SportsWestTN

6 minutes ago, RodgerDodger32 said:

Does MTCS play in the private or public division?

Pretty sure all privates have moved to Division II now. 

13 minutes ago, TryNotToSuck said:

Do those petition things even work out?

No. 

But, does highlight that people are upset. 

2 hours ago, pioneer42 said:

I am just surprised he is leaving this area. Their families are super tight with a kid and another on the way. Didn’t see this coming at all. 

I agree, I'm surprised he left West TN.

29 minutes ago, warmachine7954 said:

They'll be AA (same as now) in the new classification. It might be good for them.

Region 6

District 11

Camden Central High School (Camden, TN)

East Hickman High School (Lyles, TN)

Hickman Co. High School (Centerville, TN)

Stewart Co. High School (Dover, TN)

Waverly Central High School (Waverly, TN)

 

District 12

Gibson Co. High School (Dyer, TN)

Huntingdon High School (Huntingdon, TN)

Milan High School (Milan, TN)

Union City High School (Union City, TN)

Westview High School (Martin, TN)

The issue for any coach at a school like Milan is the coaches all being on board for each other. There will be athletes there but basketball players are built over time. 

I've heard of places that if a kid tried to play both football and basketball the coaches "made" the kid choose which to play. 

In boys, the reclassification benefits Milan, unlike the girls. Milan should be able to compete with the schools in their district. They've got a great middle school coach that has had some great teams in recent memory. The disconnect comes at some point after that, where players either quit, don't develop anymore, or transfer. 

They need to get the right coach in, but it is a place where someone could win. Yes, it is a football school, but that shouldn't make it impossible for them to be successful in basketball, as well.

11 hours ago, pioneer42 said:

Just seen that. That is a shocker.

Yes and no. 

I don't think he was unhappy at SGC; His stock was about as high as it would likely get at South Gibson. If he was going to get out, now was the best opportunity. 

Also, South Gibson boys job open now. 
Wilkins headed to Independence. 

19 hours ago, TryNotToSuck said:

I'm going to say no. I wish North Side went after Dexter Williams to compete with South Side. I didn't know that Dexter was willing to leave Atwood for another job. I think Dancy would be their best option, but knowing JMCSS, they would probably prefer Dancy at JCM. I think it'll be a great hire if Dancy comes to North Side, and just coach boys only.

The reason why I say no is due to administration. There's no pride in the school, and no one shows up to games. The AD staff at North Side is content with winning 66% percent of the games, and lose in the postseason. I don't think they're willing to make a "bold decision" like Milan did with Teddy Pettigrew. In other words, whoever the boys coach is at North Side, will have a huge job security as long as he/she stays out of trouble. 

 

And North Side doesn't have the athletes either as they used to have 7-10 years ago. They went under .500 this year. They also lost to Bradford (X2), Scotts Hill, and McNairy Central. Teams that the Indians should not lose to.

Hate JMCSS has so many schools/teams. Hard to have them all be competitive. Madison and South Side have been really good. Makes it tough on North Side, Liberty, and (soon) JCM. A city the size of Jackson should have two or three large high schools and that is it. We could discuss the many issues that the district has, but that is a topic for a non-sports forum.

14 minutes ago, WhereYouAt said:

The coach didn't stay long. It seems like they just hired him. 

He's been there a few years, but definitely not long. I know there were a number of people in Lexington unhappy about him being let go. There was a petition going around on social media to have him reinstated with over 1,000 signatures. Not sure what happened, as they haven't been bad.

15 minutes ago, BallIsLife1 said:

New Districts, New Regions, New Sectional areas

Who do you guys and gals predict to be on top? You have to go to the website and find the new information.

A

AA

AAA

AAAA

To answer the question that someone is bound to ask, here are the new classifications and alignments for the next few years: https://portal.tssaa.org/common/classification/?schoolYear=2021&sportid=3&type=high

I can only speak for rural West TN, but I expect there to be some solid teams coming out of our area in A, AA and AAA.

In A, McKenzie, Peabody and Greenfield, should continue to be good. I expect McKenzie to be one of the preseason favorites. Peabody is going to lose some kids, but should be able to still be competitive at the A level. Greenfield will go as far as Darby can carry them. She is an impressive player, and helps open up things for everyone else. Gleason and Bradford are well coached and normally are competitive, as well. 

AA has the best district matchup in West TN IMO. Anxiously waiting to go see those Gibson Co.-Westview district battles. Those two will be really good as always. Union City will be down a bit after losing Williams. Not really sure what to expect out of Huntingdon, but they are well coached, which goes a long way. Milan is going to be BAD, plus they need to fill their coaching spot. D13 is a big question mark. Riverside and Scotts Hill could always surprise and produce some talent. You'd expect Memphis to produce some teams that could compete at the State level, but we really haven't gotten to see them play since 2019-20. 

