americanman

How long will Lebanion be out? Will he play Friday against Williamsburg?

I can't agree with you on this one, Coach T. There are many excellent players out there who are on teams that do not win every game. If Smith, Hammonds, or Profitt played on a team such as Jellico without other equally as talented teammates they would still be great players. Consider Bargo from Lynn Camp, Smith from Harlan.

Whitley and Williamsburg match up for the 3rd. time this Friday @ Whitley. Any thoughts on this one?

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Be nice guys. Small schools such as Jellico and Williamsburg struggle to produce quality teams due to the fact that they have low enrollments and do not have the number of athletes to choose from like many larger schools. Corbin, Whitley, & South have a large pool of kids to choose from. Only the best players make their teams but the smaller schools have to make due with the talent they have and try to build on it.

It's not all about wins and losses for the Jackets at the moment. It's about steady improvement and with each game that they have played this year it is clear that is exactly what's happening with this Yellow Jacket team. Taylor and Cunningham are getting better and better at handling the ball and they are both good shooters. Teague is a 6'6 sophomore that shoots well from the inside and rebounds well. Pettit is a 6'3 freshmen who shoots and rebounds nicely as well. These two boys will only get bigger and stronger. Williamsburg has some excellent potential and Coach Robinson is working hard to help the team realize this potential. I think that they deserve some credit for their hard work.

I'd say that you were right about the #1 and #2 spots. Corbin has a solid team but I think that South will prevail when the two teams play again. We'll have to wait & see what happens with the Whitley/Williamsburg game. This is a hard one to call. I think that the Jackets and the Colonels are about even as far as talent goes. Both have young teams. I haven't seen Whitley play much this year but they have some good players and I'm sure that Coach Deaton will be hungry for a win over the Jackets after losing to them in McCreary County last week. I've watched Williamsburg play a couple of games and they also have some good players. I watched their game tonight against Jellico and McRay, Teague, Pettit, and Cunningham looked strong. Coach Robinson has really worked hard with his young team. I think that the Williamsburg/Whitley game may come down to whichever team plays together as a team and wants the win most.

Williamsburg-84 Jellico-60 final

I heard that the Jackets played well. The score did not reflect the effort put forth by Williamsburg. This team seems to continue to improve with each game. Keep up the good work, Coach Robinson.

Good Point, Les. Wasn't meant to go in that direction.

You are a wise man, Mr. Wilson, when you say that ultimately the child is the one who suffers. The parents seem to forget that fact and so do the coaches that harbor ill feelings because of stupid, insensitive remarks made by people who are known to stir trouble with whatever they are involved in. Unfortunately though, coaches are human just like the rest of us and many of the Hamlin's comment are hard to ignore. Consider this, how would Corbin react if Josh Crawford or Clint Cashen transferred to South Laurel and then their parents attended Corbin games and critiqued the players and coaches and bragged about how much better things were at S.L.? Or, better yet, show up when Corbin plays Bell County, sit on Bells' side, and cheer against Corbin. The Hamlins' attended Williamsburgs' home game this year against South Laurel , sat with S.L.'s fans, and cheered against the Jackets. Did I mention that they still have children enrolled in the Williamsburg School System? These children will also go to Corbin after Williamsburg has spent years training them athletically and educationally. If Williamsburg fails to met the high standards that the Hamlins have then should'nt they move their other children now. I guess that you can tell that I am bothered by the negativity that Williamsburg seems to attract.

You're absolutely right, Red Bunch, saying that one school has better facilities than another is in no way bad mouthing. There are many, many schools that have better facilities than the one my child attends. That's life. No one faults the parents for making a decision that benefits their child. Faced with the same decision I would probably do the same thing. It's the in-your-face attitude that ticks people off. The parents have perpetuated the myth that Williamsburg is anti-Josh. It seems to be some sort of bragging right to them and it is not true. I find the situation odd. Most people change schools and go on. Done deal. I believe the comment made by one of the parents at the Panamora games was that Williamsburg was no good and never would be, period. Things such as that tend to tick people off, especially when it said in their own house. That's taking free speech a little too far even for me.

Williamsburg will travel to Harlen to face the green dragons tomarrow night. Any thoughts on how this one will turn out?

Saying that Coach Robinson is young & inexperienced (as a coach, not as an excellent ball player) and will need time to develop his team is not negative. It is true. He has taken on a tough role and has risen to the occasion in my opinion. He has so far set a good example for the young Williamsburg team as far as playing the hand that you have been dealt and the team seems to be taking on some of his personality. As far as the baseball coach is concerned I think that he devoted alot of his time personally, both on and off the field, to the child when he was younger. The parents openly compare Williamsburg's baseball program and how much more Corbin has to offer and these comments are not always in a nice way such as Corbin's nice field house or nice baseball stadium. We would all agree that Corbin and schools such as South Laurel and Whitley have more money and deeper pockets to pick than Williamsburg. Williamsburg and Corbin are small towns and these comments have often made their way back. It would be hard not to take these personally if you were the head baseball coach in Williamsburg. I think that parents have the right to make decisions based on what they feel is best for their children as the Hamlins did in this instance but I think that the comments made by them has brought about the tense atmosphere with many Williamsburg folks. There are such things as loyalty. I have said enough on this subject. I just wanted to make it clear that I think that Josh is an excellent player and was not questioning his abilities.

