Big 9 Conference

[skunk]

The District and the Region will both be at D-B next year (or so I understand)...Crockett was to be the host, but will be doing gym renovations...

 

I think South was a very good host and Volunteer is doing a very good job hosting the tournament, but I do agree that Freedom Hall should be the all-time host (no home court advantage as the Hill plays in the Palace)...the "host" team gets a higher share of the profits (and none of the cost)...and no home team advantage (worth repeating)...and size to accommodate the hoped for crowds...

 

I did not see the East vs. Volunteer game, but will say that I really don't think that Coach Whittamore teaches "dirty/dangerous" play...I do think he coaches his teams to be physical and that is okay...he had an outstanding player a couple of years ago (was it Jarrod?) Mann, who was physical, but he wasn't dirty...but some on this years team are dirty/dangerous and that is not to be condoned under any circumstance.

 

Good luck to everyone the rest of the way in the tournament(s).

 

Roll Tribe Roll

[Cap1]

I know that we have had our words on here Cap1 but I have always liked the fact that you pull for your team and always feel like that they can beat anyone. You also really could have rubbed it in that you guys put us out, but you didn't and I appreciate that. Good luck to you guys from here on out.

 

OK, for anyone who hasn't figured it out, OldDoc08 is a referee in the Big 9 conference. He once started a thread on here asking for people to rank the best officials in East TN...I mean are you kidding me? That would be like ranking who is the best scorekeeper or best clock operator. This is the kind of arrogance from officials that fans from the Big 9 have to put up with.

 

So are you asking where I have been so you can rub it in my face that Central got beat? You my friend are a class act. I guess now, since that I know who you are on here, you will have to go back to bashing me anonymously on the East TN Softball board right?

 

Which one is he? /hungry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hungry:" border="0" alt="hungry.gif" />

 

I feel the same about you...there's not a bigger Cougar fan on these boards than you are. But I have to admit...I enjoy our exchanges (most of the time). They add a little spice to a sometime bland stew. I see Phil all the time but I intentionally ovoid asking him who you are because of fear of having to be nice to you if I know. /blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />

 

By the way...let me know if you're comin Saturday night, I have plenty of Viking gear you could wear to the game /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> . Just kidding...I had to get one for the road?

[Cap1]

I agree with Freedom Hall for the Districts...but what about Regionals?

[maroonandgrey]

I agree with Freedom Hall for the Districts...but what about Regionals?

 

I was hoping that since ETSU decided to kill off football and make the basketball program THE "premiere" sport at ESTU that they would have had a new basketball arena similar to Appy State by now and have the district there each year and regions when it came our turn. I think that would be a great atmosphere to have a great arena with all the amenities that a new college arena would offer. And I think the kids would love the atmosphere of playing on a college stage. King also has a great arena from what I have seen. Just my thoughts. I don't have problems with it not being at the Dome just don't like it being at the smaller out of the way gyms just because they don't want the big schools to get it each year. I think it could attract people that aren't normaly going to the games that just want to see a great tournament in a great setting. No offense to the schools that are hosting just stating the honest facts. People stay away when it is inconvenient.

[brock20]

Which one is he? /hungry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hungry:" border="0" alt="hungry.gif" />

 

I feel the same about you...there's not a bigger Cougar fan on these boards than you are. But I have to admit...I enjoy our exchanges (most of the time). They add a little spice to a sometime bland stew. I see Phil all the time but I intentionally ovoid asking him who you are because of fear of having to be nice to you if I know. /blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />

 

By the way...let me know if you're comin Saturday night, I have plenty of Viking gear you could wear to the game /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> . Just kidding...I had to get one for the road?

 

 

I am not going to say which one he is because he has intentionally lied on here a couple of times to try and conceal the fact that he is a ref. I will say this, he probably reffed the King/Walters State game last year if that gives you any hints.

 

Yeah I guess I am a pretty big Cougar fan but it is not because of some allegiance to the school. I have cheered for Central the last few years because of coaching some of these kids during summer camps/AAU teams, watching them play in middle school and of course because of my brother. I am also glad to see Coach Vaughn doing well. I've always wondered what my group would have done playing his style of ball. I'll always wish Central the best but I doubt it will be with the same enthusiasm I have had in the past few years.

