Leaderboard

This is the problem with high school sports right now, too much specialization. If you have a good athlete, and they enjoy playing multiple sports, that need to play. Instead, you get a coach in his or her ear saying focus on this and you will be great, or don't play that you might get hurt. Any school in SWVA, I don't care where it is and what size, is only drawing from a limited number of kids anyway, if you have 700 kids, you might draw from half or less of that. So when you take a kid who is a stud out of the mix, it can really hurt a program. No sense in coaches ever discouraging a kid from playing a sport, you are only hurting your school and his team mates.

Most clutch 3 for 3 at the FT line I've ever seen...

Are you kidding? Most schools systems are loaded with relatives of administrators.

All good preachers scream places and names. They also take audible gasps at the end of the place or name they scream. Preacher points go through the roof with those two qualities.

@UVAObserver @Bearcat Bob My families (both growing up and current) have had an unusual Tech-UVA mindset. Different members of the family had their favorite school but never pulled against the other team. I'm a Hokie first but still pull for the Hoos as they represent the Commonwealth and Conference. My earliest memory of college basketball was watching the '76 ACC Tourney with my dad. I remember us being so excited about UVA's unlikely run which ended with Virginia shocking the tobacco road elites by claiming the title. That winter I pretended to be Wally Walker with a makeshift nerf hoop in my house. The Ralph years were particularly special but the title proved elusive . We all watched more special teams come and go but a natty seemed agonizingly out of reach. And now, 43 years after a young Terry Holland won UVA's first ACC Tourney, Tony Bennett has now brought home the ultimate trophy. Congratulations, Hoos fans! Banners hang forever.

Give Young a chance. He’s certainly got the Xs-and-Os portion of the equation, time will tell if he gets the Jimmies and Joes.

Please tell me he goes by Ty, because boy oh boy, I’ve got some quotes if he does.

Eric Hobeck Retweeted The Charlottesville 29‏ @TheCville29 Years coaching before winning first national title: Tony Bennett 13 Coach K 16 Bill Self 16 Roy Williams 17 Rick Pitino 18 John Calipari 20 Dean Smith 21 Jay Wright 22 Jim Calhoun 27 great state

Whether you deem that officiating has gotten worse or better (most would argue at the upper levels even it has gotten much worse in recent years) adjusting the structure of the AOA was the proper thing to do. Its probably the best thing for the schools also in reality.

New coach is Tim Smith.

Don’t be surprised when Auburn is hit with sanctions from the Pearl era. The guy is shady at best...

To loosely quote Clarence from Coming to America: Bill Guthridge was 137 years old when Dean Smith retired.

A good softball pitcher is worth her weight in platinum. What colleges are looking at her? I would imagine there are loads of offers...

I think a decision not to play football is a pretty easy one to make now! With CTE issues and the great unknown of the damage it does, if you can make it to college on scholarship in another sport, you are wise to do so. At a football crazed school like Union it is probably insulting not to play. Somebody, somewhere has done some thinking with their head instead of their heart and realized that education can get paid for by other means and that you can still be able to tie your shoes and recognize your children when you are 60!

I give up. I've inserted a meme into this a half-dozen times and it keeps screwing up. We have had massive network issues all week at work. I would be more productive anywhere else at this point!

nannanannannaanannana nananananananannan nanananannannanannana

Maybe the kid just wanted to play basketball?

Time to get a new AAU coach. College coaches do not prefer specialization. They want well rounded athletes.

Why are we yelling the kids names each time?

