24smom

Noted & appreciated Cats. Personal attacks are one thing, opinions are another. Opinions are just that, opinions. Mine is different. Every coach is different. Folks not agreeing with a coaching decision or perhaps his/her style? Happens all the time. How you handle yourself in places (such as this forum?) as fans, parents, administration & a community in that disagreement is what makes or breaks a player, team or program sometimes. I have never agreed 100% with Richey or any coach, nor do I ever expect too, but I do have a daughter that played for him for several years & have direct knowledge. Coaching is difficult under any circumstances. I know from personal experience that what you hear, the rumors & impressions of circumstances can be absolutely wrong. For example, I had several parents ask me recently why I was upset at coach & said I was seen "chewing him out" after a game. Never happened. I was actually discussing with him my daughter's performance, which was not near 100%. I agreed with how he coached her, which was NOT what folks thought they saw. We all tend to see what we want to see & blame who? The coach. It's much easier than blaming our own kid isn't it? I hope Amber works hard to walk on & get playing time at Bellarmine...a daunting task that I think she is capable of doing!

Asked someone at the HS to talk to Amber today about this & get back with me. The reponse is that she said it's mostly academic with no athletic. She is walking on. Congrats! GREAT gal.

Interesting! I have heard the opposite on this one as well...coach Wilhoit to Grant Co. His daughter is an 8th grader...can transfer! Believe me, rumors abound around here right now. Another one around the school is that coach Richey is coming back to Grant Co next year. We just need a decision!! SOON!

Don't know...perhaps will depend on who the new head coach will be. Also have to find a JV coach in addition to head coach.

He did. The search continues...

No public announcement on a signing for Amber (yes, she is the tall post player). Perhaps a walk-on or academic deal? She is a beautiful gal, has always said she was going to college & is a fantastic student. Wonderful family. Congrats! (Although she was working very hard on getting to a college in Hawaii last time we talked! Told her I would be heading out to see her for sure in Hawaii if she went there, better make sure the dorm room was extra large for all the company!) I hate this, but MUST address this...the attacks on Richey are getting old Catsdunnwright...would it be possible to congratulate a player from or the team at Grant County on their accomplishments without the personal vendetta against their coach? It's hard to celebrate an accomplishment when you are sticking a knife in his back at the same time, every time. Why don't you just give him a call & get it all out in the open & leave the rest of the BGPrs out if it. Better yet, the job at Grant Co. is still open....let's see what you can do. And when my daughter does (or doesn't) take her game to the next level I can lay the blame squarely on you & see how you like it. Folks, look at the history from CDW...looks like a personal thing to me. Leslie Garnett's (Mid-Continent signee) dad clarified any doubt regarding Leslie & Bert Richey in a previous thread. Bert's record speaks for itself. Coach Richey asked his team every year what players wanted to play in college. To the few players who said yes, he told them they couldn’t play at the next level if they didn't work hard enough to get there. Not just Amber, ALL of them. I talked to Coach Richey this week, he will not be coaching anywhere next year other then helping out his wife at Highlands & helping to take care of the new baby!

Has anyone noticed that there has been no public announcement regarding the new head coach? The only thing I know first hand is that Robinson called a meeting for the team this past Monday & told the girls he was coach & that no decision was made on JV or Freshman positions & he was planning camps for June. The local paper was out yesterday, no mention.

