Elder statesman

I I agree that the FCA game in Wise had very little effort, especially later in the game because it was a blowout. My stance was based on watching some of the moves he was making with the ball and how he finished around the rim. The kid's got skills and it's a shame he's not getting any looks from colleges. The trend I am seeing these days is that colleges do not pay attention to players in high school games unless the player reaches out to that school as a potential recruit. It's all about travel ball and high-profile tournaments so they can see multiple players at once. Years ago, if you got headlines, college coaches came to watch you play. I also don't feel like most high school coaches are very good at promoting players to the next level either. That should be an unwritten part of a high school coach's job. They should reach out to at least the local schools and request that they give their kids a look. Most kids don't really consider that they are good enough to play college until someone acknowledges their skill.

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Just saw a BHC article about Pendergraft being the MVP of 3 out of 4 all-star games he's played in this spring. I watched him in one of the FCA games at Wise and he was definitely the best player on the floor. The article also said that he has not been contacted by any colleges to play, I think especially the local schools (UVA-Wise, King, E & H, etc) are missing out on a great prospect.

You are probably right but it may also be other parents from the team. I don't know this situation that well, but I have seen transfers come in and take spots from local players which causes those parents to raise issues with the coaching staff and administration. It puts the coaches in a tough spot. Again, just speculation here, maybe they benched Compton for a hometown player (which is unfair). Many factors could cause a situation like this.

She was POY last year as a sophomore and statistically had better numbers this season. Although I was surprised that she got it rather than the girl from Botetourt, it was deserved. The team was inconsistent this season with big games against powerhouses but losing to weaker teams. Losing Seymore inside hurt and they couldn't replace that physical play. They were only 6-7 deep at most but they still beat state champion GW in preseason and regular season fairly easy, beat Wise twice, lost a close game to Ridgeview on a night they shot lights out from 25ft+ (14 threes), lost by single digits once to Botetourt (3A state champs) and lost by 7 to William Fleming (5A runner up). They lost to Gate City twice because of coach's game management. Blew a 15 pt lead with 4 minutes left when he subbed out 3 starters including Trivette because he got mad at her. The M7 has been the toughest girls' basketball district in the state since its inception. No other district consistently has multiple region and state contenders. Next season may be the weakest it will be because every team loses the bulk of their talent. If Trivette stays, Abingdon should be at the top. Union has the most players coming back. Central will have Moore and the other young players moving up. Ridgeview, Battle, Gate City, and Lee will all struggle unless we see transfers.

Has anyone seen the girls all-district team? I was expecting to see it once Central was done but nothing so far. They have already released the 2A all-state team

oops, I had her mistaken for the girl they had last season.

In today's world you have to make predictions on assumptions that players don't transfer. Union had the most underclassmen so they will be looking to make a run. Abingdon loses 7 seniors (3 starters and 2 quality subs), but Trivette returns (maybe), and the JV team dominated the regular season. Central won the JV championship game and will be at the top as long as Moore stays. Ridgeview loses 4 of their top 6. They will need some quality size to be at the top. Gate City loses the Carico twins, Lee loses Huff, and Battle loses Kelley and Wallace. All of these schools depended on those players to compete this season. They will need major improvements to crack the top 4 next season. But, as I said before, it wouldn't shock me to see some transfers. The VHSL has created a monster.

MaxPreps final class 2A rankings for girls has Wise Central #1, Ridgeview #2, and Gate City #3 proving once again that the Mountain 7 is the top conference in VA. If you take Wise out of the equation then Ridgeview probably has at least 2 state titles and Gate City possibly has 1-2. The addition of the Union girls after losing Looney definitely put Wise in the drivers seat again this year and with the way Union played in the second half of the season, they would have been strong contenders had those girls stayed. With that being said, Ridgeview may be the only team in SWVA that has not benefited from transfers, so hats off to those girls for what they accomplished this season.

I actually said they wouldn't crack the top 5 while watching the game. The only real run they made was when Emma was on the bench and that included a buzzer beater halfcourt shot just to get to single digits.

Pulaski doesn't have NFHS and they have girls and boys 1A games there tomorrow

I watched that replay a few times as well. Gobble did not punch his son; he shoved him back in the handshake line because he was running his mouth. He was both a parent and a coach in that moment. Not only did he corral his player, but he was also reprimanding his child for doing something that was disrespectful and poor sportsmanship. VA High coaches let Landon Lee cross halfcourt and repeatedly berate the officials before his technical. They should have been there to push him back to his bench. You can't falsify other instances to try to justify this one. Sportsmanship and respect are things that have been lost these days.

Wise Centrals fans are just as bad and they look nothing like VA High

It's human nature to judge a group of people by the most outspoken or most outlandish among them. It may not be fair in all cases. The magnifying glass is on VA High because it's not a one-time occurrence. I believe it was last season at Graham that Coach Timmons had to be escorted from the gym during a heated boy's game. From the video, he appeared to try to calm fans down on his side but then started yelling at Graham fans in their bleachers. Players follow actions of their mentors and crowds can develop mob mentality when things get heated on the floor.

It wasn't a bad season. The thing is, that group of girls had been very successful all through little league, middle school, and even JV. But when you go through 4 coaches in about 5 years it seriously damages a program. Expectations were much higher leading up to now and with a few girls quitting, a couple injuries, and some transfers it just wasn't the same.