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Have to agree with the rankings. Unicoi with Ali is probably a little better than the 4 ranking but without her they are not. Big week for the Cyclones but only in the mental approach to the game. The games themselves have lost a little meaning as far as the seedings go. Don't think Happy Valley, Unaka or Unicoi (without Ali) will win more than one game in the regional. Cloudland will have to play well but are capable of making the sub state. Hampton probably has the best chance of making the sub state along with Elizabethton. Not sure of district 2 in AA but know district 2 in A is not very good.

Said in another thread she hurt her ankle. This just shows how much she means to that team. Without her, Unicoi is just a good inexperienced team. Would probably look for a quick exit from the tournaments if she is not able to play. Still a couple of weeks left so hopefully, at least for Unicoi's fans, she will make it back to full strength by then. Good to hear from you sportiemom.

a little late but: 1. Elizabethton - Seems to be putting a little distance from the rest 2. Unicoi - Seems to faltering a little at this point of the season 3. Hampton - Seems to be playing some of the best basketball 4. Cloudland - Seems to be very up and down this year 5. Happy Valley - Seems to be just going through the motions 6. Johnson County - Seems to be having one of their most competitive seasons 7. Unaka - Seems to be about the same Elizabethton is holding on to the top spot with some pretty good basketball. Hampton seems to be the most improved team while Happy Valley and Unaka seem to be the least. Unicoi's youth might be starting to show a little while Johnson County seems to be in most games with Unaka just hanging on. Cloudland can really play on some nights and tends to take some nights off. Should be a good single A and double A tournament.

Unicoi handed the Lady Warriors a very dissappointing loss tonight in Erwin. Not that dissappointing that the Lady Warriors lost but dissappointing on the lack of effort and enthusium the Warriors showed. Unicoi was there for the taking. They (Unicoi) didn't have their best game. A lot of missed shots and free throws gave the Warriors a great chance to get a win but their lack of effort (defensively and offensively) left a lot to be desired. The Warriors just didn't seem to be very interested in playing tonight. They seemed a step slow in all areas and didn't seem to be too concerned at the end of the game down 10 or so with minutes to play. I know teams sometimes have off nights but if the Warriors can't get this corrected their post season run will be very short. Gardner had her way on both ends of the floor. Again Unicoi didn't play that well either but made up for their off night by rebounding and causing some turnovers. Looking forward to some information on the Hampton/Cloudland game. Must have been a good one. Wondering if Weddle did play and if so how she looked. Did anyone attend the game? Wish I would have gone to that one instead of HV/Unicoi.

I"m not really sure I"m reading your post correctly. Krich stated that there is not much difference between all the teams. The fact is Elizabethton does have MP. And that is what makes them a little better than the other teams. Also that must be factored in there is the point guard, Powell for Elizabethton. She really makes them a pretty good team. Each team must play with what they have. Injuries are a part of the game. The team that can adapt to adversities usually are the teams that go the fartherest down the road. Elizabethton does have the best point/post combination of the seven and that is what makes them number one. Does that carry them to a victory each night. Well, no. The other players also factor into a win or loss. Elizabethton does have a good supporting cast but in positions two through four the other teams in the seven might be a little better. Thus the parity.

I for one am ready to get back to the subject of basketball. I think everyone has got to tell their opinions, feelings, etc. on the subject of Coach Chambers. Myself included. But that is what this board is about. Everyone has their chance to speak their mind. That's what makes this fun and interesting. Sometimes we do get to the point where it seems to be a battle to get in the "last word". But I do feel we all get "rich" with everyone's insight. Everyone does have a right to sit in a "bleacher" and watch games. It doesn't matter if you are a "daddy", momma, friend or foe. Hopefully we all do it for the right reasons as I know we all love to "coach" each team and tell what we thought shoulda, coulda or what we woulda have done. "Lord" knows we are all great coaches from our own viewpoints and their is nothing wrong with that. We all are the "king" for a moment and express ourselves to each other. Agree or disagree we all get to share this with each other. I hope we all can "roll" with the punches given here and continue to do this. We all don't need to be "dog" stubborn and learn when to "pass" on to the next topic. I'm doing that with this subject. Coachh, did you go to the HV/Elizabethton game last night? Good game. HV leading by 7 with 3 minutes to go. Shouda, coulda and I'm sure if you or I were coaching woulda won the game. Well at least if you were. HV went into panic mode and gave Elizabethton the chance to win. Elizabethton took advantage of the opportunity and made a great run at the end and then they did what it took to win at the end. Just wondering your take on the game. Krich, according to the paper neither Unaka or UH played very well in the first half. The paper said UH had a lot of good shots but just didn't make them. Made it sound as if Unaka didn't play very good defense early. Any truth to that? Hard to tell exactly what happens by just reading the paper. Your insight on that impression.

