StrangerDanger

Listen Chill, don't personally know Balcom or Jones - both may be great guys, but one of my points was that he has more experience - true. He also is a grad of Harriman and you should take care of your own. It irritates me that an O.S. grad with less experience was given the job. Balcom was not even given an interview for the position, nor the WB position and LC hired a former head coach for the girls position. I know someone who knows the family well because they still live in Harriman. Any of the other people that BlueDevilPride mentioned should have been allowed at least an interview as well. I know that coaching at WB in district 4AAA is by far the toughest basketball district in E. TN - you can't argue that. I also know that the former coach at WB (Baumann) is very well respected in the coaching community and was successful for the talent level at the school. He probably learned quite a bit coaching there - just saying. By the way, why does coaching under Norris make someone "highly qualified" to coach? Where has Norris coached where he did not have talent? Wait for it...........................oh yeah, nowhere. Great talent makes great coaches and I would argue that Norris is not a great coach - he's had great talent. Wow, he won at Oak Ridge and Webb where they both have talent and unlimited resources. Yet, he still has not brought home a golden ball - interesting. Once again, a monkey could coach and win at either one of those schools. Not a knock on Norris, just stating the truth and any good coach will tell you the same. Explain your reasoning....... I wish Harriman the best no matter the hire. It just does not make any sense at all. I completely agree with BlueDevilPride that school board members should boot that clown of a principal. My sources on that one say it won't be long.

His name is Donald Balcom. He graduated in 1996 and played on the 95 State Championship basketball team. He was a boys' assistant basketball coach @ William Blount for 6 years and a girls' assistant basketball coach @ Lenoir City this past year. He has been teaching for 8 years. I know he was given a "token“ interview for the girls position and applied for the boys position when it was posted. I also know that prominent and former prominent people spoke on behalf of getting him back home to teach and coach. Those people were not happy with the girls hire and my bet is they won't be happy with the boys hire - just the way it went down and not necessarily the person they chose. I have also heard that Calahan is a micro manager and wants to control everything without taking advice from others. I know all of this from a very reliable source. Once again, small town and nothing can be kept on the down low for long. I have more information, but enough said. By the way, does anybody even know if Jones will be a teacher @ the school our in the system or is he still going to teach @ Oak Ridge? Why would someone leave Oak Ridge as a teacher when they pay a lot better than any system around - not even close. He would be taking a significant pay cut to teach and coach @ Harriman. If he still is going to teach @ Oak Ridge, then Calahan dropped the ball again for sure. You want coaches who teach @ your school.

Ok - Jones may end up being a great hire. Everybody needs a chance, but there were people more qualified and graduates from the school that applied for the job. They have taught and coached longer than Jones and they were from HARRIMAN. Played ball @ Harriman and was very successful. My point is that you should wait to see who all would have applied and then you should probably give your hometown people a real shot as well. Instead, you hired someone from O.S. and someone from Rockwood!? Explain the thinking behind this decision. If you are an alum of Harriman you would think you would want an alum of Harriman running your program, especially if that person is qualified. I hope Jones does great and the program does well because Harriman deserves the best. Usually good talent and a great gym to play in - success written all over it.

What happens when higher quality coaches apply for the job? They went out half cocked and hired somebody because he worked under Norris. Is that not the same Norris who left Harriman to go to Oak Ridge? Can't blame him for that, but Norris has had tons of talent both @ OR and of course Webb. You would have to be pitiful to not win @ both those programs. I know 5yr olds that could win 20 games a yr @ those programs. Also, I know people that played for Norris @ Harriman and they said he was not that good of a coach and they started and played a lot for him. Said they really did not understand what they were supposed to be doing the whole time he was there. Just saying they should not have hired someone that soon without getting all applications in. By the way, good players make good coaches. Unless the coach absolutely sucks. The way you find quality coaches is by actually sitting down in front of someone, looking them in the eye and asking them about their coaching philosophy. You don't just hire someone because they worked @ schools where talent is abundant and a monkey could win there. Who knows, maybe this guy will be awesome. We'll see - he better be for the administrations sake.

Must not have been there long - not much experience. What in the world is Calahan and Clark doing over there? You hire a guy in his 50s to coach the girls? He also had been out of coaching for yrs and won't be teaching at the school! Then, from what you say, they have hired a guy who has not been an assistant coach that long and is not a teacher at Webb as far as I could tell. What is he going to do at Harriman - just coach!? That makes a ton of sense. That is the best we could get? Why post the flippin job until the 23rd? They haven't even waited to see who has applied for the position. They have no concern for the program and have lost their minds. I hope that school board members take close notice of Calahan's coaching hires (what a joke), especially after his previous alleged tackling of a girl student at the school, and get rid of this idiot! I have sat around, watched, and listened to what has been going on at the High school - pathetic. No wonder, Toni McGriff (Superintendent) was booted out of the system - she hired nimrods like Calahan. I know one thing coming from a small town, you don't come in and tick people off or you'll be gone very quick. I'd say Calahan has already dug a grave about 5 1/2 feet deep with both of these hires and other past problems. I am sad to see the community I grew up in and school I graduated from be under the leadership of this man. Harriman has a very proud tradition and should be represented by by a man that makes educated hires.

Who in the crap is Wes Jones? The only Wes Jones I know of is the head football coach at Hardin Valley. If there is another Wes Jones that coaches basketball in the area, then he is not a licensed teacher in the State of TN. So, what you're saying is that Harriman either hired the football coach from Hardin Valley to coach basketball - ha - or they hired another coach that is a non-teacher. Brilliant hire Harriman! Sounds good for the rest of the teams in the district.