BTW @ Dyer County

[nebuntyn]

The level of play has risen in West TN. I saw Bolivar with Wayne and Willie as well as Union City with Weddle and last years Liberty team as well. In the last couple of years I have watched more and more basketball. It seems the teams are better nowadays than they were say 10 years ago, maybe? I'm not old enough to know about these teams but I've heard about all of the top teams and players from "back in the day" with Cude @ OC and the older UC teams with the talent they had etc... I never heard of a team "back in the day" such as the Liberty team playing in tournaments down in Florida and the Arby's Classic in Bristol which has teams from all over the world and playing 2 of the top 5 nationally ranked teams in Oak Hill Acad. and Mater Dei, California in the same season. Now you have Union City at 33-0 and Dyer Co. at 32-1 and their not but maybe 40 minutes from each other. You hear of players around here year in and year out (outside of Memphis) going to play for Memphis, Tennessee, Florida, and BIG TIME schools! I must say the level of play is up than what it used to be.

Booker T by 6. If Dyer County wins, they will get their suprise in the Boro. Remember this posts, The AA state champ will come from District 12AA region 6 for the 5th year in a row. Bolivar Central. Bolivar has not forgot about the loss to Dyer County.

[yankees8589]

Terop,

 

I agree with everything that you said about BTW, concerning its loss to Mitchell last night. I would like to add these two things, however:

 

1) BTW did a much better job boxing-out, this time, unlike it's first meeting (loss) vs Mitchell. That night, Mitchell made a living on the offensive boards. It made the difference in the game.

 

2) Mitchell's sudden, late-game zone defense may have (inadvertently) helped prepare BTW for its game with Dyer County and, perhaps, future opponents.

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I attended that game....It appeared that a Dyer County scout was there as well.

 

Anyway, after Mitchell went up by 7 or 8 pts and switched to the zone (it kinda' looked like a 3-2 zone, with several of their big men out front), my initial reaction was that it would catch BTW completely off guard.

 

It did. They looked completely puzzled--kinda' like a deer in headlights!

 

After playing the entire game in track-meet fashion, up to that point, Mitchell's coach decided (great, strategic move) to force BTW to suddenly slow down and figure out how to deal with a zone defense! All BTW did was just casually lob the ball back and forth between the two guards, with NO THREAT of attack. As such, BTW failed miserably to muster up any offense... Mitchell's lead swelled to 11pts.

 

BTW's coach failed them, IMO. It was as if he had never seen a zone defense in his life. He just stood there and watched his team get totally passive and bogged down with indecision and confusion...It was only after a couple of minutes remained in the game that BTW finally started attacking the zone. They then proceeded to make a furious comeback, but it was too much, too little, too late.

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BTW's (2nd) loss to Mitchell should serve as an eye-opener and help make BTW more prepared for a State Title run, provided BTW's Coach learns from his mistakes....he needs to prepare his team on how to effectively attack a zone defense.

 

Dyer County may defeat BTW--I don't know. Dyer County may employ a zone defense vs BTW--I don't know....What I do know is that the Dyer County scout saw BTW's weakness, as well. A zone defense, however, should not catch BTW off-guard again. I emphasize the word SHOULD.

 

That's a great observation....Does BT have shooters and if so how many and can they consistently knock shots down beyond the three point line? Or do they just like to get you in a track meet? The reason I ask is because I would think that if Mitchell packed it in....could not BT make some outside shots to open things up or just attack the zone and get to the free throw line or kick the ball outside to the shooters or did the coach just not know to make the adjustment...I'm not claiming to be an expert but I would think they would have offensive sets for these situations? I know all that is easier said than done because Mitchell has great athletes....I'm just curious.......DC might go zone if BT has as much size as I've been told. I know DC has a great staff just from the games I have seen.

I have another question..kinda off topic...I have been saying for the last 10 years that if a team cannot shoot the three consistently in Highschool a team cannot have success at the highest level. I am an absoloutley firm beleiver the highschool game has evolved to the point the three pointer is as critical to success as anything...no matter how much size any given team might have. I have seen so many teams with great athletes that simply cannot shoot the three and without fail they always pay the price as the competetion gets stiffer. I have seen this over and over every season. Having said that if a team has size, speed, and can also shoot the three...that is a team that is almost unstopable with the right coaching. Do you agree or disagree that the three is that important to success? I see alot of teams hoisting shots but shoot a low percentage...these are not good shooting teams in my opinion. Great observation and a keen insight on BT Washington...gives those of us that haven't seen them something to think about. Thanks for your post.

