loujustice

Sadly, there isn't enough attention given to placing qualified coaches in their positions here in SWVA. Give me less equipment & smaller facilities, if you must, and teams can still win. Give them the most expensive gear and a huge forum to play in that offers all the bells & whistles and add a coach with insufficent knowledge, experience or qualifications and YOU STILL WON'T WIN CONSISTENTLY! Athletics are a VERY important part of schools, especially high schools! They offer one of the VERY few social events that kids today actually participate in LIVE & IN PERSON instead of chatting on a cell phone or computer! When you take athletics out of the schools, you lose more than you save. Just ask ETSU.....when they dropped their football program, their admission applications dropped as well!

It is sad that Coaches are hired from within merely to keep from filling another position! It is a good thing the system doesn't hire teachers based on that criteria......oh wait....I think they do! Whether it is academics or athletics, EVERYONE who applies should be given consideration and the BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB should be hired, it shouldn't matter if it creates another position. Here in Virginia, High School athletics are becoming more & more insignificant to the school systems, at the expense of many good athletes who have gone through years of AAU and dedication to their sport, only to get to high school and be coached by someone who has no knowledge of the game nor ability to communicate and teach high school athletes. Look around you at the largest percentage of the crowds at game night........very few people are there.....mostly the parents, family and a few die hard fans. The students are no longer excited about sports and the athletes are seldom given recognition for the hours of extra work they put in to represent their schools. Virginia (especially SW Virginia) needs to take more pride in their athletes and give them coaches with some ability to coach the game and with some personality to know how to handle these young people. Believe me....what works in the class room is entirely different than what works on the athletic field!!!! No wonder it is getting more and more difficult to field a good team in this area.....the kids are fed up with working hard and getting nothing out of it........not even a winning record!

Awesome finish and 2 close calls for WVU! This will only help to make them better and more prepared for those pressure moments in post season play. Go Mountaineers!

Congratulations to Colby Hunt of Abingdon & Roe of Marion for being named to the Bristol Herald Courier Best of the Best Basketball Team! Great job guys!

Keep going and we will have a basketball score instead!

The boys game was excellent! 70 - 70 with seconds to go! The best part of all was watching all these great players having such a good time as teammates! I would definitely consider that evening a success and I hope they continue to do this in the future! Great game SWVA players! It could have went either way!

I think Hunt & Funk from Abingdon will be playing.

Thanks so much! That was the most information I have received concerning this question! I appreciate it! Please keep us informed!

Good question! I was wondering about that also.....both boys and girls. Anyone know about All Southwest District, Region and/or Player(s) of the Year?

Anyone know who made "All District", "All Region", "Player of the Year" Boys & Girls?

Colby Hunt played for Abingdon

Colby would be an interesting choice as one of the Shelby Valley players (Ashley Hatfield) was actually his childhood best friend back in Phelps, Kentucky at Phelps Elementary!

What about Abingdon, Tazewell & Richlands? They have some great Senior players also.

I agree! They truly are a classy group of guys who are just there to play the game. I never remember seeing any of them complain to an official or instigate any type of unsportsmanlike behavior.

Great job by all in that area! Best of luck to you!

Yeah........he pretty much just shows up to play and let things fall where they may! I know he would greatly appreciate the fact that others notice that also!

Colby doesn't complain about anything! Actually, he's the type of kid who takes a baseball to the side of the face and turns around and gets ready for the next pitch! He is one of the most mentally tough kids you will ever play with or against and never talks trash to anyone.

Well, I guess that is a matter of opinion.....either way.....they are both great players and very deserving.......Best of luck to both!

Exactly.......that is my point......the scoring is a bonus as Hunt is a pretty good all around player also.

Oh....one more thing......Roe is a great player, however, Hunt finished the regular season almost .........200........points ahead of Roe! That has to be impressive!

Hunt isn't a bad defensive player either. He has certainly had his share of steals and the guys he guards usually don't score as much on him as he does on them!

Hunt has been the most consistent player in the district. Game after game, he has been able to score double figures almost every night with the best defensive players of each team guarding him. He has a nice outside shot as well as the ability to create a variety of shots inside. His worst game of the year was at Richlands, and he probably shouldn't have played in that game as he had a hip flexor injury that bothered him all that week and kept him from being able to move about freely on the floor........nothing taken away from the excellent defense by Richlands.

Colby Hunt has game high 23 points to lead Abingdon.

Who should be Southwest District Player of the Year now that the regular season is over?

Agreed!