smittygk00

No one looks to be blown out, it just kinda happens ER will struggle with Sycamore simply because of matchups. Sycamore is too big and athletic in the post, something I don't think ER will have the ability to compete with. The fact that their guards are solid as well doesn't help. They will be able to match up better with Portland, but Portland's experience I think will be too much. They defend the three ball, apply and handle pressure very well, and despite a lack of size, are quite effective in the post. If they can surprise either of the teams, I think it is this one not because of talent, but because of matchups. Game should also be interesting since these two meet twice in the regular season.

The coaching staff can correct that, but they haven't. They are stressing the big girl more than the players are, at least they have in the games I have watched. Smith Co. seemed much lazier than I am used to seeing them. They didn't defend as hard last weekend, because they relied on the big girl to clean up the mess with a block. And offensively they weren't dangerous because none of them looked to shoot or drive to the basket. I felt they were more of a threat when she wasn't in than when she was. That is how she will be a liability. Will she help them - yes. Will she hurt them - until the coaches and players figure out how to play with her and still have five options to score, yes. Hopefully they will figure it out soon and make a good run at this district.

Allow me to defend the playday tha you stated to be the most unorganized. Yes, refs were in training - they have to train somewhere at some point. I assume we would rather them do this in the preseason and offseason than in the regular season. You said it all when you said win/loss meant nothing. The playday was for learning and improving, and I would be surprised if anyone could find one team that didn't improve drastically. The playday actually went quite smoothely and all games started on time and were in the right spot, and it was a well-organized event. Teams aren't the only ones who need to train, as you can tell by some of the ridiculous calls that were made I know they were frustrating, and I did my share of yelling, but it was an effective and well-run day.

East Robertson was a pleasant surprise to me. They had a lot more athleticism than I anticipated and did have some good shooters off the dribble. HOWEVER, to keep things in perspective, they lost by 8 to RBS' JV team, not the varsity. RBS is an established program though, and their backups could take a lot of varsity teams. And it was nice to see ALL the teams working through their whole lineups, rather than winning with the starters, they all improved as teams. ER will have their hands full with those two scrimmages, two really good teams in Portland and Sycamore. Should improve a lot and help them in the long run.

The new coach is Kevin Evans. Cothron accepted the job as an assistant coach with the Station Camp Lady Bison and new coach Kendra Jackson

The big girl from Smith Co. is BIG. I hear she is listed at 6'7", but I am 6'4", and she had at least five inches on me. She runs the floor well for a girl her size, though she does tire quickly (compare makes vs. misses in the first and second halves). She will average close to 20 this year because, let's face it, no one can stop her on the low block. Would like to see her develop some post moves to compliment her game. Harpeth did press for a majority if not the whole game. It was not a very intense press, and you could tell that they are still a team adjusting to a new defensive system. Mendenhall was really the only one creating turnovers on the press. They got a lot of their steals on half court passes by jumping into the lanes and going the other way. Harpeth was really sloppy and appeared to have taken a step back from their work over the summer. From what I saw, Smith did not have much trouble getting from one end to the other against the press. Once they beat it, they used their numbers to get the ball in to the big girl positioned right at the rim. If Smith Co. beats your pressure, they will score every time. Red Boiling Springs is solid top to bottom. They have quickness at the guard position and strength in the post. Unfortunately for them, they played two teams who played their worst games of the day against them, so I can't make a great evaluation of them. They were not particularly dangerous from outside, though they still could shoot. Posts were very active and made excellent post moves to get easy baskets. Not a lot of size, but very fundamental. GREAT free throw shooters. They came across as one of those workmanlike teams, not very impressive but always ahead at the end of the game. They will not beat themselves.

Some of the bigger games (cannot remember scores): Red Boiling Springs beat Portland by 13 in the 8:00 am game. Neither team played very well. RBS jumped out in front 12-0, and the game was fairly even the rest of the way. Red Boiling Springs beat Harpeth by about 16 or so. Didn't see the game, but I heard that Harpeth was self-destructive and RBS had heated up from the morning game. Portland dominated Springfield 44-17. Point guard Lindsay Williams decided to go bananas, hitting six threes, two "and 1's", and had 6 steals, finishing with 24 points. Smith Co. beat Harpeth by four (I believe). Harpeth simply did not come to play today, and looked much more pedestrian than they did over the summer. Mendenhall was still solid and could not be stopped offensively. 4 stars for the day: 1) Mandy Mendenhall, Harpeth - unstoppable offensively and much-improved defensively 2) Lindsay Williams, Portland - lights out shooter, even off the dribble, and controlled the ball and the offense very well 3) Kaci Farris, Smith Co. - being closer to 6'9" doesn't hurt, but she is also athletic and handles her size very well 4) Post player from RBS (not Leonard, the other one) - showed a lot of control in the paint, making a lot of good moves and finishing a lot of tough shots Belmont University was also in the house, and these players put on a good show for them.

