devil58

Why is it a conflict of interest if I happen to know referees?? I know probably 70% of the 16th region officials because, to answer your previous question, I used to be a referee in this region and I called all levels including Varsity...I also umpire with one of your administators at Rose Hill...I consider him a friend and if you ask him I am positive that he would tell you that I do my job with the highest degree of professionalism...So before you lump me in with a group of "Britt Bashers", I umpired their games a couple of times last year & can guarantee you I treated every girl with the same high respect I always do...As is my reputation among coaches within the 16th region...I have never wished for her to be unsuccesful...My comments are the same as I would, and did, tell my own kids and the same I tell the kids I have the priviledge to work with now... BTW, I personally do not believe in "targeting" players and judge every player on their own merits & solely on what I witness from them, not hearsay...

I would not say it was an upset...It was upsetting how Russell played... Have not played well since Boone...Played two good teams but that is not an excuse for how the girls have responded...No one likes to lose but both games should have been much more competitive...If you lose games and you can look back & say, "we did everything we could do", you don't like the loss but you can at least be proud of the effort...

I'm not saying that is what happened...I'm just saying it could be...As for that being unprofessional?? I can tell you that officials will not tolerate their partner or fellow refs being disrespected...They will often "T" up a coach if they make derrogatory comments toward their partner...If they witness it during their game after witnessing it during the game prior to their's they may take any negative comment they hear during their game as a continuation of the disrespect to their profession that they just witnessed...Again, my point being if I do not want to be a "target" I am not going to do ANYTHING that may place a bullseye on my back...

Great deflection...Typical...Let's twist what is said to get the attention off the obvious...What does Russell have to do with what happened last night???

After reading this post I spoke to one of the officials from the JV game and they confirmed that the player at the center of the "conspiracy" was indeed making comments a good deal of the game...He stated that they were personal comments that may bother other officials but he found them comical...Here are some of the comments: "Hey, don't blink or you'll miss a call...Oh wait, you've been missing them all night"..."I saw you blink, you just missed another one"...Another one was, "Better get a head start cause I've seen you try to get up the floor"...Those may not be the "exact" words but that was how he remembered them... By the way, an assistant coach was sitting there in the area around them... Now, if I were feeling that the refs were "out to get me", I don't believe I would perpetuate my reputation of being "mouthy" or "disrepectful" to officials if I were wanting things to change...While the refs in the JV game ignored it, it could be possible that the varsity officials watching them work did not appreciate the disrepect of their colleagues and let her know it when she opened her mouth during the varsity game?? Just a thought... This is not hearsay...It came directly from one of the participants...

Congratulations!!!:dancingpa

This is really what I was trying to say...Thanks Blazer!!...I was not trying to be negative...Actually, it probably started before that tourney game but nevertheless the same attention was paid to Britt at Russell as it is now...My point being, it has nothing to do with her leaving Russell & everything to do with the way she plays the game...Fair or not that may certainly draw extra attention to her from referees...There was a boy from Lawrence Co a few years back that lead the region in technicals...It is possible that the refs had a shorter tolerance with him than other players due to his history...This may be the case with Britt as well... A friend of mine always used to tell me after they played us that we got "Kala calls"...What he was referring to was he thought Kala got superstar treatment similar to Michael Jordan...I always told him he was "full of it" when he said that...I said that she is really good at drawing contact and making you foul her...She certainly had an outstanding season last year...If the "conspiracy theory" were true, don't you think the refs would have targeted her as well?? Maybe you think they did however, that same friend told me after watching the Lady Royals several times last year that she was still getting her "Kala Calls"... Believe it or not I used to be a little ornery when I was young...:scared: I reached a point in my personal maturity where I got tired of feeling targeted because it appeared to me that others got away with things that I couldn't...Was it fair?? I don't know but it taught me a valuable lesson... I learned that I had to work twice as hard to change my reputation as I did to earn it...Maybe that's not fair but it is reality...Life is about choices...I made a choice to change my reputation...It didn't happen overnight & some may still have thought of me in the same way even after changing my actions but, had I continued doing the same things I did while earning the ornery reputation, it wouldn't have changed in anyone's eyes... Food for thought...

Britt had the same foul troubles when she was at Russell...Her foul troubles traveled with her when she transferred...Your conspiracy theory is crap!!!

Sure it was an upset but that's what happens in the 16th...Teams know each other and Rowan was very prepared tonight...Sure, Russell didn't play their best but give Rowan credit for causing some of that...Same thing happened at Fleming last year... Congratulations to Rowan...They outplayed Russell tonight...It's January 18th and there's a lot of basketball left to be played...I don't remember there being a trophy being presented after the game although if you watched Troy Lee you would have thought there was...

