Unaka defeats University High again!

[starman]

Talked about a packed house, you couldn't have gotten another sardine into the Ranger gym tonight. Final score

Unaka 64 University High 53. Game was exciting and the crowd was vocal. We even had a health class during the game as several UH fans were pointing at their anatomy. One gentlemen from UH had stolen some Unaka warmups only to have the cops tell him to remove his pants during the game. He came back inside with a different pair on to the delight of the Ranger faithful. The crowd played a big factor in the win. It was fun on Stoney Creek tonight.

[rolltideroll]

It was a heck of a game on Stoney Creek. Nothing like the comforts of the lovely Snavely Gymnasium, personally one of my favorite places in Carter County. And what hospitality those Unaka fans showed to their Watauge Valley Conference friends. It kind of makes you all warm and fuzzy all down deep inside.

 

I thought the whole warm-up pants episode was rather humorous. Unaka and University High are class acts- the sign language between fans was absolutely marvelous. It was nice to see former Rangers like Dustin Collins acting in a very upright manner telling the University High fans they were #1 about every other minute. I couldn't see the UH fans, but I am sure they were all smiles and class too.

 

There will always be a special little place down in the bottom of my stomach for University High and there good pals Unaka.

 

---As for the game, both teams were evenly matched Unaka just done the little things better. There was about a three minute period in the 4th quarter that the officials didn't call anything on Unaka and everything on UH- but thats what makes Snavely the bundle of sunshine that it is. I may have been wrong the other day when I said "times were a changin'"...when a WVC team gets a win at Snavely then they might but there is alot to overcome there amongst the dangling car keys, blind officials, and overall politeness of Stoney Creek, but the Rangers handled there business and now Cloudland's coming...be careful what you wish for...

[hablogarbaje]

round about this time every year when you and yoda get back from cruising the universe you start in hot and heavy and prove to all of us that space travel does truly warp your sense of reality. either that or you've been hibernating like i thought and still haven't jabbered yourself fully awake yet. sorry man, i just don't take "class" lectures very well coming from anyone from roan mountain. i'm not saying that that nobody up there has any, i am just saying that, despite the colder climate, the lander faithful can get all worked up and show their posterior side just as well as anyone else. so you keep your pants on.

 

now for you to talk about home-cookin at Snavely is just preposterous. after the free-throw discrepency on the mountain barely one week ago. come on. stop the denial. join HA today (hypocrite's anonymous) and let's get you on the road to recovery. and don't give us that lame aaron dugger shot 25 for 29 from the line once la la la la crap...there is a VERY SIMPLE explanation for that: the RANGERS HAD THE LEAD! cloudland had to foul so the rangers kept getting the ball to their best player. makes sense to me. you? i was at that game and i'll bet that he shot at least 12 of those in last 2 minutes. i've got other defenses for this argument, but i will hang on to them for now until i see if you actually try to use it again, ridiculous as it is. now back to last week, there is no way that unaka should be able to press aggressively for the entire game and have that many fouls called almost exclusively in their half-court defense. i could have half-way understood the discrepancy had unaka been whistled a little more in their full-court press...but the way that the calls came was just a bit odd....oh well, that's all agua under the bridge now....just wanted to point out a tad expound on some of the finer points of your last post....may the force be with you or whatever.

[rolltideroll]

Hablo, good buddy, it looks like you have been hanging on every syllable that I have been saying during my 4 hundred and thirty some posts and I am kind of flattered (maybe I will get an opening for secretary one day, then I will call you). Yeah, you are right, about ever year this time I get the great pleasure of going to Snavely and realizing how much I love that place. If I could I would by property and build a condo next to the football field so I could walk up the steps and be in the gym every morning as I lumbered to the bathroom...

 

I will retire my 25 for 29 argument, but I could pick up about 10 other arguments to take its place, but I won't cause it is water under the bridge. And about 8 of those 10 times had absolutely no impact on the outcome of the game.

 

It should be a good game in a few weeks. Unaka really has it all together. Behind their senior leadership and the congruency with the coaching staff they will be tough to handle, but I have to believe that the Landers have got more guns and if they get them out of the holster it should be interesting...well worth the 4 dollars toward the "Unaka We NEED a Better P.A. System Fund"

 

I am sure the Cloudland fans throw down and let you see their side of the mountain every now and then too, I was just pointing out the obvious, personally I rather enjoyed watching former prodigy's make an arse out of themselves...thats what makes Snavely like Six Flags over Stoney Creek, what would the circus be without the clowns? (or maybe I should say Rodeo without Clowns since we are talking about the identity crisis of Stoney Creek). What are you talking about Hablo- Cloudland is just as fine educational institution that Unaka is- we realized that they weren't playing football in the 4th quarter too, but we didn't feel the need to chant it out.

 

I just get riled up this time of the year for about a month, all will be well again in about mid-February and then we can put all the Star Wars stuff aside and post like the good friends we are Hablo, but until then you will be getting no Pen Pal correspondence from me, and I won't be straddling the fence, I will be throwing rocks toward the other side till the games are settled, for better or worse...