Harpeth JV vs. Portland JV has been moved to 3:00 pm

The region will still belong to 7AA this year. There will be no sweep though. White House returned everything and, should they win the district like I expect, they should have no trouble with the four seed. Upperman has no equal this year in region, so I see them winning it. LA and Smith Co. will be very good, though I think they are more beatable this year because of matchups. No one in 8AA could stop Smith Co. because none of them could matchup with Hembree. Now that Smith Co. will not have that same quickness, it will even out the guard matchups. Yes, they have the new post, but 8AA is usually better in the post than at the guard, and vice versa for 7AA (Brown from York was an anomaly and was not included in this study). Stopping LA means stopping penetration because Matthews is too good at finding open teammates on her way to the basket. Slow her and you have a chance. From 8AA, White House is obvious. Portland will be a sleeper from this district, as they have developed about 5 deadly outside shooters over the summer. DCA will be solid and depending on the matchup could advance. I will say the region goes 2-2, though 3-1 for 7AA is easily possible. Let's say Upperman, Smith, White House, Portland.

Saying Sycamore had the best 8 players was actually a response to another post in this thread. I do not know who Sycamore's best 8 are. I know they have a solid first five with good size and ability. As for Harpeth, Mendenhall is hands down the best player in the district, something I don't think anyone would argue. Richardson is probably the second best player in this district, as I think her style of play has benefited most from the coaching change as it utilizes her defensive abilities. Flippo is a solid point guard who does all the things you would not expect. Their post is drastically improved, and though she is not very strong, she is solid offensively. The other little guard that starts is a solid compliment to the big three and is actually a pretty good shooter. Those five plus the 6th, whom I cannot picture in my head right now, are probably the best first 6 players not only in the district, but in the region as well. More info tomorrow after the playday.

Whether you doubt that Florida is looking at her or not is irrelevant, they are/have. Most major D1 schools have made offers, but no school is locked until signing day. Her offensive talent is enough that big programs will look at her. Her defense can be improved and college coaches know how to do that. She will be fine. As for Coach Johnson, that was actually an error on K-Town's part. He has not been a head coach before. However, he is not your everyday first-year coach. His problems will be in the administrative part of the job, not in basketball. His teams will be good, but their paperwork will be late. As for district predictions, you are right, I do not know enough about most of the teams in this district. However, I know enough about the top two to say that the district title runs through Harpeth. Until Sycamore proves that they can beat them, something I understand they haven't done in a while, this district belongs to Harpeth. Sycamore may have the best first 8 players, but Harpeth has the best first 6. Can Sycamore apply pressure the whole game to wear them down without getting too far behind in the process? Can they be efficient enough inside or on the drive to get Harpeth in foul trouble? I do not think so, therefore, I choose Harpeth.

Yes, I will be at the playday. Harpeth has two good games lined up with Red Boiling Springs and Smith Co., and I will have my eyes on both games, as well as some of the other good games on tap for that day. I will have full updates as I can provide them for those of you who do not get to go. As for what schools are looking at Mendenhall, I have spoken with Vanderbilt's assistant coaches personally about Mendenhall, and they are definitely interested. However, it seems how good Mendenhall is was not promoted by her coach, a VERY important part of the recruiting process. They handed out all of their scholarships (to my knowledge) before they got wind of her. Balcomb, Vandy's head coach, watched a lot of her games at the Vandy camps. And the game I was at, Mendenhall had somewhere around 35 points. She has other offers from top schools, though I have heard she wants to stay close to home, though. Someone should tell her to look at Belmont, a prgram on the rise with the probable 4-time A-Sun player of the year Alysha Clark. Those two could do some damage.