I would not disagree that strength of schedule is very important & a gradual strengthening has begun & you are right, necessary, but not all at once. Trimble, Oldham & N.Oldham were all added to the schedule this past season. However, Grant County has been rebuilding a program and you cannot downplay what has been accomplished in the last few years. The program has come a long way. Of course there is more to be done, but to say they don't have talent? Schools they are beating now are the same schools, small & large, that were whipping Grant County & counting GC as the easy win a couple of seasons ago. So, if I follow your reasoning, the "talent" at the other schools has diminished & Grant County's has stayed the same? You can compare programs. Ludlow is another program that has come a long way & an argument could be made that they should step up their schedule. Enrollment is not the only indicator of what a school should be accomplishing or what talent may be available. How you "manage" the athletes, as a community, as coaches & as parents is a better indicator for programs on the rise. I have seen comments on several posts in the past regarding off season work with rec teams & going the extra mile to improve. The younger generations coming up through the school system in Grant Co are starting to do that. More & more are venturing into leagues, parents are working with kids at home & becoming actively involved in nurturing their athletes, at the HS & more importantly, at the middle school & elementary levels. Not just girls basketball, but other sports as well, including football. I think the same could be said for the girls program at Ludlow. There are several girls at GC now that ARE talented & would be active players on any other program's roster, including the Oldham's, Shelby's, Connor's, Ryle's of the world. Overcoming a few injuries? Yes. Catching up in skill & experience to the Oldham's, Shelby's, Connor's, Ryle's of the world? Yes. Learning? Yes. Learning to compete? Yes. Learning to win? Yes. Second Chair, Coach Robinson has camps planned & is anxious to get started. In addition, a group of players are playing at SOAS with a couple of parents who wanted to keep as many as possible playing while the coaching change was happening. One Varsity player is on a AAU team in Cincinnati & many younger players from the middle school are also playing in leagues. This outside activity could not have been said about the teams from several years ago, when the only players playing outside of school were Leslie Garnett & the current player in AAU. That was it. Now? Lots of them are in youth leagues & other activites outside of school basketball. The parents that involved the girls at SOAS this year have been doing this for several years now. I can remember several years ago at the beginning of tryouts for my daughter at the middle school, coach asks how many worked over the summer & over 3/4 of the girls said they had not touched a ball since the previous season. That is not true anymore.

Last time I checked Carroll Co wasn't so bad....or Walton-Verona...Simon Kenton doesn't count either I guess. I think saying that is insulting to the girls that played there the last several seasons & got to the point they are now. Take a look at Ludlow's schedule. I don't think Ludlow would take kindly to anyone saying they played a "patsy" schedule either. Would you say Ashley Daughtery & cast are not talented because of their schedule?

First in girls V basketball...several years ago he was coaching in boys basketball at GC (not head coach). I don't know what happened in the past, so I don't want to speculate as to his reasons for leaving the boys program back then. He is the current head coach for boys golf. As my daughter came up through the middle school, coach Robinson was in attendance for many, many games. He was also at the HS games prior to taking the freshman girls position this past season. My daughter works with a boys player from Grant Cty (who played several yrs ago) on an individual basis to improve her game. Allen speaks very, very highly of coach Robinson & has told my daughter that having him become head coach would be great for her and the team. He told her that coach brings an intensity to the game that can be highly motivating. Watching Lance this past season at practice & games, he is constantly teaching. As players go on & off the court, he always was talking & pointing things out, both positive & negative. It would also always end with an atta girl & a pat on the back. Love that in a coach.

That means you heard from the new coach himself or the AD? Robinson brings a lot of energy to the program...as described, he is a lot of fun to watch coach. Very animated! A lot of coaching experience.

Great news! How confident are you about this? 100%?

Jaime (head coach at Highlands) & Bert (recently resigned as head coach at Grant Co) welcomed their first child, a beautiful daughter, to the world yesterday at appx 6:30pm, 9lbs 6oz & 21 1/2 inches long! Congratulations! :dancingpa :dancingpa :dancingpa :dancingpa :dancingpa :dancingpa

Thanks for the encouragement! She ran in after her AAU team practice in Cincy to play last night. She is struggling with her confidence. When that happens it creates hesitation...which causes mistakes...then more confidence problems, then even bigger mistakes. Very hard to overcome. Not only losing her coach, but a hand injury late in the season was a big blow as well...shooting hand. She is fully recovered, her shot is fine, but she hasn't convinced herself that it is...confidence is HUGE in this game.

Don't know what school he is from, but a coach that lives in Williamsburg was in town yesterday checking out the area. Can't see the Williamstown connection as the candidate must be "in the building", so a teacher. Pendleton? Maybe. Previous Beechwood coach? Definite possibility. Have heard a LOT about her recently. All positive: outside candidate, head coaching experience, very knowledgeable & a disciplinarian.

Makes a lot of sense. Would like to see the new coach in place soon. Seems strange, but my daughter's confidence is down a bit because of the "unknown". It's showing up in her AAU play.

Thanks! Coach Robinson can be quite "intense". Inside player was Billiter. I think that Carrollton is going to miss Whitney more!!