 

I will probably just listen to the game Saturday on the radio. Believe it or not I actually have some Viking gear. I won 2 Mr Hustle shirts from Viking Camp when I was in middle school!

[ArtVandalay]

This is how the District will go, round by round. This is with Crockett beating South in the play in game.

WED

DB over Crockett

TN High over Central (a toss up and could go either way)

THUR

East over Volunteer

Science Hill over Boone

SAT

DB over TN High/Central (either one, won't matter)

Science Hill over East

TUE.

East over TN High/Central (either one, won't matter) FOR 3RD PLACE

DB over Science Hill FOR THE DISTRICT TITLE

 

Roll Tribe Roll

 

 

How am I doing so far? Really that was about as easy of 4 games to pick as you could ask for. The Semi's are just as easy. DB wins and Science Hill wins, although I do hope that Sullivan East can pull the Upset.

I guess Charlie Morgan got his Indians back into shape quick, huh?

 

Roll Tribe Roll

[hightop]

Where is BROCK? I have read the last 3 pages and can't find him.

 

 

I have followed this board and everyone knows I pull for Central. I also have read the majority of your posts and have determined that you are probably a ref. (probably in Region 1). By your post it looks as if you took enjoyment in Central getting eliminated. Even CAP 1 (and by the way I appreciate it Cap) didn't even rub it in as you did in your post. Brock has let it be known several times on this board that his brother was on the team and was a Senior. Maybe you should have been at the locker room, when the 4 Seniors came out knowing it was the last game they would be wearing a Central uniform. Being a referee and taking enjoyment in this, makes me wonder what kind of SORRY person you are.

 

Also, by the posts you know Brock. If you have this much animosity toward Central and him "knowing he had a brother on the team", maybe this should be pursued further.

[cougarnation]

I do agree with all the talks concerning the hosts for the tournaments and one reason that has affected the Volunteer turnout is due to the way that it is out of the way for the majority of the schools. Being a member of the student section that was present we had a lot less than we normally did but we still cheered for our team as if we were all there due to the fact that many of us are seniors.

 

However i do think that Central is capable of hosting because it is a bigger school. I am proud of my team this year and I hope they have an excellent run next year with the group of juniors stepping up and making even better plays. Albright, Brown, Roberts and DeVault will be the keys of that great group.

 

Good luck to the other four teams and I hope you all SMOKE the IMAC league. I wish East a lot of luck due to the fact that they are county buddies with us and to TN High since they are the ones that eliminated us.

[Stokomo]

Science Hill won by 14-15. But your boy Cradic did end his career with a reflection of the team, coach, and Cradic's own reputation. It is a shame that a great athlete like him had to play for a coach like that and might be remembered for ending his career with an intentional foul by attacking another player.

 

Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but you are right about one thing and wrong about two. The "Wrap up" you are speaking of and the picture does not tell the story like you assume it to be. Cradic was chasing his player out of defensive position and Cradic's foot hit the back of East foot and started to fall. Cradic grabbed the player around the waist as the picture shows, but the picture failed to show Cradic keeping his arms around him so he didn't fall hard to the ground and even helped him up. Now......You are right about a hard foul of which I do not know what was going through his head in that he gave an elbow to the chest while checking a screen. This was when Coach Whitt took him out of the game...from which is the second part you are wrong about. I would not say anything about the season until now. Skunk is absolutely right in that some are dangerous and it will always come across as dirty/dangerous. All these kids are probably the best kids we have had since I have been there. BUT!!!!! They are not fundamentally ready for Varsity ball. Skunk and some others may know what I am talking about. Most of our players did not have the fundamentals needed to compete this year. IT takes practice, practice, and more practice to compete like that. Some of our players did not want to put in the time needed to get better (it takes work outside of practice), and when you don't have a fundamentally sound team, your players are not in position to play good, agressive defense without causing potential harm to themselves and other players. Skunk reffered to Jared as a physical but not dirty player, and that is because he was fundamentally sound. He had total control over his body and position. That is why we get blown out by running teams and other like TN High East, until the last games against them, we can stay with them. No team that plays dirty will give up 3 point plays the old fashion way (foul and bucket). We gave up a record number this year. At DB, we never wanted to give up a foul and bucket. We forced you to make two free throws or you were coming to the bench. And we were not considered dirty, as most teams' philosophy was like that. BUT again......when you are consistenly out of position to play defense, you are putting more than yourself at danger. Our defensive stats show that we played poor defense all year long.

