District 4a This Year

[kazam37]

Believer40, where.....exactly.....in my post did I say she was a "ball hog". I should just make no comment in regards to players in the future, seeing how people try to paint my words in a different reflection. Coalfield would be a better team if they were a more cohesive unit......they have the best starting five in the conference. Everybody yada-yada's about the coach, but players have to show the ability to work within a system together. AJ is the best player in the conference this year.....and it isn't even close. (Yes, Fountain is good too, Hopi) A player of her abilities should be able to get "3 or 4 assists" a night with out putting up too much effort, IMO. Great players raise the level of their teams success......maybe she is waiting for the Regionals or State? It is sorta like this... everybody in the NBA wants to play with Lebron, not so much with Kobe. Both great players, both make their teams better, both have great abilities, but when it comes to being a teammate....Lebron has that in spades!

 

Hopi.....Christopher just proved she can handle things without you-know-who! All the nay sayers that doubt her you would be WRONG!

 

Kaz

[BigShow1]

Congrats to the players of Oliver Springs on their victory last night. It is though apparent to me that a lot of people on here do not understand the game of basketball. Having said that some of you obviously do know some. I'm not trying to insult anyone in this post only defending people.

 

In reality from a pure talent and athletic standpoint Oliver Springs has more talent than any other team in this district. Some people are talking about the amazing job coach Christopher has done as if she did not have a team of players this year. Her team has the most talent top to bottom of any other team. They have the best defensive player in the district who is also one of the best ipassers in the district. They have one of the strongest players in the district who can shoot and play inside/out in their only senior and they have a point guard who has a better left hand than any left handed player I have seen in the district not to mention she can get to the basket with ease. Their first guard sub is one of the quickest players in the district. Lets stop trying to defend the coach by throwing the players under the bus as if this was such a tough job to get this team to win. Sure they had a lack of experience but Oak Ridge only dressed 9 players under Ricky Norris and each year they had like 6-7 seniors. The knew guys each year did not use that as an excuse and they played AAA ball. Its not like its ACC or Big East basketball and experience is a must have. This is Single A basketball.

 

The coaching is not great in this district but its not suppose to be either. This level is considered a starting point for most career motivated coaches or a place where a local former player might want to coach and stay around the community. Its not like their getting evaluated and fired for lack of production at this level like Oak Ridge runs things. I'm not trying to insult the coaches. I just wish people would stop trying to defend a coach by making it look as if the players of that team suck. Minus Kayla Christopher from last year they are nearly just as good at every position with returning two starters and never having a strong post game in the past even when they were unquestionably the best team in the district. Lets not talk as if these players are so bad. I see three who could play small college ball in the near future.

[kazam37]

BigShow1, you are hilarious .......you do realize all those players you are referring to, didn't even make all conference in the regular season? Tell Lamar Rodgers he is at the starting point of his career! Christopher's task in the district wasn't impossible, but with out throwing her players under the Bus, it was going to be difficult at best. And she accomplished her task, right?

 

Kaz

[believer40]

who in district 4 is playing district 3.

Oliver Springs plays #4

Wartburg plays #3

Coalfield plays #2

Oakdale plays #1

 

Tellico Plains

Harriman

Rockwood

Midway

[BigShow1]

Yes I do realize that I thought you would pick up on my talent quote. Usually the team that finishes last or next to last does not get anyone on the first team all district. My only point is that from a talent standpoint they have what I said. For years Oliver Springs got a ton (For a small school) of talent from their middle school program under their former really successful middle school coach. If he had been there for the Juniors and Seniors 7th and 8th grade years they would have probably won almost every game just as they had been doing for the years he was there. Thus they would have beaten all the players that they are currenty matched up with in high school competition. That would have proven my talent argument to some extent although you can't completely translate middle school success into high school but you usually can at this level of playing when most schools only have one or two feeder schools. Unfortunately he stepped aside and did not see what those girls would have done. But to watch the players play and to have years of experience of evaluating talent in my opinion not taking into account any developement at all... from a athletic and ability standpoint they have the most of any team I have seen. Not by far but I do think they have no less than three players that would start on every other team if they attended those schools.

[kazam37]

A valid assessment......although I'm sure the coaching staff at OS would not so easily agree with you. I'm not so sure your "former Jr High Coach" would have made out so successfully if not for the talents of the present high school coach's daughter. It, IMO, is a little easier to succeed in some ways at that level because the talent is so much more spread out. I think they have about two legitamate players that could easily crack other starting line-ups.......of course you can probably make the same statement torwards any other team in the conference. Hope all the teams do well in their opening test this Friday. Regions are always a fun little deal!

 

Kaz

[stealthy13]

BigShow1, you are hilarious .......you do realize all those players you are referring to, didn't even make all conference in the regular season? Tell Lamar Rodgers he is at the starting point of his career! Christopher's task in the district wasn't impossible, but with out throwing her players under the Bus, it was going to be difficult at best. And she accomplished her task, right?

 

 

All conference regular season this year was a joke! I believe Oliver Springs deserves some credit, after all how many people (besides their team) believed they could win the Championship. Their point guard is the best in the district, no doubt. I agree with BigShow, they have some very good players, but I still think they have a ways to go before they reach their full potential.

