Junkyard Dog

I never said I wasn't looking at the whole region. I was only making a point that there are many ways that the districts could be set up other than what they are right now. This example was just the one I chose to use because this is the area I am from.

To be quite honest, I could never understand how South was put in a district with Corbin, Whitley, and W'burg when they should be in a district with North which is in the the same county. I always thought a district made up of Corbin, Lynn Camp, Whitley and W'burg would have made much more sense.. Lynn Camp is in Corbin and Corbin, Whitley, and W'burg are all in Whitley Co. I understand that in most years Corbin will have a significant edge, but geographically it makes sense.

What is Holmes ranked? What was the margin throughout the game before Central started hitting the late treys?

I think W'Burg won by eight or so. The game should not have been this close. The officiating may have been the worst I have ever witnessed. In my opinion, the Jackets are 15-20 points better than Lynn Camp. Lynn Camp got 41 from Waggoner. Waggoner is very talented but also gets away with a lot of pushing and shoving off down low in order to get open. As far as how the teams looked, in my opinion, Lynn Camp doesn't look all that great. Like I said earlier, Waggoner is extremely talented, but the only other talent they have on the team is #3. Not sure of his name. Other than that, the Wildcats are not holding that much. On the flip side, W'burg is slowly coming around. I think everyone is getting more comfortable and accepting their roles. Team defense could stand to improve quite a bit. When the Jackets have the lineup of Hoffman, Barton, Payne, Jones, and Smoak playing together they really seem to get things rolling. Each of these players is capable of creating matchup problems for most of the teams they will face. This W'burg squad is much more athletic than any they've had in quite some time. Time will tell just how good they can be, but they have the talent in their top 6 or 7 to play with anyone in the region. They may have some nights where they don't look like it, but if this team can improve on the defensive end and get consistent effort from everyone, they could possibly make some noise.

I'm not familiar with all the teams in the region this year, but if the rest of the region is like the district of Corbin, SL, Whitley and W'burg, there will be at least 6-8 teams that have the possibility of taking the 13th region crown. I think parity is probably the best word to describe the 13th this year.

From your prior post above, it doesn't look as though you had a very good outlook for this team in the first place, but in case you did, don't panic just yet. This team has the makings to be a better team than what we've seen in a long time at W'burg. I'm not saying to expect a regional title, but this team has the talent to suprise quite a few teams. Kevin Hoffman will continue to get better and better. You have to remember he has set out two years of basketball. He is very quick, aggressive, and explosive and his decision making will get better and better. Barton has struggled with his shot the first two games, but everyone knows when he gets his confidence back just how quickly he can put points on the board. Jones can be a dominate player if he gets his mind right and helps get his teammates involved. Smoak has looked pretty good so far, but needs to remember not to rush things. JP can be a lock down defender if he puts his mind to it and is capable of knocking down an open jumper. Lowrie can be key if he plays his role as a good defender and takes care of the ball while in the game. This team needs to focus on the defensive end. Once they realize that focusing on the defensive end will allow good things to happen on the offensive end, this team will perform much better. You may be right about struggling with Whitley on the 14th, but as the season goes on I look for this team to round in to good shape if the egos can stay out of the way. I also think that the thoughts about the team would be much different if shots were falling. Give it a few weeks and see where we are. I may be expecting too much, but I think all the components are there for this team to have success. WE"LL SEE!!!

Does Whitley play a lot of full court pressure D and a lot of run and gun offense or do they slow it down quite a bit? I couldn't get a read on it with the score.

I believe, without question, that Coach Wright at South Laurel probably whines and works the officials more than anyone I've ever seen. I've personally witnessed his griping and whining to the officials turn a good basketball game into a whistle fest among the referees. Nearly all of those instances end up with South Laurel gaining the advantage. His tyrades helped keep St. John in many games he should have fouled out of. I guess one could say that if it helps his team win, he is just a good coach. No, I'm not a Corbin fan, just a basketball fan without an agenda.

Who will be the starting 5 for the Hounds?

You said M'Boro couldn't keep up. What does this mean? M'Boro not any good or W'Burg just quicker than normal? How was W'Burg's guard play and how did Smok look?

I believe the winner of this game could be in the finals! Nerves could play a large role in how each team performs. Crawford is the only player at Corbin who has any state tourney experience. Not sure about Eastern. The larger court may also play a large factor in how these teams perform. It possibly may not be as much run and gun as some may think. The length of the court can get to you in a hurry! GO CORBIN!

Corbin needs to take a lesson from Scott. They are very disciplined and play hard on every possession. They do not try to do things they cannot do. It seems as though sometimes Corbin feels they can just show up and win. They need to develop some heart. I feel they gave up around the six minute mark in this game. If Corbin wants to win the 13th region title they will need to learn how to play against someone that brings pressure on every possession.

In the second half of the last two games Corbin has quit doing the things that got them the leads they enjoyed in the first half. They had early leads due to good ball movement, feeding the ball to Crawford (in the post) and tough defense, but it seems as though a different team shows up in the second half. I don't necessarily believe it was anything that KC did exceptionally well, but rather what Corbin didn't continue to do.

Let me first start off by saying I'm not a parent or trying to be a coach. I'm only listing the things I saw last year that will need to be taken care of if W'burg hopes to improve in 2008/2009. In order for W'burg to improve in 2008/2009 there will need to be a total transformation in the way of thinking by the players, as well as the coaching staff. After watching many games last year, it became very apparent that there was no excitement displayed by the players, coaches, or the fans. Losing has become an accepted outcome by pretty much the whole W'burg support group. It seems as though if they play a team close, everyone thinks this is a victory or at least a moral victory. Until losing is no longer accepted, I'm afraid things aren't going to change. The selfish play will need to be taken care of in order to improve. If players are selfish, do not play them. If players pout on the court, do not play them, If players can't control their anger or at least turn their anger into something positive on the court, do not play them. Learn the fundamentals. Learn to play defense with your feet as well as your mind. Run an offense besides flex and motion. Learn how to go full speed on offense and defense. Learn how to screen. Learn how to come off screens full speed ready to receive the ball. Take the court ready to WIN! Sorry if I made some people mad, but I think these things needed to be said. Good luck Jackets!

W-burg's bats were rolling and Barton pitched a two hit shut-out. This makes you wonder what W-burg is capable of if their bats continue to roll. They will need those bats in the first game of the district tournament. They have South at South. Does anyone know who Coach Stricklin is planning on throwing in this game? I would assume that South will be throwing the Martin boy.

I agree that these are probably the ten best in the region, but I'm pretty confident that Johnson from Corbin should be in the top five. Maybe ahead of any of these players. I believe he and the Miller kid from KC are the best in the region. Based on what I have seen over the past year or so, I believe Johnson probably has the best chance of being legitimate D-1 (ball handling, strength, and defense need to improve). Crawford from Corbin does a lot of things quite well, but I believe he is a tweener that may not be able to find a nich in small college. Strange from Pineville is very talented and will make some small college a fine point guard.

This should be a pretty good matchup. I'm not eager to predict either way. Good district game. Very important game for both teams.

He does come from an athletic family. His father was an excellent all-around athlete in the mid 80's, but unfortunately injuries cut his career short. He(Jared) is a great kid and has a bright future.

As long as the coach feels the kid is physically and mentally strong enough then he should do what gives the team the best option to win. If that means playing an 8th grader over juniors and seniors, then so be it. Why should gifted athletes be penalized because someone else maybe older?

The game was one of the best games I've seen. Both teams had trouble getting their bats going, although the score may not reflect this. W'burg made quite a few base-running errors, but refused to give up. The Barton kid came on to pitch in the 5th with runners on and shut M'boro down. You would have never believed he is an eighth grader with the way he handled the pressure. He had an outstanding pitching performance. W'burg showed some grit and pulled this one out in extra-innings. Congratulations Jackets!