[cacadeltoro]

hey rolltide imagine me showing you my fist and only one finger up maybe all those gestures you mentioned were for you and not uh so

[volleyballer8]

is this rolltideroll guy some sort of freak about wanting to live on Goddard field???

[hablogarbaje]

rolltide, mi amigo, i just have to point out to you the explanation for my mere one hundred and sixty-something posts: i got a job. sorry man. no secretary postion wanted or needed here. nor could i maintain your schedule of sleeping all day and coachT-ing all night, as it would interfere with aforementioned job....but hats off to the 400+ posts,- and don't worry about the good marks...you keep pluggin away at it and they will come....

 

as for your sincere love for our facilities i will take this opportunity to remind you that the feelings are absolutely mutual....and yes, buddy, this is the most wonderful time of the year....

 

tune in for this week's episode of "everybody hates unaka", starring you...the storyline for this weeks episode is simple,- unaka is still hated even when their record is a bit weaker than is has been in recent years. the reason? simple. YA'LL AREN'T THERE YET. we heard all this same song and dance from you last season. now my memory's not too good these days, so remind me,- how did that go? oh i think i remember now. your boys couldn't cash that check could they. but here you go writing them again....oh well. you may be right, but it is a bit early.

 

i just can't resist though. "cloudland has more weapons than unaka?" was there a mid-season trade or something?

 

so you woke up feeling boisterous, fine. try to maintain a touch of reason, though. now i am going to go and wait for you to respond. however, i will probably have to wait till after you eat breakfast though (around 11:30 pm). man your schedule is killing me. i'm afraid i'm gonna get fired. but, that's what dedication is all about.....

[Edited by hablogarbaje on 2-3-03 10:47A]

 

[starman]

Don't it make one proud when you can be around the 500 mark and everyone still counts it an honor when they defeat you. The most amazing thing is, that one would think when you lose 60 points per game from 4 senior starters, leadership and all the things that made last years team successful, we would be at the bottom of the pit, but not so my friend. The last time I checked was if we win at home next Tuesday we clinch no worse than a tie for the conference championship, (I think that would be 6 in a roll of course we shared one) which we might do this year. I make no predictions other than to say hats off to a group of boys who no one give snowballs chance in Hawaii chance of winning the league this year. This league and District 2 better lick their chops this year because we won't be saying goodbye to this years group next season. And rolltide as for my man hablo his knowledge compared to most is like comparing a BMW to a Ford Escort. He's first class and a die hard Ranger, one who the players respect and look up to a great deal. Remember Rolltideroll this is tournament time and the big ben of basketball has set off his alarm. Whose the team that will respond to the wake-up call?

[Edited by coachtdog on 2-3-03 10:54A]

 

[rolltideroll]

Glad to see some type of intelligence back on the board again. By the way, whats the deal with the growing Spanish speaking Stoney Creek Coach T'ers. I thought it was a Pizza Plus at the bottom of the Creek, not El Chico's.

 

I am sorry that my late nights and early mornings don't fit your busy schedule Hablo, but I bestow my infinite wisdom whenever I get the chance, and as for good marks, I don't really care, I am not here to make friends, I am here to talk basketball and other nonsense.

 

Now for Basketball... Unaka is not where they have been in the past, but fortunately the rest of the conference isn't either- so things still look somewhat the same. Cloudland is more talented than Unaka due to the fact that they have talent that fills every position from Point Guard to Center. Unaka is a team of one good PG and the rest are small forwards...whether that is a good or bad thing, we will have to wait and see.

 

Cloudland has more leadership than Unaka, but that is obvious. I have thought that a couple of times this year that Ensor was going to decapitate Arnold, but the kid brings it on his self.

 

Tuesday will be a good game. Snavely is one of the toughest places to play due to alot of factors. This is why I adorn it with my utmost sincere admiration.

 

I won't be writing any checks this year, and I don't think I wrote any last year...Unaka is decent, Cloudland is decent: we will just have to wait till the next episode to see who pulls it out.

 

Blaize, maybe Gordon was matching Bird for Birds, which is really not right for a coach to be doing. But the guy has actually finally learned to coach somewhat, but he is still probably the worst coach in the conference.

 

I was meaning to address someone about rolling away, but I can't remember who it was, I guess there not important.

 

Volleyballer- FREAKZILLA baby, Goddard Field get ready for construction.

 

Until the next coffee break Hablo, I'll be waiting...

[hablogarbaje]

you folks have men in skirts stopping by the watering hole for a "pint of ale", while we have an ever growing spanish speaking population here in coacht-land....what's the big deal with that? you're not narrow minded are you? and have you been to any pizza plus lately? it's not like they ban the spanish speaking. i mean, i've never seen a sign or anything. i'm starting to feel discriminated against...

