YES OR NO?

[Indian]

"Because they are being punished for following the rules"

 

How are you being punished?

[sportsguy1]

They are being forced to go to a division that they didn't choose to be in. That is the main problem. They have done nothing wrong. And with only sixty teams in all do you really think that they will split up class in sports like soccer. And probably not in basketball either. There are 100 schools in each of the basketball classes now in DI. It is hardly fair to throw the privates that can't recruit against the ones who can.

[Indian]

"They are being forced to go to a division that they didn't choose to be

in. That is the main problem. They have done nothing wrong. And with

only sixty teams in all do you really think that they will split up class in

sports like soccer. And probably not in basketball either. There are 100

schools in each of the basketball classes now in DI. It is hardly fair to

throw the privates that can't recruit against the ones who can."

 

With that many teams there would be enough for at least 2 classes in Division II (everything except football which being on Fridays could deal with a tad more travel). three classes in Division II might even be an option-schedule the nearby teams during the week and the ones a little further away on Fridays and Saturdays. In Chattanooga, a large school basketball/softball/baseball district might include Notre Dame, Baylor and McCallie/GPS, with a small school class having Boyd-Buchanan, Temple, Grace, Chattanooga Christian, Collegedale (for golf and cross-country I think), Silverdale and Brainerd Baptist if they have 9-12 sports. They could be in a region with Webb, Knoxville Catholic and CAK. Who are you worried about playing in the postseason, current Division II teams like BGA? That's about all I can think if you're a currently Division I private playing 1A, since the Super 7 teams would be in the largest class of probably 3. I don't like the label either LOL but it's easy to use it to identify those Big Bad Wolves like I said on another thread. Two or three of the largest other privates might fit in with them, like Notre Dame, Briarcrest and Lipscomb since none of those is too much smaller than Baylor. BTW, on travel-it wouldn't be significantly worse than now for private schools, since East, Nashville, Middle and West/Memphis regions could be set up with 40 or more teams playing.

[Sequatchie]

NO!!

[RHSfan]

Chakra20,

You said " Just for your information. Coach Smith didnt really start winning until he instituted the spread offense and had kids that could run it. Not just athletically but could grasp the syastem as well. Thats just my opinion tho".

 

If you will think about it, your statement helps prove a point that the public supporters have been saying all along. Coach Smith didn't start winning until he had GOOD athletes who could run his offense and they had to be SMART enough to understand the system. He appearently didn't have those athletes until he started coaching at a private school. Why is that?

 

Why do all the hard working athletes and coaches wind up at private schools?

 

I don't think they do. I think that the hard work excuse has been overused to cover up the real reason some of the privates do so well. Just think about it.

[Chakra20]

All i know as an outsider and not member of the team is that Coacht Smith and his assistants are a great group. But not only coaching but motivating. This team seems very motivated and extemely smart to run the system they do. It is very complex and bascally has limitless options as far as plays. The kids do have to have some intellectual talent to be able to grasp the system but they also have some pretty good athletes as well.

 

Im not sure he ever even tried to use this offense at the other schools he coached at or if it was something he was working on during that time. If memory serves me right they didnt run this same style of offense his first year. I would be the first to admit there are some built in advanatges to having kids from a strustured disciplined enviroment as the kids you are teaching.

 

The thing is to me is that the public schools where the one to fail, and it wasnt anything the privates rteally did except go about their business like they have been doing since the 70's. Ezell has always had pretty good athletes but we just never had a really good coach from about 1990's when the Keatons left and took the Nashville CHristian job we never had solid coaching.

 

I also dont think that all the hard working coaches and players wind up at private schools, that would be a slap in the face of too many really hardworking dedicated people to say that. I think it has alot to do with enviroment where being good at things from athletics to academics is expected as the norm.

 

As far as recruiting and things of that nature im sure family and students do a fine job of that for them. That would be expected but as far as coaches going out and saying :Hey this kid can really play" at some the local middle schools i think is a little ridiculous. A majority of the kids live within 10 miles of the school and have attended Ezell for a very very long time. They have lost athletes as well that have went to other schools and really played well for that school.

 

Many people seem to think its some kind of Athletic Factory but ill tell you there are a few more things going on there than that. From Bible Class Everyday to Chapel to Academics that have to be their first priority in order to get butts in the seats and try to survive as an independent school. While i dont think they actively recruit know i do think they will in the future maybe even before next year.

 

I have said this before and i will state it here again this is the most talented group of athletes they have ever had go through in their senior class. They had a few last year but they have 5-7 players that could play on the next level in this class at varying levels.

 

What do you think is the reason some of them have had sucess? I will gurantee you it wasnt because of any of the adminstrators of the school recruiting. Leave that out because everyone tried to use it but without proof its just hearsay.