Cheatham County @ CPA: Class AA Sectional Battle

[PlankWalker]

Thanks Nerd and good luck to you guys @ MTSU. In response to Cheatham getting into a running game and another poster wondering why not go to a zone-I believe you have to do the things that made you successful to have a chance to win. Cheatham is at their best in an up-tempo full-court game and have played man to man defense 99% of the time this season. Last thing you want to do is not play to your strengths and do something different in a do or die game. If you change your style and get clobbered you will second guess yourself forever and I also don't think that sends a good message to your team. Yes, adjustments must be made based on your opponent and what they like to do, but CPA simply has superior talent and the Cubs went down trying to do what they have done all year. Really impressed with CPA's defensive scheme and they are so hard to guard because they have weapons all over the floor who can hurt you in multiple ways. Cheatham looked very tentative in their half court offense early in the game instead of attacking the rim with the exception of Douglas, who simply had one of those nights where the ball wouldn't go in the basket, and the Lions length and aggressiveness had a lot to do with that. Darden has been in foul trouble regularly this year and had to stay on the floor last night. Even though I didn't agree with 3 of the 4 fouls called against him, you are correct in that he had to adjust and stay on the floor but didn't. CPA is clearly the best team in the state in any classification imo and I don't think there is a team in Tn that would have beaten them in that venue last night. Cubs had a great season but just ran into a machine last night and I don't think there is anything Coach Stuart could have done to change the outcome. Best of luck to CPA next week.

What game were you watching him play? I saw several more fouls on him that were passed on by the officials probably to keep him in the game. He plays lazy and wreck less. I was there and watched the game 2 additional times. Those refs were very good. I am a sports writer and have seen bad officiating trust me. Don't hang his play on the refs for bad calls.

[mumbletypeg]

What game were you watching him play? I saw several more fouls on him that were passed on by the officials probably to keep him in the game. He plays lazy and wreck less. I was there and watched the game 2 additional times. Those refs were very good. I am a sports writer and have seen bad officiating trust me. Don't hang his play on the refs for bad calls.

I am sure we have all seen our share of poor officiating and I have seen much worse than what was on display the other night at CPA. I don't think I hung his play on the refs and in no way, shape, or form did officiating affect the result, just said I didn't agree with 3 of the calls. First foul was all ball(it happened right in front of me), but surely nobody can cleanly block Blackwell's shot right. Second foul was a charge and clearly a good call. Third foul, also a charge, I thought the defender slid under him while he was in the air. Fourth foul Darden takes a charge and for the first time all night a block is called in that situation after some clear hesitation by the officials. So all three block/charge calls went against him and 2 were 50/50 at best. Congrats on your career as a sportswriter, but that doesn't make you an expert on officiating. Fouls passed on to keep him in the game? He played 6 minutes tops in the first half and had 3 fouls. Meanwhile CPA, with their trapping and aggressive defense, had one foul called against them in the first 13 minutes. Darden is still a relatively unpolished player-just started playing in middle school-but a tremendous athlete who does tend to get in foul trouble on a regular basis and is still learning the nuances of the game. Lazy and reckless though, we must agree to disagree on. Would like to emphasize again to those looking to start something here where there is nothing that officiating DID NOT AFFECT THE RESULT OF THE GAME. I thought I made that clear in my initial post.

[DAD1]

I know you might think that DAD1 because you have never been able to prove me wrong about anything which I assume is why you have to consistently resort to personal attack, but I really do not know everything. 

You have never proven yourself right and the burden of proof is on the accuser.

[rulefollower]

DAD1, on 05 Mar 2014 - 7:32 PM, said:

Save your breath BIG P. The guy you are addressing knows EVERYTHING. If you don't believe me just wait........

 

I know you might think that DAD1 because you have never been able to prove me wrong about anything which I assume is why you have to consistently resort to personal attack, but I really do not know everything. 

 

 

Most of the frequent CPA posters hate to be proved wrong, especially when it's something negative about their precious AAU team. So they attack away.  I wish people who know would talk about what is really going on there, but fear keeps them quiet. His grandson like many of the current team, and past stand-outs were all "recruited" in some form or fashion. But these allegations are so hard to prove, and are too easily dismissed by the worshippers of the golden idol balls.  Where there is smoke, there is fire, and someday, maybe they will get careless enough to really get caught. In the meantime, they will continue to hide the facts that are pointed out, and attack the messengers. I was able to  prove my allegations about Lindsey's mom calling Blackwells, and suddenly plans have changed and he's going to CPA. And what happened, that post magically disappeared from facebook.

