Best Overall Program

[QSouth89]

Please compare the costs at CAK vs. Catholic. You may have the Irish confused with Webb. Last report it cost more to go to CAK. Agree with your primary list but some of the Others I may disagree with. That is just what I was told, I could definitely be wrong about the cost of the 2. If Catholic is cheaper, then I would definitely send my kid to play for Hutch.

 

 

 

Catholic's tuition for Catholic students is around 6,000, if you're not Catholic it's around 8,000 (maybe less). CAK is around 12,000. Webb's is 16,000 maybe higher.

 

Actually according to CAK's website tuition for the 2009-10 school year is $8,400 for the entire year. I'm pretty sure that Webb's is lower as well. Catholic's looks right. The great thing about CAK is players that choose to attend school there will be well coached. Shane Wells is by far the best coach in the district possibly the region. Players love playing for him and he is respected by coaches at all levels. If private school were an option for my family I would pay the $8,400 and send my son to play for Wells.

I wasn't sure about CAK's tuition, I was going on what someone told me. Webb's tuition is really high, I was told by a friend whose child attends Webb's middle school that the tuition (with fees and books and all) is almost 18,000. Shane Wells is an outstanding coach and a really good friend. I'm positive he'll do a great job, hopefully, the parents leave him alone and let him coach. Not trying to revive the comments and all that stuff that what went on back in the spring about CAK's parents (in reality every school has to deal with meddlesome parents). Mike Buck does a pretty good job and Alcoa had a really good looking freshman class last year. It'll be interesting to say the least. I wish Catholic could have stayed in 4AA but, oh well, will prepare for the "big boys".

[magicmom]

Thanks guys! But, I'm not quite sure we are willing to pay for private school at this point. Tell me more about GP program. How about IMAC conf?

[downtown247]

Thanks guys! But, I'm not quite sure we are willing to pay for private school at this point. Tell me more about GP program. How about IMAC conf?

 

GP has a great coach in Raul Placeres. They have some nice transfers, but in a typical year GP doesn't have this much talent. It will be interesting to see how long Coach Placeres will stay at GP.

[QSouth89]

Thanks guys! But, I'm not quite sure we are willing to pay for private school at this point. Tell me more about GP program. How about IMAC conf?

Before re-alignment Greeneville was the best program in the IMAC, great athletes, numerous state tournament appearances great facilities (even though they played at the middle school). Once upon a time Jefferson County had a strong program but have struggled the last 5-6 years. However they looked good at summer camp. Morristown East or West have strong consistent programs. Cocke County is up and down, great fans, but facilities are not that good. Sevier County has good facilities and finances and in my opinion a sleeping giant in basketball. Seymour was tough when Randy Moore was there, Kevin Windle was doing a good job but left for LC. Don't know enough about Cherokee. And South-Doyle, 2 gyms not much else.

[downtown247]

Wells is a better coach than Jody Wright, Mike Buck, Micah Marsh, Tony Buell, and Charles Mitchell? Wells is an excellent coach, but that is a bold statement!

 

 

State Champions-- Wright and Buck

State Appearances-- Marsh(multiple), Buell, and Mitchell(multiple)

 

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the people you've listed have been head coaches for several years in some cases decades. Wells has been a head coach less than 6. As far as Buell, Mitchell, and Marsh are concerend their schools have more talent than most. I'm not discounting the job these men have done, but most DECENT coaches could win with rosters that are full of great athletes. Wells has not had the type of athletes that Carter, AE, and Alcoa have year in and year out. I am eager to see Wells build the program at CAK. He's a great guy with a great heart!

[downtown247]

Wells is a better coach than Jody Wright, Mike Buck, Micah Marsh, Tony Buell, and Charles Mitchell? Wells is an excellent coach, but that is a bold statement!

 

 

State Champions-- Wright and Buck

State Appearances-- Marsh(multiple), Buell, and Mitchell(multiple)

I agree in large part with what you've stated. Wells is an excellent coach but you've listed some other top-notch coaches in the same region without listing Raul Placeres. You could make a good arguement that he's not even the second best coach within a mile radius of CAK. Hutchens at Catholic and Norris at Webb both have state multiple state tourney appearances.

 

Yeah Norris is really good!

[ut3234]

Jody Wright has the best all around basketball program in East Tennessee if not in the State. He has proven this time and time again by taken very less atheltic teams to state and coming back with Gold Balls!!! Coach Wright takes average players and turns them into great ones!!!

[QSouth89]

Jody Wright has the best all around basketball program in East Tennessee if not in the State. He has proven this time and time again by taken very less atheltic teams to state and coming back with Gold Balls!!! Coach Wright takes average players and turns them into great ones!!!

The last thing Fulton has is average players.

[IrishBBall]

Jody Wright has the best all around basketball program in East Tennessee if not in the State. He has proven this time and time again by taken very less atheltic teams to state and coming back with Gold Balls!!! Coach Wright takes average players and turns them into great ones!!!

The last thing Fulton has is average players, hand selected yes (lol), average far from it.

 

Last two gold balls were won with 3 D-1 signees to date, yup average players.

 

Could you please define what constitutes a good or great player. I'm pretty impressed with what you consider average. My standards must be low.

[prepwatcher]

I dont know much about it, but 3 division 1 players in twenty plus years is not what I would call overrun with talent. I would say Farragut, Bearden, and Oak Ridge have more talent year in and year out. Sometimes it is simply getting the most out of what talent you have. I thought that was what good coaches did anyway. Don't get anybody started talking about handpicking talent when you coach at Catholic. We ALL know what goes on out there with the football program. Fulton does have a good program along with many others here in the East Tennessee area. Don't let your jealousy cloud your Irish eyes

[IrishBBall]

I dont know much about it, but 3 division 1 players in twenty plus years is not what I would call overrun with talent. I would say Farragut, Bearden, and Oak Ridge have more talent year in and year out. Sometimes it is simply getting the most out of what talent you have. I thought that was what good coaches did anyway. Don't get anybody started talking about handpicking talent when you coach at Catholic. We ALL know what goes on out there with the football program. Fulton does have a good program along with many others here in the East Tennessee area. Don't let your jealousy cloud your Irish eyes

 

No jealousy here. I've been friends with Jody (since we were in college) far longer than I've been associated with Catholic. I don't coach at Catholic so I haven't really been able to handpick anybody. I would rate Jody as the top coach in the area. I would have loved for my son to play for him, but I was much more concerned with the academics than just the athletics. The three schools you mention should have more D-1 athletes, they have 2 to 3 times the students but they haven't had the tournament success that Fulton has. Has Farragut even played in the state tourney in the past 20 years? If you're so close to the Fulton program, at least acknowledge that several of their players didn't exactly live in that school zone. And please note that I know this is perfectly acceptable. I've coached some of those kids. You can see from everyone of my previous posts that the Fulton program has my utmost respect. My point, which you obviously mistook, was that with 3 D-1 players on the floor, I would hardly call the team that finally brought home the gold ball and it's players AVERAGE! I just wanted to know what the previous post thought were good/great players????

[prepwatcher]

Not close to the Fulton program so I don't know where those guys live. I was simply stating that Fulton has been good for a pretty long time and I don't recall a bunch of D-1 guys coming out of that school. There is not a bunch out of Knoxville period when you think back over a period of time. Maryville won it a couple of years ago without a single D-1 guy. I think some of the good programs in this area do it because of pretty good coaching. I think the previous poster was trying to say that Fulton has been pretty successful for a long time with average to above average players. Like I said the programs here in West Knoxville and in Oak Ridge have more talent year in and out and not nearly the success.