Krich, what lives we lead to be on here posting after 1 in the morning. Are we crazy or what? Just some comments on the Coach Chambers situation. I don't want to get into a big debate about what Coach Chambers is doing intentionally or not. I'm just giving you my thoughts and take on the situation. Basically it comes down to Coach Chambers himself. If he feels he is helping them by being there, then he should go. If not then he shouldn't. I really don't think it matters if they are 3 and 14 or 14 and 3. Does Coach Chambers and the new coach talk to each other about the team? Coach Parkey left in a different manner than Chambers so I don't think it can be viewed as a simuliar situation. I know it must be hard on Coach Chambers not to be a part of something he has worked so hard to build. But the one thing that really bothers me is how can he go somewhere that did that to him. I know he must be a better person than me. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. What if he does get a new coaching job? We he continue to visit the team and place that did this? I wouldn't think so. So why not stop it now? There a lot of good games out there to watch if he is just going to watch basketball. He will always have this team in his heart. His relationship with his players will never be taken away. He just doesn't need to be a physical part of the program any more. For his own benefit, he needs to leave it behind him and start over. I'm sure everytime he goes he has to feel some type of resentment to Unaka for what was done. Not the players but the school and county. Again maybe he is just a lot better of a person than me. That is my take on the situation for what it's worth.

Az, I'm not sure many people think he does this intentionally. But it is a distraction to the players. If you had been coached by someone for a long period of time and all of a sudden had a change (one of which you didn't or your parents didn't feel was right) and things weren't going good, who would you look to for advice? Probably the man you were used to hearing from and not the new person. Especially if you knew he was there watching every move. The problems the Lady Rangers are having are not the fault of Coach Chambers, but he is not being part of the solution either. Of course all of this is in my opinion only. If the Lady Rangers to be truly successful in the future he will have to leave them alone. Vader or Krich, how about a report on the Lady Bulldog game last night?

Highlander, I'm not sure who or what has been said or done to you. I have always enjoyed your posts on here about the Lady Highlanders. If you worry too much about what other people say or do then you are heading down a road filled with many down moments. I do, and I mean really wish everything in this world could be positive but that is not realistic. Negative things happen everyday. Negative things are said on this site and even in this thread. But I truly believe for the most part everyone does not say negative things to hurt someone but just to express their viewpoint. If we do not teach our children, players, and even ourselves to deal with negative comments or actions then we do them and ourselves an injustice. They will face these throughout their lives. Dealing with not only positive remarks but also negative ones should be taught to each and everyone. We live in a society today where every little remark seems to be monitored and examined by everyone. I'm not condoning remarks made out of anger or just said to try to hurt someone in some way but we must accept the fact that things do go wrong and we must learn to deal with them. How we handle bad situations will determine our own character. It is not hard to handle things when everything is going good. When we shelter these players from all negative things then we are not teaching them about life. Constructive critisism can be very helpful if done and excepted in the right manner. Just because someone says something negative about you doesn't for one mean it is true and for two doesn't make you a bad person. You have to listen to the people you trust and forget about the rest. No one can please everyone. No player can please everyone that watches them play. They must first, please themselves with their play and second please their coach because they are the ones that matter the most. They are the two that knows best what needs to be done. We as game watchers sometimes feel we know better and express ourselves by telling what we would do. Nothing wrong with that. It has it's place. If you have kids still playing then tell them to play because they love the game, play for themselves and do exactly what the coach says because the coach is the one that determines playing time. And most kids are happy if they are playing. Again Highlander, if you want to post then post. Post the way you want to post. We respect that but you must also respect the way other people want to post also. You will continue to see some negative remarks on this thread, can't change that. But don't let anyone keep you from doing what you want to do.

Krich, been out of the loop for a couple of weeks. I do agree that both Unaka and Happy Valley are not overly talented. HV has the better goto player in Bowling while I do believe Unaka is a little more athletic counting all the positions. Unaka should be better at the post but it was about the same in the games I've seen. You are correct (see what being away does to me) in probably the biggest difference in the two teams is depth. HV can bring some off the bench that gives them a little boost in different areas and the fact that HV does have a goto player that can score, pass and take care of the ball. About Coachh, you have known him for many years, have you ever been able to figure him out? Probably not. Looking forward to catching up on all the goings on. About Coach Chambers, have you talked to him about his going to the games might have a negative effect on the girls? I'm not asking you to reveal or talk about your private conversations just wondering if anyone that is close to him had brought this to his attention, the fact it could be making it worse. What do you think? Is his presence a benefit, a hinder or really doesn't make any difference at all? What would you do if you were him? Just wondering what a great mind like yours would do in this situation. If it was me I would not go to the games. I would still want to support the girls anyway I could but being a distraction at the game would not be one of them. I would try to make them understand that by not being there was in no way a lack of support for them but make them realize they just needed to play, play hard and do the very best they could.

