[15thRegionSlamaBamma]

He took a team that someone elese put together and won .I would like for him to build a program for scratchand then come and talk to me.Let him take the boys at Pike Central and win the region,then I will be convinced that he is a good coach!

Yes he took over a team with great tradition but you can not take away from him the respect that he deserves. He took a team to the final four this year getting beat by the present state champions beating a team who last year made it to the finals as well who had all key players back. When you look at the starting 5 there is only one girl who played a condiderable amount in Tussey's system. The thing about coach Stephen Butcher is he took those girls away from a one girl show and made them a team. Tussey always had alot of talent it didn't do much with them. Lets take a stroll down memory lane, Tussey never won a game at state, with Amanda Collins and Ashley Melvin and company who im my eyes was an over all more talented team then this year she got blown out first game at the state competition. She only made state twice once getting beat out of the regional finals with a loaded team by having Lowe, Ratliff, Taylor Brown, and other very talented players at that time who were seniors. As well you can add the whole team from this season. Tussey did not work with what she had but took one Star and but the spot light on them. Butcher next season will not have Ratliff but on the backs of Lowe, Harris, Hatmaker, Hamilton, Slone, Thompson, Coleman, K. Ratliff and other up coming players. I see the Lady Hawks to be a better more talented team playing more like a team. All Butcher has to do is keep his system working the way it is. Cocky or not you still have to have respect for the guy, I do not see it as Cocky but as confidence in his teams ability. He has never said "I have been the one who has took this team to where they are" he has said many times "I love these girls and they work their tails off to be the team that they are" if you do not like him then so be it. We never looked at Coach Gannon in displease and he is basicly the same type of coach that Butcher is and that is a great one. Love him or hate him if he was the coach of your team you would back him.