RichlandsAlum

Musselman was announced at Arkansas yesterday.

The only names that appear to have been on the "list" that we'll ever know about are Young, Ryan Odom, and Kevin Willard. But I think it's reasonable to believe that Forbes was at least on the radar. He is doing a great job at ETSU and probably gets some looks from ADs at "higher level" schools. My opinion is that the combination of relatively short tenure as a Division I head coach and his age probably work against him. Seems like a fantastic fit for the job he currently holds. (Of course that last statement applies just as much to Young at Wofford -- but he had some other intangible qualities that moved the needle, comparatively speaking.)

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.

I currently live about an hour and 15 minutes away from Farmville (where Longwood is located). In Virginia terms, it's simultaneously centrally located but also in the middle of nowhere. From an athletic standpoint, it is in a very tough spot. Only 15 years removed from Division II and didn't secure membership in a conference (the Big South) until 2012. The softball program is the only team that has made much of that opportunity. The baseball team has been historically competitive (and done well at the Division III and II levels). But to date their basketball program hasn't made it past the semifinals in the Big South tournament. Exposure of any kind is good for them, but there isn't a lot of cachet associated with the CBI, playing on ESPN Plus, and/or competing against a directional Mississippi. If anything, Southern Miss probably has a lot of the same challenges as Longwood and represents the relative height of the ceiling that Longwood could expect to achieve. Very good programs in teacher education (which was the purpose behind its founding). In fact, if you want to be a public school teacher in Virginia, Longwood is a very solid choice. The university overall can probably be categorized as up and coming. Serving as host site for the 2016 vice presidential debate probably did more overall for promoting a positive brand than anything else.

#$@&!!!!! I liked things a lot more a few weeks ago when they were boring. I think we will look back to yesterday as the exact point when Reds surrendered the title to City.

Fellow Nats fan/sufferer here. Overall I think Washington is better off without him -- but Philadelphia is the one landing spot where he has the greatest potential to do harm to our team. Seems like Harper has always hit the ball well in Citizens Bank Park. My kids gathered up all the Harper-specific stuff they have for the garbage. But I'm hanging on to it for a couple of days. Thinking about mailing it in a package to him with a few bucks from the boys' allowance -- since he seems to be so hard up for cash and all.

Will be curious to see how the Maroon Tide fare against Martinsville (both on March 12th and the 21st). Liberty scrimmaged the Bulldogs pretty even last night at their place (1-2 aggregate score over three 30 minute periods). Very physical team that -- predictably -- plays in the style of their local travel club (PYSL).

That Sixers group was definitely fun to watch -- especially if you were a Sixers fan (which I was at the time). I didn't personally witness the '92 Richlands state championship game. I was away at college then and had to stay and take the Graduate Record Examination on the exact date that the Blues captured the title. And yes, the amount of information that folks have to contribute and are willing to share here is pretty unique.

Kinda relevant, but I would offer up the 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers as the all-time best combination of talent on one team. That starting lineup -- Dr. J, Moses Malone, Mo Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones -- only lost 18 games all season (including the playoffs).

This isn't in response to anyone or any other post (I'm a big "to each his own" kind of guy) but the pace of the game is one of the things that appeals to me most about soccer. At the professional level, it's great to see highly skilled players plying their trade for at least 45 minutes straight without commercial interruption. The simultaneous competitions (including international play) also enhance my appreciation of the sport. Haven't seen USMNT live yet, but live matches at the upper levels of soccer that I have attended have been a blast.

Outstanding coach who earned widespread respect, including that of this Hokie fan. May he rest in peace.

This past summer I was very confident that Pulisic would be coming to Anfield. Although I'll admit to being disappointed -- particularly knowing that the Reds will have to see him twice a year in Chelsea blues -- Shaqiri has proven to be a great (and economical) addition to the lineup and we may have the opportunity to duplicate that somewhat with Fekir. Timing of the announcement coupled with loss to City also makes for a bad couple of days. Still cautiously optimistic that this is our year, but I do think the EPL race will ultimately be tight down the stretch. If Liverpool stumbles against the bottom of the table (as the Reds have been prone to do) the next few weeks, that would certainly make things a lot more interesting overall. That said, I agree completely that this is a great thing overall for American soccer and I'm glad to see Pulisic receive this kind of personal recognition and reward.

