otis

Coach from Nashville, hmmm, I'm going with Winston Gamble. Averaged 20 wins per year for 20 years at Maplewood before getting brain dead and moving to dead-end, no chance to win Hillwood.

Maplewood's freshmen have all the ingredients: size, speed, depth, and excellent guards. And they are very well coached by Lawrence Haywood, who should be one of the next head coaches in Nashville. In their only loss, 6 kids fouled out.

I missed the part about SR's only. Sorry Guess that's why no Jamie Graham, huh.

BA has great talent, no doubt. They have a great coach, no doubt. They play in a weak division, no doubt. I applaud Coach Nollner for going against BA. He went to their place with his team not at full strength and got the win. Much respect. And Coach Pitts should be applauded. BA had nothing to gain in this game. If they win, they were expected to. I would love to see BA compete in AAA every week. If they have trouble against good shooting teams, then Hunters Lane and McGavock would give them trouble too. BA would give middle Tennessee a better shot against the public schools in Memphis during the state tournament also. BA would still win in AAA, I think, but there would be no cakewalk like DII is for them.

Marcus Cantrell from Maplewood is the best I've seen this season.

Nice team, cobra, but couldn't we include Wright, just to make it a game against Memphis? And I'd rather have HL's Henley than Scales.

Antioch looked like a goldmine a few years back when Mangrum was hired as well. What will it take for the next coach to reach the potential of the school? Pearl-Cohn has much talent, and young talent. Could win big in AA. What will it take for the birds to reach their potential?

A betting man coulda got rich! Who woulda thunk it? Coach Broome, you are the man! You united a group of kids that have never won, made them believe in themselves, and now they are champions of one of the toughest regions in the state. Congratulations to you, your staff, and your team.

classic line from FNL: "Put Booby in. If you wanna win, put Booby in"

Hendersonville at Hunters Lane Thursday, 7:00 pm

You had to bring that game up, huh? And you are correct. I'll adjust my previous post.

Sophomore Michael Coleman split time that season with senior Richard Bryant at tailback. He may have surpassed 1000 yards that season, but I think not.

Over the years, Stratford High has had many great running backs. Included was a stretch from 1980 to 1993 where they had at least one back gain 1000 yds or more each season. How about this list: 1967: Mike Jones 1968: Mike Jones 1973: Tony Bell 1980: Kenny Weatherspoon 1981: Kenny Weatherspoon 1982: Kenny Weatherspoon 1983: Jeff Smith 1984: Ron Robinson, Daron Frierson 1985: Joe Campbell 1986: Joe Campbell, Ronald Downing 1987: Joe Campbell, Ronald Downing 1988: Anzio Gray 1989: Anzio Gray 1990: Erik Gardner 1991: Erik Gardner, Gregory Young, Michael Coleman 1992: Erik Gardner, Gregory Young, Michael Coleman 1993: Arcentae Broome, Michael Coleman 1998: Terrell Bohannon 2000: Miles Campbell 2001: Miles Campbell 2004: Darrell Pierce ??? Troy Murphy ??? What other schools could be called "Running Back HIgh"

Coach 763, I saw that team play several times, courtesy of some "Timmy Ray tickets", and they were increbible. Their stats, just like those of the 1977-79 Al Young and Thomas Goodloe Maplewood teams, were somewhat penalized because they rarely played much in the second half of games, due to blowouts. Coach763, which of those backfields of Maplewood's was better - Brown/Gipson or Young/Goodloe?

There are many other great backfields that I'm sure will be discussed. But the Stratford backfield of 1992 was unbelievable. Old fashioned, hard-nosed, never pass, come right at you offense. Gregory Young, Erik Gardner, Arcentae Broome, and Michael Coleman combined for over 5000 yards rushing. Three of them went over 1000 yards and two averaged over 10 yards per carry for the season. They went undefeated, winning each game by at least 4 touchdowns. They defeated a fine MBA team in the first round of the playoffs with relative ease. Then lost in the mud to Henry County in a terrible upset during a flood. Only mother nature could stop those backs!

Congratulations and best of luck to Arcentae Broome, new head football coach at McGavock.

Ditto to that comment. Hunters lane may have less overall talent than previous years, but they have more discipline, pride, and more of a hard work ethic. Jim Carter(head coach) and Carmon Brown(his assistant) are the reason. They are both fine coaches and leaders of young men. Go Warriors!

Coach G, how does it feel to play in a tournament game at home? All those championships you won at Maplewood were on the road because that crackerbox gym at Maplewood was too small for you to host those 12-AAA crowds. Has Hillwood ever played in a district championship game in basketball? Might be time to start hanging some basketball banners in your new gym.

Boy, that Alzado fellow sure is smart! Coach G, you're a miracle worker. Naw, I'm wrong. No miracle. Hard work. Fundamentals. Conditioning. Teamwork. Tough Defense. Selflessness. Disciplined Offense. Neat, clean-cut players. Respectful young men. Winners, regardless of any score. You taught more lessons to your players that will carry them throughout their life than anyone thought was possible. This is why coaches do what they do, in spite of the fans that want to coach, the parents that interfere, the stress that creates health problems, and the low pay. Coaches change lives. Coach Gamble does it as well as any basketball coach around. Nobody deserve success more than you and your team. Good luck in the championship tonight.

Coach Gamble ... that was a great win! CONGRATS! I know there are more talented teams than yours, but nobody outworks your players. Coach G once told me that b-ball season doesn't get serious until the loser has to pack up their stuff and get ready for next year! Guess your team ain't ready for next year yet.

1st round matchups at Antioch for 12-AAA boys tournament MON: Glencliff vs Antioch 5:30 Hunters Lane vs Maplewood 8:30 TUE: Whites Creek vs McGavock 5:30 Stratford vs Pearl-Cohn 8:30 This should be some great high school basketball. Any predictions? Any upsets brewing? What do you think?

This may have been A vs AAA, but Coach Anderson is worth at least 10 points.

East Lit has some kids that are not only talented, but also classy. They have a great basketball staff from top to bottom. Fey(varsity), McKee(freshmen), and Roberson(7th/8th) ... pretty impressive! Excellent players and coaches at every level ... a powerhouse in the making. Coach Fey took a job not many believed he had a chance to win at, worked hard, assembled great assistants, and has moved East Lit to new heights with a great future. I remember when nobody wanted to go in that old gym on Gallatin Road, cause you would most likely get drilled by the old East High. Coach Fey has developed a program headed back to that same old dominance. Who would have thunk it? Way to go East Eagles.

Stratford has now won 7 in a row. I'd say they are definitely back. And hitting on all cylinders heading into tournament play.

Officials have a tough job, no one can honestly dispute that. Most are professional, knowledgeable, honest, and care about the sport. All are human and will make mistakes. The officials that have a chip on their shoulder, have a prima donna attitude, or "judge" and label kids and allow those feelings to affect calls, should resign. (this is about 5% of the total populas) Some thoughts on improvements: *eliminate ratings by coaches, this promotes "homers". Coaches should be allowed scratches, but other officials and TSSAA supervisors should be the only ones to rate officials. *recruit more officials. Coaches should encourage former players to get involved. This is a great way to stay involved with sports after those playing days end. *have severe penalties for the officials who abuse their authority and/or miss RULINGS, not judgement calls. Coaches and players are subjected to technicals, ejections, suspensions, and fines. There is nothing to punish those officials that give all a bad name. *every official should remember this: every game you call involves kids who are participating in the most important thing in their life at that time.