White Station versus DB

[bhsbaseball]

G'town was national champs in '95, and housotn did have a a guy go in the first round, his name was matt cain. And they will likely have 2 guy over the next 2 years go early in the draft

[Stokomo]

It both helps and hurts their recreational programs. Just wonder if Marc Gasol was forced to stay at White Station and then played for them. How much better would they have been with him? The Memphis Metro area just has a LOT of inner-city kids that do nothing but play basketball 24-7. They have basketball courts open 24 hours a day so kids can play instead of getting into trouble. Our kids around the Tri-Cities will get run-off or arrested if they play past dusk dark. Basketball is just a bigger emphasis there than it is here. Naturally you will have better talent develop. East TN has held their own for years, but a trend is setting the place towards Memphis because of the BIG-TIME politics with all these business interests of the NBA. I'm not blaming or saying that it is wrong. What would you do if you have a chance to get-out and take your whole family with you from the GHETTO if you become great at basketball. Before you answer.......put yourself in the GHETTO or go to the GHETTO and see how they live. No-one ever knows what someone is going through until you can place your feet in their SHOES. God Bless!!!!

PS....Great article firefly........the reason is politics. So many businesses put the money into the Memphis area because of the return on their investment years down the road. Penny Hardaway gives thousands back to the Memphis area where he grew-up. So it's typical...the more money you have to better your area, the better your area becomes...

[Edited by Stokomo on 3-24-03 6:43P]

 

[Opperman]

Posted by joeyblack50:

Memphis is the only part of Tennessee that doesn't have school lines drawn. Kingsport, Johnson City, Greeneville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville all have school lines drawn and have to pay tuition for anybody that goes over those lines. Memphis however does not have those lines and can pull kids from anywhere in west tennessee or from anywhere else for that matter. West tennessee should either draw lines or Whitestation should become a private school and go play against oakhill and lebron james' team.

Everybody knows I'm right.

 

WRONG. ALL WRONG.

 

Memphis does have school zones. The only difference for open enrollment is that, if a school has space, you can go to another school and you don't have to give a reason for it. Anybody who does not live within the city limits of Memphis has to pay tuition to go to school in the city, and they are automatically behind EVERY city student in line for open enrollment slots. And unless they have parents who work at White Station, there's zero chance of them getting in there.

 

Now, let me point something out, before people start saying this is the only reason White Station is winning. There is very little room at White Station. People literally have to be in line for over a week to get their kids into White Station if they don't live in that district. The people who do go to White Station don't go for athletics. They go there because it's the only really good school in the city school system. I don't know what it is about White Station that they can't duplicate anywhere else in town, but they have more national merit students than any other school in the area (probably more than every other city school combined most of the time), they routinely rule the Memphis-area quiz bowl circuit, etc.

 

Also, open enrollment is only in the city limits of Memphis. Has jack squat to do with the rest of West Tenessee.

 

Stokomo is right, though. Basketball is the priority here. In middle and east, it's probably football, that's why you guys own us in football.

 

If open enrollment is the only reason Memphis wins in basketball, why doesn't Memphis own every sport? We suck at football, the city isn't good at volleyball, soccer, baseball, or softball (the suburbs are, but that's not open enrollment), the city is only pretty good in most track events. If open enrollment was the reason Memphis wins in basketball, then Memphis should own all those sports too. But we don't.

 

And I also point to the parity of teams over here. Of the 29 city high schools who play a full basketball schedule, about 13 are good to great, about a dozen are average to above average, and there are only about four who are just BAD.

[Campbelle2]

Quit using the words dominate and own, because this is not the case. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Bradley Central beat the dominate Memphis Hamilton and Giles County beat the great Dominant Memphis Ridgeway and Temple beat the Dominant Memphis Mitchell who tried to load up in class A. Where did Rory Lawerance of Ridgeway go to school last year? If I had time to sit down and go down the list of players form White Station, Hamilton, Ridgeway and Mitchell I'm confident there will be key players that were picked up from other schools in the Memphis area. Does Memphis have the edge in basketball? (YES) Dominate the rest of the state? (NO) I really enjoyed watching the talent this week at the Boro. Memphis does have more than their share of talent, but the rest of the state made a good showing as always.

