Top Guards in East Tennessee

[Stokomo]

Nick Bradley Played for the TN Yellowjackets. I coached him for three years. He is like a Scootie Pippen. Good offensive player, but excellent defensive player. No one heard who he was because of Rob Love and his offense last year. The good defenders never get the "press" they deserve. I would love to see those two go at it, Lee & Nick.

 

Surf...DB did well during the summer. They played at Milligan, Roanoke, & David Lipscomb. DB's success will depend heavily on Jarrod Wooten and if he can stay healthy. As for the two transfers, I don't know anything about them. I haven't talked with any of my AAU players since July. I've been on a long vacation and just spending time with my own kids and family. I am the Assistant Varsity & JV Head Coach at Volunteer now. But, nothing will change my love for my AAU players. We still have close ties. Keep me informed on the transfers and what grade they are in now.

[Surf4life]

Thanks for the news Stokomo. I know very little about the new transfers to SH. I know the kid from Indianapolis is Matt Hardin. I think he's a junior and I've heard that he will be the backup PG to Jerome. Also heard he's a good player and has nice ballhandling and shooting skills and that he's working very hard to fit in with the way "The Hill" plays. The kid from Detroit is also a guard and I think a junior. His name is Chaz Wilbourn. Heard he is really quick and runs the floor well but is also still trying to get a grasp on the way SH plays. He played for his hs varsity team in Detroit. That's all I know about them. Once I found out more I'll let you know.

 

Thanks for the news on DB. What is wrong with Wooten? IS he hurt?

[Stokomo]

Jarrod Wooten stays hurt. He had problems all summer. I don't think he played any this summer. I hope he gets better by November, well, after we play them

Thanks for the info on S.H. I will give them a look for my AAU team next year. We are trying to go to Hawaii next year if it doesn't run in with Nationals.

[UNCCJP33]

Stokomo, are you Henry Stokely by chance?

[Stokomo]

Uncc... you have guessed correctly. Who are you?

And you spelled my name correctly.

[Edited by Stokomo on 8-22-02 7:56A]

 

[RHS02]

What is your thoughts on Rutledges junior guard Daniel Singleton. Rutledge and Volunteer didn't cross paths last year, but they did during his Freshman year a couple of times. He is getting lots of interest from some small D-1 schools. Just wondering what you thoughts were, you seem very knowledgeable about Basketball in this area.

[Stokomo]

Dan Singleton seems to be one of the better offensive athletes in this area. He is getting D-1 looks and can get better looks if he is more fundamental and agressive on the defensive end. Anyone who knows my coaching style knows I stress defense more than anything. It takes hard work to be a good offensive player. But, it takes discipline and dedication to do the "not-so-glorious" things that makes a great player. Dan can do those things if he practices on his defense. My motto is what you do in practice is how you will play in the GAME.

[MaryvilleRebels]

No one player has EVER stopped Lee, Lee has stopped Lee and a whole team has stopped Lee, but no opposing PLAYER has ever done it, and I honestly don't think they will stop him, least not at this level!

[Surf4life]

MaryvilleRebels I know it seems hard to believe that one person could actually stop Lee to you Maryville fans. Sorry to burst your bubbles but I'm tellin you, Nick Bradley of Science Hill could stop him. If you have not seen this guy play defense I'll sum it up for you.....ONE OF THE BEST DEFENDERS IN TN.

[Stokomo]

I have said before that Lee Humphries is an outstanding player. And taking nothing away from him, yes someone can stop him. Defense is simple, if you look at a person's mid-section, that's half the battle already. No one can go anywhere without their mid-section, no matter how many head fakes you want to give. I've seen better players than Lee get shut down. Remember Ron Mercer, he played for the TN Travelers and when they played AAU we always had to play them for the championship. They beat us all but one. Anyway, Ron was touted as the best guard to come out of TN. When we played them in Knoxville for the championship game, O.D. Williams (Science Hill) stood 5'10" and still held Mercer to six points all game!!! So, someone can be shut down if you know how to play defense. I specialized in defense when I played and now I try to show guards how to play defense fundamentally. Lee will score because he is good, but Lee would not get his average or close to it when Nick is guarding him.

[Edited by Stokomo on 8-22-02 6:26P]

[mhs]

any player can be stopped by an oustanding defender. there were defenders who gave bird and magic problems in the nba. the good scorers who are good all around players can do other things when they are not able to score. passing, rebounding or maybe occupying two defenders at once and finding the open man. they key is letting the game come to you. the problem maryville had last year against wm blount in the regionals is that no one else stepped up when lee was slowed down. i am sure this nick guy could do a good job on lee but it does not mean he is a better all around player.

[Tnbreakers]

With the offense that Maryville runs you must not only have a great defender on Lee, but great team defense to play off the multiple screens. Without help you cannot do it over the course of the entire game. I have seen Bradley play defense and he is a fantastic athlete that can definately play the "D", but without fundamental help defense one person is not going to get it done. Period!