maddams

Best jobs still open are Ensworth and Rockvale. Surprised Rockvale is not filled yet. No idea what Ensworth might do - they’ll have a lot of interest based on pay and potential

I had not heard that rumor. I thought he was supposed to have some really good talent coming through Page in the next few years

That’s not surprising. He was never going to stay there (or anywhere else) for long.

I’ve seen multiple posts about this job. Are we sure it’s open? They had a pretty good year, especially considering their best player was hurt until late in the season. Coach took them to a sectional game.

I figure it looks a lot like this year. Upperman and White Co will be state title contenders. Livingston and Cumberland will be dangerous, but not as good as Upperman and White. Not sure what Stone loses but they will be competitive. DeKalb will be below average.

Green Hill boys job is open. I don't believe the girls job will be coming open there.

South Side loses Currie. They will still be very good, but she is a big loss on both ends of the floor.

That's a really interesting bet. Not sure which side I'd land on. Dyersburg brings back all but one of their rotation players - the senior was probably their 4th or 5th leading scorer. They may be better next year than they were this year. Upperman brings back their two best players but graduates the other three starters (if there's any truth to the Ellie Butler to Upperman rumors, that's a gamechanger). Heritage had one senior on the roster - they will be very good again. South Side will be in Murfreesboro again and is always dangerous because of the way they defend. White Co graduates their best player but brings back several others who can play. Dyersburg is the favorite but repeats are hard. Any state title requires some luck along the way. Back to back state titles require even more. @UCSportsFan is right - the field is probably the safer bet.

3 classes had 112 teams per class. In that system, 14% (16/112) of teams made the sectionals in each class. In the 4 class system, each class has 85 teams. Currently, 19% (16/85) of teams in each class make the sectional.

Dyersburg could very possibly have the next three Miss Basketball winners with Crawford, Jordan, and Strayhorn.

Wilkins did a fantastic job with this team. Emphasized their strengths and hid their weaknesses. Big question: Is Wilkins on the sidelines at GC next year or does he go out on top? I heard some rumors that this might be it for him. You think there's any truth to those rumors or people just making assumptions because he's not a young guy?

I agree. Both teams can book rooms in Murfreesboro next March. No one in their region or sectional will challenge them. Peabody will play hard but they graduate too much to beat Westview or Gibson County. If you can get to the Glass House, you've got a chance.

Westview will be good next year, but I think people are underestimating how important Alexander has been to this team for the last couple years. She was Westview's best player this year. Losing her will have a major impact

Making the basketball state tournament (final 8) in a four class system is the same as making the football playoffs (final 32) in a 6 class system? Strongly disagree with that statement. In football, well over 50% of teams in each class make the state playoffs. In basketball, less than 10% of teams in each class. make it to what is considered the state tournament.

Key is getting there over and over. Westview and GC have done a great job of that. If you get there often enough, good things eventually happen

Dyersburg played South Gibson three times this year. The first two times, Crawford did not play. The teams split those two games - Dyersburg winning by two, SG winning by 15ish. Crawford was back for their region championship game. It was a close game that Dyersburg won by 5. Dyersburg is MUCH more talented than SG; this was true even when Crawford was hurt. SG played them close on toughness and coaching. Dyersburg should win today. They are more talented than Cocke Co. That said, a Cocke Co win would not shock me. Dyersburg can be undisciplined and selfish at times - those things can get you beat. The SG ride should end today. Upperman is talented and very well coached.

This is absolutely on point. No way for TSSAA to seed the tournaments without introducing some type of bias. The blind draw is the fairest way to do it.

Those are fair points. I'm not against the idea of seeding the teams. If TSSAA were to do so, what criteria should they use?

I would argue the opposite. There is nothing unfair about a true blind draw. Big difference in unlucky versus unfair. In my opinion, the bigger problem is the lack of transparency. TSSAA could d a live draw on Sunday before the tournament like they did before COVID. Even if you just stream to coaches and media, it would eliminate even the possibility of unfairness.

I watched the region championship between Dyersburg and South Gibson. Crawford played that game. Dyersburg ended up winning by 5 but was trailing going into the 4th qtr. Dyersburg has the most talent in AAA - 3 guards that will likely play D1 basketball. However, they don’t always play like the most talented team in AAA. They have the guard play to handle South Side’s pressure but they also could turn on each other and lose by double digits. No Dyersburg outcome will surprise me this week. They could win the gold ball or lose in the first round.

Definitely possible. Upperman heavy favorite to come out of the bottom bracket. I’d be shocked if they’re not in the finals. Top bracket could be three of the four. I’d list top bracket in order as Heritage, Dyersburg, South Side, Cocke Co

What’s the better option? I ask that question seriously. Lots of people hate the blind draw, and I can understand why. I think TSSAA could save themselves a lot of headaches just by doing the draw Sunday and streaming it. But I’m not sure there’s a better option than a draw

@Jaychapman what happened? Must have been bad. I went to Loretto tonight because it was a shorter drive and I thought it would be a good game. I was wrong.

Smith could beat East Nashville. I don’t think Summertown over Huntingdon or Cheatham over Loretto count as upsets

Sectional Matchups Meigs/Gatlinburg - not close. Gatlinburg by 30+ Alcoa/McMinn - Alcoa is good enough to be a problem but not beating McMinn at home. Pearl Cohn/York - York big setting up a killer first round state matchup against McMinn Smith/East Nashville - good game. Smith will scare East Nashville but not beat them. Cheatham/Loretto - good game. Loretto is a tough place to win. Loretto by 4-8 points Summertown/Huntingdon - game of the night in AA. Summertown guards could cause problems for Huntingdon. Kee is a matchup nightmare for Summertown. If Summertown can’t get to Murfreesboro this year, it could be a while before they get back. Give me Huntingdon in a war Trezevant/Gibson - GC by as many as they want Westview/Memphis Business - scary game for Westview. MBA has a few kids who can play but Westview zone will cause significant problems. Westview by 12-15