Dark Man

Would you say that if the words used were racial in nature? If a white coach called a black kid a stupid "n" would that matter? My guess is that you would want such a coach fired immediately and rightfully so. Words are how we communicate thoughts and emotion and they do matter. Words can bring on violence or promote peace. The words of Winston Churchill inspired the British to fight on in World War II and the words of Martin Luther King Jr. inspired millions in the Civil Rights Movement. You are the victim of a poor education if you think that words don't matter. If the reasoning on this thread is going to drop the level of the quote above it is pointless to take it any further.

I agreed with a lot of what you posted and appreciate your dedication, but this last line is silly. One does not have to be a coach or have been a coach to know that somethings are unacceptable. One doesn't have to be a coach to know that players should not be publicly humiliated by a coach shouting profanities at him, such as were described in the opening post on this thread. By that reasoning no one could ever criticize the actions of any person in any field unless they had personal experience in that field. So does that mean one can't criticize a teacher that uses inappropriate language unless one has been a teacher? How about legislators that take bribes? I know I am taking this out a bit, but I think it is necessary to point out the absurdity of this line of thinking. By the way, I have coached before, so either way I am eligible to speak on this subject.

The reason Coach Hallums gave up coaching was because doctors had told her that continuing to coach would jeopardize her voice permanently. Her daughter had completed her eligiblity, but I believe she would have continued to coach had it not been for the situation concerning her voice. Is it a done deal that Dilligard will not return or just speculation?

Stranger things have happened, but I would be tremendously surprised if Hutto were interested in coaching girls basketball. You are right in your description of him, but I just don't see him coaching girls and he would have to take a pretty large pay cut to do so. Does his daughter even play basketball?

So couldn't Coach Whittamore care just as much about his players if he cleaned up his cursing and swearing? Profanity at the high school level is not acceptable. I doubt seriously that his players would lose their respect for him if he came in and conducted a practice or coached a game without using any profanity. There seems to be some belief that the use of profanity demonstrates intensity in a coach, from my perspective it simply shows a lack of self-control. Just wondering also if Coach Wittamore lets the players use the same language as he does and would he excuse them if they got a technical foul for using this kind of language in a game? Seems to me it would be hard for him to expect them to control their language if if he doesn't control his. As for college coaches, players get to choose the coach they will play for, but that is not the case in high school where kids go where they are zoned, for the most part, and many can't just up and move if they are in a bad situation with a coach.

So your point is the ends justify the means. I just don't buy it that you have to use profanity and be abusive to get the most out of a player. If a player is in a high school program he may not sign a contract, but it is a given that the coach should set a good example in the way he behaves and communicates. Criticism does not require profanity. Putting someone on the bench speaks louder than all the profanity in the world. Doing extra running or push-ups can communicate alot without saying a word. Profanity is not a necessity for effective coaching and it should not be tolerated at the high school level. I know coaches can let something slip during the heat of battle, but what I am talking about using it on a regular basis. Bobby Knight was not and is not a great coach because he is profane. He has a great knowledge of the game and is a very good teacher of the fundamentals of the game. I would suggest that he might have been more successful if he had better control of his temper and behavior and that he had success inspite of his misbehavior, not because of it.

Which assistant is interested? Is it Mike Presley, Jim McDowell, or Darian Brown? I would find it surprising if any of them wanted the job, but I could be wrong.

You are living in a complete state of denial.

I agree that kids do have horrible language in many cases, but that makes the case all the stronger for adults(coaches) to set a good example. Players are not, by the way, allowed to cuss on the court. If officials hear them cussing they give them technical fouls. Must we continue to lower the standards? Maybe it is time for adults to step up and meet the challenge instead of just letting things continue deteriorate to a lower and lower level of acceptable behavior.

Amen! Preach on!

Anybody got a score on this game?

You really don't think professional athletes have been exposed to more than most 14-18 year olds? Not all kids watch shows full of profanity, some actually have parents that monitor what they watch and listen to. So I guess your point is that we just continue to lower the standards for everyone because there are some that are exposed to this garbage on a regular basis. Wouldn't it be better for coaches to raise the standards in this area like Bobby Johnson has at Vandy. Their players seem to respect him and respond to him pretty well.

Nixon has a sister that either attends or graduated from Wilson Central last year.

