Division 2 basketball

[dpg123]

So, it seems as if Father Ryan is back in the driver's seat in division 2 after winning two more games down in Memphis--defeating ECS and a weak Briarcrest team. Doesn't look like anyone's gonna be able to de-thrown the Irish. We'll see what happens once tourney time starts though. i'm excited to see if the Irish can win it again.

[gomab2]

Father Ryan has already beaten both Christian Brothers and ECS this year...... along with the other two Memphis teams, a very good Goodpasture team, and a very good AAA Northeast team.... Ryan's been my #1 since the preseason, and will continue to be......

[gandolf]

Daniel2023, you need to know that Ryan beat both CBHS and MUS last weekend. Two consecutive weekends in Memphis and 4 wins- not a bad start for the Irish. Wish a game with Harding was on the schedule- they seem to be a good team.

[mhalionboy03]

Harding is the only Large school from the West that FRHS hasn't beaten, but they won't get the chance until March. I agree that, for now, the Irish are in the driver's seat to defend their championship, but let's not inscribe the name in the trophy just yet. Despite the loss of key seniors Matt Shansky and Jan Williams, I think Harding has actually improved on last year's team. Senior John Bradford is the difference. Matt Shansky was a great leader on the court and had the ability to dominate the boards. John Bradford has stepped up big time to fill that hole. In this early season, he is averaging a double-double. He's big, aggressive, and, best of all, he has an outside shot and he's not afraid to use it. Teams expect him to play down low, and then he pops up a three-pointer to open up his inside lanes. He is tough to stop when he drives in and he is a great rebounder. I think that he is Harding's most improved player. Bradford is Harding's only weapon, however. Senior Trey Williams is a standout player and can make big-time shots. He's powerful enough to force his way inside and grab the rebounds that Bradford misses and he has a beautiful jumper. In the pre-season, Trey was honored by the Commercial Appeal as the #8 Senior in Shelby-Metro. Don't brush off this squad this early in the season. Their only loss this year has been to Haywood County, who by the way is probably the best 3-point shooting team I have ever seen. The Lions already won a big game against Bishop Byrne, which was a great confidence builder. This Saturday will be another DII test for the Lions, when they face Brentwood Academy at the Bartlett Holiday Shootout. Harding will also be taking a Christmas vacation to Centralia, Illinois, home of the winningest basketball program in the nation for a tournament, and then to Disney World for a New Year's Tourney. These should prove to be good experience for the Lions before the real season begins on Jan. 17.

GO LIONS!!!

[mofototo50]

If it works out right and there arent any upsets come tournament time, It will be Hading-Father Ryan, and not disrespecting Ryan, but they only beat a mediocore MUS team by 2 and Ryan Baum(mus best player) only scored 4 points. This is also the MUS team that only beat Catholic by 2, so go figure. They best a weak briacrest team(because they are so young) and a overrated ECS team. Harding is playing awesome, i eman 4 guys scored double-figures against BYrne the other night and Tre Williams wasnt one of them. This team has mor edepth than anybody in D2 right now and that will prove good the next three weekends!

[GaryKnows]

Father Ryan is very overrated, or at least right now. They beat a very mediocre team in Goodpasture and above decent Clarksville Northeast team. To save their face, going to Memphis back to back weekends is rough especially when you play two games each weekend. The roads are paved though for Harding and Ryan to meet each other in March. However anything can happen from now til then (evidence of DII west regionals last year). But as I was saying, having 4 seniors in the top 100 according to Gomab is ludicrous. Thompson is inconsistent, Bills is a player, Carney has shown some flashes, and Griffith is ok, but all deserving to be in the top 100? Come on.

[frhsrules]

Go Irish...We know we are not the team from last year...BUT we do know this: If we finished 3 seed out of D2 middle, and people were saying how bad we were...we would still fight to pull the upset in the playoffs...I guess we are beginning to see who the real teams are: Harding Academy....and I'm sure many will follow....There is NO WAY FRHS could beat Harding...but we will try...Father Ryan is not even in Harding's league...but we will try to somehow win

[gomab2]

Father Ryan is not overrated...... Any team that is as well-coached, and plays defense the way Ryan does is not overrated..... They are 7-0 with wins over 2 of Memphis' 3 best D-II teams, a win over Nashville's best Class A team (Goodpasture), and a win over a very good AAA team in Northeast..... I heard the same things from time to time last year about Ryan, and was ridiculed when I put Ryan as a Top 3 team in the State, any class, and the Top team in Middle Tennessee, but they succeeded time and time again..... I love the way Ryan plays!!!!!! As for their Seniors: this is a very strong class....Griffith is the only borderline Top 100 Senior, and he is near the lower part of that list..... Thompson may be the best shooter in the State, and has a Division One offer, Bills is playing as good as any player in Nashville right now, and Carney is a very solid, dependable player, that can really stroke the three..... I have much respect for Father Ryan....

[oldcoacht1950]

Ryan is not particularly tall, doesn't have any big-time talent, and most people think they are overrated since they lost their star player from last year, Billy May. I watched their games last year, and have seen them play this year. Every team they have played looks better than Ryan when they come out to warm up, but all that changes when they start the game. You cannot practice against the type of defense you see in the game. Nobody plays defense like Ryan does, and that will help them defeat you. They may not be as good as the team from last year, but they may be good enough. They have a high power Christmas tournament that includes Columbia and Stratford, and they play Oakland this Friday. You may know more about them by the first of the year.

[dpg123]

Hey Gomab, i got one question for you. How can you say that Griffith is one of the top 100 players in the mid-state when he doesn't even start on Ryan's team. Two other seniors, Dylan Lynch and Jeff DeGraauw finish out the Irish's starting line-up. Lynch is the point guard and obvious leader of the team and DeGraauw is the hardest working player in the mid-state. I wish the Irish good luck this year, but i agree it'll be tough to beat Harding. Hopefully we'll see that game sometime throughout this year.

[TheEgoHasLanded]

Harding needs to worry about ECS before they start worrying about Ryan...I predicted that Harding would lose to ECS last year...and I saw with my own two eyes as Harding did lose. ECS has go to players in Matt Lea and Josh Meeks...Harding counters with Bradford and Williams...ECS has a center who disrupts shots in the middle and Harding won't be able to drive. I am probably the only non bias poster so far on this thread besides Gomab, and Harding definitely needs to worry about ECS.

 

Ryan is the real deal...those guys play hard, play great D, can shoot the 3, and have one of the best coaches in the state in Bontrager...I don't know if they have 3 top 100 players in the state or not, I only saw them play once...but those guys play awesome D, and held BCS to 13 points at halftime.

[Irish40]

So Ego, did ECS already Beat Harding this year, or are you just predicting it?