[BoondockSaint]

I'm not going to get into you guys' discussion about whether Greg Newsome is a good coach or whether his players respect him. But your statement I have quoted here is truly "ridiculous".

What has happened at SV the last two seasons was not unexpected. Anyone who has watched this team for the last several years could see this coming a mile away. You have to remember that Valley lost their top 8 players from that state title team, including a senior starting 5 that was a once-in-a-generation kind of group. We may never see that collection of talent at SV, all at the same time, ever again.

The point is that it was INEVITABLE that the bottom would drop out the next year. SV had no business winning region last year, and it is a testament to the heart that Valley's players showed during that miracle run through the post-season that they were able to hang regional banner #7 up in the rafters. That was easily the biggest surprise 15th regional champ in decades. But to say that we should EXPECT Valley to win region this year is to simply ignore the talent differential from two years ago. Are Belter, Richardson, Newsome, etc. talented players? Yes they are. But they aren't exactly Justice, Hatfield, Newsome, and company. At least not yet.

The true mark of a coach is what he does with the talent on hand. A BAD coach can have the most talented team, but never wins because his players underachieve when it matters the most. A GOOD coach takes a team that may not be the most talented, but gets the most out of them and wins games they should not be winning.

Again, I'm not necessarily saying that Greg is or isn't a great coach. What I am saying is that based on what I have seen in person of this Shelby Valley team, it should not be considered underachieving if this squad does not make it out district. Now, if this team is not contending for region 2-3 years from now, then we have a problem.

Nopt trying to take anything away from last years SV squad, but I'll say what most posters on here won't admit. Its also a testament to how bad Pike County/15th Region basketball has become. The top 5 teams in this region couldn't come within 15 points of the Top 5 from 10 years ago or even 5 yrs.