AAA- D11 is a crapshoot. Those schools normally don't stay down for long, I'd expect at least one or two to be competitive enough to worry about in late February. D12 is South Side's to lose. South Gibson could be an interesting wildcard in this Class, if they make the right hire at coach this offseason. Poor Liberty and North Side need South Side to give up some of their talent. D13 is intriguing. Dyersburg should be really pretty good next year. I know they underwhelmed this year and are losing a couple of their key playmakers, but they have good talent coming up, and I think they'll get some of the attitudes straightened out. Dyer Co. should continue to be a contender. Biggest question with them is what happens, if anything, with McCord? Crockett is as well coached as any team, but they are going to struggle next year unless they have some people move in. Losing the few kids that could kind of score this year, and not getting any help from the middle school. Irvin has her work cut out for her. Obion is normally a wild card. Normally not good enough to compete for a top spot, but good enough to spoil one. D14 has the metro Memphis schools (Covington, Brighton, Munford), which normally are pretty good. I know Covington has been great the last few seasons, I'd expect them to continue to be the favorite. Interested to see what the new coach at Haywood will do, if anything, for the program. Lot of capable athletes at Haywood. We've seen teams get competitive there with the right coach.

I'll throw DII-A in the mix, as well. I think TCA will be one of the early favorites. Lee and Goehring played really well last year. I think the supporting cast will step up a bit more and will benefit from Williams coming over from South Gibson. Coble will have that group ready. USJ should struggle a bit early, but come tournament time will be dangerous. They lose their core playmakers off this year's team, but still have a lot of talent waiting in the wings. Question is how long will it take them to step up into those star roles. Jackson Christian should be improving over these next few years, but I think are still a decent way behind the other two Jackson privates. TRA is always dangerous, and will pose an issue. Northpoint is another one in the other district that will make life difficult in the playoffs. 

21 minutes ago, warmachine7954 said:

Is Northside a good job?

They've been a decent team the last couple of years. Going to be stuck in South Side's region, which is always a negative. Normally going to have at least some talent there, but have to be a good culture builder to focus that talent in the right direction. I'd say it'd be an uphill battle, but has a high upside if someone gets it moving in the right direction.

On 3/20/2021 at 11:11 PM, pioneer42 said:

 

Didn’t know that. Probably won’t be a change of address  with both schools being that close unless they had too. I didn’t know the rule on it. She is a good player and I think it will be good for her having a fresh start. TCA is a really good program. 

As others said, eligible as long as the parent is moving as a faculty member, no change of address needed. 

Will be a good move for her. She needed the fresh start. Really good, smart ball player that will thrive under Coble. Pretty sure she has played AAU with Lee and Goehring in the past, too. So they'll already have some chemistry.

14 hours ago, Dash said:

So he’s going to be the coach at the new JCM? Girls and Boys?

I saw they just hired a football coach, so they are definitely working on getting positions filled. I'd assume he'd go coach boys somewhere, as the girls was added on to him after the fact at Milan. Coaching both is tough. 

2 minutes ago, pioneer42 said:

It drew lots of interest last time. Culture has to be changed to be in conversations with the Gibson County’s, Westview’s and South Side’s of the world. Do think South Gibson has the money to build a strong program even if it ruffles some feathers. Not that they weren’t getting somewhat on the right track because they have done pretty good the last couple of years just have to really go in Nick Saban style to compete for state championships because there are many other programs that are in Nick Saban style now.

They've had a good crop of young talent come that has performed well early in their high school careers. Now it is focusing that talent in the right direction and making sure you nurture it toward accomplishing something special. They have a long way to go to join the conversation of the teams you mentioned, but it is a place that it can happen with the right person at the helm. 

No clue what direction their leadership is planning on going there. Middle school program has done really well, would be really interesting to see what could be done with her getting four years of those kids instead of two. But, who knows what other coaches apply. Could have a clear home run coach apply and it'd be impossible to not give them the job. They'll have at least a few interesting options, I'm sure.

36 minutes ago, pioneer42 said:

I agree 110% on South Gibson’s culture. They hired Jeremy Vonner and that was a step in the right direction but they need a Wilkins type Haskins type personality that will change the culture 110% to be the head man or woman. They need a big time personality with a ton of energy that knows the game, loves the game and wants to be in the gym 365 days a year. A cousin hire with just being a cousin of the boss will not be good. 

