Whats Happened to Pickett Co?

[7asuperfan]

PC has fell off because these current players have had little to no playing experience before this year, I think we are all just gonna have to be patient. I think this is a major turning point in the season for PC. This team needs to start playing up to its potential, to start making plays instead expecting everyone to hand it to them because they were Pickett Co across their chest. The ways of the world are that life isn't fair and that only the strong survive. I say Bibb needs to stick with his starting five, cause they have earned the right to start. But I think where we need to start looking is not only to this year, but also to next year, and the year after. I think Joe Dowdy, Sam Cummings are gonna be solid for this year and next, Both have a chance to be thousand point guys. Jacob Brown plays scared, his defense is sub-par and when he isn't shooting or shooting well, he has no right to even be on the court. John Sells, he plays hard, tough on defense, and a guy you want to be on the court with ya, but his offense is non existent and he can't give them points in the paint that this team needs. Ben Aaron needs to take some pointers from his uncle Nathan and start learning how to be ready to catch and shoot, because teams are giving him that shot and he is passing on it 75% of the time. Heath Elder has the chance as a sophomore to be a really good center in this district for the next three years, he can score when they get him the ball, he's physical, tough as nails, and I don't understand why Bibb doesn't give him more mins. I know he's only a sophomore, but he is the only shot at a scoring threat in the paint other than Cummings and Dowdy slashing inside. Another thing that is wrong with this program is in the jr. high ranks. The coaching down there just isn't what it used to be, so players aren't getting as developed as they once where. Once players could come in as freshman and play major rolls. We've got to do something about our jr. high system.

 

I don't know, that's my two cents worth, I guess things aren't as bad as they seem and their is a sun over the horizon somewhere, and I'm just a frustrated bobcat fan.

[bobcat89]

I think that there is more to it than just the junior high level. If you look back over the last twenty or so years you will see the success that Pickett County boys basketball has had is really due to one man (in my opinion). James Parris took most of those teams from third grade up and traveled all over the country with them until they became freshman. When they got to highschool they knew what thier roles were and played within those roles. More than than that though, they new the fundamentals and had already meshed as a team. Don't take me wrong other coaches played a part too but James gave them the foundation they needed to compete. I'm not sure who is coaching at the elementary level now but I would bet that these boys struggling this year did not get enough time in the gym with Mr. Parris or a coach like him and that is what causing the downturn in the program.

 

It really makes me sick when I see people like Eric Mitchel, Chip Buck, Charles Mitchel, and Brent Smith get credit for putting together a good squad. Those coaches got handed a team and just had to lead it and control it. The hard work had been done for them. These coaches made a significant contribution to each team they coached but Mr. Parris's contribution was greater.

[King21]

Youth would be a problem this year. No size too.

[7asuperfan]

I think that there is more to it than just the junior high level. If you look back over the last twenty or so years you will see the success that Pickett County boys basketball has had is really due to one man (in my opinion). James Parris took most of those teams from third grade up and traveled all over the country with them until they became freshman. When they got to highschool they knew what thier roles were and played within those roles. More than than that though, they new the fundamentals and had already meshed as a team. Don't take me wrong other coaches played a part too but James gave them the foundation they needed to compete. I'm not sure who is coaching at the elementary level now but I would bet that these boys struggling this year did not get enough time in the gym with Mr. Parris or a coach like him and that is what causing the downturn in the program.

 

It really makes me sick when I see people like Eric Mitchel, Chip Buck, Charles Mitchel, and Brent Smith get credit for putting together a good squad. Those coaches got handed a team and just had to lead it and control it. The hard work had been done for them. These coaches made a significant contribution to each team they coached but Mr. Parris's contribution was greater.

 

Coach Parris deserves some of the credit for all those teams, but not all of it. Coach Parris does a great job from the grades of about 3rd to 6th grade. Believe me, I know, I played for him. He is great at teaching kids the basics, such as defenses, full court presses, and other basics. Coach Parris doesn't really coach offenses. He does a great job of making the kids tough and getting them interested in basketball. He did a great job with taking us kids to all the AAU trips too. Where the difference is, is their isn't anyone at the jr. high level to teach offenses and take these kids skills to the next level. Steve Asberry did a great job of doing so for a long time. Thats where we are missing out now. Don't discredit what Charles Mitchell, Mike Buck, Eric Mitchell, Brent Smith, and Coach Bibb have done, they were and are all great coaches. I'd like to see any of us try and coach as well as they did. And do you even know anything about PC? Anyone from their would know its Mitchell with two L's. And Chip Buck has never been the Coach at PC, I'm guessing you mean Mike Buck. They were not just handed a team, they made it into what it was, their work hadn't been done what so ever.

