Bearcat Bob

I guess we will see very soon. Like I said earlier, I hope Graham tops them. But a MHS/Mason game would be a good one, IMHO. One thing going for Mason, they are used to playing "away" games every night. It is sad to see how little support they get from the home "crowd". But I hear that their soccer games are Standing Room Only. Go figure.

MHS alum...for what it is worth: Why would it be odd for you and I to agree with an assessment? Just curious. Bluestone has a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE home court advantage. Seriously, I never think refs have much of an effect on the outcome of games, except at Bluestone. It would be a tall order for anyone to beat them at home. Bruton won the Virginia Beach/Williamsburg summer league. They are GOOD. They hit 10 three pointers against Mason. Bruton presses/traps ad nauseum. Best players are Carr and Calloway. No real post presence but do rebound aggressively, especially the guards. George Mason...their 3 wins over Madison are quality wins; that Madison team is very talented, but young. I would say that Mason's non-conference schedule is very tough. They won the Falls Church Christmas Tournament this year with wins over private schools Thomas Jefferson, Pope John Paul, and Div. 4 Dominion. They also beat Div. 5 JEB Stuart and Riverside. They have been in only 3 close games this year and that may be their biggest problem. Now with all that being said, I hope Graham comes out and spanks them, or at least outscores them by one! I still hope that a SWVA team wins it all. I just happen to be in an area that allows me to follow these northern teams so I try to provide the best information on these teams that I can. My youngest son also plays AAU with a lot of these kids so I get a look at some of them at the tournaments.

Nothing against SWVA teams, 'cause I love 'em. Well, maybe not Gate City so much...but I will take George Mason v. the field in the State tourney. Gate City got a good draw...Bluestone is pretty bad for a team this far into the post season. They should get a rematch with Martinsville.

I most certainly do think Mason can handle Martinsville. When I say they are 10 deep, I mean they literally go 10 deep with very little drop off. They are long, athletic and extremely well coached. I watched the finals last night over in Orange (Mason v. Bluestone). Mason was up 30 and could have won by 50 if their coach had not taken the press off. I know all the talk this year has been about Martinsville, but Mason has run the table so far with a team that returned everybody from a state team last year. They have no fan support so nobody gets on the message boards and talks about them. I guess that has kept them under the radar. If I was a betting man, I'd take Mason by 10 and sleep really well.

Bluestone is not a state caliber team IMHO. But I like George Mason to win the State. Too deep, too well coach to not win. Only disappointment is that their fans are pathetic. They may literally bring 20-30 fans and those are all relatives of players.

Madison lost to Bluestone at Bluestone and is done. Madison started 4 freshmen in that game. They are going to be good the next few years. They went 21-5 this year with 3 losses to George Mason. They only lose one player and he was literally the last guy off the bench. Mason is the EAST team, IMHO. They go 10 deep and I think all are seniors. Bluestone will not win away from the friendly confines of their home court. I am not sure they ever run a play. All one on one stuff. No size, but are athletic. Odd thing is that they are athletic but have only one player I would call a basketball player. He is the point guard and can flat out shoot.

After watching Madison County dismantle the Shenandoah District Champ (East Rock) last night, I am now more convinced than ever that the state champ will come from the East. George Mason beat Madison 2-3 times this year and Madison is far and away better than anyone else I have seen (besides Mason). Madison has a tough game v. Bluestone Tuesday so their season could end a game short of the state tourney. Mason plays at home until the region finals. They should walk to that game. Martinsville lost their PG, or so I heard at the game last night. I am looking forward to the crossover games this year. I hope Graham, Richlands, Union, or GC is better than I think they are and make me eat my words.

I will be at the East Rockingham v. Madison Co. game Friday night. Should be a decent game. Madison has bested East Rock 2X this year but both were competitive games. I think Madison is one of the top 3 teams I have seen this year but are still a year away. Regardless, I think George Mason will come out of the East and will be more than a handful for anybody they play. East Rock will be really good next year as well...especially if a current 8th grader makes the Varsity. He is already 6'2. Maybe we will move back to Bristol and let him play with that young VHS team.

You mean GC did not get a bye straight to the finals? I mean, they beat the #2 seed twice! They were hosed by the conference and the VHSL!

It would be funny if it were not so sad. Most GC posters just do not see the folly of their ways.

I do not think so...you got any we need to look at :) ... I am sure Daniels will make room!

Well...crap! On to the diamond!

D-B is a GREAT school...the only reason to send a child to GC instead is because there is less athletic competition for roster spots at GC. D-B offers so much academically, and athletically, that it would be a no brainer IMHO.