Anyway....our season is over and I will be cheering for DB, The Hill, TN High, and East to represent our Big 9 well. I hope to see all four teams in the region's final four....GOD BLESS!!!!!

[DBTeepee]

Why are they having these tournies at the small gyms in the conference? I know all the schools don't want the big boys hogging all the $$$ and want a cut but can't that be done by rotating a larger % of the total district cut around the conference and just have the games at more centrally located gyms that can accomodate the fans/parking? I don't think there has been much of a problem with this tournament becuase the attendance hasn't been that great. I guess they would rather get 100% of a small pie and stick it to the big guys instead of a larger portion of a much bigger pie. The way I understand the rotation it will many years between being played at the sensible venues...Viking Hall, Freedom Hall, and the Buck Van Huss Dome. South was rediculously hot and overcrowded in '06 and had people actually drove down to Volunteer this year it would have suffered the same problems...but many chose to stay home. Like I said, a solution could be to have the tourney at the larger arenas and rotate a larger chunk of the gate around the league. Say it is at Freedom Hall next year but it's Central's turn to get a bigger cut of the revenue. More people will show and they get there cut to boot. More people around the area that aren't affiliated with any of the schools are more likely to show up and buy a ticket, nachos, drink, etc to see games at Freedom Hall than drive down to Crockett (no offense). They will just stay home which is what they are doing this year. we'll see come Saturday, but I think it's ridiculous to have the tournament at a gym that can't hold 4 teams fans...when they come. Just my opinion.

 

Good Post--You said a lot of what I was thinking. I have absolutely nothing against Volunteer High School. But fans from Science Hill, TN High, Sullivan East, and Crockett have a very long drive to Church Hill, especially when you consider the price of gasoline. I'm sure there are fans staying home and listening by radio because of it, too. I agree that there should be a better way to share the profits without compromising logistics. Hopefully, the powers that be will figure that out and get it fixed. Maybe they can also figure out a way not to drag out the tournament for 10 days. That's way too long and causes people to lose interest. Why not play the girl's tournament at a different venue than the boys. Come on guys, it's not rocket science!!!

[DCHS]

Good Post--You said a lot of what I was thinking. I have absolutely nothing against Volunteer High School. But fans from Science Hill, TN High, Sullivan East, and Crockett have a very long drive to Church Hill, especially when you consider the price of gasoline. I'm sure there are fans staying home and listening by radio because of it, too. I agree that there should be a better way to share the profits without compromising logistics. Hopefully, the powers that be will figure that out and get it fixed. Maybe they can also figure out a way not to drag out the tournament for 10 days. That's way too long and causes people to lose interest. Why not play the girl's tournament at a different venue than the boys. Come on guys, it's not rocket science!!!

 

TSSAA will not allow four games played on school nights. We play four games on school nights all season but we cant do it in the post season. Because of this, other conferences play first round games at the higher seeds home. They play the semis and finals at a neutral site. (District 1 AA does this) The tournament lasts one week for boys and girls. The finals are played on the weekends, not on a Tuesday. The Big 9 will not do this. Part of the problem is the Big 9 is controled by the AD's. The head coaches have no say in any of these matters. They can recommend to the AD's but they have no power anymore. At one time, not so long ago, the coaches selected the officals for the tournament. Another problem is the three city schools have great facilities to chose from. (If you count Freedom Hall for Science Hill). All Big 9 schools have the facilities to host tournaments. Heck they all supply enough parking for several thousands people on home football games. However, DB, THS, and Freedom Hall are in a league of their own. It is frustrating to see these amazing gyms go unused during the post-season but on the other hand the city schools have everything else so let the county schools reap some benefit.

 

I recommend to satellite the frist round (just like the 1st round of the region) play the games at Freedom Hall. It would look like this; Monday girls satellite games, Tuesday Boys satellite games, Wednesday night girls semis, Thursday Boys semis, Friday Girls consolation and final games, and Saturday night Boys consolation and final.

[noonesfool]

I have always been a fan of satellite games. Better gate to redistribute among district teams and a true home court advantage. Thats why we play so hard to have a pecking order.