[senator]

Greg Bibb is a very good coach alone with all those others mentioned. I guess my question would be why is these starters junior and seniors in most games not had more playing time to gain experience before this year. Pc has dominated most teams in talent the past 3 years ( 1st or 2nd ) each year and wn a lot of one side games of 20-30-even 40 points and your setting there with guys with no experience and by their rooster they not a young team but the starters 11th ad 12th graders. I know they lost a lot of talent last year but your best coaching is when you don't have a lot of talent and how you've prepared them for the upcoming season to be competive. Now saying that I believe they will beat some good teams before season is over becuse of their tradition and the age of their players.

[THE KING LEON]

KL was wondering the same thing. PC used to be the top dawg in Class A basketball.

[Onaroll]

Coach Parris deserves some of the credit for all those teams, but not all of it. Coach Parris does a great job from the grades of about 3rd to 6th grade. Believe me, I know, I played for him. He is great at teaching kids the basics, such as defenses, full court presses, and other basics. Coach Parris doesn't really coach offenses. He does a great job of making the kids tough and getting them interested in basketball. He did a great job with taking us kids to all the AAU trips too. Where the difference is, is their isn't anyone at the jr. high level to teach offenses and take these kids skills to the next level. Steve Asberry did a great job of doing so for a long time. Thats where we are missing out now. Don't discredit what Charles Mitchell, Mike Buck, Eric Mitchell, Brent Smith, and Coach Bibb have done, they were and are all great coaches. I'd like to see any of us try and coach as well as they did. And do you even know anything about PC? Anyone from their would know its Mitchell with two L's. And Chip Buck has never been the Coach at PC, I'm guessing you mean Mike Buck. They were not just handed a team, they made it into what it was, their work hadn't been done what so ever.

 

 

It's funny that you say you played for James Parris and then say in the same sentence that he didn't teach offense. You must not have played very much. He made us run flex until we had nightmares about it. He introduced every team he had to the first set offense they had ever been a part of. He also introduced those teams to the run and gun style that Pickett County is famous for. Steve Asberry never coached the boys that I am aware of in junior high, Coach Zachary did. I agree that the coaches mentioned were good coaches. However, I do not think they would have been as successful as they were if Coach Parris had not been doing the dirty work at the elementary level teaching the basics.... and yes that means OFFENSE, defense, teamwork, conditioning etc. Chip Buck was an assistant coach but has never been the head coach.

[up2late]

KL was wondering the same thing. PC used to be the top dawg in Class A basketball.

 

 

 

"dawg" -- Isn't that Celina's slang word?

 

I remember the Pickett County Bobcats being one of the top teams in Class A.

[Overton County Fan]

Isn't Parris still at the middle school in Pickett Co.? I thought he was?

 

IMO. . . .

 

The problem has nothing to do with coaching. Phil Jackson couldn't turn a mule into a race horse. PC is a very small town. The pool has just ran dry. It happens. It comes and it goes. It will be back in about 8 to 10 years I'm sure. I have seen PC play about 3 times this year. It wouldn't matter if they knew the game 10 times better than some of the teams they have played, they just are not athletic enough or born with the basketball talent that some other kids are. Its not their fault. Thats just life. You do the best with what you got. PC has a good group of kids. They work hard. They will get a little better.

[7asuperfan]

It's funny that you say you played for James Parris and then say in the same sentence that he didn't teach offense. You must not have played very much. He made us run flex until we had nightmares about it. He introduced every team he had to the first set offense they had ever been a part of. He also introduced those teams to the run and gun style that Pickett County is famous for. Steve Asberry never coached the boys that I am aware of in junior high, Coach Zachary did. I agree that the coaches mentioned were good coaches. However, I do not think they would have been as successful as they were if Coach Parris had not been doing the dirty work at the elementary level teaching the basics.... and yes that means OFFENSE, defense, teamwork, conditioning etc. Chip Buck was an assistant coach but has never been the head coach.