We'll see what happens. I assume the job will draw at least some interest. Hopefully they make a good choice with whoever they hire.

26 minutes ago, pioneer42 said:

I knew he was boys. He might have been girls too. I hadn’t seen Milan play in a few years. They have been down on the girls side. Boys had a great Jr. High Program a couple of seasons ago.

15 minutes ago, SportsWestTN said:

I heard some rumblings a month or two ago that he was going to be gone. Not sure if he left on his own accord or was pushed out. Think it is probably better for both parties to go in a different direction, just based on what I've seen the last few seasons.

Milan Mirror article says he stepped down. Interview with him made it sound as if it was a mutual decision to part ways. He said he hasn't applied anywhere else, but plans to continue coaching.

31 minutes ago, pioneer42 said:

The culture is one thing that really helps Gibson County and Westview. Think a coach has to take charge and have camps and off season play days and tournaments for Middle School, Jr. High and High School. If I am doing the hiring you have to find coaches that love winning and are in love with the sport and live it 24/7 365 and don’t treat it like a job and are full of energy. Kids will catch on or will be left behind and will have to play catch up. Lots of kids play travel softball and baseball year round and parents wonder why their kids don’t get more minutes on the hardwood. A handful of kids can get away with it because they are just great athletes but give me a coach that wants to have them in the gym year round working on their game and conditioning. The South Gibson job I bet will generate interest. 

Agreed. Culture goes a long way. If you have a coach that can get kids to play hard, sacrifice and play selfless, you can compete with just about anyone. Agreed that a lot of development has to happen before kids get to high school too. Have to build a program, not just a team. 

South Gibson, currently, is better setup for success. They've got a lot of talent there, but they need the culture fixed, too. The right coach could turn them into something special. Milan job would be a more long-term rebuild. They have the athletes that come thru the school, just need to develop them. They aren't getting any help next few years with what they've got at the middle school, unless they really focus on developing that talent. 

Milan is a good example of what happens when culture goes by the wayside. You can't afford to let culture slip away, because talent won't always be there. Once talent goes away, if you don't have the culture there to develop what you do have, you are sunk. One big reason why South Gibson needs to make the right hire this offseason. They have the talent now and need to capitalize on getting the culture built while they have a chance of success.

2 minutes ago, Dash said:

Yes he coached both girls and boys program. I believe he won a  boys state title at Haywood a few years back.

I heard some rumblings a month or two ago that he was going to be gone. Not sure if he left on his own accord or was pushed out. Think it is probably better for both parties to go in a different direction, just based on what I've seen the last few seasons.

17 minutes ago, pioneer42 said:

Milan has been down since 2008 when they made a nice run and won the Silver Ball. 

They've had some talented athletes come thru since then, but have still struggled to develop them. I know in both boys and girls they've lost some kids to West Carroll. Someone will need to come in and change the culture. It will take a specific type of coach to do well there. Finding the right person won't be easy.

Saw on Twitter from one of the radio guys that Milan job is open

On 3/19/2021 at 7:42 PM, Joyful95 said:

Still hearing about one potential big west tennessee in AAA.

Dyer Co.?

Or are we talking about the new AAA?

4 minutes ago, Redrage4life said:

I'm not saying that District 13 will have anyone to win/compete for a state championship.  Two teams will go to state from Region 7 & 8.  As you well know, the favorites don't always win.  The Glass House can cause great shooting teams to look average/below average, especially in the quarterfinal round.

Adamsville, Riverside, and Scotts Hill are happy to finally be in a district/region with the same enrollment numbers as themselves.

Certainly never understood how they were in the district they were in or even the class they were in. Glad they are in a more reasonable classification now.

11 minutes ago, Redrage4life said:

I agree with what you said for the most part.  One thing I think you should take into consideration is the fact Scotts Hill, Riverside, and Adamsville have been playing for four years in a district against Southside, Chester, Lexington, and McNairy.  All of those teams have seen several D1 & DII players on a nightly basis and some tremendous athletic and well-coached teams.  I think that district has made those teams a lot better than the experts think.  Don't be surprised if there isn't a team or two out of Region 7 & 8 that will be hard to put out of the tournament.  

Not to discount those programs, but I think their district wasn't quite as good as some people thought it was. South Side is a pretty good time, but they steamrolled the district this year, but still didn't win the region or make it to State. Chester Co. and McNairy (and Scotts Hill) have each had a stud player, but those players had to carry the load for their teams. 

