WHAT ABOUT UNAKA AND CLOUDLAND?

[Anklebreaker12]

Byrd is quick thats what makes him a good basketball player and hes not a scorer, hes a winner and he has heart they need about 8,10,12 points per game out of him, but I don't think you can expect 20 or anything more out of him. I think he is handling himself well and the coaching and other players are messing up. Byrd is a good pg and their lucky to have him. I think its pitiful that somebody as big and as strong as Josh Jones from Unaka doesn't dominate every game if he played half as hard as Holtsclaw they would be tough inside, and I think Unaka's Cody Collins needs to step up and shoot the ball and quit all that dribbling.......again just my opinions

[rainman]

they need to put the ball in chambers hands and let him create opportunities for himself and the other players. take advantage of his outside shooting and slash him inside. cody plays hard he is just not shooting well it will come.

[Anklebreaker12]

yeah he (Cody) plays hard he just needs to take his open shots that he passes up

[THE KING]

This is what I think should be done. Get rid of Smith and his assistant. Go and find a coach with the drive and committment to get the most out of his(her) players. Get rid of all problem players. If the kids really love the game, they won't quit no matter how harsh the coaching is. Mike Lunsford is prime example of that. People, winning isn't everything. Keeping a player like Tolley is teaching the kids the wrong thing. I would rather play our guts out and lose, than have a half-hearted player with all the talent in the world come into the game and help us win. To be honest, I would rather give up our basketball program than to keep going the way we are right now. Cloudland athletics is in bad shape right now. No interest from the kids and no discipline from the coaches. If we can't find the coach we need, then we need to close the door on our basketball program. I hope I never see another embarrassing performance like that. AsIs, posters that don't agree with us will just keep feeding their kids lolly pops.

[hvwarrior58]

u could always wait for me to get through college and everythin and come up there.ill turn the program around fast

[Bulldog9]

easier said than done.....

[hvwarrior58]

they say that about a lot of stuff

[rolltideroll]

Cloudland is at a volitaile point. In the next few weeks their true colors will be displayed. They can either respond or accept mediocrity. Some players must change their attitude- and I don't think all your assesments are correct. Yes, some of the players do not play to their potential at times, but others are trying and working on coming together. Smith has done a good job the past few years at Cloudland and as always, his record should be allowed to speak for itself. This year expectations are high-- whether or not this team can reach their potential is yet to be seen. My own personal opinion is that a few key ingredients are missing, especially that of Zach Cooke. Now I don't really know the fine points of the situation, but from what I know about Zach is that he is a fighter and I would definately want him on my side and though he may be short on the talent that Tolley or other possess as well as temper, he makes up for it in heart and sometimes fire. I would really like to see him come back to the team. The younger kids at the post are talented, and they will grow as players, but as of now--that is a weak spot in the team that hurts the Landers as of right now. Mark Byrd is arguably the best pg in the county, but he definately has my vote. Mark can be a scorer, for those that have been around him know that his talent in roundball surpasses his stats. Cloudland's other guards definatly have talent, and I would have to disagree with some people assessment of a "me" player. Right now the shots aren't falling, but that could change. Some people must try to increase their role as a mental leader on the floor--if that occurs the Landers could surprise some people. I am optimistic.

[rainman]

the damage has already been done. when you let players quit and come back, quit and come back you are just asking for trouble. as i have stated we have some good young players at chs but what smith has allowed players to do cannot be fixed. i remember one time with coach hyatt that his own son matt told him he thought he might just take the day off from practice because he needed a break. coach told him if he took the day off he might as well take the rest of the season off. people its called discipline and heart. we want to have an elite program. we need to start over and have the same rules for every player. i was told by a unaka fan at the game the other night that in a game unaka's rusty chambers got his nose cut after scoring a bucket in the first quarter and received a deep cut that required i think 15 stitches. they put stitches in it at the gym. they said a doctor was at the game his kid was playing and that chambers came back with the scored tied at halftime and scored around 20 in the second half and unaka won by a bunch on the road. that is why they have a great program. the kids are sold on winning. winning has a high cost. we find every excuse possible not to play. could you imagine someone maybe outside of mark doing that? wins are important but their are standards one must have to obtain them. i am not as close to the program now as king and rolltideroll are but i would love to see teams like in our era. do you king and rolltide think it will change soon?

[acdcfan]

I am tired of all this crap about people bashing Ned. This is one thing I have heard many people across the county talk about and I have disagreed with them. Ned Smith is a great coach and a great man and he has done so much to turn that program around. Robbie is lazy and has been sick quite a bit, I agree that he shouldn't be allowed to quit and come back so much. Craig Cooke is what's saving that team offensively. If he didn't shoot the ball, the 'Landers would get beat by 30. I do agree that Zach Cook should be brought back to the team. I miss seeing Zach and he was pretty disappointed about that. He shouldn't get the permanent boot when he is such a good inside defender, while someone else who quits gets to keep returning. Smith wants to win, plain and simple, and he's trying to please everyone around the situation. Parents are understandibly mad and I haven't covered Cloudland enough this year to know all of the detatils, but I think after talking to some players the other day that things are gettting ready to pick up there. At least I hope so for their sake.

[Anklebreaker12]

I talked to Zach and it seemed like he wanted to come back he said Ned and him talked about it, but Zach said he wasn't sure if he could because he would be so out of shape.

[THE KING]

Wes, quit being such a stink up, man! Ned ain't doing his job. Letting Tolley come back time after time is setting a bad example. As for Cooke, he is a smarteleck that should be dismissed. Smith is only worried about winning. He is teaching the kids the wrong thing, and things like this can come back to haunt you.