Final

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Final

I can understand if I would have driven 120 miles to play & the fouls were 29 - 15, I might be screaming too...BTW, prior to the last 3 or 4 mins when Boone really started fouling to try & get the ball back, the foul count was much closer...My guess is that 8 or 9 of Boone's fouls came in the last 3 mins or so...Take the "try to" fouls out & you have a 5 or 6 foul difference...Not bad considering the difference in the way the 2 teams play defense...If Russell had been down, the reverse would have happened...Did you really get homered?? No, but few would argue with you simply by looking at the boxscore...As for the comments from a "district opponent" that this is common when you play at Russell...........How do I say this? He's full of crap...Everyone in the 16th region uses the same officials and I can't think of more than 1 strictly Varsity official, as all of those were, who is from Russell...BTW, none of the officials in this game were from Russell and as a general rule, if you have direct ties to a particular school you generally do not get their games... This game was only Russell's 5th home game out of 16 total games...For the season Russell has shot around 150 more free throws than their opponents and while not by this big a margin, Russell usually gets fouled more than they foul...There is an easy explanation for this...Russell pounds the ball inside...They have 3 athletic 6 footers who create huge mismatches for most teams they play...They account for 70% of Russell's total offense & free throw attempts...Usually, they either score or go to the free throw line...You are much more likely to shoot free throws when you pound it in rather than settling for outside shots... As you saw today, Fortman creates big mis-matches & Coach Fookes stated to me after the game that she was disappointed that they could not find anyone who could guard her...I know she was probably not happy with the foul count but she is classy enough to not blame the refs...She stated that they were a little "leg weary" after the big game on Thursday and that the girls thought they could just play for 1 half and win...She stated that they need to be tougher mentally...She was disappointed in how they shot as well, 16-60 from the field & 4-18 from behind the 3 pt arc...They made almost that many 3's against Notre Dame...She said they "needed to get back to fundamentals" because they have developed some bad habits on defense, especially with rebounding...They were out-rebounded just as they were against Notre Dame (O'koro had 20 by herself)... Also, while Russell plays man defense & presses some, they do not play the "up under your chin" man defense that many of their opponents, including Boone, play...It's more about positioning & help and they use their length to make it difficult on the opponent...95% of Russell's steals come from blocked passes caused by their length...It is rare to see one of their players pick someone's pocket...They also get good position for rebounds & try to limit you to 1 shot... I hate to think that anyone thinks they got "hosed" when they visit our region...Unlike a lot of the posters on here who bash the 16th region officials, I see a lot of games in other regions & at the state tournament...OVERALL, ours compare to most and are better than many...It does look bad when the fouls are 29-15 but once again, other than the last few minutes they were MUCH closer...I'm sure there were more fouls that could have or should have been called...There are every game...But, to say the refs took the game from Boone is a slap in the face to Russell's girls...That was a good game played by 2 pretty evenly matched teams...Let's give credit to the girls from both teams...

It is a quality win against an excellent team...Ratings are nice but our girls realize how tough it will be to get out of the region...It doesn't matter where we are ranked come district time...In fact, there's a little school who wears orange a couple miles down the road that would like nothing more than to beat us in the first round of the district if we draw one another...If we make it out of the district there are several teams that are capable of winning the 16th region...We just hope we can stay healthy and compete for a championship in March...

Russell - 10 6 19 24 - 59 Boone Co - 9 16 5 17 - 47 Russell - Fortman 34pts, 12 rebs; O'koro 7 pts, 20 rebs; Simpson 9 pts, 6 rebs; Adkins 7 pts, 3 assists; Sparks 2 pts, 5 rebs, 4 steals Boone Co - Behrens 13 pts, 6 rebs; Hicks 13 pts, 5 rebs; Reed 7pts, 7 rebs; Switzer 5 pts, 6 rebs; Bradley 5 pts; Brasseaux 4 pts, 7 rebs

I had watched Chinwe play for several years but have actually had the great fortune to be able to coach her for 3 years now and I want to take the time to say a few things... Anyone who ever sees Chinwe for the first time is immediately in awe of her physical presense...It is very rare that we see female athletes at the high school level who are as physically imposing as she is...I will venture to say that she is probably in the top 10 pure female athletes to ever play a high school sport in Kentucky...Those who have seen her will most surely agree...Unfortunately, this is what most will ever hear or remember about her...Fortunately for me it will go far beyond the obvious impressive athlete she is... It is so refreshing in this day where kids get so caught up in "who they are" that you still have those who are as humble, unimposing, and well-mannered as they are talented...With all of her accolades in a variety of sports it would be easy for A LOT of kids to get caught up in their own hype...Not Chinwe...I have grown to appreciate her more for the way she carries herself than the way she plays the sports she does...I bet she hasn't said 10 words in practice over the last 3 years and most of the time they have to be coaxed out of her...She has done some amazing things in games, whether it be volleyball or basketball, & when people try to make a big deal about it she almost appears embarrassed by the attention...Because she is so strong, when you bump into her or she bumps into you, you know it...I have seen many games where other teams become almost "dirty" trying to be physical against her yet she has never even come close to retaliating...Fortunately for them she just plays on, although I say that with my thought process and not her's...I really doubt that retaliation even enters her mind... As adults who work with kids we are impacted in some way by each of them and for a variety of reasons...Getting the opportunity to work with ones like Chinwe remind us how lucky we are to be in that situation... Congratulations on another well deserved honor...:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