I won't swear these are accurate. I got them from local high school marching band schedules. They were likely put together by Band Boosters while preparing for summer Band Camps. Carroll County 8/30 - Patrick County 9/6 - Grayson county 9/13 - @ Galax 9/20 - @ George Wythe 9/27 - @ Glenvar 10/4 - OPEN 10/11 - Floyd County 10/18 - @ Giles 10/25 - Alleghany, VA 11/1 - @ Radford 11/8 - James River Grayson County 8/30 - @ Alleghany, NC 9/6 - @ Carroll County 9/13 - @ Rural Retreat 9/20 - West Wilkes, NC 9/27 - OPEN 10/4 - @ Bland County 10/11 - @ Auburn 10/18 - Fort Chiswell 10/30 - George Wythe 11/1 - Hart County, KY 11/8 - Galax

2019 THOMAS WALKER SCHEDULE 8/30 - CUMBERLAND GAP, TN. - AWAY 9/6 - OPEN 9/13 - CASTLEWOOD - AWAY 9/20 - RYE COVE - HOME 9/27 - PINEVILLE, KY. - AWAY 10/4 - HARLAN, KY. - HOME 10/11 - HANCOCK COUNTY, TN. - HOME 10/18 - TWIN VALLEY - AWAY 10/25 - EASTSIDE - AWAY 11/1 - TWIN SPRINGS - HOME 11/8 - J.I. BURTON - HOME

Patrick Henry Glade Spring 8/22 Abingdon (Benefit Game) 8/30 @ Castlewood 9/6 Eastside 9/13 @ Hurley 9/20 @ Lee 9/27 John Battle 10/4 @ Rural Retreat 10/11 Holston 10/25 Honaker 11/1 Chilhowie 11/8 @ Northwood

That is the way it used to be...when did it change?

I know a few who sign up for both associations up that way and we have some from Christiansburg who will work the AOA in one sport and Roanoke in another. Its odd. packfan, I cant remember the full details but basically there could have been some tax laws/workplace issues the way it was setup if I remember correctly dealing with employment status. No other association in the state was overseen by the principals of the schools they covered. Those changes that were made had no bearing on the quality of officiating directly. There wasnt enough done then, nor now to try and bring people in who want do the job, much less do it well. I would love to see a lot of changes but I never see the money coming together to make things happen like a grading system. Football and Basketball have had a lot of instructional opportunities in recent years and more would be nice but they dont just fall into peoples laps either in this part of the world. Due to some folks who have been able to make the jump from the AOA and other local associations to Power 5 jobs and Group of 5 gigs they have done a good job of giving back. I hope it continues and grows for a long time. I will say, when it comes to state appointments for games the AOA tends to draw a large share for the divisions we represent and receive rather good marks for the officials who work those games.

I give Lebanon all the credit in the world. I have watched Buchanan and Steele grow in the game of baseball since they were 11 years old, playing with Jr. Viking Baseball to Crusaders Baseball, and now to Elite Prime in Atlanta. Both are fantastic young players with great futures. As a team, Lebanon has a lot to prove to use the word "DOMINANT and FANTASTIC". Central is a very young team, and they aren't near as good as they were last year, due to attrition, but they will be playing well probably in the end. Big Win over Union last night. If you have watched the Region 2A baseball season the last few years, it isn't loaded in talent or dominant teams. Our Region usually can pose well down the road. Va High has showed consistency in lineup for past few years, which makes them a stronger team. Not just 1 dominant pitcher.

Lebanon hasn’t played Science Hill or VHS. 1 pitcher doesn’t make a team. They have 2 division 1 sophomores that have committed and the only team of substance they have truly played is Tennessee High! Lebanon has played battle 3 times for 8 of their wins and have gotten all they have wanted from them. They have played Grundy, tazewell and central and beat them all in run rule fashion. They are a good team, but I would like to see their record with a VA High schedule!

They are definitely in the running with their ace on the mound. During the FCA tournament they were beat 11-1 and no-hit by Tn. High. This Lebanon team is eerily similar to their team from 3 years ago when they had Will Stamper as their ace. When he pitched they had a chance to beat anyone. They were a little different team when Stamper couldn’t pitch. This year’s Lebanon team has shown signs of this. They’ve played Battle 3 times. A dominating win with Buchanan on the mound. 2 close wins in the others. Im not taking away from them, they have talent, but just like most of last season, they’re a much different team when he’s not pitching. EDIT: What I meant by last year’s team was in their first matchup against VHS, Buchanan threw a no-no in a 2-0 win. The next game, VHS scores 11 runs in the first inning.

