SUB-STATE: UNION CITY VS. TCA

[uctfan]

My take.  For the TCA fans....if you have never been in the Union City Gym......it is rather small...and on top of the players....fans that is.  Our students are standing on the out of bounds lines in their cheer section.  The place you will have to sit will hold about 100...maybe a few more....Union City fans take up the upper deck...the lower deck on one side and then from the scorers table down past the Union City Bench.  It is loud.....compact and a very nice gym with LOTS of history and lots of substate / sectional  wins.  I already know your team will be fundamentally sound...been told that.  They will try to play a slow down game....been told that.  Talked to a Mitchell follower who was at the game......good first half....game was over middle of second half.  To much speed and size.  One thing your team will see that you may not have seen all year...is defense.  DEFENSE wins games.....and our pressure will cause you problems.  I hope the refs lets the game go because if hey do...you will need more than 8 players.  Union City will throw 9 - 12 players at you.  Bring your oxygen and should be a great game.  The coaches we have...nothing will get by them.....they have won several GOLD and Silver balls.  We have two other coaches who are former players ( our head coach is also )  So...bring your purple crew on up, we love purple...we love gold, we love our team and one that maybe other than Mitchell, I can promoise you have not seen at all.  Oh, and by the way, you did play Mitchell in your back yard and out of their comfort zone and they still held you to 38 points.  INTERESTING!

Edited February 28, 2015 by ucdiditagain

[yankees8589]

In 1983 Nobody in America thought NC State had a prayer against Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma and Clyde Drexler! On paper, as Yankee says, it was not possible but as Lorenzo Charles(RIP) grabs the air ball and dunks it for game winning basket America became a believer. On that particular night, NC State was the best team and became National Champions. It's not about how they stack up on paper. It's about how they play the game once the ball is tossed in the air.

 

Yankee, you haven't taken into consideration that we played our first 5 games without 7 of our first 8 players due to FB. We barely averaged 34 points per game and had 3 losses. Those low scoring games hurt our averages, etc. Informarion like that is why making statements like you have made are misleading.

actually I did take that into consideration , that's why i listed the last 10 games for each team....i knew that would come up. This is not my first rodeo, i have a pretty good track record with these things. I really do know a lot about basketball at every level....o've been a basketball junkie since i was 10 years old and I mean hardcore too. We can all be wrong as I have been on occasion but i put my track record over the years up against anybodies any day. 

[Intense]

My take. For the TCA fans....if you have never been in the Union City Gym......it is rather small...and on top of the players....fans that is. Our students are standing on the out of bounds lines in their cheer section. The place you will have to sit will hold about 100...maybe a few more....Union City fans take up the upper deck...the lower deck on one side and then from the scorers table down past the Union City Bench. It is loud.....compact and a very nice gym with LOTS of history and lots of substate / sectional wins. I already know your team will be fundamentally sound...been told that. They will try to play a slow down game....been told that. Talked to a Mitchell follower who was at the game......good first half....game was over middle of second half. To much speed and size. One thing your team will see that you may not have seen all year...is defense. DEFENSE wins games.....and our pressure will cause you problems. I hope the refs lets the game go because if hey do...you will need more than 8 players. Union City will throw 9 - 12 players at you. Bring your oxygen and should be a great game. The coaches we have...nothing will get by them.....they have won several GOLD and Silver balls. We have two other coaches who are former players ( our head coach is also ) So...bring your purple crew on up, we love purple...we love gold, we love our team and one that maybe other than Mitchell, I can promoise you have not seen at all. Oh, and by the way, you did play Mitchell in your back yard and out of their comfort zone and they still held you to 38 points. INTERESTING!

I've seen you guys play twice and you do not play defense like Mitchell! You do play very good defense but not like Mitchell. We won't see anything we haven't seen already. Don't press us! You will pay! Mitchell didn't press us. They play outstanding half court defense.