Of course I must get my two cents (well maybe worth about half of that in today's economy) in. First I'm not sure Unaka's game at Happy Valley was that encouraging. Sure it was a close game but Happy Valley didn't play very well at all. Effort wise, and that is directed more towards Happy Valley than Unaka. Unaka played an ok game. I'm not sure they can play much better. Yes, they have some kids that could be decent players but if they haven't developed by now they will not develop this year. There is some hope for the future. They, Unaka, are just not that talented. The only way they compete would be with maximum effort and that doesn't seem to be given every night. Coach Chambers would not make a big difference with this team given the injuries they have gone through. They might be a little more comfortable with the offense or defense because they had run it in the years past but they would not be contender for the conference. I must agree with some of the earlier post that Coach Chambers should let this team go. I'm sure he thinks he is doing what's best for them by showing his support by being at all the games but this is not his team any more. Unaka said they didn't want him anymore and that is it. Why would he want to go where he is not wanted? I hope he is not doing this just to keep the team spilit or just to watch them not be successful so he can feel a little justification. I really don't think this is the reason but one never knows. The more the team is reminded of what happened the more they will not concentrate on the task at hand. I have stated before the powers to be in Carter County do some really, well let's say not very smart things, but what is done is done and each has to go on.

Sure you are right about LT, bounce. Most coaches would benefit from sitting on the bench with him. Would learn a lot, not about what Hampton does but how to coach a team. Maybe some of the other coaches don't think they'll make it to the regionals or they don't have to worry about their opponents. Some coaches are mainly concerned with their own team but the really good ones will always check out the other conference competition. Would have been a good chance for them to see CC. Which team are you referring to? Lady Vols had a great comeback win. UNC took it on the chin. ETSU (men) are playing well. Not fond of the women. UT men can't guard anyone but are fun to watch. Like to watch all the area high schools. Like which ever is playing against South Greene.........

I really don't think they are trying to get inside the mind of Coach Tolley. I'm not sure anyone would want to do that, they might be scared of what they might find. Remember he does have 3 young kids now. Know I wouldn't want to know what's going on in there. Unaka's coach being somewhat new might get some benefit from watching Hampton play but I know Cloudland's coach already knows everything Hampton does and likewise Coach Tolley knows exactly what the other teams do also. There's not many secerts at this point and time. They probably could run each other's offense. It really just boils down to who executes the best and plays the hardest with fewest mistakes. Some coaches just don't have anything better to do than attend ballgames. It's what they like, that's why they coach. I'm sure Coach Tolley wasn't concerned at all with the attendance of the other coaches.

1. Elizabethton 2. Cloudland 3. Unicoi 4. Hampton 5. Happy Valley 6. Johnson County 7. Unaka Many changes in this weeks rankings. Elizabethton moves into the number one spot. Sometimes being idle is a good thing (I"m sure Coach Dugger planned this break in their schedule, knowing Cloudland and Unicoi and Hampton and Happy Valley had big games, just so he could move up in the Tri-County rankings by not playing). Cloudland takes a major jump up with the win and Unicoi takes a plunge with the loss. The Lady Bulldogs are playing very well at this point (what a turn around from two weeks ago) but if the injury bug continues to plauge Weddle it will be hard for them to find consistant play. Happy Valley made a turn in the wrong direction with their play at Hampton. They have a week to get things going but do have a good game to get that started with by playing Boone on Friday. Johnson County continues to play teams tough and Unaka might be playing as well as they can.

Thanks for the information. Know Coach Tolley could stand to shed a few pounds (ha, ha). What time is the game on Monday and who else is in the other semifinal? Guessing the finals would then be on Tuesday, true?

Dog, do let us know the results from the game tomorrow. They were really solid in their win over HV the other night. Of course HV didn't really seem they wanted to be there. Not a good showing for them. Saw some of the turnovers for Hampton that other posts had talked about but all in all a nice performance. Hampton made big plays when they had to. Happy Valley played right into their hands by not putting much pressure on the ball for most of the game. Any word on Coach Tolley? Sure he is feeling better. Winning helps. Knowing him, he now probably thinks they play better when he isn't there. Know that is not true but sometimes a team puts forth some extra effort when the coach is missing. Do let us know about the game results and when they play again.

Coachh, I think you and I read the thread the same way. Know what Krich was saying, but don't think they got the "mop" thing. Guys you know, like what you use to clean the floor (mop). We know you meant she was the most outstanding player at this point of the season, but do believe Coachh was throwing a little sarcasism your way. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and each has a Happy New Year.

Coachh, Do agree with your overall rankings (if this were an overall rankings) but since the "boss" said this was more of a weekly ranking then will stick with my previous post. Did not get any comments on what you had been surprized by what the Cyclones had done so far and what you think is the most important area they must get better in to have a chance to do well in the post season. Do let us know...

