Didn't he resign to take a job at Eastern Kentucky?

 

He is now the recievers and special teams coach at EKU. he started at Eastern two weeks ago.

Makes sense about the budget cuts not allowing coaches to bring their own staff. Personally I think Mike Polley is one of the better coaches in the Ashland system but he doesn't have a great amount of talent in his 9th grade program. There is no size at all on his freshman team. Definitely kids are just not as into sports as they were when I was a kid. Many are lazy and wouldn't run a lap if their life depended on it! My feeling is to award the kids who do come out to practice everyday with encouragement and a little praise once in awhile. They are the ones making the sacrifices to wear the school letter when their peers are sitting at home behind a computer like I'm doing right now. But, being 63 years old gives me that right! haha At 16 I was busting my butt on the football field and basketball court and holding down a job bagging groceries.

 

I think another problem is Coach Biggs has a great deal of pressure coming into the "winningest program in the state" and he is desperate to bring it back. Sometimes he's too desperate, is negative to the kids and from what I see either him or his staff aren't concerned with building from the young kids he has. Ashland is a tradition for more than just winning...it's about pride, dignity and being proud of the young players you have...not looking to bring "talent" in from elsewhere. If they had built a program they would never need to do that. It started back in the 90s with bringing in Darrell Arbaugh from Greenup. Develop and play the kids you have. All this moving around is ridiculous. I mean really....how many OJ Mayos are out there? How many of these kids will actually even play in college? Parents are over the moon with unrealistic expectations and that makes it hard for coaches. Thats my opinion and I realize many will disagree.

 

They started bringing in kids long before Arbaugh. Chuck Cantrell who ended up as their alltime leading scorer was brought in from CK back in the 80's or 70's.

Dont be sorry that was a great group of kids ,Im just sorry theres only one senior left standing. IMO Biggs and the JV coach had alot to do with that.

 

I thought the JV coach just got elected to the Hall of Fame?

No, the assistant basketball coach, Jeff Wilcox got inducted into the BASEBALL Hall of Fame not basketball.

No, the assistant basketball coach, Jeff Wilcox got inducted into the BASEBALL Hall of Fame not basketball.

 

My bad.

 

What I have been told there is way to much outside influnce on the program from some boosters. If you listen to the post game interviews with Biggs there seems to be tension between him and one of the announcers.

In Boyd's case maybe the addition of kids from the Ramey home have had negative long term effects.

Sorry ZB didn't see your post before I posted.

 

I thought this years senior class at Ashland was supposed to be a great one. It was my understanding that that was one of the drawing cards for Biggs.

 

That is true. As freshman, their class went something along the lines of 20-2, and that was without Ryan Bonner.

It looked like BC had a whole new staff.

 

 

Nope. Wooten has been an assitant at Boyd County for at least a couple of years.

Polley is one of the better if not the best coach at Ashland and he really cares about the kids not just the W and the Ls.I dont think Polley should be moved out IMO he should be moved up.

 

:thumb:

Nope. Wooten has been an assitant at Boyd County for at least a couple of years.

 

I think you are right. Wooten I believe was the freshman coach under Zornes. I think only one of the three coaches is a teacher in the Boyd County system. I think it is Parsons. The other two are para professionals.

With what Biggs had done at Pendleton I assumed that he would have Ashland winning and making some serious runs. But with the season by season records there of him as HC there seems to be a problem.

 

 

Lets not forget what Biggs did at Pendleton County he had a ton of talent over the 3-4 year run,I would say 3-5 Colleage players on those teams.As soon as the well ran dry and just look at the last couple years and this year and theres no denying the well was empty he darted.I think it was more of what talent he had not what he did so much at PC.

To the response about the Ashland Boosters having influence and the postgame coaches interview being tense: I have known many of the Tomcat boosters for years and they are just that....BOOSTERS. They are all about support of the Ashland sports programs.

 

David Payne has long been the man that interviews coach on the radio after the game and I listen to nearly every broadcast. I definitley do not feel there is any tension there. However, when a team loses 5 out of 6 games it must be difficult on both the interviewer and the coach to be positive. I think both do the best they can to "save face" on the radio under the circumstances. It couldn't be an easy task to accomplish for either. I think to imply there is tension there is reaching and stirring the pot that doesn't need stirring.

To the response about the Ashland Boosters having influence and the postgame coaches interview being tense: I have known many of the Tomcat boosters for years and they are just that....BOOSTERS. They are all about support of the Ashland sports programs.

 

David Payne has long been the man that interviews coach on the radio after the game and I listen to nearly every broadcast. I definitley do not feel there is any tension there. However, when a team loses 5 out of 6 games it must be difficult on both the interviewer and the coach to be positive. I think both do the best they can to "save face" on the radio under the circumstances. It couldn't be an easy task to accomplish for either. I think to imply there is tension there is reaching and stirring the pot that doesn't need stirring.

 

Not trying to stir anything but after the Rose Hill game Biggs seemed irritated about a couple of the questions. Maybe he was frustrated over the loss. However, I too have been around the Ashland program for a long time, we seem to be similar in age, and I can assure you that certain people have great influnce over the direction of the program.

I think one of the key factors in the decline of AHS basketball is that it doesn't appear that anyone in a leadership position has embraced the concept of AAU basketball. Like it or not, the elite players, or those who become elite, follow the AAU path from a early age. I am not saying I agree or disagree with the AAU concept, but like it or not, it is here to stay. The elite players embrace basketball 12 months a year. I think AHS wants to be a good all around sports program, which they are, and not focus solely on basketball, which is probably the proper perspective to have. However, it's difficult to excel sometimes when athletes get spread too thin. It is my opinion, unless someone in the Ashland system fully embraces AAU, it will be difficult for AHS to become an elite program again.

 

The perfect example is Elliott County, which doesn't play football(or soccer I believe), the Faulkners have literally played hundreds of basketball games over the past 10 years or so and have developed(along with a lot of heart)a skill set that is difficult to compete with. Also, Jon VanHoose at Russell. These are division I type players who full dedicate themselves to basketball only.

If you are insinuating Ashland has politics in sports...show me any school system completely void of influence and politics? Even the private schools have their fair share of "influence". I will say that the Ashland Boosters have been around the Ashland program MUCH longer and have more heart involved in AHS sports than any newcomers be it players, coaches, administrators, etc. Sure there is influence, but there is SUPPORT in doing what is best for the kids first. Too many people like to scream "politics" when things don't go their way. My opinion.