 

I thought the best quote from the announcers of the game the other night was something to the effect of

 

"Drew is truly an architect with the team he has built here at CPA."

Edited March 6, 2014 by rulefollower

[Hater247]

I think it will be interesting to see who shows up at the school to play next year with all of the hoopla. Word is they already have a 6'5 kid coming from Dickson. That's too bad for the kids that have grown up in the church with dreams of playing for the high school. Nobody cares about them! It's all about the gold balls and stroking egos!

[DAD1]

 

DAD1, on 05 Mar 2014 - 7:32 PM, said:

 

 rulefollower....sorry I dissed you by not including you in my "knows everything" comment. I didn't mean to exclude you.

 

 

Most of the frequent CPA posters hate to be proved wrong, especially when it's something negative about their precious AAU team. So they attack away.  I wish people who know would talk about what is really going on there, but fear keeps them quiet. His grandson like many of the current team, and past stand-outs were all "recruited" in some form or fashion. But these allegations are so hard to prove, and are too easily dismissed by the worshippers of the golden idol balls.  Where there is smoke, there is fire, and someday, maybe they will get careless enough to really get caught. In the meantime, they will continue to hide the facts that are pointed out, and attack the messengers. I was able to  prove my allegations about Lindsey's mom calling Blackwells, and suddenly plans have changed and he's going to CPA. And what happened, that post magically disappeared from facebook.

 

I thought the best quote from the announcers of the game the other night was something to the effect of

 

"Drew is truly an architect with the team he has built here at CPA."

 

[LionsRoar33]

The old cliche' is that "to be the best you have to beat the best" but for those Cheatham County fans that have been along for the ride, the harsh reality is, if Darden wouldn't have sat for 12 minutes against East before finding his way back onto the court, they wouldn't have played CPA until they reached Murfreesboro. Back in the good ol' days, a senior with so much on the line would've put a patch over his eye or played with one eye shut in order to avoid a game like that. His defensive presence and rebounding alone could've changed the outcome in the East came, especially after Douglas fouled out.  

[PlankWalker]

I am sure we have all seen our share of poor officiating and I have seen much worse than what was on display the other night at CPA. I don't think I hung his play on the refs and in no way, shape, or form did officiating affect the result, just said I didn't agree with 3 of the calls. First foul was all ball(it happened right in front of me), but surely nobody can cleanly block Blackwell's shot right. Second foul was a charge and clearly a good call. Third foul, also a charge, I thought the defender slid under him while he was in the air. Fourth foul Darden takes a charge and for the first time all night a block is called in that situation after some clear hesitation by the officials. So all three block/charge calls went against him and 2 were 50/50 at best. Congrats on your career as a sportswriter, but that doesn't make you an expert on officiating. Fouls passed on to keep him in the game? He played 6 minutes tops in the first half and had 3 fouls. Meanwhile CPA, with their trapping and aggressive defense, had one foul called against them in the first 13 minutes. Darden is still a relatively unpolished player-just started playing in middle school-but a tremendous athlete who does tend to get in foul trouble on a regular basis and is still learning the nuances of the game. Lazy and reckless though, we must agree to disagree on. Would like to emphasize again to those looking to start something here where there is nothing that officiating DID NOT AFFECT THE RESULT OF THE GAME. I thought I made that clear in my initial post.

Oh I forgot to tell you I am an 18 yr active official and have worked several state tournaments . I guess you can say I have some expertise.