[LegenWait4ItDary]

Kaz... You are the Rosie O'Donnell of this message board you talk a lot but when it comes down to it you have nothing worth while to say. The Os Girls did Well this year to have lost the talent of KC#5. though if you watched some of their games this year you would say to yourself the players won the games NOT THE COACHING and Should you look at the players preforming well for OS this year. All saw some significant time under the old middle school coach or He who must not be named. Give the players some credit. You have to have good players to win championships. Unless your Georgia 2 years ago in the SEC tournament not to compare this district of basketball to the Sec but even though the bulldogs won that championship their coach still got canned the next year. So if i follow what you said about the girls winning the championship a major coaching feat wouldn't georgia's championship be that too? yet Dennis Felton lost his job the next season.

 

Go Warriors

[superdaveosborne]

I would contend that the coaching at this level is as good as any other. 4-A has some pretty good ones and is not always a stepping stone for someone. If you look at the communities you have Snow - a life long Oakdale guy, Hines - a lifelong Coalfield person, All the coaches on the girls side are pretty good and are probably where they are not so much as a stepping stone but are where they are because of wanting to build their home communities or the places where they grew up.

 

A coach at the single-A level has more challenges then any other. Talent is often very limited and they must be good at game adjustments. Oak Ridge and Shelby etc. can run a system the single A coach must do whatever it takes to be competitive.

 

At the end of the day I think you find high quality coaches at all levels, and you also find bad ones. When I look at 4-A I feel like there are 5 very good ones Christopher, Snow, West,(if he comes back), Hines, and Davis, I feel like each has a chance to produce a good team each season. To call the coaching in 4-A bad shows how misinformed you are or how simply out of touch.

[kazam37]

Legen........Dary, you must be the old jr high coach's muse! It looked to me as if the Lady Cats finally found their stride during the tournament. So, according to you, Christopher should be sent packing after winning 5 District Championships in 5 years.....3 Region Championships......and been to two State Tournaments. (correct me if my numbers are wrong) They upset Coalfield in this years Semi's......and Coalfield has better talent (care to argue that point with me?) I have seen them at their worst (at Oneida - regular season) and at their best (last home game of regular season). They are successful for one primary reason.......the Coach. Oh sure they have some girls that can play basketball (everybody has some of those), but an idiot can see the level of improvement this years team has made. (Heck, even Rosie O'Donnell caught that)( ) I don't know what your beef is with Coach Christopher (shoot buddy, run her off for all I care!), but you and the "mob" would be stupid if you did! Makes you wonder exactly what Coach C has to do to get appreciated? All I can see is your coming off like a real loyal dude......kinda like Lane Kiffin

 

Kazanity

[BigShow1]

I want to make sure that everyone understands that I am not anti-(coaches name). I was simply trying to defend the girls players at Oliver Springs (who I felt like were being thrown under the bus). I was not trying to say the former Middle School coach was perfect although he was very successful even before Kayla Christopher was there. Not to mention the other players got alot better there too. I just believe the girls have more quality players than most believe. As someone else said their point, Guard, and Forward could start on most if not every other district team. Don't act winning with these girls is like Moses delivering the Children of Israel from almighty Egypt. I believe that team should have won the regular season and post season tournament and to be honest should not have been a close game anytime. I truly think they have more talent than Coalfield although Coalfield has the best player and some other good players.

 

To the point of coaches have more responsibilities at this level than the higher levels. That is humorous. Why do you think college coaches read every book in the world? Because they need to be updated on every new technique and philosophy that is available to be successful. At the AAA level you also play against AAA defenses and thus have to have strategy to score. It is at A that one player can dominate and have success. Your backwards on the argument. I know there are more athletes but it is also people ignorant of basketball that believe that John Calipari just lets Kentucky to whatever. There is tons of skill developement to be done with these players. There is also learning to play with each other learning how to set proper screens and use screens and develope a shot, etc.. Most importantly those guys never had to learn Defense so Kentucky's staff has to teach them that too. My point is that strategy and different systems is not the issue. John Wooden did mostly the same thing every year every game. Its developing players that I'm talking about. That is the coaches most important duty. That is what allows teams to achieve beyond expectations. Focus on the technique of player personnel.

[bulldogplayermom]

Reading books, keeping up with the game, teaching kids to improve....I'm not sure that isn't a part of every level A, AA, and AAA. I watch a bunch of basketball across all classifications and I can tell you there isn't any difference between say a Dallas Davis or Marv West and some of those coaching at the big AAA schools. Except in A you have less material to work with. Easy to make an athlete into a ball player not so easy to compete with little to no material in terms of depth etc.

 

Like Superdave said you have good coaches at all levels and bad ones. I would imagine that a guy like Dallas, or Lamar, or Jim Brown, or Snow could easily step into a program at OR or Farragut and win to argue otherwise is not very intelligent if you ask me

 

In Single A the coach handles strength/conditioning, drives the bus, handles the varsity and jv usually, fundraises, schedules, and does about 12 other things. In AAA they have jv and freshmen coaches, usually have strength people that work with the kids in PE, and have the support of numerous local businesses that small schools simply dont have oh yeah and they don't have a 2000 kid talent pool to pull from