District 3 AA @ Pigeon Forge

[MMcCroskey]

With the exception of Slash's comment, the other posts regarding GP are well put. I am obviously familiar with what is going on, and I can tell you Raul is doing the right thing, and he is doing it b4 things get really out of hand.

 

These young men have some serious soul-searching to do.

 

Everyone makes mistakes, but how you react to those mistakes is usually the test of character.

 

Raul continues to demonstrate that he is more concerned with developing these young men than winning ball games - and as a father, I can't ask anything more.

[etcoach]

So why were those 2 not in the starting line-up? We've seen it before. It may not be the most ethical thing to do, but it is the smart thing to do. It is the classic case of "suspended for rules violations." Until the TSSAA makes the consolation game mean something, this will continue to go on. It is a simple fix.....only allow 3 teams to make it to the region. District Champ gets 1st round bye and only has to win one game to make it to substate. TSSAA needs to take a little less money and do the right thing.

[luvgolf]

GP will have a hard time regardless if they are on Fulton or Carter's side of the bracket. These are 2 programs that have state tour. experience. Both , I predict will be returning to the state tour. this year.

[JoshRussell48]

Read the article in todays MountainPress. Explains everything in detail. The two players who played were not starters they were part of the Varsity Team. Good for the coach. Its quite embarassing that some adults here are not seeing the real picture Life Lessons over a game!!!!

 

By the way how is a coach losing on purpose when the District Championships does not happen till after their game?

GP plays Alcoa. Although I will be cheering for my Bears( District Champs) Saturday hope GP beats Alcoa.

[etcoach]

Hello??????? Has Fulton lost to a AA team all year? No. Although the game had not been played, it had been decided.

 

Now there may have been good reason for the suspensions. My question is...would that have happened if it were a Region Semi-final game? If the answer is without a doubt yes, then that is fine. But this has happened on more than one occasion where a coach suspends players for the consolation game. It is not a coincidence that in most of these situations, the best team in their District is by far the most difficult matchup out of all 7 other teams that are going to Region play.

 

I am not knocking the move. I think it is smart. My point is it would not have to happen if the consolation game meant something.

[TNHSBBALLFAN]

Hello??????? Has Fulton lost to a AA team all year? No. Although the game had not been played, it had been decided.

 

Now there may have been good reason for the suspensions. My question is...would that have happened if it were a Region Semi-final game? If the answer is without a doubt yes, then that is fine. But this has happened on more than one occasion where a coach suspends players for the consolation game. It is not a coincidence that in most of these situations, the best team in their District is by far the most difficult matchup out of all 7 other teams that are going to Region play.

 

I am not knocking the move. I think it is smart. My point is it would not have to happen if the consolation game meant something.

 

You are right on target. The coach has known about these issues for some time but chose the consolation game of the district tournament to suspend these players for a "violation of team rules". I too, applaud any coach for taking disciplinary actions but the timing of these suspensions is a llittle odd. If you are really serious about teaching the kids a lesson, take the action when it really means something. This action could have been taken earlier but the coach chose not to do so.

[etcoach]

Interesting???

 

I say this. If a coach is really not interested in winning the consolation game, why try to hide it behind mysterious substitutions and /or suspensions. Why not just say...Folks we will be better off if we lose this game. It gives us a better chance to make it to the State tournament??? Don't deny what you are doing. Speak up and say it. We are not stupid you know???

 

Until a few coaches do this, no changes will be made to the current system.

[cneagles13]

You are right on target. The coach has known about these issues for some time but chose the consolation game of the district tournament to suspend these players for a "violation of team rules". I too, applaud any coach for taking disciplinary actions but the timing of these suspensions is a llittle odd. If you are really serious about teaching the kids a lesson, take the action when it really means something. This action could have been taken earlier but the coach chose not to do so.

 

I would advise listening to MMcCroskey. I think it is important to remember there are more important things in life than winning basketball games. Coach Placeres did what he thought was best for the players in question, and I am confident he made the correct decision that was in no way, shape, or form affected by any desire to throw the game.

[TNHSBBALLFAN]

You are right on target. The coach has known about these issues for some time but chose the consolation game of the district tournament to suspend these players for a "violation of team rules". I too, applaud any coach for taking disciplinary actions but the timing of these suspensions is a llittle odd. If you are really serious about teaching the kids a lesson, take the action when it really means something. This action could have been taken earlier but the coach chose not to do so.

 

I would advise listening to MMcCroskey. I think it is important to remember there are more important things in life than winning basketball games. Coach Placeres did what he thought was best for the players in question, and I am confident he made the correct decision that was in no way, shape, or form affected by any desire to throw the game.

Let me ask you these questions: Is a one game suspension adequate for the "violation of team rules"? If not, would he let them sit for the next game? Why didn't this happen earlier? If someone knows the situation "inside and out", they know this didn't just happen this week.

[IrishBBall]

Without question Fulton is the strongest team in the Region but I would be hard pressed to lose on purpose in a district tournament game in order to avoid a team 2 or 3 games later. You've got to have a lot of confidence in your team that they will bounce back from 2 straight losses then respond with 2 straight wins one of which would be against the team that spanked you and put you in the consolation game. I like the formnat of 4 teams advancing from the district, otherwise you would have the #2 seeds matching up intially.

 

It seems harsh to call out the integrity of the GP coach and team without knowing the whole story. I would certainly defer to Mr. McCroskey's acceptance of the situation/suspension considering he is a parent that is closely involved with the situation. I have found their coach to be an intense coach that would have a problem losing to anyone. I don't think he called a team/parents meeting and laid out an elaborate plan of suspending key players, throwing a game, etc. I've not seen many parents that would put up with losing or suspensions and look at the big picture 2 or 3 games away.

 

What did the Mountain Press story say. It was not online regarding the suspensions. Also from a timing point (as we saw with the UT basketball suspensions) a coach and administrator better have all their ducks in a row before you start suspending kids these days. Hopefully, this incident will teach these kids a life lesson about doing things the right way and abiding by team and school rules. Not all schools in the district seem to have this mindset though.

[TNHSBBALLFAN]

Here it is. It appropriately does not state more than it should.

 

http://www.themountainpress.com/pages/e_edition

[IrishBBall]

Thanks for the link which really didn't say much. Without going into names...can someone tell us what they were suspended for?

 

Coach Placeres has set a precedent of sitting players for disciplinary reasons. Didn't he sit McKinley Maples who was one of his top players against Pigeon Forge in the district tourney and take a loss to a pretty bad PF team? Maybe this suspension thing has been several years in the making for all the conspiracy theorists out there.