OK, I have a few issues to address regarding Harpeth: First, the lovefest with the coach - I do not go to nor work for Harpeth, nor do I work for any team in this district. The new coach Drew Johnson is easily one of the best young coaches in the state. He is very innovative and has a good background (played on the male practice squad for the Tennessee Lady Vols... I hear they have a good coach). He brings in a lot of set pieces that defenses will struggle with, and he brings a lot of passion to a team that has been quite unpassionate despite all their success. He is young and communicates well with his team, and he knows how to get them to play the style he wants. Next, the Snowbird All-American team - You will be 100% surprised when you next see this team play. There will be no snowbirding; instead there will be in your face defense and a lot of wide open layups... from steals and fast breaks. If you have not seen this team play over the summer, then you know nothing of the style of basketball they play. And by nothing I mean NOTHING. They are a different basketball team with a different personality, and if you prepare for last years team, they will simply run you over. Third, Mendenhall being the best player in the state - I have seen a lot of the top players in the state play over the last year, and Mendenhall truly is the most impressive of them. Obviously it is just an opinion, but it is not just a blind stab. Coach Johnson is the type of coach that will push all the buttons until he finds the one that will allow her to maximize her potential. Her game will be so much better and well-rounded this year. And when I say best I do only confine that to AA, though I would say she is up there with AAA as well. Also, Harpeth's lack of posts - They played Smith Co. over the summer, a team that has a 6'7" center who is actually quite good. And Harpeth won. They figured out a way to stop the big girl in the second half and took over from there. They will manage. I'm getting pumped up for this game already. Thank goodness the season is finally here!!!!!!!!!

OK wareagle. let me say this slowly... MANDY MENDENHALL IS THE BEST PLAYER IN THE STATE. She cannot be guarded! And now, she plays defense! Salem Richardson would be getting all the hype if it weren't for Mendenhall. The difference between the two is that one has the ridiculous fall-away jumper. Richardson is one of the best on-the-ball defenders, and no one knows it because this team didn't play the type of intense defense they do now. With those two and Flippo, they only need role players to contribute solid minutes; they will take care of the rest. Also, these teams with posts who Harpeth supposedly will not be able to stop, how will they be able to stop Harpeth? Doubt your posts will be able run with, let alone guard, Harpeth. This team will be in amazing shape because their new coach will not settle for less and comes from a program that stressed conditioning. Foul trouble might affect them in a few games this year, but not in this district. Sycamore may be good and from what I have heard will have a fine season. But Harpeth will have too many weapons and will be just good enough on defense to make the trip to state this year.

The Portland girls comment I expected for people to look at and question, but I will justify: Sarah Smith - returning All District post player who is not dominant, but is very solid, has worked over the summer on her outside shot and ball handling... scored 25 points in multiple games over the summer Lindsay Williams - returning junior point guard who I will contend is the best point guard in this district. deadly outside shot and has improved taking the ball to the basket and scoring in traffic. very consistent, and has enough range to take over a game. Denae Williams - returning junior wing who is a tough mismatch for teams. she plays outside, but is too tall for guards to pick up. when she is hot, there is no stopping her. has worked on shooting off the dribble, but still is not good enough to feel comfortable with it. Great spot up shooter who scored 27 points in the first half of a game this summer, and over 20 in many others Elizabeth Tierney - senior wing who was injured for half of last year and struggled getting into a flow. over the summer, she was difficult to stop moving to the basket, something she countered with a solid outside shot. if she hits early, her confidence level shoots up and she becomes tough to stop. Amanda Rogers - probably the most athletic player in the district (though Cartwright from Goodpasture is tough too). she is not a proven scorer, but she is amazing on the offensive glass and could score 20+ points on putbacks alone. I am not saying they will all average 20-25 points a game. Two of them will average about 15, another two close to 10, and another about 8 or so. However, they are all very capable of a big night, something that is unusual for a Portland team. When Portland is shooting the ball well, they are the best team in this district. They have to prove they can do it, however, and so far they haven't. God, make it Monday!!!!!!!!!

yes this district got swept last year, partly due to some upsets in district 7 that led to mismatches in region. while upperman will be up, i am not sold on the rest of the district as far as if they will be as good as last year. i will guarauntee that it will not be a sweep in regions this year. district 7 is not as strong top to bottom as last year, while district 8 will be much stronger. white house returns everyone, including two 6 + footers. portland has drastically improved and has 5 girls who could go for 25 points on a given night. dca will reload and should be just as competitive as last year. station camp has a bunch of young shooters that, if they get hot they are difficult to keep up with. i still think district 7 is stronger and will produce the region champion, but district 8 will be around on day two this year and i predict that they will have a representative in the region championship this year.

i agree with you k-town. not sure how you can justify putting harpeth at anywhere but first. they return their best 3 players off of a team that was something like 30-2 last year. no they do not have a very deep bench, but they have enough offensive weapons that if one or even two get in foul trouble, they can still score at will. mendenhall is not just the reigning district mvp, but the frontrunner for miss basketball. their new coach is a great young coach who will make this team play defense, something i heard was mostly optional last year. richardson is one of the best on-the-ball defenders in this area, and the rest of them are not too shabby either. harpeth will win this district with ease... returning a few of the best players in the state doesn't hurt.