[Campbelle2]

If it is so hard to get into White Station why did Marc Gasol and Jonathan Loe get to the front of the line? I bet it had nothing to do with their talent on the hardwood. Give us a break Opperman. You are one of the most intelligent and fact driven people on this message board, but the rest of us are not stupid. I have been around this game as a coach and a player for over 35 years and I was not born yesterday. I know for a fact that if there was open enrollment in East Tennessee that players would look to go to schools that could get them the most recognition. Then you would see better East Tennessee teams at the BORO. Is this bad for White Station to do this?` (No) I would do the same thing, but to ignore that it is a tremendous advantage in a city with so much talent is ridiculous.

[TheEgoHasLanded]

This thread is very interesting...good job everyone.

[quarterpounder]

You so called Coach T expert moderators are a bunch of idiots. Half of Memphis lies in Arkansas, half they say is in Tennessee, it is over populated and kids can play anywhere they choose and don't try to correct me because i spoke with a well respected coach from there who says it is very easy to win if you push the right buttons. Your pro team is awful, Memphis University basketball is ok, football is the pits, yet they are very good at cheating. Ever since Elvis died you have nothing in that one horse town. I wish Arkansas would take the rest of Memphis and we wouldn't have to worry about it.

[Campbelle2]

They do not cheat. They only use the situation that is in place in Memphis. The other parts of the state would do the same if allowed by TSSAA. I watched DB play all year and I thought that they would give White Station an interesting game, but they played scared and glad to be there. This team was a lot better than they played at the BORO. I enjoyed watching them this season. White Station is so deep and talented. I think Bradley, Hamilton and Columbia have better starters, but the wave of athletes they can throw at you is incredible. Haywood is also an exciting team to watch and Ridgeway was very good. Elizebethton would have been a different story if not for injury. I think they could have made a claim for the gold with a little better luck without injuries.

[Edited by Campbelle2 on 3-25-03 8:41A]

[TheEgoHasLanded]

So Memphis cheats...but no one says anything when Maryville for instance has open enrollment. No one yells at them, and they have won 3 or 4 goldballs in football, and should have gotten to state this year in basketball...they have open enrollment.

[TheEgoHasLanded]

The Grizzlies are getting better, and its UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS and they are the best college basketball team in this state so that is more than ok. Memphis has had Mike Tyson come to town as well. I guarantee you half the population of Memphis does not live in Arkansas thats just wrong. Their is this thing called the Mississippi RIVER! That kind of seperates Memphis from Arkansas. If anything say that many people live in Mississippi, but even that would not be half the population of Memphis.

[GovMan]

Posted by TheEgoHasLanded:

So Memphis cheats...but no one says anything when Maryville for instance has open enrollment. No one yells at them, and they have won 3 or 4 goldballs in football, and should have gotten to state this year in basketball...they have open enrollment.

 

Ego,

 

Are you smoking something? NO ONE SAYS ANYTHING WHEN MARYVILLE FOR INSTANCE HAS OPEN ENROLLMENT. NO ONE YELLS AT THEM?!!!!

 

I wonder how many threads over the past several monthes have been devoted to--and full of--people "saying stuff" and "yelling" at Maryville for having open enrollment and for recruiting, etc.? Probably around 500 or so, I'd guess.

 

Maybe you don't notice it so much when it's people trashing Maryville as you do when it starts hitting closer to home (West TN bias)????

 

GovMan

[TheEgoHasLanded]

Govman,

 

Good to hear from you. People are just saying that Memphis teams win because of open enrollment. Thats fine. They also say thats why private schools win. So its ok to make excuses against the Memphis schools and the private schools, but it doesnt matter when Maryville does it? I am mad that people pick on private schools and West TN schools but not Maryville. Do you understand what I am saying?

 

If we keep talking about open zones, this will have to go on the public-private debate.