Krich, Pretty much agree with your rankings but since this is a weekly ranking (per say) I might have to go with Happy Valley at 3 (2-0) and Cloudland at 4 (0-2) for this week. Johnson County continues to surprise the group with a couple of big wins. Still believe the bottom 3 are in a group by themselves and the top 4 have seperated themselves from that group. If you were the coach of each team, what would be your most pleasent surprize at this point and what area would you put most of your concentration on? Coachh and Highlander, etc., give us your thoughts on this same question. Krich sees most of the teams play so he might be able to assess each team. You are more knowledgeable about your own team so give us your thoughts. 1. Unicoi 2. Elizabethton 3. Happy Valley 4. Cloudland 5. Johnson County 6. Hampton 7. Unaka Merry Christmas, also....

I didn't think the Lady Rangers would be able to match the scoring output by the Lady Warriors. Unaka needs for it to be a lower scoring more controled game to be competitive. Happy Valley has trouble with teams that can score (Central) and teams that have good physical inside games. Again seeing some seperation from the the top four teams with the bottom three of the Tri-County. Hampton might be the only team to regroup and gain some ground. Cloudland showing some weaknessess with their perimeter game and also their inside game. Uncioi and Elizabethton seem to be playing the better basketball of the seven. Johnson County continues to surprise some people but still not ready for the leap to the top tier.

If Elizabethton is not that good of a team where does that put Hampton? Not much was said about the school size before the game so why make excuses now? Elizabethton just won the game. They did what they had to do and Hampton didn't, bottom line. I do believe Elizabethton did beat Hampton just a couple of years ago so it really hasn't been a long time and yes it was a big win for them. It would have been a big win for Hampton. I really don't have anything involved in this game just don't like to see someone not given the credit when it is due. Come on Hampton, Elizabethton won and all the excuses, reasons won't change that. I also would have stood up for the Bulldogs if this post had gone the other way. And about Ryan Thomas' lay-ups, I bet Hampton wish they had a few open lay-ups themselves or maybe if he can make them they should try guarding him. Just a thought..

Unicoi's style of play sits very well with the Lady Rangers. They are patient on offense which makes for a lower scoring game. Unaka doesn't have the scoring power right now to put up many games with huge numbers. I believe this is what will be the big difference in tonight's game with Happy Valley. The Lady Warriors are pretty good scorers. They are capable of a lot of points from different people. I don't thnk Unaka will be able to match Happy Valley's scoring. Krich, what are you going to do tonight. Both teams are maroon so will you be able to tell them apart with your glasses on? Just wondering....

1. Unicoi County (have played like the number one team) 2. Elizabethton (everyone talking about them changing their defense, the zone is their best defense, might just need to be a little more aggressive out of it) 3. Cloudland (haven't played as well lately (South), but if you live and die by the 3 (thanks AZ) then they will be nights you don't look too good) 4. Happy Valley (everyone putting Hampton in front of them now, still think they match up really well with Hampton, don't think Hampton beats either team that beat the Warriors) 5. Hampton (showing signs of getting a lot better, but must be able to do that against better teams) 6. Unaka ( did beat Johnson County to stay out of the bottom) 7. Johnson County (playing better, will probably spilit with the Rangers) Not much change this week in my opinion. Some teams are getting a little closer to each other while other teams are sperating themselves from the rest. A couple of good matchups this week to get a little better view on how these teams are developing.

bluedad, If you have looked at my preseason posts I never had Unicoi below 4th and knew they would be pretty good. I had seen the middle school team play a few times and knew they were very talented. I wasn't putting down anyone or anything but just wanted your take on what they were doing that was a surprise to you? From and inside view point. Sorry if you took it the wrong way, but would still like to hear what you think. Az and Highlander, I remember a Campbell girl that played there a few years back. I think her name was Brandi Campbell. If my memory serves me well, which most time it doesn't, I believe I remember her getting to the 1000 point mark. Do you remember her?

Bluedad, How do you think Unicoi has surprised everyone this year? You seem to be close to the program so I thought you might give us your view point. Unicoi has one of the best if not the best coaches in upper East Tennesee, have one of the harder working players in Gardner, which she is also a very good leader, had a very good freshman class coming in which all leads to being very successful. I though Unicoi would be very good. Maybe not as soon as they have shown. I don't mean by winning, they probably are better than most they have played but by the way they are playing, playing pretty mature for the number of youth that are playing. Seems to me they have really bought in to Coach Fisher's philosopy. What do you think? Just wondering.... Congrats to Brooke Johnson. Highlander, how many 1000 point scorers has Cloudland had? Krich, thanks for the info. You always are the man to ask.... Coach17, still no word from you on the Cyclone game.