uctfan

Let me say this about the Union City - Lake County Game. First, I was there for every play and will say myself along with everyone else at the game that Union City was done come half time. But, what everyone didn't realize is that the game plan for Union City was to keep Lake county under 21 at the half and U C knew they could win by watching the films. Union City's defense did just what the coach ask for. This was a Lake County 1st half and a Union City 2nd half. The difference was/is in the game - conditioning / lack of subs. UNION CITY completely wore down the Lake County team. You can't go far in the season or playoffs with the amount of players that played that game for L C ( 15 Total ). Union City will have trouble against Milan( and they should ) and if they play like they did in the second half might just beat the Rebels. Union City is very young and the #7 is young and not much experience so he is going to make mistakes. Four things for the win : #7 ( White ) , #30 ( Flood ), U C Defense and the team NEVER gave up. Go U C. Season predictions ( Wins / losses ) 8 - 2 or 7 - 3

More competition in West TN.. Plain and simple . Holiday tournaments, they go out of state sometimes to play the best teams in the tri-state area. Union City for example played Bolivar, Liberty, Haywood County during the season(actually defeated Haywood once with Mr.Basketball Weddle scoring 41 points) They also played in the toughest 1A district in the state in District 14A with the likes of Humboldt(state semifinalist) Lake Co., Halls, Trenton Peabody ..

After seeing the final 8 teams in the BORO, you could put a Lake Co., Halls, Middleton for sure in other parts of the state and they could easily have wound up in the BORO as well..

Off season work programs, camps and other things factor in as to why West TN is always bringing home the hardware in March

I totally agree. Union City for one goes each year and plays in the Poplar Bluff Tournament and competes VERY well. They are usually the smallest team there by height of players. Just for example, look at Tyler Hansbrough at North Carolina Mens Basketball Team. He played for Poplar Bluff High School last year and they won two or three state titles with him. Union City playes against competition like this in Holiday Tournaments and during summer camps. They eat and breath Basketball 24/7, 365 days a year. Along with Lake Co., Middleton and many other western tennessee high school basketball teams.

In order to compete on todays high school levels, you have to hit the court soon as the last season is over to keep up and if you do not then you will be left at home watching what the other teams can do.

I can only speak for what is seen here in West Tennessee High School sports, if you do not have weight programs for the off season, training programs then you will pay the price for making it very far. I know during the week at the State tournament according to our local paper that the team ( Union city ) spent most of the time practicing instead of out sight seeing or watching other games. This was the player decisions not as much the coaches.

Marquis Weddle is a Division 1 player...

 

Right now, Marquis sports two Division 1 offers that I know of: UT-Martin and Mississippi Valley State...

 

Alabama State and TSU are among those other D-1 schools that are showing interest. This list may have grown since the end of State Tourney. D-II and NAIA schools have been all over him for a while now, many of which offered early. Some are starting to back off because of the D-1 offers that are coming in...

 

Marquis is a great player, a great scorer, and one of the best kids I have ever been around. He will make some D-1 school very happy at the next level...

Marquis from what I was told by a very reliable source has been contacted now by University of Tennessee at Knoxville and ask to walk on for his Freshman year and then maybe offered a scholarship because Tennessee is going after a BIG man. Also, U A B is showing interest from what we have been told along with Murray State. Marquis would fit in VERY WELL at Murray State and look at the NCAA Big Dance record getting in at Murray and is also close to home.

Where ever he chooses, everyone else is going to miss out because he is slipping in under the radar and a great , pure shooter that some good teams need.

cloudland was the best team to go they beat hampton twice district championship and regional unaka twice and wartburg once. They might matced up better with uc and gave them a better game but we would have matched up better with other teams in the state tourney. cloudland just did not match up well with uc. It was the worst draw we could have got. Cograts UC on being state champs we can say we lost to the best team in the state.

Thanks on the Congrats on U C. One thing, I was not at the game but had Hundreds that were and most said that Cloudland just didn't have the players to compete on this level along with Wayane County and even Grace Baptist.. Not saying they didn't deserve being in M' Town ( State ), but when you get this far it's anyones game and most that made it usually are good. Not many teams make it to the State Tournament with only 14 wins and a credit to the Cloudland program. Union City is know for Basketball & Football and yes even the past we have had Baseball teams make it to the final games and just might have that this year.

I think that the East & Middle State High Schools Sports gets more media attention State wide and then when it come to " tourney time " everyone from the East is usually over rated a bit. Union City Finally made it top the AP Top 10 the final week of the poles and now they have the GOLD BALL in their hands.

I know that the 1st & 3rd Gold Ball we won in AA ( 90-91 & 96-97 ) not many gave us much of a chance to win those years but by the time our Coaches ( Marty Sisco & David Denning ) broke down film on the teams that we were to have played, they could have beaten most anyone at that time. We are VERY LUCKY to have coaches ( Marty & Shane Sisco ) that spend every minute for the Final 32 minutes in the State Tournament. Not many schools have what we have been sooooo blessed to have in Union City & Obion County.

