GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 of Richlands' rich Region tournament history... 2016 -- Gate City 73, Richlands 562014 -- Gate City 77, Richlands 542012 -- Tazewell 81, Richlands 742011 -- Graham 77, Richlands 732010 -- Grundy 62, Richlands 542009 -- Cave Spring 80, Richlands 422007 -- Martinsville 71, Richlands 552004 -- Abingdon 61, Richlands 471995 -- Christiansburg 77, Richlands 671994 -- Gate City 71, Richlands 501992 -- Blacksburg 61, Richlands 541990 -- Blacksburg 77, Richlands 431989 -- Blacksburg 69, Richlands 661988 -- Virginia High 71, Richlands 661985 -- George Wythe 62, Richlands 611983 -- Radford 77, Richlands 54 http://www.heraldcourier.com/sports/richlands-hopes-to-end-the-regional-curse/article_751c1fa0-f7e7-11e6-af12-232254f29dc0.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hokiebird7 1,416 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 They have NEVER won a regional game? If so WOW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hokiebird7 1,416 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 One thing wrong in the article..it wasn't Sidney Snell on that Radford team it was Donald Wayne Snell Sidney played for blacksburg GMan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widespread_Panic 197 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 Instead of calling their gym the "House of Hustle" shouldn't it be named the "House of Disappointment"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityofRaven 2,444 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 Instead of calling their gym the "House of Hustle" shouldn't it be named the "House of Disappointment"? Did you write that joke yourself of did you have a kid do it for you? Ryan4VT, rvtne216, mv91 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great City 210 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 I knew they had never won a regional game, but still, it is very hard to believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH31 2,518 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 I knew they had never won a regional game, but still, it is very hard to believe. It really is. We hosted and won a region playoff game the last year Pocahontas was open. GMan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 0-16. Yowza. This is FSU-baseball and Northwestern basketball level stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbgfan 855 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I was at that first regional loss in 1983 when the Blues played Radford. I can remember when we came into town there were signs posted on a bridge saying "Get the coal dust out of your eyes." The game was a heartbreaker for sure, because the Blues had a very good ball team. Well all I can say is the Lord has allowed me to listen to the first regional win by the Blues. A long time coming, but it's here and we Blues fans celebrate it and appreciate the hard work of the coaches and players for this victory. Adversity will grow you, if you don't let it define your goals or cloud your vision. Ryan4VT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichlandsAlum 678 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I was physically present for the first four. We were overmatched in 1983. That Radford team came in undefeated and had every expectation of winning the state championship. But that was a great Richlands team and our SWD tournament championship still rates as one of my favorite childhood memories. 1985 was frustrating. Uncharacteristically we fell behind, but almost came all the way back. I really thought that Bobby Absher's shot in the final seconds was going to go in. We had already made plans to attend the state tournament way back in December -- a bunch of us still went (which became something of a tradition for me and my dad). And I'm still convinced that the Blues were no worse than the 3rd best team in Group AA and that was probably the very best Richlands hoops team of all time. 1988 was the year of the Virginia High curse. The Bearcats eliminated us from the regional playoffs in football, basketball, AND baseball. Not that I'm bitter or anything..... 1989 we had Blacksburg beat. Game turned in the final minute due to some really horrible calls including a technical foul against the RHS bench. It was then that I first realized that we were indeed cursed. Nice to have that behind us. And I'm particularly glad that it's Fred's honor. On to Richmond! cityofRaven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
local_insight 146 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 1985 was frustrating. Uncharacteristically we fell behind, but almost came all the way back. I really thought that Bobby Absher's shot in the final seconds was going to go in. We had already made plans to attend the state tournament way back in December -- a bunch of us still went (which became something of a tradition for me and my dad). And I'm still convinced that the Blues were no worse than the 3rd best team in Group AA and that was probably the very best Richlands hoops team of all time. This is truth. The 1985 loss was equivalent to Virginia High beating Richlands last week. This 1985 team was without a doubt the best team to ever walk through the halls of Richlands High School. They had everything: size, speed, athleticism, and scoring ability. They also had the best floor leader/point guard to every come through Richlands High School the Michaels guy. If im not mistaken it was Rick Michaels. cityofRaven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbgfan 855 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 It was Ricky Michaels, he was a phenom point guard. Here is 1985 squad: Roger Griffith (6'2" senior) Randall Lowe (6'6" senior) Scottie Michaels (5'10" senior) Ricky Michaels (5'9" senior) Bobby Absher (5'10" junior) Mike Flanary (5'10" junior) Rick Hardman (6'8" junior) Henry Jewell (6'0" junior) Travis McGaffee (5'11" junior) Bobby Morgan (5'11" junior) Barry Newberry (5'10" soph) Jerry Warner (6'0" senior) Coaches were Reggie Blevins and Jack Lyons The Blues beat the Dawgs 69-42 in SWD tourney finals that year. Their school record was 21-2 that year headed to Region IV Also, I found my $3.00 ticket to the regional game at George Wythe High School in the program. So I was at the first two regionals. Dick_Vitale and cityofRaven 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichlandsAlum 678 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 It was Ricky Michaels, he was a phenom point guard. Here is 1985 squad: Roger Griffith (6'2" senior) Randall Lowe (6'6" senior) Scottie Michaels (5'10" senior) Ricky Michaels (5'9" senior) Bobby Absher (5'10" junior) Mike Flanary (5'10" junior) Rick Hardman (6'8" junior) Henry Jewell (6'0" junior) Travis McGaffee (5'11" junior) Bobby Morgan (5'11" junior) Barry Newberry (5'10" soph) Jerry Warner (6'0" senior) Coaches were Reggie Blevins and Jack Lyons The Blues beat the Dawgs 69-42 in SWD tourney finals that year. Their school record was 21-2 that year headed to Region IV Also, I found my $3.00 ticket to the regional game at George Wythe High School in the program. So I was at the first two regionals. Absolutely monstrous line-up. I'm thinking that at least 4 different players were leading scorers in any given game that season (and I wouldn't be shocked to learn that the number was higher than that). Definitely had all of the tools to run through the schedule undefeated, but the pressure of being the "hunted" kind of caught that team mid season. After a near-miss at Honaker, there were two hiccups (losses at Patrick Henry and at home against Tazewell) that would prove costly. Based on the way standings were calculated, that team had to win the SWD tournament to even qualify for the regionals. That's both a commentary on how strong the SWD was back then as well as how convoluted the 11-team alignment was. (Despite the fact that the Blues beat them handily that season, Abingdon claimed the regular season title and home court in the regionals because they finished 13-2 in the district while Richlands was 12-2). Still a great run and a lot of great memories from that season in particular. cityofRaven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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