firebird

From what I have seen and been a part of consolidation sometimes works in reverse in creating athletic prowess, especially in basketball. Even the middle school concept has not been good in creating better teams. Too many underdeveloped kids get discouraged after they get cut in 7th or 8th grades and never continue to come back out after some get bigger or stronger. There are a bunch of kids that never fully develope physically until after they reach high school age. Instead of sometimes having say, 50 8th graders playing basketball in Johnson County, with the middle school concept we now only have about 15 max. By the time they are freshmen we have gotten down to numbers as low as 4 to 6 playing. The same principal applies to a consolidated high school. In my opinion consolidation has a way of watering down your basketball program instead of making it stronger. In football and possibly baseball, I can see huge advantages because of sheer numbers but I think basketball gets hurt in the long run. You can still only put 5 on the floor at the same time and have 7-10 sitting on the bench.

You would just about have to utilize the city's facilities one way or another to make it work

As I said the other day, consolidation is based purely on financial conditions. It came very close to happening once before back in the 70's. xyience, you have things a little turned around. Johnson Central would be able to absorb the high school numbers because it would only put them with numbers only slightly higher than when JC was consolidated. The big problem would be the county's elementary and middle schools. Johnson County Middle, WR Castle Elementary, Highland Elementary, Central Elementary, and maybe Porter Elementary are just about busting at the seams. Flat Gap and Meade could handle several more students, but those are the two schools that lie the furthest away from the city limits.

One of life's simple pleasures.

Michael Tackett gets my vote.

Be ready to play.

Not a rumor that they were there. I have the best view of anyone in the United States on that.

Dont know if any pointers were given, but they did in fact come to Paintsville's field on 2 charter buses.

Wow. I like the idea of showing you support for the colors on the flag but that would have been one ugly Eagle. :lol: Even the bicentennial class thought so too!!! You can thank the class of '76 for shooting it down.

When asked to appraise Mayo as a prospect, Steve Smith did not sound overwhelmed. "He's not Lebron James, " the Oak Hill coach said. "He's not Carmelo Anthony. He's not Kevin Durrant. He's a 6'4" guard. If he's making his shots , he's very good. I dont know how well he'll adjust on down the line. And now your comparing him to Jordan?

Not in Johnson Co. my friend. I graduated with a school enrollment of over 1200 kids at Johnson Central. We might have 950 -1000 now.

You were not even a glitter in your mommy or daddy's eye when that came very close to actually happening. Economics are the deciding factors in that ever happening or not happening . Never say never.

Should be a good game.

Just asking a question because I really dont follow the NBA much anymore, but do you think that Mayo has the size and the speed to really excel in the NBA in the age of 6'7" point guards and the such. Seems as if the smaller players that do make it are the one's that basicly have an unlimited shooting range or are lightening quick penetrators or defenders. Where do you really see OJ fittting in? Do you think that he fits into either of the aforementioned categories? I dont know that even with all the hype and the constant #1 player in the nation references that he is an upper 1st round selection. When was the last time a 6'4" player was deemed a franchise type player. You need to remember that come draft day that there are countless foreign players that the average Joe has never even heard of, that get drafted way before a lot of our own national treasures . Most NBA teams generally look for size and potential in what I have witnessed in the last few years. It's just like major league baseball. These frachises dont look for 5'10" pitchers that can throw 90 MPH. They look for 6' 5" pitchers that throw 90 MPH and have the bodies that they can potentionaly develope to the point of throwing 96MPH. It seems that most of the process of selecting a player revolves in how projectable a player actualy is, rather than what he can do at the present moment. How far is OJ from peaking , talent wise? Is he that 12 year old little league phenom that never really develops that much further? What would you do if you were an NBA franchise, draft a 6'4" player with maybe not much more of a developement upside or draft this 6'10" kid out of Lithuania that has just now begun to blossom with the sky being the limit when it comes to potential developement. It's a great big world out there when it comes to the NBA. Can OJ make it at 6'4" ?

From the perception that I remember from OJ in grade school and middle school you would not surprise me at all scooterbob. That is exactly the type of kid that he appeared to be to me. Hopefully deep down that is still the same OJ. The one thing that I could say as a parent in reference to Bob Knight is that there would not be a coach anywhere that I would want supervising my kid away from home. He might be tough and brutal appearing , but you could almost bet the farm that they would be well behaved young men while under his tutorage.

Could you see OJ going to Texas Tech?

Seems that as recently as 2 weeks ago that OJ Mayo was still trying to enroll at Oak Hill Academy. Exerpts from Sunday's column from Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald Leader: Oak Hill Coach Steve Smith said that Mayo came to Mouth of Wilson , Va in April to talk about attending the school. Smith decided not to accept Mayo, who had been suspended more than once by North College Hill. "I just didn't think it was the best thing of either one of us," Smith said. Mayo apparently found it difficult to take no for an answer. Late last month while participating in a camp at Santa Barbara, Calif.,he asked an Oak Hill official to again explain why the school would not accept him. When asked to appraise Mayo as a prospect, Steve Smith did not sound overwhelmed. "He's not Lebron James," the Oak Hill coach said. "He's not Carmelo Anthony. He's not Kevin Durrant. He's a 6-4 guard. If he's making his shots, he's very good. He's a big time high school guard. I dont know how well he'll adjust down the line." Interesting quotes coming from the head of a program that has undeniably had the finest high school talent (and egos) in the country year in and year out since taking over the reins at Mouth of Wilson.

Aaron is one of the nicest guys that I know. Good luck in your new job.

Six weeks is what I was told. Should be back for Ashland.

Broken left collar bone.

Maybe at one time it was a dump, but that was before GIAT and Daddy Dickie started coming in on sundays and doing all that spiffy-up stuff. :thumb:

Well so far Prestonsburg has refused to play them!!

Not only did they try not stealing off Josh, you didn't even stray too far away from the bag, even at second base, or you were for sure nailed. Charlie Collett had much the same impact on the game behind the plate playing for Paintsville as well, with very similar pop time numbers..

I would think that Pennsylvania would be somewhere in there.