I’m not speculating because why leave a good thing? Coach Davis is likely not the head coach at Graham, and I believe ultimately that is his goal to be a head coach. It’s extra special to do so at your home and alma mater. Coach Davis lives in the Richlands area, so gas money and commute are economical reasons as well.
All valid points. I think Snake’s goal is probably to help the GMen get back to state and win it again at some point. He strikes as one who stays the course and would probably still be at Richlands if Mance hadn’t let him go. I guess all of the speculation will end soon! Hasn’t strength & conditioning started? If Dennis Palmer is retiring at the end of the month , I would fully expect to see him down at Richlands come February in the afternoons if he’s leaving Graham. You do drive by at Ernie Hicks come February and I’ll drive by Graham and we can compare notes 😂😂😂.
He may or may not come back. No one really knows yet. But the allure of coming back to help an 0-10 program is to come back home to coach with your brother and help your brother turn an 0-10 program around. I know if I was in his shoes and had the chance to work with my brother, I'd be leaving, personally.
If the end game was to coach together again, wouldn’t Coach Davis have just stayed at Graham? I could be wrong but I just see Snake as being too loyal and dedicated to just up and leave Graham.
In my opinion, With the talent coming back, Graham may put out one of the best defenses since back in the 80's. Hard to think he would walk away from this.
That’s my thought too. Leaving that in hopes of helping an 0-10 program rebound? It doesn’t make sense he’d leave Graham right now. I think Graham has all defensive starters back but one. That defense kept Radford on their toes in the state semifinals. If they put in the work during the off-season like they have been, they will be a force to be reckoned with in my opinion.
Then you’d also have to put Virginia High behind Central along with Union as central has beat both of these teams. Could you put Graham at number 5 and nobody be shocked? Absolutely. I just feel like by the time the postseason rolls around Graham will have a say as to who gets the trophies. Should be interesting tomorrow as the G-men come down to Lebanon. Side note: what’s everyone’s thoughts on that game? Will Reece take over for Lebanon with his height advantage or will Graham be lights out from deep?
I don’t see it being lights out either way to be honest. Graham struggled against VH’s big guy. They may struggle against Reece. I just don’t think some of the players are being utilized as they should and/or over-utilized but I’m no coach & don’t claim to be. Graham hasn’t been very hot from deep that I’ve really witnessed. They may light it up tomorrow after I say that, lol. I will say though until about the last half of 4th Q, Graham stayed right with Bluefield last night. I’d be utilizing Dissibbo as much as possible. He’s a talent. He opted out of football to focus on basketball. I’d also use Floyd more. Fix kid is an athlete too. GMen have some young talent. I look for them to be much better next year..
53-49 overall record with a state championship and two state runners-up. Sort-of a chicken and egg situation if you ask me. Was he a good coach all along or did he become a good coach working under Mark Dixon for 3 years?
I will say this, Dixon told me himself, the Galax defense between 2017-2019 was entirely Shane’s. Dixon had very little input.
Seems like legacy material , if not for Riverheads, he’d have at least two more championships.
I know Radford won the state championship this year and well deserved. Crist, his staff, & the players had a phenomenal (perfect) season and worthy of every accolade but I’m not sure Crist has “Legacy” status yet. When I think “Legacy”, I think consistently great teams , playoffs year after year, multiple state appearances, etc. When you view his time at VH, that’s definitely not “Legacy” worthy. I definitely see Simon, Palmer, Turner on that list though. Allen probably, I just don’t know how long he’s been at Galax and his overall record etc. @sixcatmight can comment on that.
Graham may have to bring a couple bodies up from JV a little later in the season.
They held their own with Bluefield until the 4th quarter then game got away from them. I’m no basketball ball coach but I would have used Floyd. I guess he’s still benched. He didn’t play but dressed out.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Bluefield ran away with it tonight. I would be shocked if GMen pull off another win against the Beavers. I’d be happy but shocked.