Go Cougars! We lived in the Vance attendance zone the last few years that we lived in Charlotte. And although we didn't have a direct connection, we were counselors for our youth group at church and a lot of our kids there were part of the first classes at the school. Attended many games in the earliest days of the program, so it's nice to see them do well.

Great going, G-Men! You've done Tazewell County and the whole of God's Country proud.

Caught them last night against Liberty. My take is that the Bulldogs are very talented and extremely well coached. Can't gauge too much from that particular outcome -- a 39-28 Martinsville win -- because Liberty still isn't quite ready for prime time (the unexpected run in the football playoffs having impacted preseason training). But I do attach some significance to the Dogs' win over E.C. Glass. Even though they are breaking in a new coach, the Hilltoppers are still a tough out -- and a victory margin over 20 is a big deal. Expecting/hoping for a better outcome when the Minutemen play down in Martinsville in a couple of weeks. But I am pretty impressed with the Dogs overall -- and they should be even better within the next year or so.

Much as I like to take some good-natured shots at my Bedford County neighbors, I have to give Staunton River credit for ingenuity on a trick play based on a "granny style" backwards pass. Video is included in the attached link -- the play itself starts at the 1:50 mark. https://www.wdbj7.com/content/sports/Patrick-Henry-at-Staunton-River-499470191.html

Allow me to clarify. It's not that it had been 6 years since they beat Amherst. Last night's victory was apparently the first for Liberty (formerly Bedford) Middle School in ANY football game since 2012. My 2nd born son is a member of the team (mostly bench sitting WR/DB this year) and he was only in for a couple of plays. But he and his teammates are walking a little prouder this morning. I asked him what they did to commemorate a win the next day in school (like wearing their jerseys, for example). He obviously didn't know. Sorry that this isn't SW Virginia related or probably even of interest to very many people. Just wanted to indulge in my own little Moment of Zen.

Yep. I see it now. And that is a huge integrity gap within the ratings methodology. I would guess that it arose as a scheduling argument (to eliminate the statistical "penalty" associated with playing teams in lower classifications). But that's another really good reason for the VHSL to revisit classification overall, IMO. Seems like a 4 class system (or 5 at most) would work if districts were comprised completely of teams within the same classification.

Thanks, Union_Fan. That makes sense. So the difference between LB and Abingdon is presumably a result of LB playing 4A schools and gaining the associated benefits.

The existence of that kind of policy would be news to me. And if there were such a thing, it's hard to see how Abingdon could be allowed to benefit from it as there is no real argument for them being "required" to play down. Looking at the current VHSL rankings, Abingdon and Lord Botetourt have identifical records. But LB is outpointing them by a healthy margin (including bonus points). Guessing that margin is mainly due to the fact that Abingdon is playing teams in lower classification than Bottie.

Beginning by admitting my own ignorance.... but is that actually happening? I thought the ratings were calibrated in some manner corresponding to classification (whereby you get greater benefit by beating schools in higher classification).

Beginning by admitting my own ignorance.... but is that actually happening? I thought the ratings were calibrated in some manner corresponding to classification (whereby you get greater benefit by beating schools in higher classification).

"I hope that you have sons! Handsome, beautiful, articulate sons -- who are talented, and star athletes, and they have their legs taken away! I mean I pray you know that pain and that hurt!"

Very good chance, IMO. Would expect Hoos to be favored going in.

The announcer you reference would be the ubiquitous Paul "Slick" Cook -- local legend and former Mayor of Richlands. And although I can understand the consternation of opposing fans, I have nothing but love for the man. He even gave me a public shout out during the 2005 playoff game between Richlands and Liberty -- gained me a bit of grief from my Bedford neighbors, but I still appreciate the gesture. Oh, and I was present back in 1978 for Marion's victory over the Blues (along with Ernie Hicks and a few thousand other folks). I was all of seven years old, but I remember the shared sense of community disappointment in yet another 3 win season. Bright spots were few and far between for Richlands football back then. Truly these are the "good old days."