[terop]

That's a great observation....Does BT have shooters and if so how many and can they consistently knock shots down beyond the three point line? Or do they just like to get you in a track meet? The reason I ask is because I would think that if Mitchell packed it in....could not BT make some outside shots to open things up or just attack the zone and get to the free throw line or kick the ball outside to the shooters or did the coach just not know to make the adjustment...I'm not claiming to be an expert but I would think they would have offensive sets for these situations? I know all that is easier said than done because Mitchell has great athletes....I'm just curious.......DC might go zone if BT has as much size as I've been told. I know DC has a great staff just from the games I have seen.

I have another question..kinda off topic...I have been saying for the last 10 years that if a team cannot shoot the three consistently in Highschool a team cannot have success at the highest level. I am an absoloutley firm beleiver the highschool game has evolved to the point the three pointer is as critical to success as anything...no matter how much size any given team might have. I have seen so many teams with great athletes that simply cannot shoot the three and without fail they always pay the price as the competetion gets stiffer. I have seen this over and over every season. Having said that if a team has size, speed, and can also shoot the three...that is a team that is almost unstopable with the right coaching. Do you agree or disagree that the three is that important to success? I see alot of teams hoisting shots but shoot a low percentage...these are not good shooting teams in my opinion. Great observation and a keen insight on BT Washington...gives those of us that haven't seen them something to think about. Thanks for your post.

 

Patrick Lee aka lil Pat can shoot it and will shoot it from anywhere and anytime...fast break set plays it doesnt matter...also yankee btw doesnt haven any size..their very small...and Mitchell went zone and put their center at the top...btw was clueless

[yankees8589]

Patrick Lee aka lil Pat can shoot it and will shoot it from anywhere and anytime...fast break set plays it doesnt matter...also yankee btw doesnt haven any size..their very small...and Mitchell went zone and put their center at the top...btw was clueless

 

Thanks....I thought they had size. Do they have more than one shooter. The thing that has hepled these smaller schools outside of Memphis thrive is they all seem to have at least three guys that can knock down shots. This should be a great matchup.

[terop]

Thanks....I thought they had size. Do they have more than one shooter. The thing that has hepled these smaller schools outside of Memphis thrive is they all seem to have at least three guys that can knock down shots. This should be a great matchup.

 

As far as size goes they have 2 athletic 6'4 wings. One shoots alot of 3's while the other Will Street is very good, but his attitude causes him to loose focus for much of the game. The center is big but not mobile, so I dont see him playing a lot against DC's speed and pressing style. Ray Ray Ware shot is ok, he hit 3 threes thursday but his 1st option is going to the goal.

[beavo5]

Patrick Lee aka lil Pat can shoot it and will shoot it from anywhere and anytime...fast break set plays it doesnt matter...also yankee btw doesnt haven any size..their very small...and Mitchell went zone and put their center at the top...btw was clueless

 

Last year BTW had 6'10 guy and a 6'6 or 6'7 guy... the 6'10 guy Jerry Hampton was a Sr. but what happened to the other taller guy? i think his name was Aubry Phillips is what 1 of my friends said

[TraderB]

If DC play the way everybody on here is saying, BTW will pull shock everybody in that gym. BTW loves to run and any pressure that DC give them will result in a ton of layups. Their guards are just too good. The difference in this game will be coaching. I played for BTW and I can tell you this from experience. This pressure will not rattle them one bit. That scout better take a page out of Mitchell book and apply it accordingly. This game might be well in the 100's. I still give DC the edge only because of the coaching. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

Yeah, Icy--that's what's so intriguing about this BTW / Dyer County matchup: Apparently (according to DC fans) DC likes to run and apply pressure. BTW LOVES to run. Their guards handle pressure extremely well.

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My gut tells me that DC (thanks to its scouting report) is gonna look to slow the game down and play zone. In addition, they will probably attempt (since this is what DC loves to do, apparently) to pressure and trap BTW's guards into turnovers, creating easy scoring opportunities for DC.

 

The zone might work. Pressure definitely will NOT work!

 

You're right, Icy--pressure will NOT WORK on BTW's guards! It's a virtual guarantee to backfire, leading to easy buckets by BTW. Also, since the slow-down style is NOT (form what I've read on this board) DC's preferred style of play, I suspect that such a move could cause DC to get a bit out of sync, as well.

 

Fans say that Dyer County has a good coaching staff. I accept that premise. That's why I don't see them sticking with pressure for very long. They won't allow their team to continually get burned (and they WILL get burned, should they insist on pressuring BTW's guards), giving up easy buckets. I doubt they'll do an about-face and stubbornly stick with an unsuccesful tactic. By the same token, DC knows that it's also not wise to scrap everything that's been working for them all season long.

 

Something's gotta give, here. The suspense is building...I suspect that the DC coaching staff is seriously burning the "midnite oil," trying to come up with an effective game plan for this win-or-go-home game against a very dangerous BTW team.

 

As for the BTW coaches...well I HOPE that they're at least devising some sort of zone offense, and drilling their players on the importance of "boxing-out."