Harpeth has two very good games on tap in RBS and Smith Co. Despite the limited number of teams in this playday, there will actually be some very good matchups between quality opponents. Portland vs. RBS, RBS vs. Harpeth, and Harpeth vs. Smith Co. should make for a great day of basketball.

I saw this game, and, yes, it was very good. Smith Co. jumped out in front by a good amount early, thanks to the big girl and Harpeth's inability to get into a flow offensively. Harpeth, though, is one of those teams that just chooses when they want to beat you, and in the second half, they chose to take over. They defended inside much better, thanks in part to the big girl wearing down, and the trio of Mendenhall, Richardson, and Flippo were just too much. Just remembering this game is getting me excited for the one coming up!

thanks! I will say this on her behalf. If Glencliff is playing and you have nothing to do, you should definitely find a way to get to the game. The game will not be very entertaining, but Mills will be. If she would make a commitment to the defensive end of the floor, you can mark my words that this girl would be an impact SEC player. Simply amazing.

BLT, You are very correct on all points. In a very early post on this topic, I put Macon as my 4 seed in this district, and still stand very confident in that pick. I am not sold on York though. I honestly did not think they were very good last year, but Brown created so many mismatches that York simply found ways to win. I am excited to see the big girl from Smith Co. play, as I too have heard that she is improved. I guess it's just one of those things where I have to see it to believe it. I will be at the Portland Playday on Nov. 4, where Smith Co. will play Harpeth, a team that is a very legitimate state title contender. Harpeth will push the ball on offense, and it will be interesting to see how well the big girl keeps up. Should learn a lot early.

Portland High School Playday Saturday, November 4, 2006 Main Gym (All Varsity) 8:00 am - Red Boiling Springs vs. Portland 9:00 am - Hermitage Springs vs. Springfield 10:00 am - Red Boiling Springs vs. Harpeth 11:00 am - Springfield vs. East Robertson 12:00 pm - Harpeth vs. Smith Co. 1:00 pm - Portland vs. Springfield 2:00 pm - Friendship Christian vs. Hermitage Springs 3:00 pm - Merrol Hyde vs. East Robertson 4:00 pm - Friendship Christian vs. Smith Co. Auxiliary Gym 8:00 am - Harpeth JV vs. Portland JV 9:00 am - Red Boiling Springs JV vs. East Robertson V 10:00 am - Portland JV-2 vs. Hermitage Springs JV 11:00 am - Red Boiling Springs JV vs. Smith Co. JV 12:00 pm - Portland JV vs. Merrol Hyde V 1:00 pm - East Robertson JV vs. Hermitage Springs JV 2:00 pm - Smith Co. JV vs. Harpeth JV

the smith co. girl will be good, but it is way to early to consider one of the best. i was not impressed with her over the summer. she needs to develop with her back to the basket. while the lob is cute and will be their go-to play this year, smart teams know that it can be defended and will find a way to do that. let's see how far a long she comes this year, then we will see. also, the matthews girl from livingston is the most valuable player in that district, but mendenhall is the real deal. i, for one, think that this is not as much of a competition as some people think. it's all mendenhall, all the time.

I am not sure if anyone has mentioned her or not, but the point guard from Glencliff has to be considered one of the best players in the mid-state. While Glencliff will be terrible this year, this girl is a delight to watch. Unfortunately, playing for this team has left her a lot lazy defensively and will prevent her from getting a lot of the attention she deserves. Offensively, I would say she is just as good as Mendenhall. She has an amazing handle on the ball and can shoot from anywhere. Glencliff will average 35 points a game, and this girl will have 30 of them. I would love to know what her name is if anyone happens to know.

I have seen this girl play and agree that she will be a dominant force. However, her impact is being drastically over-hyped, and here is why. This district is full of teams that love to press and run the fast break. Smith Co. is a team that, in the past, has loved to run up and down the floor at break-neck speed. The big girl will not be able to keep up with a team like Upperman, who has five girls who can run the floor and press all day. She will tire quickly and that will negate a lot of her height advantage. Smith Co. will have to overhaul their style of play in order to get the girl involved, especially since they tried to run 99% of their offense through her over the summer. They will have to become a half court team, something that requires a lot of level-headed leadership, which I am not convinced they have. And lastly, she is still going to be a freshman, which means she is going to pick up silly fouls on both sides of the ball and get frustrated quicker than most. This is Upperman's district to lose this year (by the way, they have a 6'3" center of their own if I am not mistaken... and they hit 10+ threes a game, something the big girl will have no power to stop). Yes, Smith Co. will be very competitive, but this will not be the year for them. Give them a year to develop their center and generate good leadership. I'll jump on the wagon in 07-08.