 12 seconds remaining in the contest. "I was driving across the court and thought I would just pop and shoot a three, but the middle just kept opening up and so I drove it in and made it," said an elated Lindsey. "I'm just so excited," continued the senior. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates, and with it being my senior year, I didn't want it to end right now." Although, the season came close enough to ending for Lindsey and the Lady Red, as Cocke County struggled mightily on the offensive end. A sluggish offensive effort amounted to only four first quarter points, yet the Lady Red roared back with a 21-10 halftime lead with a 17-point second period outburst. However, a 2-3 zone limited Cocke County's offensive chances in the outset of the second-half, allowing Cherokee to creep their way back into the game, trailing by only four points entering the fourth quarter. Missed lay-ups and Cherokee finally figuring out the full-court trap defense of the Lady Red saw the Lady Chiefs grab the lead behind two consecutive baskets by Ashlee Price midway through the period. Cherokee had their chances leading inside the final minute of the contest, a minute that featured four lead changes. Price gave a determined effort scoring 12 fourth quarter points, including two more buckets to give her team the lead before Lindsey's heroics. But even after the cross-court journey by Lindsey, Cherokee still had their opportunities. Lady Chiefs senior Sarah LaRoy was fouled by Shawna Ball to prevent a wide-open lay-in with six seconds to play. However, LaRoy missed both free-throws and Lindsey secured the rebound to give Cocke County the win. With the win, Cocke County advances to Monday evening's semi-finals, with a date against the Associated Press eighth-ranked Lady Patriots of Jefferson County. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. Price led Cherokee with a game-high 19 points, while Amber Anderson scored seven. LaRoy added six, Sarah Saunders three and Kayla Harrell two. Cocke County was paced by Lindsey's 15 points, as the senior scored 11 of Cocke County's 21 first-half points. Shawna Ball, hampered by the 2-3 zone defense scored nine points, while Whitney Fox added eight. Whitney Crum contributed two huge second quarter baskets, and freshman Ashley Weeks scored two. Hurricanes Charge To Victory Lesser teams would've folded their tents and mailed-in the final 13 minutes of the season. But, the Fighting Cocks proved they weren't a lesser team as a gritty, determined effort forced third-seed Morristown East to the limit. With 5:21 remaining in the third period, Cocke County's leading scorer, Korian Buckner picked up his fourth foul of the game on a player control foul. Frustrated at picking up his third offensive foul on the night, for a total of eight charging infractions on the Big Red compared to only one offensive foul on the Hurricanes. Buckner just as quickly was hit with a technical foul for showing his displeasure which resulted in his fifth foul, ending his night and career early. "You just hate to see your best player go out like that," said Cocke County head coach David Whaley. "And the officials knows who the best players are. And I've always been a strong advocate, and right here proves it, I think we need to have officials we do not see all year, neutral officials from another association. And it would make it way better." "I just feel like they see us all year, and are anticipating calls. I'm not accusing anyone of cheating, but I'd prefer them (officials) coming from a neutral association," the coach noted about the fact that District tournament officials come from within the District, while Regional and Sub-State referees come from associations that do not come from the regions of the involved teams. Despite seeing a 35-26 deficit at the half grow to a 13-point hole at the time of Buckner fouling out, and eventually to a 16-point hole, Cocke County never gave up. Already limited with a thin bench due to the dismissal of Kyle Birdsell from the team earlier in the week, a sophomore tandem of Blaine Hartsell and Wes Woods led the Big Red back into contention. A three-point play to close the third period by Wes Woods pulled Cocke County back to within 11. While Hartsell, playing as if he had something to prove, quickly scored 10 points, including a five-point play with 6:07 to play which brought Cocke County to within four points of the Hurricanes lead. Unfortunately for Cocke County, Cory Shaw answered with a three-point basket for three of his 17 points, while Kent Basile excelled at the free-throw line, pushing the lead back out to 11. Another late Cocke County rally, propelled by a Jake Allen 3-pointer cut the lead to six, before seeing East pull away for the win. East was led in scoring by Basile, the sophomore, with 26 points. Shaw added 17, while Daniel Deaderick has 13. Allen had 18 points to lead Cocke County, while Buckner had 16 to finish the season with 631 points. Hartsell added 10 points, with Woods and Terry Dailey scoring six points each. Derrick Smith added four, with Darius Collins adding two. With the loss, the Big Red season comes to an end, while East advances to Tuesday's semi-finals to take on Cherokee.