 

now about the rangers. i just can't buy into the argument that cloudland is more talented because they have a well-suited player for each postion. there are two reasons. first, because this isn't true. they don't. no one else in east tn does either, and at the risk of being redundant, the landers are no exception...second, of course the rangers don't have every single postion covered, but you know what, they haven't had that in years!!! unaka has never had a team built around a dominant post player. the teams with burrow, campbell, wilson, snavely, minton, blevins, scalf, dugger, cole, collins, et. al.....never a dominant post player. never five perfectly suited for their respective postions. some great players, though. and this is not an insult. there are a lot of NBA teams that don't have this, just wanted to point it out because it kinda dismantles your argument (one that i've heard before,- deja vu perhaps?). in fact, that's why the rangers play the style that they play. and it has yielded success in the past, and i feel that it will in the future. a great class graduated last year, and this team is young. but we've all seen it isn't the end of the world,- our boys are coming around. teams change and come and go....that's why you gotta have a program. not saying anyone else doesn't.....just saying i believe that's where the emphasis is on the creek. it takes some pretty darn good teams to build a successful program. then the craziest thing can happen,- the program can start to build the team....a program can feed on itself....that's why the boys on the creek will not relent...

 

now, a pg and four small forwards? fine by me. but you said that,- i didn't. that really isn't true. the jones kid has improved tremendously and continues to do so. people in the watauga valley will know this kid if they don't already. i've liked what i have seen of him.

 

i don't mind talking about this,- heck i love it. but keep tryin' cause i still ain't buyin'....(still working on my jesse jackson impersonation).

 

well, looks like coffee breaks over. gotta get back to working for the man.....

[Edited by hablogarbaje on 2-4-03 9:56A]

[Edited by hablogarbaje on 2-4-03 9:59A]

 

[rolltideroll]

I guess we could both go on the relentless finer points of our two respective teams and while it may be fun, I guess we will just have to wait seven days and see. Personally I can't wait to make the trip to Stoney Creek (and I am being serious this time) the atmosphere should be crazy. Heck I might show up during the girls JV game just to have front row and center doing my part in making more noise than the Ranger faithful- which will be hard to accomplish, no doubt.

 

Player for player there are some good matchups -

 

Byrd vs. Collins-

is one probably the most key matchup as far a defensive stand point from Cloudland cause Collins has the potential to change the face of the game, but Byrd is probably one of the most clutch kids and natural athletes to ever come through Carter County in any sport. About equal in basketball.

 

Chambers vs. Johnson/Gouge or whoever

Chambers is probably the most detrimental player on the Unaka team- if he plays well Unaka usually wins but if he does not, they struggle. He is not the scorer I thought he would blossom into but he still is who everyone looks to follow on the Rangers team. Johnson is a major 3-point threat when he is hot and he can shoot better than any player that will be on the floor next Tuesday with the exception of maybe Cody Collins which might be equal. Gouge hasn't been able to step on offense much this year for the Lander, but he is one of the defenders on the floor.

 

Cooke/Stocton vs. Arnold and bevy of sophomores-

Cooke and Stocton are 2 players very capable of putting up 20 pts. if they get the touches. Cooke is probably the most underrated player in the conference. Arnold tends to hurt the Rangers more than help them, but he has been through some battles in the past and has experience. I was really impressed with McInturf and Cline- they both have the potential to blossom into very good players. This matchup is the battle of the X-factors.

 

Tolley vs. Jones-

While Jones may be maturing into a good player, there is no way he can possibly matchup with Tolley even own his worst night. But that is not a put down of Jones, most people just don't realize how good Tolley is. If he had a fire and passion that matched his ability he would average 35 a night, but he just goes through the motions but fortunately the motions for him are averaging about 22 pts a game in some time limited minutes to other players who would average that much.

 

Unaka bench vs. Cloudland bench-

As usual Cloudland utilizes its bench very little, but both teams have relatively a short list of players who can step on the floor and not hurt the team- if someone steps up this could be big, especially in the case of foul trouble which I expect there to be some major foul trouble and some key players sitting through the third quarter.

 

I know you won't agree with me Hablo, but this is the first time that I can ever remember that Cloudland had more matured weapons that Unaka. I mean the past 5 to 6 years the Ranger teams have been unreal compared to everybody else, this year they are on par at the same level as UH and Cloudland. Obviously they pulled off 2 big wins against UH, so maybe they will supercede expectations, but it is still a long winding road for all 3 aforementioned teams, and the stop at Snavely next week will be like a rest stop on the interstate when it comes to the big picture, but the outright #1 seed in the District will be big this year due to the fact that UH is somewhat stable unlike in the past and you don't want to be #2 playing #3, and North Greene looks pretty darn good...

 

..and by the way hablo, I am not discriminating,you keep your sombrero and I will keep the kilt (if I had one) and keep hitting the ale watering-hole...dang hablo, I think after 3 days of posting we are getting civilized a little bit- I need a vist to Snavely again quick, so I can refresh my dislike...(that always does the trick, like a flashback)

[Guest KillsAndThrills]

Good point rolltide. I think the matchups you had were very good execpt on the Jones/Tolley remark. As for you saying people don't relieze how good Tolley is, most people don't know how good Jones is either. I mean they are pretty evenly matched but I see it as a good matchup. The game should be interesting and I look forward to seeing the outcome of this brutal battle as I predict the Rangers to take the game seeing as how its in Snavley Gym and Unaka's looking for revenge. Too close to call, what do you say?