I think everyone hopes the Blues improve over last years dismal record, but reality is that it will take at least a couple of years to get even close to the top. Talent dictates success in SWD and the talent is in the school, but getting them to come out and play will be the tricky thing. Buddy Ball, and Daddy Ball, not to mention the failed leadership that wrecked the feeder program will be hard to overcome. Students who are good enough to play don't want to just be on the practice team, and that's what has happened the past few years. Good athletes have came out and worked their butts off only to be overlooked. I've personally talked to a few and when I ask why they quit the team or wasn't playing the answer I got was ligit: "Who wants to be a proctice dummy for someone who isn't as talented." That is what's been going on, so the talent said to heck with it and either transferred or just decided not to compete in a loosing situation. There has been good talent left behind the last three years because of who they were, not how good they were, and this has to stop if the Blues are going to be successful, and I think this will happen, but could take a while. Hope HC Davis gets some good assistants who will allow talent to play, not social status, or family connections. Play the most talented, no matter who they are, let them play.
Graham's youth showed last night. A lot of mistakes and V-High played very well. Lack of a big man underneath will hurt Graham, that always seems to be a problem for them.
Graham will struggle without a big man underneath when they play teams who have one. They have to learn to post up. I don’t see sustained success unless they do that. They cannot rely on the 3 pointers. They missed a ton last night. They seemed to be playing more like individuals than a team which is probably due to the youth factor.
Shew I feel bad for you if you’re going to make the trip to Lebanon. Pretty sure that their baseball team is having their ring ceremony before the boys game. Ain’t gonna get home til late
Incredibly weird. The Virginia High team that showed up at the Wise tourney looked like they would have been the 4 seed in the swd. Who stood out for V high? My guess was probably one of their two bigs considering Graham doesn’t really have as much size
Yeah, Graham had some trouble with the big guys. I’m curious to see final stats especially turnovers. It could be GMen aren’t as good as we’ve all been thinking or they just need a few more games under their belt. We’ll know better next week maybe. They play Bluefield again and Lebanon. They also play Richlands & if that game is close that might spell bad news for GMen.
Virginia High taking Graham to task tonight. I believe the list may change a little unless Graham stages a major comeback in the 4th. GMen not playing well tonight at all.
I think it’s just fun to speculate. It’s not saying much, but I believe marked improvement is a reasonable expectation. Just the fact that there seems to be excitement is already a positive sign. I, for one , expect good things, but I know it will be a process over more than one season. The right personnel is a big step in the right direction. I don’t know the timeline, but it took Tony Palmer a few years, Division 1 athletes, and additions to staff and players that created the monster they are now in a couple of sports. Not casting stones, but for comparison sake and the picture of Graham now, what percentage of players on football and basketball teams came from GMS? It seems like a blueprint that works although sometimes geography caps the potential.
No clue on how many came from GMS. Richlands can only go in one direction from last year which is good for Coach Davis, anything will be an improvement. If the Big R becomes a tough competitor that only helps the other SWD teams especially Tazewell & Graham. When multiple teams in same district perform at a high level , everyone is better! It makes watching a game a lot more fun when it’s close than a blowout.
I'm not talking about current or last year's RIchlands staff when I say "development". Something tells me Richlands is going to start being a strong pull for QB/WR development. There are a lot of Richlands connections out there in SWVA.
So are we looking at Richlands transitioning to the top team or near top team in SWD and/or Region next year with the addition of all these new coaches and transfers?
Guys, I'm hearing some good news about assistants and if what I'm hearing is true, HC Davis will have a good group with him, and some new players transfering in. Not able to say a lot seeing it's not official, but if it works out, I think the Blues will be a suprisingly good team next year.
Hope everyone has a great New Year and can't wait to see if all the talk that's going around is true. Looking forward to a great year.
Who are other possible assistants besides Lebanon dad?
There's not just one, three in double digits tonight, Ray, Graham, & Fix; Relatively young team. That place was electrifying tonight. Great game! Don't quote me but I don't think Graham has beat Bluefield at actual BHS gymnasium since I was in school in the 80s. I will say the best player on the court for Bluefield was RJ Hairston , I think he accounted for 1/2 their points.
I know some of you are on the naughty list! I'm currently accepting cash & gift cards to put in a good word with the big guy on your behalf, lol! 🤣 Seriously, I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and fantastic 2024!
Virginia is watered down in my opinion. We should have at most, 5 classifications. Virginia has 317 schools playing football versus 125 in West Virginia. With only 125 schools, 4 classifications seems quite odd to me but then again, so does 6 classification with 317 schools so, what do I know?
I think what we both know it all comes down to one thing, the almighty dollar! It’s the same reason the VA football playoff system is watered down, $$$$!
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New Head Coach at Richlands
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I personally don’t believe we’ll have to 😂. I think he stays put.