 

yeah, we ran flex so much I could probably still run it today. but most of our teams got a lot of points on fast breaks, then if we didn't, the only offensive set we ran was flex. You think one offensive set is all these high schoolers have to run? No, so its different. You are kidding me about Steve never coaching boys right? My team won three jr. high state titles with him as coach? wow sounds like you know nothing about PC basketball. I'm not dissing Coach Parris in anyway, the stuff he teaches at the elementary level is key, but I think PC needs someone younger and more innovative at the jr. high level, I've heard Bibb wants to do it as well, so that he can develop his players more before they get to high school.

[Onaroll]

yeah, we ran flex so much I could probably still run it today. but most of our teams got a lot of points on fast breaks, then if we didn't, the only offensive set we ran was flex. You think one offensive set is all these high schoolers have to run? No, so its different. You are kidding me about Steve never coaching boys right? My team won three jr. high state titles with him as coach? wow sounds like you know nothing about PC basketball. I'm not dissing Coach Parris in anyway, the stuff he teaches at the elementary level is key, but I think PC needs someone younger and more innovative at the jr. high level, I've heard Bibb wants to do it as well, so that he can develop his players more before they get to high school.

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Ok....I am going to calmly tell you to grow up big guy and stop criticizing people just because they have different opinions than yours. You have told both bobcat89 and myself that we don’t know anything about Pickett County Basketball because we disagree with you….that’s childish! Second, flex was not a offensive set it was THE offensive set for half court. If we couldn’t push the ball to run and gun then it was flex. There are so many different variations of flex that was all we needed. As far as you winning three “junior high state championships”….lol….there is no such of a thing. The James C. Hail state tournament was by invitation only and was not a true state tournament. There are several junior high state tournaments all over the state so I wouldn’t be telling people I won a junior high tournament unless you want people to think you are ignorant. I played basketball in Pickett County from third grade until I graduated and Steve Asberry never coached me…..that’s all I’m saying. I hope you are not trying to imply that Matt Walker should take over at the junior high level!

[7asuperfan]

Ok....I am going to calmly tell you to grow up big guy and stop criticizing people just because they have different opinions than yours. You have told both bobcat89 and myself that we don??™t know anything about Pickett County Basketball because we disagree with you??¦.that??™s childish! Second, flex was not a offensive set it was THE offensive set for half court. If we couldn??™t push the ball to run and gun then it was flex. There are so many different variations of flex that was all we needed. As far as you winning three ???junior high state championships?????¦.lol??¦.there is no such of a thing. The James C. Hail state tournament was by invitation only and was not a true state tournament. There are several junior high state tournaments all over the state so I wouldn??™t be telling people I won a junior high tournament unless you want people to think you are ignorant. I played basketball in Pickett County from third grade until I graduated and Steve Asberry never coached me??¦..that??™s all I??™m saying. I hope you are not trying to imply that Matt Walker should take over at the junior high level!

Ok.....I'm gonna calmly tell you that you know very little about PC basketball, because you didn't know that Steve Asberry ever coached jr. high boys and bobcat89 thought that Chip Buck was the head coach at some point then you all don't know much about it. You would have to be an idiot to argue with me about if Steve coached or not since I played for him. Or I guess I should say you know nothing of the history of PC basketball. I won't argue with you that flex was the only offensive set we needed in elementary school or in AAU, I totally agree that it was a good first have court set for us to learn, but at the Jr. high and high school level you need just a few more plays. You wanna say we never won three junior high state titles? Go look in the trophy case at the Jr. High. 2 James C. Haile titles and a TNT State Tournament title, 1 James C. Haile in 7th grade and the other two in 8th grade. I won't argue with you that there isn't more state championships than that, because I know there is. As far as the James C. Haile being invatation only, don't you think that means that we had to be good enough to get into that tournament? Listen, my jr. high classmates and I lost 3 games in the two years we played, and all three of those were in 7th grade, we didn't lose a game our 8th grade year. You must be from LA cause they are the only ones who would say that the James C. Haile isn't a true state tournament, listen they are all Invitational tournaments. Steve may have never been your coach, I'm not saying he had always coached Jr. High, because for a while he only coached the girls team, but from about the time that his oldest son Andy got to Jr. high he coached it. No, I'm definately not trying to imply that Matt Walker should take over jr high, Matt Walker shouldn't be allowed near a basketball court. But I have heard that Bibb would like to take over the jr high boys, but doesn't want to step on any toes, so he's gonna wait until Coach Parris is ready to step down. All I'm trying say is that the game has sort of passed Coach Parris by, and maybe it is time for the torch to be passed, at the jr. high level. I think Coach Parris is great for the elementary level.