Tennessee Basketball vs Neighboring States

[stuman89]

Any opinons on how our better basketball teams would match up with the best squads from surrounding states? Living in west Tennessee, I sort of keep up with Arkansas and Missippii basketball and I feel confident that our teams are probably better year in and year out than theirs ( just my state pride talking here ).

 

Any thoughts on how we would stack up against the best teams from Alabama, Kentucky, etc?

[cdragonz123]

Clinton a team who made it to the State this year but lost first round to Bradley played in a Kentucky Tournament over Christmas break and make it to the championship game before loosing to the defending state Champs in KY i believe.

[kcork54]

Georgia seems to be pretty close to Tennessee teams.

[ClintonDragnz32]

every city in Kentucky lives basketball like Memphis does in TN... its a different atmosphere in Kentucky... thhey are a basketball state where TN usually leans toward football

[JDub22]

don't let the larger, more supportive crowds in kentucky fool you. what does how many fans that attend the games have to do with the level of talent in each state? kentucky high school is a different brand of basketball...not a better one. they're more physical..and their referrees allow them to get away with more. i've seen just as much of each state..and played a whole lot of kentucky teams. and i just don't see why kentucky's just automatically considered better. look at all the players the state of tennessee has playing college ball recently. look at the ncaa's right now: mario moore, julian terrell, jason holwerda, earnest shelton..lee humphrey before florida got upset..trey pearson redshirting for a murray state team who was put out in the first round..and that's just off the top of my head. but..i'm not tryin to argue...

[dwolford12]

Clinton[/url]Dragnz32' date='Mar 22 2004 - 11:22 AM'] every city in Kentucky lives basketball like Memphis does in TN... its a different atmosphere in Kentucky... thhey are a basketball state where TN usually leans toward football

That is just stupid to say that every city in Kentucky plays basketball like Memphis does. In all reality there are probably very few places that do.

[kentuckian]

Here are some examples of Tennessee teams playing Kentucky teams this season ...

 

Haywood went 2-1 at a tournament at Mason County, the defending state champion. Haywood lost to Clark County 65-59 in the semis. Clark was probably a top 25 team in Kentucky, finished 21-8 and gave Mason County its toughest game in the regional tournament, losing 83-72. Mason County finished as the state runner-up last weekend.

 

Clinton went 2-1 in Wayne County's tournament. Clinton played Wayne, a top-10 team in Kentucky, and lost 83-62. Wayne County was beaten in the first round of the state tournament, losing 71-57 to Mason County.

 

Chattanooga Christian and Oak Ridge played well at a tournament in Paintsvillle. Chattanooga Christian wemt 2-1, beating a team that made the state tournament and losing 52-46 to Louisville Seneca, a top-10 team. Oak Ridge won the tournament, beating Seneca in the finals.

 

Two Memphis teams, Sheffield and Lausanne, beat Carlisle County in a Christmas tournament at Carbondale, Ill. Carlisle made both the Class A and overall state tournaments. Sheffield also beat Hopkinsville, a top-20 team in Kentucky, at the same tournament. On the other hand, Portland was an unimpressive 0-2 at Carbondale. Beech and Millington were also there ... both lost their first-round games.

 

Overall, I think Kentucky plays a better brand of basketball than Tennessee, with the exception of the Memphis area. I think that Kentucly teams are generally better-coached ... to be expected in a state that emphasizes basketball. I think the opposite is true in football.

[SplinterField]

only GA

[cdm2003]

The only teams in the south that I believe is better than TN, is Georgia, Florida, maybe South Carolina. Tennessee is currently producing alot of high school phenoms.

[OSHSman]

In places like Kentucky and Indiana basketball isn't a sport, it's a religion.

[kyBomBer11]

yeah every lives and breaths basketball thats all ne cares about.

[OrangeCrush23]

I'm currently watching the Alabama 5A state championship...Athens vs Butler. And I'll tell ya, White Station, Bradley Central, and JNS would absolutely blow them out of the water. I know you can't compare two teams by watching tape alone, but this game is very ugly for a championship game, 5A no less. They're have been missed layups, they're bricking shots left and right (shots that don't have a chance. 10-footers are hitting front rim). Player for player, these Alabama teams couldn't compete with our Final 4 teams, maybe even the last 8 teams of 3A.

 

Has there ever been talk of a national tournament??? A March Madness for High School?? I would be the first to vote for that. Break it down into regions, single elimination. Wow..think of the pride of having your high school be the best at basketball out of all the high schools.