Not saying Scotts Hill, Riverside or Adamsville, couldn't make a splash. Just don't think it will be for the reasons you've mentioned. I know Riverside has had some good teams in the not so distant past and had some talent coming up the pipe. You are right in saying their region should have an easier path then some others. And if you can make it to the Boro, anybody can have a chance.

6 minutes ago, pioneer42 said:

Micah Hart really had a great year throughout the season especially when teams double and triple teamed her sister. As a freshman and at the state she was steady. Do think GC kinda over excelled during the season beating some really good teams early. There was always a reason I had GC 3-4 range in rankings and it was youth and especially almost no experience in Murfreesboro. GC will play more girls next year similar to what we did in 2019 I predict because they will have another year in the system and will get better. There is always some that will come out of the pile that will get better. Do think Maya Turner, Alley Goad, Haley Thompson, Libby Goad, Sayde Wright, Lexus Kemp and Ellie Walker are players to keep an eye on because they will get better and are good players. 

Definitely a key for GC will be improving that supporting cast. You could see some flashes from some of the girls you mentioned throughout the season, but there were also a number of issues when they were in the game. A lot of mistakes that can be attributed to youth (turnovers, travels, bad decision making). That will improve with time, but as I mentioned in my previous post, I think next year will be their best crack at the title for a while. If those girls can improve, they'll get lots of opportunities to shine with how much defenses will have to sell out to guard the Harts. 

6 minutes ago, maddams said:

Westview will still be really good.  With the twins graduating, I hope Haskins ups the tempo and lets Harrison go at people.

Gibson Co will always be good.  They're going to need some improvement from kids not named Hart.  North Greene basically refused to guard a couple of GC's players in that upset win.  

Loretto is probably the favorite.  Karly is special.  Little sister will be an upgrade on their current other guards.  They will be vulnerable inside with Kensey graduating.  Fisher is undersized and Kensey's sister is not Kensey.

Westmoreland should be tough.  I think they return most of their best pieces from a team that beat Macon County this year.

McMinn Central should be good.  They were young and successful this year.

East Nashville has been solid recently.

Summertown graduates a lot of production. Have to think they're a step behind Westview, Gibson, Loretto to make it through that substate grouping.  Burdette will likely be more of a focal point for them offensively.

South Greene is always solid but I think they graduate a good bit this year as well.

Fairview made some strides this year in AA, beating Creek Wood twice in the regular season.

Meigs Co has been really good recently but graduated all five starters and their coach retired.  No idea what they'll look like next year.

Alcoa, Gatlinburg-Pittman and Cheatham County have had some recent success as well.

One thing for sure - there will be two teams at the state tournament that will have no business being there.  Regions 7 and 8 will be awful.

I'd expect Westview to pick up the tempo a bit next year, at least to try and get more in transition. Westview in the past has been pretty methodical in the half court, even when they are more athletic, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just would to see them push the pace more than they did this year. Losing the twins will definitely free that up. If the CoachT hype is true about the 8th grade wunderkind, that'll help a lot too. 

Gibson Co.'s best crack at a title will be next year with both Hart's still around. Madison has pretty well peaked at this point, I wouldn't expect a big jump in performance from her. Micah has a very high ceiling. She has showcased, especially late in the year, the type of player she can become, but she has to be more assertive. If Wilkins can get her to unleash her abilities, they could be scary good.

Loretto will be really good again. They won the A title, and bring back their best player, so expectations should be high. Important to remember a few weeks ago, a lot of us weren't sure they'd even make it to the Boro. They got hot at the right time, but weren't juggernauts all season. They'll need to continue to push that supporting cast to help elevate them into that favorite role. 

In a reclassification year, there will probably be a team that comes out of the wood work. Someone that will benefit from a new region landscape and will make a leap with the talent they do have. COVID made it so we didn't see much out of metro Memphis or Nashville. Wouldn't be surprised if a team or two from each city produces a serious contender. 

On 3/12/2021 at 3:45 PM, WilleTheWildcat said:

I edited SWTN's post.....

I agree with most everything you said SportsWestTN. I do however think somethings maybe changing.

A lot of games are now posted on YouTube for all to see. This allows Voters for the Miss Basketball Award to see more players from around the state to be seen.

I ran a YouTube/CoachT campaign this season in hopes to boost Oak Ridge's Kamari Mitchell-Steen's odds. I constantly posted when and where you could watch OR play.

I have no idea if my plan had any success or not. I do think more and more people will attempt to do what I did. They will probably do it better than me.

It is easier for people's name to get out there with social media, but I can assure you most voters aren't doing a lot of homework on who they nominate. I know some voters and they aren't spending time going back and watching game film from a bunch of different kids. Just because the resources are out there, doesn't mean they are being utilized.