It's easy to guess what Frances is talking about...:sssh:

How's this for irony: Petrino goes to the Falcons because he has always dreamed of coaching in the NFL...He fails miserably to the point where he resigns before finishing his contract and returns to the college ranks to lead the cross-state rival of the team he left to go to the pro's... Does this sound familiar?? :sssh: :banana:

I think all Russell fans realized that the chances were good that this team would not run the table in the 16th...I also think that losing to Boyd is not a smack in the face considering the season they are having...I'll say it again, it doesn't matter who the best team on paper is...Polls are for the fans...Let's see who is playing the best in March...

Just left the Russell Football banquet & it was announced that he had won the Roy Kidd 2A Player of the Year...Essentially this is being named the Mr. Football of Class 2A...Anybody who has seen this kid play & perform on the "Big Stage" over the last 2 years would probably agree with this award...Congratulations to Kasey on this well deserved statewide honor!!!

It seems to me that based on the guidelines set forth by the KHSAA, if the average attendance over the past 5 years were to be 2500 after this year & Ashland holds only 2000, you could request that it be moved next year so all who want to attend can be accomodated...You simply approach it with the argument that Ashland's gym was deemed adequate at the time but because of the higher attendance totals in recent years the decision needs to be revisited...If all 4 schools cannot agree at that point, would it not go to the KHSAA for final consideration?? I can understand why it would be assumed that the larger schools will always be able to handle the crowds but with a potential boost in interest and Boyd getting to host more due the smaller schools inability to handle the crowds, there could potentially come a time where average attendance exceeds Ashland's capacity...If Boyd is hosting 3 out of 4 years, it would not take long for this to occur... Wait a minute, Ashland always gets blamed for being the "slick" one...Maybe, Boyd had a plan to get the tournament every year and knew that if they host 3 out of 4, eventually they will be the only gym large enough to host???:sssh: The plot thickens!!!!

Who would you put as #1?? If people throught that ANY team would go through the 16th undefeated they just don't understand the game...Rarely, on any level, does a team go through their entire region, conference, etc, without losing at least 1 game...That doesn't change who the best team is... I would take my chances with Russell in a best of 7 series against any other team in the 16th...Why?? Because they ARE the best team...Are they unbeatable?? Obviously not and we don't play best of 7's to decide the district or region champs so there is certainly no guarantee they will win the region or even get out of the district...1 bad game at the wrong time & it's over...That's the beauty of high school sports... With that said, there would obviously be grumbling by some on here but rating them #1 in the region even with last night's loss would not be a gross injustice to the rest of the region...Honestly, I couldn't care less where they are rated even though I have great respect for Cubster's ratings...Week in and week out he does a good job of rating the region but ratings are meaningless when you step on the floor... Russell is the best team in the 16th region this year but a lot of us on oldies on here like Frances & myself know that the best team doesn't always win...The team playing the best in March wins the region...

If you are a shooter you are comfortable shooting anywhere...These players have played enough times in each others' gyms and your body adjusts to the environment during warmups...Good players/teams are good no matter where you play...Growing up, we had "homecourt advantages" in our neighborhoods because there were sometimes tree limbs or other obstacles you needed to learn to play around & if you played there all the time, you knew how to use them to your advantage...Boyd has a nice gym...There are no tree limbs hanging out over the court... Homecourt advantage, for what it is worth, has everything to do with crowd & travel...Long travel can negatively affect players and a hostile crowd can also affect you and help the team that the crowd is supporting...That's why it is so important to play well early & get the crowd out of the game when you travel to a place where your crowd is greatly outnumbered...Officials can have a negative mental effect on players as well when you travel out of region or state...Human nature tells us that we may "get the shaft" on the road so we start focusing on what is or isn't getting called instead of just playing the game... Again, none of these should be a factor when Russell travels to Boyd or when Boyd plays at Russell... The team that plays the best (not always the best team) will win the game & I promise you that IF Russell loses, the coaches & players will tell you it wasn't because of a "homecourt advantage"...

Homecourt advantage is a myth when you are dealing with teams that are 5 miles apart...Travel is not an issue, the crowds will balance each other out, and the officials are the same ones both teams see all the time... Russell - 65 Boyd Co - 52

The play by play guy is not new...He has covered Russell bball games for at least 3 years now I believe...