Lack of umpires and refs might be the biggest issue out there. The last few years the number of refs seems to be dropping and it looks like they aren't getting many young talent out there. I'm not sure what they make per game or event but it must not be very lucrative to invest the time to do that. Many do it because they love the game. It certainly is a tough job at times I would bet. I still am thankful for those that take up the calling and do their very best to officiate the game properly. Hats off to you guys who go out and do the job many complain about.

in my opinion, two of the worst things that ever happened to officiating in Southwest Virginia have been the move to three officials for varsity games and moving the girl season to the same as the boys. You do not get better officiating with three than you were with two and combined with having four games per night there are not enough officials to go around. So pretty much anybody that wants to be an official can get all the work they want no matter how bad they are.

Screw one and dones!

And that’s exactly what happened in the 2nd half and overtime last night. So thankful and satisfied today! From a pipe dream to reality.

Bruce may have finally figured out how to keep things just outside of arms length reach of him directly. I personally wouldnt trust him around the corner of the building. Heckuva coach who knows how to work the press but hes slime.

I think it's both a good hire and a wise one. Tech is likely staring down the barrel at a drop off next year. Would have been true even if Buzz had reversed course and decided to stay (never a realistic option -- but one that Whit Babcock was forced to view as such). That dynamic probably chased away several bigger names, who are past the point at which they want to tolerate a losing year on their resume. After doing a reality check and identifying the pool of options who would be willing, it appears that Babcock zeroed in on his top choice there and landed him. No guarantee of success on the court (there never is, of course). But that's a pretty shrewd way to do business. And if Young can get the Hokies back in the big dance within 3-4 seasons, this might be the hoops equivalent of a Beamer-esque hire (given Young's SW VA roots). Completely open to what would have been a better realistic option, but hard to imagine one.

Wojo would be an unmitigated disaster at VT. There’s a reason Marquette fans are virtually doing Riverdance at the notion of him leaving. VT would be much better served by a Ryan Odom or Wes Miller sort of coach.

Galax 2019 football schedule 8/30 - @ Glenvar 9/6 - Martinsville 9/13 - Carroll County 9/20 - Rural Retreat 9/27 - @ Northside 10/4 - OPEN 10/11 - Fort Chiswell 10/18 - @ George Wythe 10/25 - Auburn 11/1 - @ Bland 11/8 - @ Grayson County

I am a Kyle Guy fan.. Jerome is the gas, but Kyle Guy is the STP additive Jack Salt the ultimate "team player" Go Wahoos!!!

Anything on the two Bristol schools. I know Battle picked up Marion

Until Graham - Beaver week!

I asked why they didn't recruit locally a couple of years ago when Lusk took over (direct message). I got a reply from the coaching staff that they were going to ramp up local recruiting. I'm still waiting.

nep·o·tism /ˈnepəˌtizəm/ noun the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.

Tim Hayes‏ @Hayes_BHCSports There ended up being six teams from the 2018 @ArbysClassic field that won state titles: Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.), Buford (GA.), Cardinal Newman (S.C.), Carmel Christian (N.C.), Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), Wenonah (Birmingham, Ala.). #HCBB great state

I was at Radford for the 2017 baseball/softball 2A championships. The best teams won those titles.

A friend of mine used to play for Belfry. The first time PV played at Breathitt Co, his exact words were "your boys will be down 2 TD when they get off the bus." He knew what he was talking about.....

Why would you all re-up with Letcher?! They get calls in KY that would make Duke basketball blush.

As Michael Jordan said "The ceiling is the roof", makes as much sense as Carolina's academic program for athletes. I agree, Wofford would be a great option as well.

Akinjo still wouldnt pass him the ball.

Coach Church did many great things for the Hurley football program, not only as a head coach, but as an assistant for years. This rebel hopes he’s involved in the program in some way for the upcoming season and seasons beyond. Huge thank you to everything Coach Church has given us and the players. We, as a community, will support whatever he chooses do to in future, but again we sure hope he’s back in the program in some degree.

As he should have

BEST BLUEFIELD TEAM OF ALL TIME?...........Hell that's easy the next one! Just ask 'em.