Norman Dale

I think Andre's All-Region picks were done to reward regular season performances. The All-Region teams and honorable mention lists look pretty good to me based on that criteria. Maryville got their just due in All-District Tourney voting with Maples (MVP), Basile and Tate based on their performances in the tournament. However, just because they had good district tournaments, it doesn't mean that they should have been on this All-Region team since it was based on the regular season performances only.

Maryville isn't 8-16, they are 17-10. By the way, I don't think Maryville has been snubbed at all. They have been extremely inconsistent, even after they got all of their footballers back on the court. They have a few nice wins ( Oak Ridge, West, Powell) but they are 0-8 against Bearden, Alcoa, William Blount, and Farragut, with several of those games being ugly losses. They are certainly capable of playing very good basketball and they will get their chance in the upcoming tournaments. If they do well, the respect will come.

My list was in no particular order, just my top five.

Omar Wattad- Science Hill Terrence Oglesby- Bradley Central Beau Brown- McMinn Central Tony White- Bearden Antoine Wiggins - Greeneville

Keep an eye on sophomore Jonathan Weigand at Maryville. I really don't know how he figures in their plans but I know that Weigand is an outstanding hitter. I hope he gets a chance on varsity this year to show what he can do.

You have to be careful drawing conclusions from common opponent scores. For example, within a five day span WB blew out Maryville, Maryville blew out Oak Ridge, and Oak Ridge blew out WB. I agree WB has been very solid in general this year with their best wins probably coming over Maryville (twice) and Alcoa. They also played very well in a close road loss at Bearden. They have also had poor performances against Webb and Oak Ridge. They also played poorly yet escaped with a OT win over Heritage. Certainly WB has a chance to make some noise in the Region tourney. However, I am going to predict that it will be Oak Ridge and Bearden emerging as the two region finalists. But I certainly wouldn't count out WB.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Stephen is going to the Air Force Academy and will play basketball there. Does anyone know if that is correct? I saw Stephen play some AAU ball this past spring/summer and got to know him a little bit. He was a complete class act and excellent young gentleman. I am glad to see him having such great success on the court.

I am an East Tennessean and I completely agree with you guys. It is a joke that these two teams are not ranked. It goes to show you that we have some people voting in the AP poll that are not doing their home work at all. I consider both Raleigh Egypt and Mitchell to be LEGITIMATE contenders to win state championships this year.

Barry Stewart is no doubt a great player and scorer. However, the referenced list is only for schools in Knoxville and surrounding counties.

My thoughts and prayers are with Stan's family. He is a quality person who has a great Christian testimony. It is certainly a tragic situation to see a family losing a husband and father at such a young age. I had the opportunity to play against Stan in high school. He was a sophomore when I was a senior. It is very interesting to note that my son is a sophomore and two years ahead of Stan's son, whose is in 8th grade at a rival school. I look forward to the day when they play against each other in high school. If that indeed comes to pass, I will certainly think of Stan and the memories of playing against him.

Very good synopsis Govman. My thoughts are as follows: WB: Playing great right now. They are a difficult team to guard because all five starters can shoot it with range and they are sharing the ball extremely well. It looks like they have a GREAT chance to finish in the top two of the district in the regular season. Team play is the reason for their success and that must continue for them to keep playing at a high level. Alcoa: Looking very good right now. They should return to Murfreesboro this year, although I don't think they can win it all due to some of the West Tennessee AA powerhouses ( Bolivar, Mitchell, Liberty Tech, etc.). Some of those teams are probably just too big for Alcoa, although Warren definitely plays much bigger than his listed 6-2. Alcoa is well coached and has a good blend of fine athletes and nice shooters. Maryville: As Coach Nelson said in the KNS, they are out of sync-bad. They definitely have the talent to compete with anyone on their schedule but unless they begin playing much smarter and more unselfishly, they are going to be doomed to a mediocre year. That being said, I have a feeling they will improve as the season progresses and you will see a totally different team later in the season. Heritage: They must play hard and control the tempo against most of their opponents in the district. If they do this, they will stay in most games. Coach Rines does a good job of isolating Bauer for scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates when defenses collapse inside. In the end, I think Heritage will have a hard time overcoming their inexperience and physical shortcomings in comparison to most of their opponents.

I have noticed that Oak Ridge's point guard from last year Jared Stephens hasn't been in any of the box scores. Is he a footballer? I did see him playing this summer with Oak Ridge during team camp action. Anybody know?

Maryville won 72-58.

While I'm sure Maryville does indeed have the mental edge over Alcoa, they looked like they had a pretty commanding physical edge as well from my vantage point. The statistical edge in the first half couldn't be all mental, could it? The abscence of Brandon Warren has been discussed ad nauseum but I believe Maryville still would have won the game convincingly if Warren had played. Maryville is simply better than Alcoa and by quite a margin, even with Warren, imo. Alcoa's players, coaches, and fans should swallow their collective pride and admit that they are weaker than Maryville when it comes to mental toughness, teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship. Games cannot be won by Alcoa against Maryville on some perceived advantage on paper in athletic ability. If Alcoa would emulate Maryville in these areas, the results on the field would be much better for the Tornadoes. Until they do, as long as Coach Quarles is at Maryville, Alcoa will continue to struggle mightily against the Red Rebels, imo.

Good point FBE. A lot of folks in this area seem to get really angry at kids for turning down the Vols to go elsewhere. Kids should feel absolutely no obligation to attend UT just because they are local kids. It is a two way street. UT certainly doesn't feel any obligation to recruit a kid just because he is local. They only recruit local kids that they want. By the same token, local kids should explore their options. If UT is the best option for a kid and the feeling is mutual on UT's side, then great. If a local kid such as Brandon Warren doesn't feel UT is the best option, then they shouldn't feel any guilt at all when they decide to go elsewhere. People who hold grudges against local kids for spurning the Vols really don't care about these kids but rather are only concerned about the reputation of UT. I wish the best of luck to Brandon Warren. I am certainly not a fan of FSU but there is no doubt that they are certainly one of the top programs in the country.

The Travelers 15-U team does not have a player named Matt Perkins.