sbafan

Congrats HCHS, well deserved.

And.......two wrongs? ...............and by the way, it's still early for ANYONE to be making such idiotic statements.

You are an ####

I just have to laugh.................if you only knew /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

This guy is a "wannabe" plain and simple! You know what they say about people that have to "toot their own horns" - no one else will. If you were a prepscout, how unprofessional of you to make the above comments or for that matter - comment at all on a fansite. Loser /wacko.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wacko:" border="0" alt="wacko.gif" /> !

8:44 to go, Northside making a run.................34-21. Hang tough, Red!

How very offensive and sexist (to add to your many fine qualities, lol). Maybe if you thought and reacted more like a woman you would be more reasonable and less combative. You appear to be so eager to be alpha male you throw logic out the window. I find your postings hilarious and am secretly thinking they are really tongue in check because no one could possibly be this bullheaded. BTW, happy belated birthday to a certain quality poster with a huge amount of team and community pride (you know who you are)!

How do we know these kids aren't talking to coaches? I'm not from the Nashville area - I truly don't know. If they were indeed playing in Gold level expos - they were playing high quality competition. One tournament won't disqualify you from getting seen. My daughter played on a Gold Team for two years, she was in the first graduating class for this team (there were 4 of them, the rest were younger). Their first year, they pretty much took their licks. They didn't qualify for Gold Nationals. They were all recruited, though (2 SEC, 2 Atlantic Sun), and they only played in one Gold qualifier. They did, however, go to Colorado and AFA nationals. The next year, though, after these kids signed, the younger players did reap the rewards when the more experienced team went on the road. I think it's great that Tennessee is getting Gold teams. Tennessee had two teams at Gold Nationals last year (1 -West and 1 -Middle TN) and this year it's an East TN team (I think). The best pitchers in the state are playing Gold ball. I find it hard to believe this positive direction will cease because a team played (gasp!) in their age group. IF the kids on this obviously very talented Cruiser team had their hearts set on playing at Tennessee; they got some terrible recruiting advice. But let's face it, the Weeklys knew what 2008's they were recruiting long before this summer season started - playing Gold wouldn't have helped them at UT. There are still plenty of opportunities out there WITH MONEY available. One last observation, hitting a really good pitcher at 40 feet is more difficult than at 43 feet. When you get deep into any national tournament, you are seeing top pitchers. My daughter's team ran into the National Gatorade player of the year at a tournament at 40 feet - we couldn't touch her. We saw her again at 43 feet, we hit her hard.

I've got to disagree with you there on some points. Softball can provide money for education, there is no doubt. Fully funded schools have 12 scholarships. I would estimate most teams have an average of 18 kids getting softball money. I'll agree, full rides for softball are few (usually pitchers and a few bluechippers), but even at 50% softball money, that's a chunk out of a college education. If a kid keeps their grades up (especially in Tennessee with the HOPE money), gets some softball money then adds academic money on top of that - they have their education close to paid for.

I agree. The age change to January 1st several years ago set up this type of thing to occur. College players should have to move up to 23U and should never play against recruits. 18A and 16U should go to 43 feet. This team accomplished an amazing feat. I think it's a shame that they can't even get their uniforms unpacked before the world is criticizing them for not playing Gold. There are plenty of colleges out there that still need 2008's. A lot of college coaches are just now finding out who will sign in November. Remember, anything until that point is a verbal commitment and can easily be broken. In fact, many on the national forefront are saying that softball is starting to resemble football and basketball in the recruiting arena in that a verbal doesn't mean as much anymore. Once again, congrats to all involved with the Cruisers!

But, if I could play devil's advocate............ Making it to the top 64 teams of Gold Nationals is tough. Many teams will never do it - especially when you run across teams put together of college players and signed kids for the sole purpose of going deep into the national tournament along the way. It's been established that a lot of the same coaches go to both 16U and Gold nationals. If a player is what they are looking for, do you think seeing them at a 16U Nationals is any different than seeing them at Gold? Of course the competition is better at Gold, but these coaches know what they are looking at - as far as athletisim. Exposure is key. Looks like these kids got it.

Many of the top programs are finished with their recruiting for 2008 by the time nationals roll around, true. However, unless these kids are stuck on UCLA, Arizona, TN or the like - I doubt they have hurt their recruiting chances. At Gold Nationals last August, there were several D1 schools still looking for 2006's. I guess really, the proof would be in the pudding. Have any of the kids on this team been recruited or made committments? If they weren't looked at before, winning a national should put them in the spotlight.

OPEN TRY-OUTS!!!!* Coach K's Germantown Red Devil 18U Gold and 16U (Plummer) teams invite all interested players to Houston Levee Fields (behind Houston High School - Germantown, TN) on: August 25, 2007 at Noon until 4 p.m. For more information, please consult the GYAA website (gyaa.org) or call Coach K at (901)849-3563. *Tryouts are open to all players but it is the team's policy, for the player's sake, to close the try-out to all observers.

Well, it is an accomplishment but the Cruiser roster consists of almost all players in the 2008 class....rising seniors. Because of recruiting moving to younger and younger ages in the last two years most of the 2008 class is playing on 18U teams in ASA. If you look at the rosters of all the teams registered in 16U ASA you will see all rising freshmen, rising sophomores and rising juniors. Even some of these young players are seen on 18U Gold rosters now at the Championships in Oklahoma. I hope playing 16U helps these rising seniors (esp the pitchers) get a scholarship. I have always pushed for these girls to play at the highest level they possibly can to get the most college opportunities. My bad...............the above was what I was referring to, not your post ..............sorry.

So many Gold teams have returning college players and signed kids on their rosters. I'm not taking anything away from Gold from a recruiting standpoint - it is the best competition, no doubt. However, to insinuate that at a 16U national tournament, a team made up of 2008's went in and beat up on a bunch of 13, 14 and 15 year olds is just not the case. The college coaches know well about the age cut-off in ASA and recruit heavily from both tournaments.