I think that you have misunderstood my question regarding Hamlin's role at Corbin. I think that he is a fine ballplayer and have no doubts about his abilities. I only wondered why those abilities and his contributions to the team were not mentioned as much as the younger players on the Corbin team. I was not in the loop when Hamlin made his "Exodus" to Corbin from Williamsburg. From what I have heard from the Williamsburg folks his leaving has not been the issue. Nor did they have issues with Hamlin's parents making a decision that they felt would be best for their son in the long run. More than one child has enrolled in another school while living in another district. That happens often in Williamsburg, Whitley Co., South Laurel, Lynn Camp, and Corbin. The issue lies in the fact that his parents have openly trash talked Williamsburg school, their players, and coaches. Some of Williamsburg's former coaching staff have left a lot to be desired, especially in basketball, but Williamsburg should also be commended for trying to rectify those situations when they have occured. As a whole, Williamsburg has excellent coaches. Josh received his early years of training under Williamsburg coaches and they played a role in making him the excellent player, in baseball and basketball, that he is today. They deserved better than to be down graded when they were no longer needed. I think that Williamsburg's problems lie with the parents' attitude not the childs. Josh has always been referred to in my presence as a pleasant, good natured, likeable person with respectable athletic talent. I think that he would have been an asset to whatever team he choose to play with.

From what I saw, Corbin played a good game and should be proud of the way they handled themselves. Williamsburg has potential and they will continue to improve as the team gets older and they get more experience under their belts. Coach Robinson seems to be heading his players in the right direction. Unlike last year, I can see improvements in their playing ability with each game. They are faster, stronger, and their basic understanding of the game seems to be growing. Their passing skills could use a little more "team" effort. They need to learn that a basket is points for Williamsburg regardless of who makes that basket. All in all, I think that Coach Robinson is doing a fine job and should be congratulated on his teams improvement. I say "Hats Off" to both teams and look forward to meetings in the future.

You are 100% correct, luvbasketball. It is never wise to underestimate your opponent. Sometimes games can come down to whichever team is the most determined and Williamsburg has some players that can be just that. Corbin can be beaten. They should never take any team to lightly. I just hope that whatever the final score is that both teams walk away knowing that they gave it their all and tried their best.

I agree with you 100%, Hound82, Josh Hamlin seems to be a fine kid and ball player. I was only wondering why he doesn't seem to be getting his share of the credit for Corbin's success. All eyes seem to be on the younger kids.

If Williamsburg plays up to their potential then I think that this game should be fairly close but, if Williamsburg comes out slow and lets Corbin intimidate them then it will be a long game for the Jackets. Williamsburg has some good young talent. I'll guess that we will just have to wait until tomorrow night to see. I wish both teams a safe and competive game.

Would someone please explain to me what the sitution is with the Hamlin kid & Corbin? He was suppossed to be their "Star Player" from what we were told. Wasn't that the reason that he left Williamsburg, so that he could have a better basketball future? Are the younger players over shadowing the older ones? I don't see Hamlin's name mentioned very often on this site or in the papers anymore. I thought that he was a great player. Any thoughts?

Shelly from Williamsburg is a force on the mound.

Sorry, SouthernSportsFan, Williamsburg came through with the win. 62-59. The game was close at first, then Whitley pulled away for awhile. Williamsburg went into the locker rooms at half and came back out ready to play ball. Whatever Coach Robinson said must have worked. The team played a much better second half. Lets hope that they keep up the enthusiasm going in to the Corbin game. Lets all cross our fingers and say a prayer for a new year,

Williamsburg looked good today. They played aggressive and played more like a team than in past games. Hopefully, they are learning that it takes more than just one player to make a team or maybe one player is learning to be more of a team player. It will be interesting to see how the Corbin/Williamsburg game goes on Tuesday night? Corbin has been slow to the start lately and several of Williamsburg's players are stepping up. Pettit, McRay,Kilgore, Teague,& Cunningham all had a really good game today. I'm looking forward to the match-up. Any thoughts?

Nice win for the Yellow Jackets!:ylsuper:

Corbin: Josh Crawford Madison Johnson South Laurel: Gilbert Whitley: Lebanion Prewitt Williamsburg: Teague Cunningham Taylor