[uctfan]

We have only played with a full, healthy team since about the second week of January so we are ready.  You will beat us at times ( very few but will ) on maybe a back door or a break down somewhere, but we will put a half court defense on you.  You will have to play man and if you zone us....well, the threes will rain on you.  We were beat by South Side the first game of the season ( ONLY Tennessee team period ) by 5 or 6 with three starts out and not even dressed.  Only Humboldt played Union City the closes of ANY single A team ( one out of 4 and we still won by 8 or 10 ) but the other games we blew them out just like everyone else.  Mitchell is a Great team and will beat Humboldt as bad as they want.  You had Mitchell a little nervous to start playing at your place but the tide will turn on you come Tuesday night.  Nothing wrong with confidence in your team as I have in ours.  The other two games we have lost were both and still nationally ranked USA Today teams.  We will make our mistakes, not perfect at all but we DO NOT TURN BALL OVER....    Average about 5 or 7 per game at most.  Our point guard is 6'5"...the other guard is 6'"4.  We can score off the dribble also very well I might add.  A tornado watch has already been issued for TCA and come Tuesday about 6 pm...a WARNING will replace the watch.  Good luck, safe travels and see you at the Marty Sisco "THUNDER DOME".

[uctfan]

I've seen you guys play twice and you do not play defense like Mitchell! You do play very good defense but not like Mitchell. We won't see anything we haven't seen already. Don't press us! You will pay! Mitchell didn't press us. They play outstanding half court defense.

This was in today's Jackson Sun and a quote by your coach.  You will see the same thing from Union City, trust me.  “We hadn’t seen much of the pressure they put on us, and what they do isn’t really comparable to anybody we’d played up to this point,†Northcut said.

[Intense]

This was in today's Jackson Sun and a quote by your coach. You will see the same thing from Union City, trust me. “We hadn’t seen much of the pressure they put on us, and what they do isn’t really comparable to anybody we’d played up to this point,†Northcut said.

I have seen you play! You do not play defense like Mitchell. You play outstanding pressure defense but they play it at another level and by the way ask the Mitchell coach how we play Defense. We held them to one of their 5 lowest scoring games of the year. You haven't seen defense like we play. I saw the LC game in the district tourney and LC played 0 defense!! They scored 70 plus on you guys so it can be done!

[ucvol]

I have seen you play! You do not play defense like Mitchell. You play outstanding pressure defense but they play it at another level and by the way ask the Mitchell coach how we play Defense. We held them to one of their 5 lowest scoring games of the year. You haven't seen defense like we play. I saw the LC game in the district tourney and LC played 0 defense!! They scored 70 plus on you guys so it can be done!

With their point guard who is their best player not playing.

[copenoc]

Easy ..Easy.My Ol Buddy (TCA)..Your way to smart of a guy to really argue your case with UC faithfulls..All you need to know is TCA will bring all they got to the Thunderdome in UC and if they lose by 25 or by 1, you will know they left it all on the floor at the end of the night..I know you saw UC play twice but im telling you man they play so much better at home and yall gonna have a HUGE Mountain to climb beating them at home. .And im just being honest as I can with you..Their is no way I could see Mitchell beating UC at home..Much less TCA..Not that your kids aren't great kids and play with alot of heart but like I told you before. .UC has a sour taste in their mouth and is really wanting another shot at Mitchell. .I believe they want to settle this at the Glass House on a neutral floor and shut all the people up saying they are 20 points better than UC..I cant see it but it could happen. .They gonna have to show me!..I just feel like this game almost needs to happen and everyone would rather see a UC AND MITCHELL FINAL..Other thana TCA and Mitchell final..No offense but you and me both know that TCA CANNOT beat Mitchell. .Please dont take that the wrong way but its a fact..Cant wait to talk with you Tuesday and drive safely.

Edited February 28, 2015 by copenoc

[Purple & Gold Standard]

I'd be very surprised if UC doesn't beat TCA by at least 15 pts...

 

If they hit the three like they have been, it will be worse than that.....When you have Deberry,  Stockdale, Stewart, Simpson and Sisco on the floor you have to guard every square inch of the halfcourt because they will put it up from anywhere...Polk, Moffitt and Bumpus add length and depth...

 

This team isn't the smothering defensive bunch some are used to from UC but they play very well on that end...Cat quick and fast...Jump out of the building...Athletic and very well coached...Will be in a somewhat tight game and you look up and they have put a 20-2 run on you...The last half of the season they have finally all been healthy and more importantly have seemed to learn to play better together after adding Stewart to the mix...This team can win a game in the mid 50's to low 60's or 80's...This team really should have only lost one game this season (Life Center Acd)...The Tornadoes played the SS game without Moffitt,Bumpus and Reid due to football and Donte Simpson with a bad ankle...Deberry was coming off a knee injury in a preseason scrimmage and Parker Stewart broke his wrist early in that game wih UC up 9-2 at the time...The Poplar Bluff game was ridiculous...

