BGA

[msms06]

Good morning HoopMaster. I hope you are having a great day. I just wanted to let you know that yes BGA has as much talent as MBA and Ensworth and yes we will beat BA this year. The conference is wide open may the best team win. This is a tremendous conference and well balanced. I'm looking forward to the season. Until next time go CATS, beat those Eagles. Cole Harrison will be an all-state selection before his BGA days are over. He is my guy.

[graceseeker]

I hope you're right about it being wide open. Hey, it's basketball . We all know how unpredictable this game can be. There were lots of splits last year. But on paper, it's really hard not to see Ensworth and MBA at the top of this heap. Ensworth returns the McFadden kid who was out all of last year with a knee injury and I saw him play this summer in AAU and he is back. At 6'3" or so and with a true tight end body, he is really going to be a handful. You bookend him with the McDermott kid who I thought had a great season last year as a sophomore and you have a couple of great 6'3" 6'4" guys who can score inside or out and will be able to control the boards against most teams. Add Carter and you have a great front line. Ensworth's back court will be the challenge because they will be relatively untested but my guess is that Coach Bowers will mature that aspect of the team quickly. MBA is well, really, really deep. They return 4 of the 5 starters from last year's 17-8 co-regular season champions. The senior class has won a ton at every level. Add to that a very talented sophomore class (2 of the sophomores saw siginificant playing time as varsity players last year) and they have the makings of a pretty powerful team. Mobley (an all region player from last year) and Paslick (many thought should have been all region) lead a team that has great versatility with Seitz and Colbert (if he recovers from his broken neck injury) and great inside play with 6'8" Howard and 6'4" Bars. Add the very talented Blackwell and Simonis kids to the mix and it has the potential of being a very explosive team. But as we saw last year, anything can happen.

[hoopmaster]

Mr.Smith. I don't believe the conference is wide open. I think it's a race for the top 2. Ensworth and MBA, with MBA having the upper hand. Yes, you guys have a great chance to sweep BA this year, but you still have to play the game and I don't think you can. I say we split with each team winning at home. You know what, if you guys are not ready, we could win both. We lack scorers but we have so much heart that it's ridiculous. Tell Jordan to be ready because Weldon is a handful and will have another good year. Now to the Harrison kid.Will he be able to get down court with the pace of the game by his senior year because if not, no all state selection will be awarded. The high school game is all about tempo. Nobody will wait for you to get down court unless you are shaq, ewing, hakeem. or duncan.

That is his weekness.

Hoopmaster

[msms06]

I do agree with you Hoopmaster when you talk about tempo. It's very critical to all aspects of sports. I believe Jordan will be up for the challenge. Weldon and Jordan have known each other since age 5 or 6. Both played on the same baseball team at Una. Our famililes are close friends. I went to college with his mother and father. Weldon is a hand full and will be challenging guarding him but he has to guard Jordan as well. I hope this turn out to be a great competition for the love of the game. Friends off the court, business on the court. Have a great week. Okay MBA and Ensworth should be the front runners since Ensworth being defending State champs although they lost a ton of talent, and MBA being co-champs.

But remember you still have to play the game. Let the games begin!

[FR1968]

MBA was NOT "co-champ" last season. Ensworth was the #1 seed in the East/Middle Region of Div II. MBA was the 4th seed in the Region. Father Ryan won the Region Tournament, and advanced to the State Tournament finals, falling to Ensworth.

[msms06]

Thanks for the correction on MBA being Co- Champs you are absolutely correct. I was at the championship game and Connerly from Father Ryan had no help as Ensworth won the State Championshipbehind the outstanding play of Jefferson.

[FR1968]

I missed the games at Allen, but I did see Father Ryan beat MBA in the substate. I'm not so sure what all the hype is about MBA. They're good, but there will be a lot of solid teams in Division II this year. Ensworth will be athletic and well-coached, but I'm not so sure about their guard play. I think the difference this season will be heart and coaching--- a lot of parity amongst the Division II teams.

[GTalum96]

at the end of next year, Harrison will be the biggest thing in DII since Wright. Mark my words. He will win AT LEAST one, if not multiple, Mr. Basketball awards before he finishes at Battle Ground.

[msms06]

I hope you are correct about Cole Harrison. He is a great kid with alot of expectations because of his size. I hope he can fullfill all of his dreams. Go BGA

[matt86]

at the end of next year, Harrison will be the biggest thing in DII since Wright. Mark my words. He will win AT LEAST one, if not multiple, Mr. Basketball awards before he finishes at Battle Ground.

 

So you're saying this Harrison kid is going to be as good as Brandan Wright (arguably the best player Tennessee has ever produced)? I doubt it.

[GTalum96]

Not trying to put expectation on anyone, its just my opinion. Just like anyone, its up to him to reach whatever goals he wants. As far as what I said about Wright... I said SINCE Wright... and in my opinion Wright is not the best player ever from TN. Penny Hardaway? Ron Mercer? Tony Delk? Shawn Marion? Baily Howell scored like 18,000 points in the NBA too. Brandan has a lot to go. He maybe has the most potential including Penny or Mercer, but he has yet to do much in the league.

[BAeagles123]

Whats all the hype about with the mba guards, it seems to me like their guards are very good defensive but not as scorer. BGA will be better than people think this year, especially if harrison shows he can do something inside, and if Chris Marconcini plays which is 50/50 right now. But i do beleive that the BGA guards will be very strong this year.