Another thing, if you notice you do not see Tatoos, Ear Rings , Long Hair and Show Boats when Union City Steps on any Playing surface and this goes for all sports. Our school system & coaches do not allow that. We show up with class, play with class, coach with class and leave the game with the other team fans saying " those were a nice group of coaches & young persons".

We do loose a lot from this team but we will be back because the old saying here is " We aren't going to rebuild, were just going to RELOAD " .

Great Job Union City!!!!!

that's the best thing said so far in this forum. 14a is the definately the best. maybe there is no best team. but we whoop on each other all year long so much we could all beat any team in this state.

I also agree. We are lucky here in Western Tennessee to see High School Basketball at it's best night after night. Not taking anything away from the eastern schools. 14 A was and still is a very balanced district and the teams were good for the most part. It is nice that the ( 3 ) Gold Ball came back to the Western end of the state . Union City, Jackson Tn $ Memphis all came home winners. This was the First State Championship Gold Ball in the History of Jackson Tennessee and think how many schools are around that city! Great Job to all teams from all parts of the state.

I must have missed something.

For those of you who " Think This Quote Is From A Coach " is wrong. I am a LONG TIME fan of basketball and a Union City Tornado/Obion County Central Fan. We are just happy to have a coach that has tradition and knowlege on his side. His family means a lot to the Kenton & Union City Fans alike. No, Shane did not write this. He was out celebrating with his team and support staff while everyone else who lost was wondering what happened.

We here in Western Tennessee give credit where credit is due and it starts with the coach and then the team.

Maybe someday your school and fans will know what we are talking about.

Congrats Union City on Gold Ball #4

Sorry RednWhite, Edridge isn't near as good a rackball player as Weddle. He is an outstanding player who knows how to take the ball to the rack when ever he wants too.

Two things that Kills " SPEED & DEFENSE " . Grace didn't have the speed, scoring ability, bench or coaching ability to over come what Union City had to offer. Anytime you coach against a coach who had ( 4 ) Gold balls in his pocket ( 1 - Kenton H. S & 3 - Union City ( Now 4 ) he has the upper hand. We ALL knew in Union City and even west Tenessee that with the Sisco family coaching our team it would take much more than any single A team had to offer to beat U C.,

Great Job Union City for winning the GOLD Ball.

First, Let's start by saying how LUCKY we are here in Union City to have a coach Like Shane Sisco that has spent his entire life breathing basketball. I can remember the days back when he would assist his father " Marty Sisco " ( which also brought back 3 GOLD ball to Union City ) at Kenton High School walking the sideline with his father each night when a game was played. Infact, I know when Shane played college basketball at ( UTM ) University of Tennessee @ Martin, he would assist the assistant coaches by coaching one of the squads during practice and the head coach would take the other.

Second, to also have his father by his side during these past few seasons as a assistant coach. I know from what was told today after the game that this was the FIRST time a father and son had State Basketball Championships from the same school.

We are and have been very BLESSED over the years here at Union City High School to have had the success in ALL Sports.

I do and we all do understand that you have to have a team effort ( which we did ) , coaches and players alike. But a team is only as good as its players and coaches.

This tournament run and season was one for the memory books and just think how lucky you would be to have WON and Coached a State Champion Team Like we saw with Union City this week and your father & or son there by your side as the assistant.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES YOU HAVE PROVIDED FOR THE UNION CITY FANS MARTY & SHANE and we look foward to more in the future!!!!!

The End

Good try grace golden eagles maybe next year...oh wait...yall are losing all your starters except a 6'10", 75 pound (weight includes basketball in hand and size 17 shoes on) , sophmore center that cant even get a shot off of temple's about 6'3" junior josh smith. But yall have some talent coming up i think his number is 50 and he could sure teach carter a thing or two. But all that matters is that yall backed up all the trash yall talked this season about being number one and all. maybe someday yall will get a picture to hang on the gym wall of the team posing for a state champion pictures if yall could ever winner a championship or maybe even 2 pictures on each side of the gym but only great teams could actually pull off something like that (if you dont understand look in vance gym). I hope you enjoyed the press yall got this season cause you dont have to talk to the press when you lose games all next season

About the " So called BIG Man ". I wasn't at the game but had several friends there and did see highlights on the T V. The BIG man needs some weight and when I was told they didn't have a bench , we ALL knew here in U C that the FAT Lady was already warming up and ready to sing at the game. One thing, 14 A is the best and hardest in Single A and the East doesn't really play anyone unless you are in AA or AAA and then at best is no Match to the West. Great Job Union City and looking foward to seeing the team on Sunday at the Celebration!!!!!!