SouthernSportsFan

And you don't too the horn of Lincoln. The same Lincoln that got beat by McCreary last season in the region tournament on their home floor. You obviously understand that Watts was talented, but you have no idea about the situations off the court that kept that from being a true team. And since it's been over five years since the Raiders lost to Monticello, I'll take my chances. The Raiders won't lose a game to Monticello, much less finish behind them in the standings.

When Monticello beats McCreary, I will think of your posts much more. They lost to one team - Mercer. They rolled your Patriots, who didn't even make the regional tournament.

That's exactly why I take your posts with a grain of salt. It's almost pointless to even read them. McCreary isn't the favorite to win the district title next year, but they just walloped the district this year and Dixon was lights out against Wayne and Southwestern. It wouldn't surprise me if they made it back to the region tournament, but they're certainly not a favorite.

Lincoln, Wayne, and Boyle should be the leaders. For the regular season, McCreary might get a few wins. I think it's going to surprise a lot of people what kind of team McCreary is this upcoming year after this years deflections.

Wayne hasn't proven too much. Can the Dixon and Williams show carry the Raiders? They haven't proved it yet, what makes anyone think they can now? West Jessamine loses Polson = done. Boyle may improve and be a contender. Mercer may be okay. It will be a down year for the 12th, in my opinion.

What did they prove in the regular season? They didn't beat Male, Seneca, Corbin, etc. McCreary went from 12th Favorite, to a top 15 team in the state. The thing is, Robert Jones has won this award three straight years. And the team has nothing but a couple of district titles to show for it.

And McCreary County.

I'm not going to post the name or school simply because it could have been for very personal reasons. This is all speculation on my part and wonder what the general consensus is. I'm talking about the coincidence of the situations.

I've never heard that before. People may question why the coach left a good opportunity, like you mention with the West Jessamine coach, but I would never imagine someone calling them selfish. Why is selfish about leaving a program in great shape? Likewise, if that class had just graduated the future wasn't bright and a coach resigns or retires and leaves the mess for someone else, I see that as selfish. Riding the backs of the talented class and leaving the tough work for someone else. I think it's different as the age progresses. As it progresses to college coaches and then to NBA coaches, I think it's more of a self-satisfaction for becoming successful rather than being happy for the players or preparing them for the future.

But is the game about the coaches, or about the players, at the high school level?

I was thinking of that one too, but didn't want to point it out and get bashed. That's not the ones I were referring too, but that is one that I thought was strange.

Perhaps they have other reasons, but in this area, at one particular school, it has happened twice. Strange coincidence? I don't think so. I don't think I am over thinking it. Maybe it's their way of "going out on top."

West will pull this out, I feel.

Cinnamon was huge in the McCreary game.

This looks to get interesting. We'll see if the new head coach can hold on. Polson will probably start to take over.

West is on their way to another title as long as they can hold steady. I would like to have seen them face McCreary, which is a team much different than Mercer.

He may single handily beat Mercer.

What kind of defense is Mercer running? Keeping Polson out of the lane is priority number one. I don't know how much his shooting ability has improved, but if they let him drive at will, it's going to be a long night for them. I would even start trapping him around the ball screens.

No one has feelings about this?

Are you there? If so, how is the crowd? It's probably safe to say that McCreary may have had the largest crowd, as they seem to travel very well. The basketball team gave McCreary County something to be proud about.

There have been plenty of instances in both boys and girls basketball, football, and a variety of different sports that coaches will end up retiring, or quitting, when a star player, who comes along once every decade or so, graduates. I've seen this in instances where the coach had been at the school for twenty years and when the coach had been there four or so years. I tend to think high school basketball, and sports at the k-12 level, should be strictly about the players and the success that they gain. But when I see a football coach retire after his best and most athletic player graduates, or see a girls basketball coach call it quits once his essential 2-time region player of the year graduates, I look at the coach as being selfish and riding on the player to garner success and attention. A coach in the 12th region retired in this decade after his star player, and a surrounding cast of seniors were graduating and the future didn't look nearly as bright because no attention or coaching seemed to be translated to the younger players. I also so a coach in the region call it quits after his star football player was set to graduate, just coaching for the four years the player was in high school. How do you feel about this?

I can agree with most of this. I was encouraged (not that is matters after a loss) that McCreary was able to stay within striking distance clanking three after three. But at some point, you have to go with what works. Watts did a good job of getting into the lane, but with the game 42-46, he strolled the perimeter and had the ball stripped and scored by Mercer twice. The press brought them back into the game, kind of strange they let up. At times this year, Wright was the unsung hero, but he acted so rattled that he was guarded and pressured beyond the perimeter. If McCreary would have won, other coaches would have made note of that and pressured - and you didn't even have to go full court - the Raiders and had success. Sloppy passes by Wright and Dixon also hurt the Raiders. Next season I assume it will be the Dixon and Williams show, but who knows. I'm going to say one thing that is going to ruffle some feathers of other McCreary supporters and those outside of McCreary don't really know. There were some rumors after the game of an incident that happened with Watts. Now you may point this out as being a one-time thing, but Watts hasn't always been the greatest person off the court and I think some of that translated on the court. Off the court, he needs to get his act together. Plenty of times I see comments of people who have seen him when he was younger or just occasionally and I see "he's got a good head on his shoulders," and that is he a very respectable young man. Watts needs to work on things off the court that can help him on the court.

What do you mean by better? Mercer had the Raiders number. I think McCreary is better than West and that West is better than Mercer and Mercer is better than McCreary. It is all about matchups.

McCreary could not make a shot, which was very uncharacteristic of them. Consequently, Mercer could not miss and had a great gameplan. I told my wife before the game that it seems strange that Watts and McCreary never go into shooting slumps, like say UK had been. I must have jinxed them. Mercer played with energy. McCreary acted like it was just another simple game at times.

No one could. Unless they made one in the final minutes, they went 0-for. McCreary played dead, like this was an ordinary game. That and they died by the three and Mercer couldnt miss.