Still posted on KHSAA...heard there are several applicants...interview process begins next week. New coach must be on staff "in the building" so any outside candidate will also need a teaching position available there. Rumour is that there are 7 "very qualified" applicants . A couple are current staff...girls freshman coach, Lance Robinson, is probably one of them, but I haven't spoken to him directly to confirm. Whoever takes over will have players with a lot of varsity experience already that next season will include 3 seniors & 4 juniors. The 4 juniors to-be all played at the high school as 8th graders on the varsity level. 2 were starters this past season as sophomores. As far as varsity experience, you could say it will be 7 seniors. The new coach has a solid group. Should make for an interesting season.

Leslie Garnett of Grant Co. to Mid-Continent.

Gorby, Morgan & Lockard are sophomores. All are 3yr varsity players. This trio played varsity as 8th graders. Gorby & Morgan were starters this year. Coach Richey was instrumental in the development of these players. Whoever takes over the program will have a group with a lot of varsity experience.

Soccer has been a huge benefit to my daughter as a 2 sport athlete...basketball is her 2nd sport & the sport she focuses the most energy on. The skills she takes from soccer translate directly for her, including plays. She also (as someone mentioned in a post) works on weight training & a lot of core work (exercises) for strength. She does want to go into the physical therapy field, so all of this stuff for her makes absolute sense when it doesn't to some of her peers. It has always been her decision with the understanding her schoolwork does not suffer.

For me...yep. My HS had 2000+. What do you consider mid-sized?

Many lessons are learned in the spirit of competition that prepare our young people for life. Some are harder than others. Thanks Rebecca for what you have brought to girls basketball in Kentucky.

I think 30 turnovers & shooting 25% from the field vs Walton might have something to do with the loss. Pretty sure that catsdunnwright44 was not in the lockerroom or at practice for prep for this game or any other to know what coach Richey may have said regarding preparation for this game, this season, or any other season for that matter. Just because the newspaper doesn't print that quote doesn't mean he did not accept responsibility. He did. Of course credit is due the players. The point of this thread was to acknowledge coach Richey for a job well done after his resignation. And to blame a coach for an injury, please. I was there, injuries happen. My daughter is proof of that, but would we blame a coach for the injury? Never. Would we blame a coach for her recovery? Never. Would we blame a coach for the work she did to get herself into a position to play again after the injury? Never. The players worked very hard to do what they have done. Not just Amber Billiter & Leslie Garnett (who I have the upmost respect for), but the team. The team goal was make region AND 20 wins. It so happened that a win vs Walton would have accomplished both. As head coach of the team, and a member of the team, those were also his goals. Bottom line is that he lead the program back to a place where the girls, whether they won 20 games or not, made region or not, are proud to be associated with the program. You don't have to like him personally, but you have to acknowledge the job he did as coach. Taking over a program that won just a few games a season, was the laughing stock of talk radio, was the "easy" win on other teams schedules for many years & leading these girls back to a place where they take pride in what they have done. I most certainly couldn't have done it...and most of the "armchair quarterbacks" out there have to admit they could not have done it either.

As reported in the Grant Co. News this week, Coach Bert Richey of Grant Co. has resigned as head coach. To quote the article: Richey inherited the team from John Cobb midway through the 2002-03 season. Cobb was dismissed as coach for inappropriate contact with a player and Richey, in his first year as the junior varsity coach, was named the interim coach. The team won one game that year. Richey was hired as the permanent head coach in the off-season. In that time, the Lady Braves have had two winning seasons and an appearance in the eighth region tournament last season. This year's team finished with 19 wins, tied for the team record of most wins in a season. He said he's most proud of restoring pride to Grant County girls basketball. "Kids aren't ashamed to say they play for Grant County anymore," Richey said. "When I first got here, the girls did not want to wear Grant County gear. Now they want to play for Grant County. I wanted to leave this program in better shape when I left, and I've done that." Coach Richey has done an incredible job at Grant Co. My daughter is very proud to be a Varsity basketball player there & wears her gear daily. Although she will miss him, what a gift it has been for her to have been able to be coached & play on a winning team with, and for, him. Coaches have a difficult job, and sometimes a thankless one, but coach Richey was always honest, dedicated & passionate about coaching at Grant Co. Although folks misinterpret that passion in a coach sometimes, I think the turnaround at Grant Co. speaks volumes. Good luck Coach, thank you and we wish you and Jaime well on your new path! :thumb: To view the full article: http://grantky.com/articles/2007/03/07/sports/sports03.txt