[PlankWalker]

I am sure we have all seen our share of poor officiating and I have seen much worse than what was on display the other night at CPA. I don't think I hung his play on the refs and in no way, shape, or form did officiating affect the result, just said I didn't agree with 3 of the calls. First foul was all ball(it happened right in front of me), but surely nobody can cleanly block Blackwell's shot right. Second foul was a charge and clearly a good call. Third foul, also a charge, I thought the defender slid under him while he was in the air. Fourth foul Darden takes a charge and for the first time all night a block is called in that situation after some clear hesitation by the officials. So all three block/charge calls went against him and 2 were 50/50 at best. Congrats on your career as a sportswriter, but that doesn't make you an expert on officiating. Fouls passed on to keep him in the game? He played 6 minutes tops in the first half and had 3 fouls. Meanwhile CPA, with their trapping and aggressive defense, had one foul called against them in the first 13 minutes. Darden is still a relatively unpolished player-just started playing in middle school-but a tremendous athlete who does tend to get in foul trouble on a regular basis and is still learning the nuances of the game. Lazy and reckless though, we must agree to disagree on. Would like to emphasize again to those looking to start something here where there is nothing that officiating DID NOT AFFECT THE RESULT OF THE GAME. I thought I made that clear in my initial post.

Oh I forgot to tell you I am an 18 yr active official and have worked several state tournaments . I guess you can say I have some expertise.

[mumbletypeg]

The old cliche' is that "to be the best you have to beat the best" but for those Cheatham County fans that have been along for the ride, the harsh reality is, if Darden wouldn't have sat for 12 minutes against East before finding his way back onto the court, they wouldn't have played CPA until they reached Murfreesboro. Back in the good ol' days, a senior with so much on the line would've put a patch over his eye or played with one eye shut in order to avoid a game like that. His defensive presence and rebounding alone could've changed the outcome in the East came, especially after Douglas fouled out.  

Hard to play when you can't see and even when he returned he was clearly affected by it. I know Jordan well and if there was any way he could have gotten back on the floor quicker he surely would have(don't think most trainers have eye patches on hand). In reality he probably shouldn't have ever returned and if this had happened in a regular season game I have no doubt that he wouldn't have returned at all. It was a very tough break and clearly impacted the way the 2nd half of that game went, but injuries are a part of the game and this one simply occurred at the worst time possible. That being said, East did what good teams do in that situation and took full advantage of it. Unfortunate yes, excuse for losing no.

[mumbletypeg]

Oh I forgot to tell you I am an 18 yr active official and have worked several state tournaments . I guess you can say I have some expertise.

Point taken. I have played, coached, and officiated the game and understand the difficult nature of officiating basketball games. The game is very fast paced and many calls are judgment calls(block/charge especially) that are completely subjective and often dependent upon the angle the official views the play from. Officiating is a very difficult task and I realize that every time the whistle blows on a 50/50 call half of the people in the gym(assuming both teams are equally represented in the stands) are going to agree and the other half will disagree. Anyways, CPA was clearly the superior team and officiating did not affect the outcome of that game. I just didn't agree with a couple of the calls on Darden even though I was sitting behind the Cheatham bench area and all 3 block/charge calls occurred on the opposite end of the floor. And yes, having 18 years experience as an official does qualify your comments better than simply being a sportswriter even though I have seen some bad officials around for years(not implying that you are one of those as I have no idea who you are). Good luck to CPA next week at MTSU.

[takeahack]

Oh I forgot to tell you I am an 18 yr active official and have worked several state tournaments . I guess you can say I have some expertise.

 

Well we all know that every official that works the state tournament is an expert!    

I think every person that would be honest, even "expert" officials, would agree that block/charge calls can go either way and probably the wrong call is made at least half the time.  I have had one official friend, with more than 18 years experience, tell me that "if you'll just call charge every time that you get it right 90% of the time."   That's how subjective that call is.  The poster said officiating didn't affect the game but he didn't agree with a couple of the calls.  Darden can be a little wreckless and no doubt he was trying to prove his worth against Blackwell, which is not smart, but what a confident player will likely do, especially one that is 17-18.  They don't like to back down.

 

The fact that you, an expert official, said "I saw several more fouls on him that were passed on by the officials probably to keep him in the game" would admit that officials don't make calls on certain individuals to leave them in the game is a shame.

 

I think that goes to the other comment made by the poster about how few fouls were called against CPA.  I have seen CPA several times.  It appears to me that officials let them play way more physical than other teams and seem to be afraid to blow the whistle against them.  Every time I have watched them they have had little to no fouls called on them whiile their opponent gets whistled for every touch.

 

They are a very good team, better than good, and they don't need that help but it is just reality.  Really good players and teams don't get fouls called against them.

 

CPA will easily win another AA State championship.  East might have a chance but really does not have an answer for Blackwell.