has anyone heard what Unaka's got ?

[notjustafan]

Yeah by bringing the ball home with them last year Unaka did earn our respect. At least until the season starts, then they will have to earn and keep that respect with every game. The difference of last years team was when they were going in to places like Temple and Pickett or even Clay County games, they were always the under dogs and had nothing to lose just everything to gain. For example, if they lose, then so what they were suppose to lose, but if they lucked up and won or stayed close, then all of a sudden theres talk about maybe their better then people think or this and that. This year is different, every game will be looked at as a must win to keep respect and not hear talk about how they lucked up and won state. Make no mistake about it, I loved that Unaka went down there and came home with the ball cause i love when small schools are able to go and play and shut-up schools that for some reason or another think it is mind blowing that a small team from Carter County could beat a time from deeper in Tennessee. I wish our coach would have scheduled tougher teams for us to play when i was a senior so that we could have shut more people up. Only team we got deault was David Crockett, and even though they were a fairly weak team, they still didnt see how a small 1A Cloudland team could beat them, when they were a 3A team. We even played a game earlier that morning and then still traveled to Crockett that night and handed them a beaten. The final score was us beating them by like 10 or 12 but we were up like 26 at one point and just but in second string. The point being, its nice to see upsets, and its nice to see teams go out night in and night out and prove themselves. People shouldnt judge so much a team being a 1a or a 4a or just whatever it my be, any team on a given night can beat another team thats just the way it is. Granted there are excepetions to this, being theres just great higher class teams such as White Station and others.

 

As always Unaka will have to fight for the Conference Title with Cloudland. Cloudland will again this year have not one but two senior Jones brothers on the team. So welcome back to Jones County everyone!

[Storm55]

Good post. Jonesy

[Juniorballer25]

Chatt. School of Arts and Sciences

825383706[/snapback]

I play for Hampton and we also played CSAS @ UTC camp and we won by 20. I have heard everone on here talk about how Unaka would have and still will dominate Hampton.Well if we go by that game then you all might be wrong i think u all are lookin @ what we used 2 be not what we r now.

[dOwnlOw24]

Good point JuniorBaller25.

 

Unaka did lose a lot, but a lot was also left behind for this year. I think they can hold their own.

[pandora9]

The 2004 basketball season is right around the corner as is the Watauga Valley

Conference.Unaka highschool your returning class A state champions will look to

defend not only there 7th or 8th strait conference title and a region and substate

title but will be defending there state championship title.Dont count Cloudland out

yet though they will have alot to play for when playing Unaka this year.Ned Smith

always has his players ready to go when it comes to conference play.Unaka returns all starters but 3. losing watauga valley conference and carter county player of the year Rusty Chambers/defensive player of the year Cody Collins.

 

The Jones kid will be a big loss to losing another 6'5 post player inside to clean up

the boards.But return 3 talented players as well Derek Cline,Tyler Mccann,and

Rusty Holtsclaw.And Tssaa all classifications coach of the year Donald Ensor.On

Cloudlands side they lost not only there stud point guard Mark Byrd and shooting

guard Craig Cook but lost about 20 points a game in the paint Robbie Tolley.It will

be hard replacing all the talent that both of these teams lost last year but should

be another great battle in the watauga valley conference.And Unaka should be tested once again this year to see if there worthy of another state title.I was looking on there schedule for this years season and as always seems tough as in the past just almost identicle to last years schedule for the acception of a couple

of teams.

 

Now the question the ranger fans should be asking thereselves now is will there be enough depth to bring back a state title.If I recall last year Unaka was bringing in

Both Mccann and Holtsclaw off the bench in some of those games last year they were both roll players if you remember any part of the regular season now you

think this year the players that was backing up Chambers,Collins,and Jones last

year will be playing a big part of the time if not the whole game now who will seek

help on there side as in depth on the bench Unaka last year had 2 guys Mccann and Holtsclaw who could come in and give a big spark off the bench when needed.

 

This year who will give them the breaks in a big game long enough to last up to a

full game.Because if you ask yourself can Holtsclaw run the floor a full game against a team like Temple,Cosby,Oneida.When the guards come out who will give

them a lift or enough time to take a break before a team like Temple or Pickett Co

starts full court pressuring and gains a big enough lead to where you cant get back

in the game.That will be Unaka's weakest link this year is depth without that it will be tough accomplishing the same goal you guys did last year as for repeating.

 

Predictions. Unaka vs Cosby in the substate finals and Cosby gets revenge on what

happened in last years finals.