Hasbeen

Letcher has state of the art facilities, a well known coach and draws from an area (Whitesburg) that has produced some really good football teams in the past. I look for LC to be very successful in a short time. The only drawback is playing in a district with Bell, Rock, Clay, Knox Central, Madison Southern and Perry Central. A school can produce a very good football team in that district and still not even make the playoffs.

Jessica is an eighth grader isn't she?

You missed my point which was KC will take a little time to develop due to what I pointed out. IMO, you'll soon start seeing more KC wins. As for winning at SL, I don't recall any Panther losses to SL for several seasons.

Five of those eleven losses were by one run. Delays in completion of their field at the new high school caused the Panthers to have to play all their games on the road until April 17th. With the field now available look for KC to show steady improvement over the remainder of the season. Also, construction of their new indoor fieldhouse is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks which should result in a much faster start next season. Central's weakness thus far has been defense, a result of not having an adequate place to practice.

I agree with MT and Slink. South needs to think really hard about this one.

Excellent choice. Bart is as good a man as he is a coach. Parents, players and fans will love him. Good luck Coach Elam.

Let's hope NL keeps the door open for this young man. Sometimes we just push so hard it become more of a job than a game. In many cases, a little time off to clear the head works wonders, especially for a kid who has shown such a passion for the game in the past. I wish him well with whatever he does.

Me too, but it's not all bad. I can hide my own Easter eggs.

I can't remember what school, but the Steppe brothers would have to be near the top.

I think everyone who has another school within driving distance has that problem in varying degrees. I really think a big part of the solution to KC's basketball problem is going to come from an unexpected source, the emergence of the Central football team. When the middleschool opens next fall and and more young kids are introduced to football, their choice of schools is going to be greatly narrowed.

Hopefully, this will calm you guys down a little. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060217/SPORTS05/602170474/1002/SPORTS

It's rare for a KC coach in any sport to be dismissed due to his W-L record, it's usually a result of some behind the scenes turmoil. I'm not well informed on the inner workings of this year's team, but as an observer over the years I don't think the things happening this season can all be blamed on Elam. With seven elementary schools feeding into Knox Central, it has long been a common practice for kids to transfer to another elementary looking for more playing time, better teammates and thus a better chance at a trophy, or just to get away from a coach who disagrees with them. In recent years it has become fashionable to continue this trend in high school. The result has been a lack of disipline and unrealistic expectations regarding quick playing time and roles. Why work, wait, and sit the bench when you can just transfer to a smaller school with less competition for playing time? Some that do attend the school they are supposed to expect to be coddled and when they find that they are expected to wait, work, and improve, they either quit or transfer. How can a coach disipline players like this? Of course the stock answer is you coach and it's my way or the highway but that results are a season like this one with a team made up primarily of freshmen and sophomores getting playing time out of necessity and who may leave next year when more is expected of them, thus starting the cycle all over again. I've hesitated to post on this topic because I don't won't it to appear that I'm criticising any particular kid or parents. I know of one who quit that I've always found to be hardworking and level headed and with supportive parents, so I'm sure there are underlying circumstances in each individual case. I'm speaking in very general terms here and my point is that Elam's job is very tough right now. IMO, the hardest part of coaching is not the Xs and Os, but learning to deal with the personalities of players and parents and that only comes with experience. I'm pulling for Brandon to survive long enough to gain that experience. I'm also expecting the situation to improve with the opening of the new middleschool next year.

:thumb: Well said! As much as I love those early fall football games when the air is crisp and the leaves have just turned, there is nothing that compares to that first warm spring day on the field after a long cold winter.

While I don't want to speculate on Miller's ability to play Big East basketball, I will say that he is not NBA material. With that in mind and knowing that there is life after basketball, I think if he does have the opportunity to go to UL even to sit the bench, he should jump at it. Being a UL or UK benchwarmer, especially if he can become a fan favorite by knocking down a few threes when he gets the chance, opens a lot of doors after college that being a star for a small college or even an OVC school will not. We've all seen it, companies love to trot out a former UK/UL player to impress clients and job opportunities are what college is all about.

If it's become a lop-sided game, tradition means nothing.

I agree. Roark and his program should be able to do what they feel is right for their program. Bell and MHS have both been very successfull in their respective classes, I don't think either needs the gate.

While I agree Rock and Bell will be decisive favorites in District 7 again, this district is not the cakewalk for them that it used to be. Clay had a very good young team last year and should make even more noise this year. Madison was tough. Knox Central, while losing a good deal of experience, is gaining athletisism and will be very dangerous by the time the district games come. Letcher could be the surprise of the group. They have facilities second to none, a good coach, and 80 plus players to pick from. Every thing needed to turn that program into a contender.

Congrats to Chris and the NL and UK programs.

Me too, although I enjoyed the one that I could play. My sons all played at least two and one played three his Frosh and Senior years. We decided early that it would not be feasable, but going into his senior year I told him enjoy it and play anything he wanted.

I'm right with you on this one. It has long been one of my pet peeves that the day of the multi-sport athlete is coming to an end. For the vast majority of athletes, it all ends at graduation. Play all you like, play for fun, and enjoy your high school years.

You're joking, right? Do you have any concept of what the David School is all about? A payday is the farthest thing from their minds.

A little info from The David Schools website. This facility is able to serve up to 100 at risk students in grades 9 through 12. In the family learning center program, parents of students pursue their own educational goals, acquire meaningful strategies in dealing with teenage issues, and share learning experiences with their children. The school is continuing to grow according to the needs of the students. An area in which the school has expanded due to student requests has been its athletic programs. The school was the first in the county to have a high school soccer team. Additionally a basketball team was added 2 years ago through the help a volunteer coach. The success of these offerings has caused the school to embark on new campus expansion to include a new athletic building which would include a full size gymnasium, male and female locker rooms, weight room and an aerobic room.

After watching some of the PBS documentary "Country Boys" and seeing the work done by The David School, I would think sports is being used there as a teaching tool. Teamwork, sportsmanship, a sense of belonging to a group working toward a common goal. I'll not judge SV based on what I read on a message board, but if they really did continue to press with the score that one-sided, perhaps some teaching needs to be done on their side of gym as well.

I keep saying there is no equitable compromise. School districts are set up the way they are not for athletic purposes but for the needs of the individual district and it's financial survival. Private schools, urban public, rural public and independent districts all have different needs and are depended upon to educate their particular populace. Maybe the solution would be to remove sports from schools and form various AAU type teams. We could divided it into divisions like: A: Teams with kids who just like to play ball. These teams will not have restrictions on how many sports an athlete plays and in fact will be encouraged to play as many sports as possible. Off season conditioning may not encroach on another sports season. AA: Teams for kids whose fathers are sure they are D-1 prospects. Off season training will be mandatory 365 days per year. AAA: For real D-1 prospects. AAAA: This will be the open class. Same as AAA, but kids will be allowed, even encouraged, to move from team to team until they find a coach willing to start and play them at whatever position they desire or until they form a team that will beat the crap out of all others. Competitive games will be frowned upon.

You should know by now she's a rocksnake in the grass.