 

This game has all the makings of coming down to a coaching "cat and mouse" game. I sure hope not--because, if history is any guide, I really don't think BTW will win that battle.

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Go BTW. Beat Dyer County.

[yankees8589]

As far as size goes they have 2 athletic 6'4 wings. One shoots alot of 3's while the other Will Street is very good, but his attitude causes him to loose focus for much of the game. The center is big but not mobile, so I dont see him playing a lot against DC's speed and pressing style. Ray Ray Ware shot is ok, he hit 3 threes thursday but his 1st option is going to the goal.

 

I'm not trying to sound like a broken record....Please don't take it that way. Two 6'4 wings is pretty good but are they streaky or consistent night in night out as far as outside shooting? You have already given me many things to think about and I value your insight on BT Washington..THis is not highschool but I saw UT just kill Memphis with tht zone in the second half. Killed my soul as I am a diehard Tiger fan. I kept waiting for Memphis to attack the zone and it never happened.

[adsmom86]

If DC play the way everybody on here is saying, BTW will pull shock everybody in that gym. BTW loves to run and any pressure that DC give them will result in a ton of layups. Their guards are just too good. The difference in this game will be coaching. I played for BTW and I can tell you this from experience. This pressure will not rattle them one bit. That scout better take a page out of Mitchell book and apply it accordingly. This game might be well in the 100's. I still give DC the edge only because of the coaching. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

Icy..have you seen DC play this year...another advantage is some of these kids have been playing together since they were VERY young..like 10,11yrs. old. They INSTINCTIVELY know where one another is on the floor. Passes most teams would miss offensively they DON'T. They truly have an uncanny ability to know where the other is at...THIS does not happen over night. Quick guards...we got em...deep bench we got it...ability to take the ball inside...we got it....outside shooters...we got em. I've seen teams that were supposedly well conditioned..RUN CLEAN OUT OF GAS when playing them. When you think they maybe down...watch out. They WILL surprise you!!!!!! Don't know who will win but I know one thing BTW will have to work their a^&%$ off to get it!!

[Icy]

I'm not trying to sound like a broken record....Please don't take it that way. Two 6'4 wings is pretty good but are they streaky or consistent night in night out as far as outside shooting? You have already given me many things to think about and I value your insight on BT Washington..THis is not highschool but I saw UT just kill Memphis with tht zone in the second half. Killed my soul as I am a diehard Tiger fan. I kept waiting for Memphis to attack the zone and it never happened.

 

The zone didn't kill Memphis against UT. Memphis didn't make their free throws on top Dozier didn't come to play. Memphis attacked the zone with their zone offense. It just extremely hard to shoot that good from the outside the 1st half and try to accomplish the same thing the second half. Memphis could have zone Tennessee the same way by applying a box and one on Lofton, but that isn't their style. This topic is still hot in my mind so I better stop while I'm ahead. lol /popcorneater.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":popcorneater:" border="0" alt="popcorneater.gif" />

[adsmom86]

Reason I brought up some of the things in my last posts is I've seen teams play that have VERY GOOD players...but they are only good individually for whatever reason,(coaching, whatever), As a team they look disjointed, not in synch with each other...playing together FOR YEARS is an advantage in my book and one that is often overlooked.

[Icy]

Icy..have you seen DC play this year...another advantage is some of these kids have been playing together since they were VERY young..like 10,11yrs. old. They INSTINCTIVELY know where one another is on the floor. Passes most teams would miss offensively they DON'T. They truly have an uncanny ability to know where the other is at...THIS does not happen over night. Quick guards...we got em...deep bench we got it...ability to take the ball inside...we got it....outside shooters...we got em. I've seen teams that were supposedly well conditioned..RUN CLEAN OUT OF GAS when playing them. When you think they maybe down...watch out. They WILL surprise you!!!!!! Don't know who will win but I know one thing BTW will have to work their a^&%$ off to get it!!

 

To answer your question adsmom86, I haven't seen DC play this year. Being a coach myself, I understand the game enough to know that the run and gun style will only get you so far. This game will be setup like UT and the Memphis game. Both of these teams are evenly matched across the board. The only thing I feel that the difference maker will be is the coaching. DC will ultimately win this game, on the otherhand, they better be prepared for those East teams that will slow the ball down and try to completely take them out of their game. I understand that you're a bright knowledgable DC fan, however, I just want to remind you of the fact that a couple of years ago, Haywood was blowing plenty of teams out and they were pretty much averaging around 100 points per game. They got to the state and played MLK from Nashville and the game was at a snail of a pace that I think the final score was in the 40's with Haywood on the losing end. As bad as it hurts me to say this, I don't want BTW to win against DC and go to the state and get out coached by an East Tn team. With that being said, I hope DC win and go on to win the state because I will be equally disappointed if the Gold ball go some other place but West. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />