Tigertalker

Hopkinsville will be there. Their top prospect Emanuel Taylor is expected to be with them. Hoptown may be without a couple of players this weekend that they will have when the season starts.

Hoptown looks to be loaded. Some are saying that this could be the fastest team they have ever had. Rumors are flying about an impact transfer from Tenn. If this rumor is true and it appears like it is, Hoptown will be and even harder out for anybody in 3A.

Not this year!

Hopkinsville recently hired a new basketball coach (Last Friday). They received 14-17 applicants. They ONLY interviewed 2 people. New Principal Jay Buckley said he knew 12-14 days prior to last Friday who he was going to hire. That was before they even setup the interviews.

I remember some players getting ejected and the Kentucky team sustained some injuries throughout the night. Blake Boyd (Madisonville signed with UL now at Western Kentucky) injured his shoulder and had to miss the Kentucky VS Tennessee All Star game the following week. There was 2 other Ky kids that left the game and were unable to return.

Simmons deserves to be given a FAIR chance by the fans. Some might not have agreed with the hire. But he's been a longtime assistant under one of the best Head Coaches around in my opinion in Allan Hatcher. He's been at a program that has won so he knows how to prepare to win. He is right now wanting to work quickly to put together his staff and crank up the summer program. He will also get support from the football coaches and other coaches at Hopkinsville. New Principal Jay Buckley said he knew 12 days ago that Simmons was who he would hire. That was before they started doing interviews and that's gotten some comments from people.

Power clean, Russian legs lifts & Full Squates. These 3 explosion lifts will increase your speed as well as anything.

Jim Simmons was named the new boys basketball coach at Hopkinsville this morning. Simmons has been a longtime Assistant Coach at Graves Co. since 1992. Prior to that he spent time as the Head Coach at Crittenden Co. He has a career losing record as a Head Coach. New Principal Jay Buckley hired Simmons. Both happen to be good friends and go way back. Buckley use to be the Head football Coach at Graves Co. during in which time Simmons was on the Graves Co. basketball staff. This comes as no suprise to many within Hopkinsville High School. When Jim Simmons name was brought up 2-3 weeks ago many said then it was a done deal especially with the ties between him and Buckley. The 3 finalist were: 1) Jim Simmons 2) Marty Cline Head Coach Madisonville Girls: who was the first to contact Hopkinsville and tried to make a late push. 3) Al Cooper Head Coach Clarksville Northeast Other known applicants: 1) Tommy Wade: Longtime college Assistant and Hopkinsville native 2) Don Dillard: Head Coach Christian Co. girls 3) Terry Hayes former Hopkinsville Head Coach (withdrew a week ago) Hopkinsville had 14 coaches apply for the Head Coaching job. Another 10-12 coaches from Kentucky or other states contacted Hopkinsville about the position.

Marty Cline...

Buckley is saying the new Coach does NOT have any ties to Hopkinsville. It's becoming obvious that the coach will be Simmons which isn't a suprise especially with him and Buckley knowing each other.

Then again MAYBE a certain coach familiar with Hopkinsville is in the process of making a strong push. The next couple of days will be gossip city in Hopkinsville as to whom the new coach will be.

Doubtful that it's Chumbler.

New Hopkinsville High School Principal Jay Buckley says he will announce on Friday who the new boys basketball coach at Hopkinsville will be. Nobody knows other then Buckley on who that will be. There is some speculation that the new hire is friends with Buckley and two go way back. That narrows the list down quite a bit.

Best Individual Performance I've seen of late was Curtis Pulley VS Paducah Tilghman 2004 Regional Finials. Paducah just scored to go head by 2 TD early in the 4th quarter. Pulley jumps up and blocks the extra point with his left hand. Paducah kicks-off and Pulley is put in to field the kick for the first time all season. Curtis takes the kickoff makes two good cuts and scores from about 90 yards out. Paducah gets the ball back and on the 3rd play Pulley strips the ball from Paducah QB and goes 50 yards non touch and scores. All of this happen in about two minutes or so. Later on in the quarter Pulley takes the team down the field with six straight passes and get's them in position to win the game with a 22 yard field goal. The kick is blocked and Tilghman picks it up and wins the game. Paducah was a great team that year with Joey Cassey and the QB who now plays for Louisville.

Hopkins Co. is the obvious choice or somewhere close to Union Co. where his wife is from. There is even some small talk of him joining the Christian Co. staff. He's worked for Stovall before and they are good friends. I'll give Coach Hayes credit. The last couple of weeks he's handled the situation like a man and let things fall as they may.

I think when all is said and done Terry Hayes will not be at Hopkinsville next year at all. I know he wants to coach somewhere but will settle to just be teaching elsewhere next year.

Terry Hayes has withdrew his name from the list. As of now Hayes plans on keeping his teaching position at Hopkinsville.

Interviews could began as early as Thursday May 18. 12-14 canidates have applied is the word coming out of HHS.

Hopkinsville has some kids that could move into this category IF their willing to put in the time. Maturity goes along in the game of football and if these kids could grow and take the game a little more serious and listen to their coaches then there's no reason why they can't be the playmakers they think they are. Cardell McGregor (FB/LB) 6'0 180 Took over the FS spot last year in week 7 but this year will be moved up to LB. Aggressive player with speed and explosiveness. As a FB he is a 700-1,000 yard guy. Coule be more but Hoptown has Emanuel Taylor. But McGregor gives them a threat at FB which they didn't have last year. Good lead blocker and the ability and speed for the long runs. Brandon Ethridge (WR/DB/ATH) 5'10 175 Maybe the fastest kid in the school. Another one that missed last year after breaking a bone in his foot in a scrimmage. Great speed with descent hands could be a good CB in the end. 2003 Ethridge beat Curtis Pulley in a foot race in front of the team after practice. Could be a threat as a WR and definitely as a return guy. Reggie Killebrew (OT/DT) 6'2 250 & T.J. Shephard (OT/DT) 6'3 240 Both of these kids have good upside. Both are descent athletes and are also on the Hoptown basketball team. They could take an undersized O-Line to the next level. Good hand and feet coordination but both lack that consistent work ethic required to take their games up to level it needs to be.

It appears Anthony Babb has threw his name in the hat for the Hoptown job. Babb is a Christian Co. High School graduate and longtime Colonel Assistant. I don't know the chances of Babb getting the job but it does appear that perhaps he would be interested in joining the staff of the new coach if the new hire needed a locals assistance. Babb is well known and liked in the community.

We have a WINNER!!! That was my intentions Western Ky & Eastern Ky. I eventually after getting a consistent top 5 on each side wanted to take it and see the opinions on who would win IF the head to head matchup would have ever happend. Like the 1 in the West VS the 1 in the East and so on and so on. I've talked with some coaches across the state a couple not from the Western Ky area about this topic and it's interesting to hear a COACHES opinion. Plus it's the offseason so this is good to kill some time with.

Duffer takes his criticsm from the ones not in his "click" but I like Duffer from what little I know him. He works hard and gets in the weightroom and workouts with the kids. He rubs some the wrong way but when it comes to talking football he's one of my favorites. He's enjoyed a good amount of tallent the last 2 years. Some of that tallent is graduating and we'll get to see Duffer grow as a coach. I know he would like to get some of that tallent walking the halls to give football a chance.

Hopkinsville Tigers week one: Alcoa, back to back 2A Tenn Champs week two: Male, enough said week three: Mayfield, made it to the state finials last year week four: Memphis Ridgeway, made it to the 5A finials last year in Tenn. Week five: Bye Week Six: Christian County made it the regional finials last year.

Hopkinsville their first 5 games will be their toughest until the playoffs. 1) Alcoa (Tennessee) Integra Bowl-Trigg Co. Alcoa will be the best team Hoptown plays all year including the playoffs. 2) Male 3) AT Mayfield 4) OPEN 5) Ridgeway (Tennessee) 6) Christian Co. The good news is there is only 2 games during that stretch away from home.

Hibbitt was a no show. BG only had 3 kids at the combine and none of them stood out to anybody. That is why BG got no mention earlier. There was other teams that didn't have their full core of players show up. Hoptown was without 2 guys due to illness and a family needing to go out of town. Christian Co. was missing a few including Tandy. Woodsrider: At one time Jones was a better QB prospect for the next level then Tandy. Jones probably still is because of size and potential. Tandy is being talked to by coaches at the next level as a DB or WR with some smaller schools throwing QB talk at him. I think Tandy is better coached right now. Many including myself thought Jones would emerge last year as a real game breaker and show the ability to take over. He didn't do that too many times and if you could hit him early then he had a tendency to lose his aggressiveness. Plus PT didn't have the speed burners on the outside like usual. They had speed but not the jets and that was noticeable when you seen them play. Add that their offense was predictable and that could cause Jones to struggle against some teams. Caldwell Co. had the best looking Linemen there with Calloway Co. having some Linemen passing the looks test. Calloway also had a couple speed guys which is unusual for them. Warren Central had some good looking kids show up.