See the comments by Cocke County Coach.He is right. IMAC refs should not ref IMAC games in tournament. Four teams live to play another day in IMAC Tournament By: Steve Wilhoit, Tribune Sports Writer February 20, 2005 Email to a friend ROGERSVILLE - The Morristown West Lady Trojans pulled away in the second half for a 55-39 win over city rival Morristown East on Saturday in the opening round of the District 2-AAA Tournament at Cherokee High School. West (16-9), the tourney's third seed, now secures a regional berth as well as a spot in the event's semi-finals against the second-seeded Greeneville Lady Devils at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. A 21-4 third period blitz by the West girls turned a nip-and-tuck contest into a Lady Trojans victory by night's end. East High (3-22), the sixth seed, led the contest after a quarter 14-12 and trailed just 27-22 at the half. "It was a survival game for us and I'm just happy to advance," stated Lady Trojans head coach Johnny Galyon afterwards. "I don't think we played our best basketball except for one quarter (the third) but East had a lot to do with that. West High's Summer Phipps approached another double double performance with 19 points and nine rebounds. Her teammate, Ashley Gray had 13 points and eight boards from her guard spot, as well. Brittney Furches tossed in 12 points for the Lady 'Canes and Anna Branner of East pulled down a game-high 11 boards. West won the battle of the boards, 45-33. "We played a good first half but it was a typical third quarter," said Lady 'Canes head coach Terry Livesay. Coach Galyon did a good job of switching his defense and we were too small to shoot over it; we didn't make the shots and they did in the third quarter." "I hope for better things for the team next season," he continued. Lady Red survives Senior Megan Lindsey's driving shot with 17 seconds left lifted the fourth seed, Cocke County (8-19) to a 38-37 win over the host school, fifth-seeded Cherokee in the tourney's opener. The Lady Chiefs (7-20) had taken a 37-36 lead on two free throws from freshman Ashlee Price with just 26.6 ticks remaining before Lindsey's heroics. A pair of Cherokee free throws rimmed out with 5.9 left as the Lady Red held on, advancing to an 8 p.m. match-up on Monday against top-seeded Jefferson County. "It was a hard-fought win and Cherokee wanted it just as badly as we did," said Lady Red head coach Patrick O'Neil. "Megan saw a crease down the middle and that's what a senior is supposed to do," he remarked. Cocke County outrebounded Cherokee, 29-17 (21-7 in the first half). Shawna Ball led the winners on the glass with nine boards to go with her nine points. Lindsey led CCHS with 15 points while Price scored a game-high 19 for the Lady Chiefs (12 in the fourth quarter). "We played hard but they hurt us in rebounding," commented a disappointed Lady Chiefs head coach Mitzi Price. "You can't have a quarter (the second) where you score two points but our girls do have a lot of heart." Trojans hold off Pats It all looked to be going the way of the fourth-seeded West High boys with a double digit lead after each of the first two periods and a nine-point spread going to the fourth. Not only that, the Patriots leading-scorer on the year fouled out with 1:39 left in the game's third quarter. "Not so fast, my friend," as the ESPN analyst Lee Corso, is prone to saying. The Trojans closed out the win to advance to next week but had to withstand a furious Jeff rally in the process, as the West cushion dipped to 48-46 with just over a minute remaining in the game. Dustin Guthrie dropped in four clutch free throws in the game's final minute as Morristown West (13-14) captured a 52-46 win over the Patriots (5-21). "We had a good game plan with the triangle-and-two which did the trick until we had to adjust when Deering fouled out," said Trojans head man Larry Hurst. "We had to make a couple of other adjustments from that point on until the man-to-man starting working for us." "Overall, I feel our boys played well and we managed to gather our composure at the end; coach (Rick) Sinard just does such a good job." Jeremy Smith rifled home 23 points for West and Guthrie added 14. Darius Ewing had yet another huge game on the boards with 16 caroms collected. Alex Coughlin and Zach Smiley helped fuel the late Jeff charge, finishing with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Deering also fired in 11 markers. Smiley did all of his offensive damage in the second half. "I'm very proud of my team as that's a lot of pressure on sophomores and we did make a couple of sophomore mistakes on the last two possessions (which resulted in turnovers)," stated Sinard. "We were ready for the defense they played but just didn't make shots," he said. "Our kids knew they had to step it up when the fifth foul was called on Jason and they did; Zach just plays on pure guts. I felt it was a gamble to leave Jason in the game when he got his fourth but also felt it was a gamble to take him out at that point." It was a cleanly played contest as both squads finished the evening in single digits in the turnover category. West now plays the top seed, the Greeneville Greene Devils at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Hurricanes get past Big Red The East High 'Canes (20-8) managed to hold off an undermanned but determined charge by Cocke County (11-19) in taking a 74-62 win in the day's late game. East, the tourney's third seed, won with a solid finish after a Fighting Cocks rally early in the fourth. CCHS, the sixth seed, lost the services of the Inter-Mountain Athletic Conference's second-leading scorer, Korian Buckner, with 5:21 remaining in the third as a technical followed his fourth personal foul, ending his night's work and prep career. Despite the loss of Buckner, the Big Red rallied to within four in the fourth before the 'Canes rebuilt a double-digit lead, enough of a cushion to offset every CCHS charge down the stretch. "It's survive and advance," said Hurricanes head coach Calvin Decker. "I was pleased with our execution in the fourth quarter after they closed in and it was against a team that played very hard." "Basile is hard to guard and East is a really good team but we never gave up," said Fighting Cocks head coach David Whaley. "That was a tough way to lose Korian and I want to say that I would rather see officials from a neutral association in tournament play." Basile again came up big with 26 key points and Cory Shaw was strong in support with 17. Daniel Deaderick chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds. The 'Canes move on to a 6:30 p.m. date on Tuesday with the second seed, Cherokee. He is right. IMAC refs should not ref IMAC games in tournament.

Thats cause the only thing you need to ref is a heart beat. Most never played and look like they are getting off on controlling the games and players.