opinions on unaka basketball

[hablogarbaje]

i saw the thread for cosby basketball and i thought i would try to start a conversation on unaka basketball. i thought the boys played hard last night, and i think that if they will hang tough and keep playing hard that they will be able to turn the corner.......the good folks on the creek just need to be patient and let this youthful squad continue to develop.......and hats off to cosby,- they have a very good, very quick team that can shoot the lights out if they get hot......so folks don't think that these boys have been playing a bunch of pushovers. only time will tell, but i really believe that they will be fine......keep playing hard boys.

[justwatchin]

Hats off to you Hablo, my sentiment exactly. Unaka is a good team. With a little time I think their game together will begin to gel. Hopefully, they won't get discourgaged. I heard Rustys mom say last night that he was at the doctor yesterday with bronchitis and Norm's mom said he was playing sick also. This team is a good bunch of kids. I think after Christmas, we'll see good things from them. However, I do think they need a little more encouragement from the coach. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he needs to baby them.He's a good coach and I understand he's only trying to make better players out of them, but ya know, you get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, if you get my drift.

[Edited by justwatchin on 12-11-02 11:53A]

[cacadeltoro]

honey is not the only thing that draws flies if you know what i mean did not watch cosby game went to valley and dog game and now i must give uhs a little less bashing because as bad as they have been these two are sick how did uhs lose to hv county ball in carter bad bad bad so can

[justwatchin]

Yea caca, I know what ya mean by the flies. They immediately started buzzing around my computer as soon as I opened this thread and started reading YOUR reply.

[creekercalhoun]

Dont sugar coat it, the boys are tough enough to handle it. So lets leave it alone, theyll be fine.

[Raven1]

Rome wasn't built in a day. It took years and years but when it was finished, there was something to behold. Building a basketball team takes time, too. Unaka has lost the bulk of the team that was successful last year and is starting over. Given time and support from the fans they will be ready at tournament time and that's all that the regular season is designed to do. Gets you ready to play in the district, regional, sub-state, and state. It matters not what you do during the regular season. You can go undefeated and end up losing that first district game and you're history. You then spend the summer talking about "how it could've been." It's not how you start that counts but how you finish.There's nothing wrong with Unaka Basketball; they are progressing as to be expected.

[Edited by Raven1 on 12-12-02 9:48A]

[chill]

Matchup problems occur both ways. Not only do smaller teams struggle matching up with big teams, but a lot of times, big teams can't guard teams that rely on speed and ball movement. Most single A teams aren't blessed with a lot of size, so to assume that a bigger team is going to dominate a small team just because of their size doesn't always hold up. Unaka has outstanding players, but it's the coach's job to put the lineup on the floor that he thinks gives them the best chance to win and to build a strong program for the future. Also, to play a bunch of seniors over younger guys because their older is not a smart strategy. He's got to think of the program down the road and not just this year. That might cost them some wins now, but what's important is developing all the players that you can early so you will have depth and continuity in your program from year to year and at tourney time. No one wants to have to start from scratch every year. Unaka is a dominate force in single A, and I'm sure they will continue to be. ps - Give the ball to the Rock......

[starman]

I must reply to this thread because I feel the need to do so. I admire Coach Ensor for the schedule he plays. If we had played the schedule that some teams do we would be undefeated. He chooses to play much better teams so his team will be tournament tested when the end of season rolls around. The last two games at Sulllivan East and Cosby they have played very well. The have breakdowns at times but you do that with two juniors & three sophomores on the floor with only one Senior on the team. You can see them starting to progress. We pushed the panic button last season when we were well below 500 at Christmas. You back a wounded dog into the corner and soon he will come out and bite you on the rump. This will be the case with Unaka. Around the middle of January and early February wait and see how they are playing. With the schedule they are playing a good season would be 12 wins. But I will make a prediction. They play their tails off every night. Call me crazy but I plan on going to Murfreesboro to watch them play. I have confidence in this group of kids and I predict great things for the Rangers by seasons end. I would rather go 10-20 and go the the Boro than to go 20 - 5 and be ranked in some fan poll and stay at home. Be patient with this group, they played awful against Happy Valley. But the last two games have been a complete turn around. Support this group. They are a very good group of kids.

[Edited by coachtdog on 12-12-02 12:28P]

[Edited by coachtdog on 12-12-02 12:30P]

[tincup]

I agree with CoachTdog. I look for Unaka to step things up quite a bit when they get into conference play with the experience that they are getting now. I am not a Unaka fan and I haven't seen them play this year. But I have seen these boys play from the other side of the coaches bench for quite a few years now. They play hard every night out and Coach Ensor does a great job with the program. They are only going to get better. Chambers and Collins have always been winners and know how to win. Unaka will be right in the thick of things come February. Size may be a problem but effort makes up for a lot. Don't count them out because of their tough schedule early. I think that you only get better by playing a tough schedule. Remember Leon Tolley's Hampton team that went to the state championship game in the early 80's? Jerry played a difficult schedule that year and didn't have very many wins but they ended up playing for all the marbles in the end. Just keep your heads up and support the team each night. Fan support makes a lot of difference to a team like this one.

[creekercalhoun]

Dont jump the gun on Unaka.