 

UC doesn't lose at this level at home...The Siscos have only lost one...That an OT thriller to a Mem Carver team led by sharp-shooter Maurice Cannon back in the late 80's...

[Intense]

With their point guard who is their best player not playing.

I assume you are referring to Mitchell? Martin is their best player and he played. Echols is one of their three best players. He did not play.

[Intense]

Easy ..Easy.My Ol Buddy (TCA)..Your way to smart of a guy to really argue your case with UC faithfulls..All you need to know is TCA will bring all they got to the Thunderdome in UC and if they lose by 25 or by 1, you will know they left it all on the floor at the end of the night..I know you saw UC play twice but im telling you man they play so much better at home and yall gonna have a HUGE Mountain to climb beating them at home. .And im just being honest as I can with you..Their is no way I could see Mitchell beating UC at home..Much less TCA..Not that your kids aren't great kids and play with alot of heart but like I told you before. .UC has a sour taste in their mouth and is really wanting another shot at Mitchell. .I believe they want to settle this at the Glass House on a neutral floor and shut all the people up saying they are 20 points better than UC..I cant see it but it could happen. .They gonna have to show me!..I just feel like this game almost needs to happen and everyone would rather see a UC AND MITCHELL FINAL..Other thana TCA and Mitchell final..No offense but you and me both know that TCA CANNOT beat Mitchell. .Please dont take that the wrong way but its a fact..Cant wait to talk with you Tuesday and drive safely.

Cope, I wouldn't expect anything but confidence coming from you and the UC faithful. This group has had a great three year run but so has TCA's Senior group. Our group of Seniors have won on the football field and basketball court. This will be the 3rd Substate game for these Seniors in 4 years. All have been away. We have gone to LC, Humboldt and now UC. LC was a very hostile environment 3 years ago and so was Humboldt 2 years ago. The Junior Group has been there as well and has a couple of players that have played pretty high level travel ball. Two of our Juniors will be playing on the same AAU team that Deberry and Simpson played on last year. Our 6'7" kid possibly may play as well. They are still evaluating him. You will face a very, very good group of guards! They handle pressure very well. One of the guards will be the fastest player on the court and can jump out of the gym, another guard is just so fundamental in his play it's scary. Third guard is a shooter but is mainly our defensive stopper. He's super athletic. He has no fear and can guard big or small. I think Smith, our 6'1" Senior will matchup well with Stockdale. He has been our leading scorer in the postseason but more importantly he has defended well and is a fierce rebounder. He was one of our best LB's in FB. He's very physical. He can also shoot the three. Our big man is Pagoaga. He's a 6'4" leaping Junior that is very, very strong. Heck of a DE in football. He is a rebounding machine! He needs work on his post game but is very athletic. I think those 5 matchup real well against your starters. We will play man to man. We don't change based on who we are playing. If we lose playing you man to man then you will haven't beaten us at what we do best. Our bench is one of our strengths. Our 6'7" kid causes a lot of problems for opposing teams. He has extremely long arms and blocks a lot of shot and changes a lot of shots. He blocked 3 or 4 against Mitchell. His mom is a UC graduate! We have a guard off the bench who started most of the year and he can rain 3's from downtown UC! He's also a great defender and good ball handler. Other kid off the bench is Mr Football, our QB. His mom is also a UC graduate! He is a solid 6'2" post player who is extremely fundamental and has uncanny post moves. He is also a great passer from the post(can't imagine why he would be a good passer). We can go 10 deep if needed. My only fear is that we sometimes get to jacking up too many threes and it hurts us sometimes. If we stay away from that we will be ok. Well Cope, that's an overview of our team. I think UC fans are going to be surprised at the level of play from TCA. I've known for years that this group would eventually make it this far and now it's here and next year......look out! We will be back again! Look forward to meeting you Cope! Good luck. It should be a fun game to watch.

Edited February 28, 2015 by TCAIntense

[Galilee]

TCA will play hard but they must make this a half court game. They do not have the speed to run with UC. We ran really well on them without Echols. If they slow it down a be patient they could go into the fourth qtr with a chance to steal one. They have a tough road in front of them. Cope you will love INT he knows his stuff. I just hope we can take care of Humbdolt in the "Black Hole" on Tuesday