Just because kids do improper things doesn't make it okay for adults to do it. Adults should know better and should be setting the proper example. My point with Joe Gibbs is that if he can motivate grown men, whom I'm sure have been exposed to far more than your average 14-18 year old, then surely a high school coach can motivate without using profanity. The bench and/or running are excellent motivators for high school kids. It is not what you say, but what you do that counts. Cuss all you want, but if you take no action to back it up players will ignore it just like they will any other language.

What is the source for this rumor? There is also a rumor that LaVergne may make a change and they want Dilligard to come over there. I don't know where that came from so who knows if there is anything to it or not. This time of year there is lots of speculation and most of it comes to nothing. My advice is to take these kind of rumors with a grain of salt and just wait and see what happens unless you really have some kind of an inside connection to the situation.

There is no excuse for a coach to curse at a player. A kid may be able to take it, but should they have to take it from a mature adult that should be able to express his disapproval in some way other than resorting to profanity? Emotions run high in sporting events and on occassion a coach might slip and say something he shouldn't, but it shouldn't be standard practice and it should not be considered acceptable behavior. Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins has been quite successful in the NFL and my understanding is that he doesn't use profanity. If an NFL coach can motivate players without using profanity I would certainly think a high school coach can. "The bench is a great motivator."

How can they be the worst team in world and have won 4 games? Hampshire would have to be equally bad since they split with them and Boyd Christian must be worse since they were swept by Community. Get your facts before you make such strong statements or keep quiet. Also it would be worst instead of worse.

When you are struggling any win is welcome, but you really can't be all that excited about beating Dekalb County. Dekalb has won 1 game all season and it was against Martin Luther King who hasn't won any games.

Oakland 51 Warren County 41. Warren is now tied at 3-11 with Lebanon and they split regular season games. I think the 2nd tiebreaker after head-to-head is how you did against the teams above you in the standings. Based on that I think Warren County would be 6th and Lebanon 7th because Warren County beat Blackman and neither of them beat any of the top 4. Please correct me if this is not how the tie-breaker works in 7-AAA.

I said exactly what I meant to say and I was absolutely correct. She played volleyball her senior year at MJ and was the team MVP. She moved here from Kansas during her sophomore year because her mother got a job with Cracker Barrell. I don't believe she played volleyball during her sophomore or junior years, but she did play as a senior. If I am wrong I don't mind being corrected, but in this case I am correct.

Do the coaches at the HS try to work with the coaches at the feeder schools or have any kind of camps to work with the younger kids? I would think the feeder coaches would be willing to work with them if they approached them in a way that made them feel like they were part of the overall process. I'm sure there are feeder school coaches that might not co-operate, but my guess is most would.

Since winning the 3 in a row and then losing close games to Siegel and Tullahoma the roof has caved in on Warren County. In the 5 games since losing to Tullahoma the average score has been 60-36. Last night's 40 point effort was the highest point total in that stretch. Where has the offense gone? Lebanon pressed and apparently forced a lot of turnovers which resulted in lay-ups, which explains why Lebanon scored above 50 for only the 5th time all season after struggling to get 23 points on Friday against Riverdale. Did Cookeville use this same type of game plan in scoring over 70 against WC?

Lebanon has had some tough games, but they have had some "confidence-builders" as well. Hillwood, Hickman County, Spring Hill, and White House, not to mention being in a weak district with Oakland, Blackman, and Warren all struggling through losing seasons. I don't think Lebanon's schedule is a very good explanation for having only 4 wins. Poor shooting and excessive turnovers would be a better explanation.

I agree that technicals shouldn't be called unless the coach does something to deserve it, but it shouldn't matter whether it is the 1st minute or the last minute of a game. Referees can affect the outcome of a game just as much by swallowing their whistles at the end of a game as they can by blowing it too much. If there is a violation call it regardless of the score and time.

I was shocked when I tuned into this game in the 4th quarter and Riverdale was only up by a couple of points. How can Oakland's offense be so terrible against Siegel and Cookeville and then score 52 on Riverdale? Oakland is catching Warren County at the right time as they continue to sink losing 69-40 at Lebanon. The way WC is playing right now I would have to favor Oakland to beat them. Congratulations on a good effort tonight.