He is honest and genuine when he calls himself a socialist. I cannot believe that a significant portion of the US population would even entertain a socialist. SMH.

Just for the heck of it: Here is a girl from Virginia to keep an eye on: Samantha Brunell (Class of 2019). William Monroe High (Freshman). 6'2", great range, all ACC schools hounding her plus UT, MD and UConn. Have seen her in person 2X -- she is probably the fifth starter on our decent boys team. Plays AAU on the Boo Williams Elite team. P.S.: The ability to alter/edit is a great and powerful thing. It should be used sparingly and cautiously. In the wrong hands, it can be incredibly detrimental to the ideal of Freedom of Speech. I get editing inappropriate posts for offensive/out-of-bounds content. Just doing it because you can is not kosher. As much as I like this site, if that happens to me, Ryan will get his wish 'cause I would be gone!

Basketball seating capacity is very suspect for the most part. Gyms with bleachers measure the total length of the bleachers and divide by a certain number of inches allotted for each arse. I personally take 1.5 of those seats. If only Olive Oyls and Gumbys show up, no problem. You can usually subtract 200 or so from the actual capacity in gym's with bleachers. This was relayed to me from the East Rock AD who was putting together a proposal for hosting a regional...if I remember correctly, 14 inches were allotted for each hiney. I may be off on that but I remember thinking that there was no way I could squeeze my family of 4 into the space allotted. Gyms with chairbacks are at a disadvantage because they cannot fudge the numbers. But(t), they are more comfortable.

I had a Brazillian waxing one time...it hurt.

I forgot about watching Terry Kirby and Chris Slade in the Arby's way back when...and Ralph Sampson in the state tourney.

I think it is finally done here...20 inches total. But we are fairly high up so the wind basically cleared the north side but there are really deep drifts on the south side.

Here in Rockingham County, we have had about 14 inches so far. But it is the wind this morning that is rough. I went out early and tried to work through some of the drifts. On my way back, it was hard to tell that I had already been through once. We are supposed to get another 4-8 inches today. Hopefully it well settle down this afternoon. What is it looking like in other places?

If a "mother's-brother's-cousin-(twice-removed)-sister's-(ex)-husband's-adopted-daughter-by another-marriage" counts as a "relative", I would not take that bet GMan. I would also check the fine print to make sure there is no Adam and Eve stipulation. Otherwise, I think it is a safe wager.

Great City and Quincy M.D.... I stand corrected...I had posted specifically about Gate City prior to the basketball thread! As you can see from the posts in this thread, I was "just brutal" on the Blue Devils. You guys are just way too paranoid. Give it a rest.

Almost but not quite. GC has always been deeper than VHS. I am no fan of Mr. Reed. The last good VHS basketball coach was Ballard Lee, IMHO.

If you think that was a personal attack, you "ain't seen nothing yet". I guess a sense of humor is not required in GC; nor is the concept of sarcasm apparently. Statements of fact are not attacks by the way! You have the everybody is against us mentality. No, no they are not. Do you guys ever just sit back and laugh at yourselves? I would venture a large amount that you are not capable of such a feat. I think it is really an insecurity issue for the most part. But I guess it is possible that I am incorrect (perish the thought). I do not (and have not to my recollection) remarked about GC until this thread. There may have been the passing mention in another thread but little else, if that much. But go ahead and do your research. Looks like the snow will allow plenty of time for that. I will tell you straight up what I think about GC. When I was in high school, no VHS team I played on had a worse than .500 record v. GC. You were a team in the SW District that we played. That was it. Our rivals were JSB, Tennessee High and Abingdon to a lesser extent. GC was a tough place to play no matter the sport. We always knew that we had to be prepared for a battle; did not like nor dislike GC; still the same today; respected their programs and players. That is it my man. I said and I meant that GC plays undisciplined basketball from my recollection of playing them and from what I have seen the last few games v. VHS. Nothing meant by that except that they have a lot of talent year in and year out but sometimes get lost in the one-on-one game. I also said I have not seen them that much and things may be different now. I said I think the coach has under performed on the big stage. I believe the facts are right there for all to see. GC always has the talent to win the district but has really achieved little more than that. If you are okay with that, then good for you. I seem to recall that GC only settles for rings so it is a little confusing that so much support is given a coach who has never won the ultimate prize given the talent over there. So there you are. I feel a little less intelligent for having wasted perfectly good time discussing this but at least you now know exactly what I think of GC. I will answer your question with a question: What coach in SWVA has achieved less with the talent GC has had over the tenure of his time at the helm? While you ponder that, I am off to clear the roads in my neighborhood...just because I am a nice guy!

Was not a Curry family member by chance was it? I apologize...I just could not resist.