Hill And Battle The Big East Best

Northern Nash's Alexus Hill and Rocky Mount's Dante Battle have been named the Big East players of the year in basketball.  Hill lead the Lady Knights to an undefeated conference season and winners of the conference tournament is headed next season to Gardner Webb to continue her basketball career.  Battle averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds has yet to make his announcement about his college future.

Joining Hill on the girls all conference team  are two team mates Kianna Thomas and Alexia  Hines.  Rocky mount is represented by Carmen Richardson and Keyanna Spivey.  Ni'ya Styles is the lone rep for Nash Central.  Southern Nash has Destiny Burgess while Fike's E J Proctor  is a member.  Hunt has two on the all conference team Brianna Anderson and  Alexus Williams.

State runner up Hunt places three players on the all conference team.  Quan  Kent, Justin Jefferson and Keenon Tabron.  Immanual King joins Battle from Rocky Mount while Fike places Myquan Gooding.  Northern has Darryl Prunty while Daniel Pittman is Nash Central's rep.  Immanual Meriweather is all conference from Southern Nash.

Hunt's Dwight Taylor who's Hunt Warriors won the Big East Regular season going undefeated won the conference tournament their sectional and Eastern Regional before losing the state championship game to Freedom High.  Until their last game loss Hunt had won 19 games in a row.

Northern's  Grover Battle who's team lost their first game of the season and did not lose again until a regional defeat was named co coach of the year with a Rocky Mount's Pam Gainey.  It is most unusual for the conference championship coach not to win it but I believe that the other coaches recognized that Gainey's Gryphons started three freshmen on the season and finishing second was a tremendous coaching job.

The recent regional just completed in Fayetteville was the fourth year  and as of this point  there is no contract in place saying that the Crown Coliseum Complex will host the Eastern Regional next year.  I know all of us in this area would love to see it return to Greenville but regardless of where it is held the is always a long ride for somebody to play there in the middle of the week.

If you don't realize it the NCHSAA is just like the NCAA and the money talks and nobody walks and if anybody wants to get it away from Fayetteville is the time to produce the facility and the money and you can host the Regional.

One And Done

As I have watched the NCAA tournament my thoughts were how that the NBA one and done rule has ruined the NCAA tournament.  Then all of a sudden Carolina tries to give their game away then all of a sudden my thoughts go to Duke and Carolina going out in the first round together but the Heels recover.

Last year T J Warren started for State but for the most part he was an after thought when the options were debated of who are we going to give the ball to when we need a bucket.  Now Jbari Parker supposedly just maybe the number one pick in the next NBA. Suppose he was to come back to Duke and improve as much as Warren has this year.  I don't see Parker starting for any body in the NBA next year.  If the one and done stays in the NBA somebody like Stephen F Austin will win the tournament in the next five or six years.

As I watch the games I have to ask.  Why does every drive to the basket every shot have to be blocked? This world we live in where I have to prove how tough I am.  I bet nine out ten drives to the baskets have lead to foul shots.

If I am ahead by say six or seven points with a minute to play why am I going to let the team behind  roll the ball across the mid court before they pick it up?The game ends a whole lot faster when I apply just token full court pressure and make them dribble full court.

If I am winning and I have a decent lead late in a game why do I foul the team behind every time they come down the court.  Give them free points without the clock running?

Why is it every time there was a time out  in the game I was watching and I flip to another game to see some scores that game is in a commercial too?

How close are some of the games.  As badly as NC State played down the stretch they  would have still won the game except there was a defensive rebound early in the second have in which they knocked their own rebound into the St Louis basket.  every point counts.

You know I pay very little attention to NC Central sports generally.  Last night I pull as hard for the Eagles as I have ever pulled them all other times combined.  Good effort in their first ever appearance the the Tournament.

There must be something in the sunshine that has energized the Rocky Mount Gryphons.  Friday at Tarboro they win  16-1.  Will Edwards gets the win for the Gryphons.  They head into the conference play next week 3-4.