digithead

In regards to your top 20 and with respect to GBA. You are correct they do have a weak district but have had quality wins against Soddy Daisy (3A) and Polk County (?A).

I agree with you but they kind of affected the whole second half by letting it turn into a wrestling match. The young man did get fouled at the end, I'm just not sure how much time was left on the clock.

Is this a reply or a statement? You kind of proved my point. I was giving the West some praise (Not as much as you would bestow on yourselves). My reply was intended to be rhetorical. However, I realize it doesn’t take much of an opening though for you guys to toot your own horn. So again, we agree, UC is #1 and District 14 is the best.

That weak (cheap shot) Grace team beat one of your invincible District 14 teams in the semifinals last year. Last year Grace could play with any one in the state and this year Temple can. You guys in the West can’t seem to differentiate criticism from praise. If you read these boards, with out a doubt District 14 A is the toughest basketball district in the state. Also, UC is and should be #1 until proven otherwise. I hope your prayers are answered and Temple gets a chance to serve you some humble pie. Early in the season though and a lot can happen to both teams with the schedules they have.

This game has been rescheduled. Not sure of the date.

Thanks for the info. Good Luck the rest of the way.

Agreed, the coaches showed an unbelievable amount of restraint and I enjoyed talking to them on the sidelines. Before the game was over however, I did manage to learn a few new words. I hope the MRI comes out okay, you hate to see the kids get hurt. I hope to see the game against FCA, if it happens down the road.

SP won, as real they should have but I wouldn’t raise my flag to high. I worked the sideline and after the language and comments I heard from both the players and the fans I would be ashamed. Now granted, as stated previously, they had more than an ample supply of fuel, with the officiating crew. I would agree that between the calls, the spots, the clock mis-management and just the general confusion frustration would set in, but I can’t imagine the behavior if the game would have been close. The two women that actually said and did something inappropriate to #9 after the game, grow up and get a life. Okay, on the bright side, the SP coaching staff, on the other hand, was one of the best I’ve worked around in three years. Given the circumstances, they had more than enough reason and plenty of opportunities to have a complete meltdown but chose not to and took the high road and exhibited a great deal of class. The casualty of the evening, I hope that the young man who got hit by his own player in the knee is alright. It didn’t sound good from the sideline.

I was at the game and neither team’s defense has any room to talk. Grace couldn’t stop the run, and to Whitwell’s credit the option scheme they had going was pretty deceiving. Whitwell couldn’t stop the pass or the Grace’s quarterback from running. There is no need to mention the “Private School” garbage, it’s getting old. Most all the kids on the team have been there a long time. When their parents put them in school there it was probably more for the environment rather than the outstanding elementary school athletic program. Anyway, the important question is, how is the young man they took off in the ambulance?

Sorry, don't know my soccer lingo. Basketball coach, but a soccer parent. Congrats to BA and to Grace for being in the finals. Good showing for a small (1A) school missing three starters.

Grace beat Tullahoma in sudden death.

Not a Temple fan, but you've got to give credit where credit is due. 18 players, young program, playing and beating established programs. Hats off. Good luck the rest of the way.

Final Score Grace 21 - CA 12

Agree with "football time". Young team, new program and I can't imagine anyone associated to Grace supporting what "Eaglemaniac" stated. Possibly someone from a different school trying to stir something up??? Yes, I have a connection with the school.

They will cruise through the first game but the second game won't be that easy. Grace beat LV and CSAS during the regular season and I would say LV is wanting some revenge after the District tournament. The second place team in the Region tournament will have their hands full traveling to, ?? probably Friendship Christian.

A couple of close calls. Yes, momentum changing, no. I assume the call in question was the runner at first on a bunt? I thought he was out also but it would not have changed the outcome. A run rule game in five innings. As far as the next game, I’ve seen both these teams play at least 5 games, it shouldn’t be close, Grace by 6. It is tournament time though and Temple did manage to make it this far.

Congratulations to the Grace Lady Golden Eagles for winning the regular season District 5A. Good luck in District & Region Tournaments.

Congratulations to the Grace Golden Eagles for winning the regular season District 5A. Good luck in District & Region Tournaments.

Are you sure it wasn't Grace Christian out of Knoxville that you beat? Grace Baptist Academy (Chattanooga) did not play Wartburg on Wednesday.

My take is from coaching at a small private school, so it is not crazy but factual. I just left out the word private.

Is the classification system overrated? No, it’s actually broken. In a small school (A) when there is a try out for a sports team the coach typically does not have the luxury to cut and sometimes even has to resort to talking kids into playing. In the larger schools you at least have the choice of some selection and depth. You are also dependent on several kids having to multi-sport so if you are fortunate to make it to post season play then that spring sport about to start up is going to suffer. I know the seasons overlap for everyone but I’m not talking about the spring sport not fielding it’s best team I’m talking about it fielding a team at all. The part that is broke. At one time the system was out of balance because of the private school going out to recruit. To fix that problem Division II was created. This was a good fix but it wasn’t left alone. The new multiplier and changing the numbers is absurd. It’s like imposing a penalty because you are a small private school. Head count is head count. Draw a line in the sand and the math will be easy. The small private schools that do not recruit rely heavily on booster money and sometimes church money which is not an endless abundant resource. I see new magnet schools being built every year with facilities that would humble most private (D1) schools. This is not a slam on those public schools that moved down in classification due to the numbers changing, which was not their choice. This is a direct criticism of how the T$$AA needs to reevaluate the current system and make it right.

Congratulations to the players and coaches of both the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams. You both had great seasons. Whether winning or not, you displayed sportsmanship and class the entire season. You left your mark on the court, and more importantly off through your exemplary behavior. You should be proud, we are. Thanks for the new memories and guys I’ll see you in the gym on Sunday. (Just ask Davis how to get in)

Temple will be in the running. Good young talent, minimal losses. They will be stronger next year than they were this year.

You keep hearing about the past because someone from the West keeps using the term dominance. As of yet the West has not dominated basketball (A). However, after last year you may be seeing the tide changing. We will know in a couple of years. As far as players, there are good players all over the state. The West shows all around more athleticism while the other areas show more finesse. The style of the West is a lot like Nolan Richardson’s in your face, 40 minutes of … After seeing all these teams play if you were to take the starting five from Cosby, Temple, Grace, UC, and Humboldt and put them in a shooting contest the East would win. Better shooters through the lineup. As stated before a lot will depend on what the officials let them do. Not starting anything just replying to this thread, I have nothing but respect for the teams and the talent therein mentioned above.

Realistically, Humboldt and UC should be favored. They were both AA last year and are the largest schools left in the A tournament. I have seen teams from all these regions play and some of it will depend on what style of ball the officials let the guys play. If they do not call the hand checks, walks, and the beating and banging underneath it will definitely support the West’s style of play. If they do keep it more controlled then this will help to neutralize the physical style of the West. At this point it is all speculation and since it is tournament time (almost) anything is possible.