Clay County Girl's Basketball Coach Ivy Burchell Retires

jamesdeane · 03-07-2022, 12:50 PM

After 16 seasons, James "Ivy" Burchell has notified school officials that he is retiring as the Lady Tiger basketball coach.

https://www.nolangroupmedia.com/manchest...wZCpDDo0VI

insideinfo · 03-07-2022, 03:44 PM

The man had some good teams back in the day. Hope he enjoys retirement.

nedreader · 03-08-2022, 01:19 AM

Is there a short list for the next coach?

**Old School Hound** · 03-08-2022, 02:10 AM

Ivy is a good coach. Coach Gray is as well. You can't win without good players and both the boys and girls lacked in talent this season.

DukeBoy · 03-08-2022, 08:59 AM

Time for the Mitchell Madden era to begin.

BUFFALO · 03-08-2022, 10:27 AM

(03-08-2022, 08:59 AM)DukeBoy Wrote: Time for the Mitchell Madden era to begin.

Who is this Mitchell Madden ?

nedreader · 03-08-2022, 11:08 AM

Gotta bring in a coach who has ties to a travel organization these days. Prove me wrong...

BUFFALO · 03-08-2022, 12:04 PM

(03-08-2022, 11:08 AM)nedreader Wrote: Gotta bring in a coach who has ties to a travel organization these days. Prove me wrong...

So you're talking about Madden who is with KBE and will recruit ? Who is he? Is he from Clay? Does he teach ? Just coach for a living ?

13th · 03-08-2022, 12:43 PM

(03-08-2022, 12:04 PM)BUFFALO Wrote:
(03-08-2022, 11:08 AM)nedreader Wrote: Gotta bring in a coach who has ties to a travel organization these days. Prove me wrong...
So you're talking about Madden who is with KBE and will recruit ? Who is he? Is he from Clay? Does he teach ? Just coach for a living ?

Former star player at Jackson County in mid 90s

BUFFALO · 03-08-2022, 02:12 PM

(03-08-2022, 12:43 PM)13th Wrote:
(03-08-2022, 12:04 PM)BUFFALO Wrote:
(03-08-2022, 11:08 AM)nedreader Wrote: Gotta bring in a coach who has ties to a travel organization these days. Prove me wrong...
So you're talking about Madden who is with KBE and will recruit ? Who is he? Is he from Clay? Does he teach ? Just coach for a living ?

Former star player at Jackson County in mid 90s

Well that should help, playing at Jackson Co.. Has he only coached KBE? Different world coaching AAU and Clay Co. H.S..

DukeBoy · (This post was last modified: 03-08-2022, 02:46 PM by DukeBoy.)

The guy will make Clay better. Much much better. He will make what they have better. He may not even be interested in the job. I’ve just heard rumors with his name floating around.

nedreader · 03-08-2022, 05:35 PM

Clay has a boys coach that doesn't teach, isn't at the school, only coached elementary basketball before, etc. etc. and everyone seems fine with that. What's the issue if Madden were to coach the girls team? Clay is at a point(boys & girls) where they aren't even in a position to recruit, they just need to keep their home grown players at Clay.

BUFFALO · 03-08-2022, 06:57 PM

(03-08-2022, 05:35 PM)nedreader Wrote: Clay has a boys coach that doesn't teach, isn't at the school, only coached elementary basketball before, etc. etc. and everyone seems fine with that. What's the issue if Madden were to coach the girls team? Clay is at a point(boys & girls) where they aren't even in a position to recruit, they just need to keep their home grown players at Clay.

Point taken. Just asking questions. True about keeping them at home.

Olred · 03-08-2022, 11:15 PM

I wouldn’t think Clay county is interested in Madden who was 13-17 as a head coach at Jackson County and was fired with “allegations”. The guy has a bad name even in low level travel ball. I would guess it’s Jerry Combs who is assistant that gets it if he wants it and if not then I would say the middle school coach. I never liked the way Clay County played but you can’t argue that Coach Burchell wasn’t successful. He dominated the 13th region for years. They just have very little talent now and that’s hard to believe in Clay County.

nedreader · 03-10-2022, 10:16 PM

Hiring Combs would be a big step in the wrong direction. A puppet he would be so it’s very possible I guess.

KingCommodore · 03-10-2022, 10:30 PM

Whitney Bell would be a good one.

cchsfan4life · 03-11-2022, 11:04 AM

(03-08-2022, 11:15 PM)Olred Wrote: I wouldn’t think Clay county is interested in Madden who was 13-17 as a head coach at Jackson County and was fired with “allegations”. The guy has a bad name even in low level travel ball. I would guess it’s Jerry Combs who is assistant that gets it if he wants it and if not then I would say the middle school coach. I never liked the way Clay County played but you can’t argue that Coach Burchell wasn’t successful. He dominated the 13th region for years. They just have very little talent now and that’s hard to believe in Clay County.

If Madden doesn't get the job then I expect the former Middle school girls coach Gemma Gray to get it. She has coached grade school and middle school and has worked a lot with coach Burchell.

DukeBoy · 03-11-2022, 12:22 PM

Madden is the man for the job. Think he’s what the program needs. Needs energy and enthusiasm.

nedreader · 03-13-2022, 11:34 AM

Whoever they get, hopefully gets them in shape better than the previous coaching staff. Not a knock on the girls but you’re going to play teams that are going to force you to get up and down the court and I haven’t seen many Clay teams recently be able to do that for any length of time.

**Old School Hound** · 03-13-2022, 01:00 PM

(03-13-2022, 11:34 AM)nedreader Wrote: Whoever they get, hopefully gets them in shape better than the previous coaching staff. Not a knock on the girls but you’re going to play teams that are going to force you to get up and down the court and I haven’t seen many Clay teams recently be able to do that for any length of time.

Paula Pennington called and told you to kiss her big fat a$$. Near three hundred pounds and one of the best to ever play in the 13th region. Anyone brave enough to tell PP to get in shape was probably wearing a face guard for several month afterwards. Paula was a beast!!! Smile

Spoozer12 · 03-20-2022, 05:01 PM

Clay insider informed me they are having a hard time getting quality folks to apply, coaches are reluctant to take the helm, they know how the boys basketball program was handled, it says a lot. Precedent was set for someone to come in, bust their tails & build the program only to be ousted for a crony after the hard work was done, proven fact, it happened to a local boys who wan't in the crony club, what do you think will happen to an outsider.

BUFFALO · 03-20-2022, 05:08 PM

(03-20-2022, 05:01 PM)Spoozer12 Wrote: Clay insider informed me they are having a hard time getting quality folks to apply, coaches are reluctant to take the helm, they know how the boys basketball program was handled, it says a lot. Precedent was set for someone to come in, bust their tails & build the program only to be ousted for a crony after the hard work was done, proven fact, it happened to a local boys who wan't in the crony club, what do you think will happen to an outsider.

I really can't see any proven head coach coming in. Clay Co. just doesn't have a lot to offer.

DukeBoy · 03-20-2022, 09:02 PM

How did the Madden interview go?

BUFFALO · 03-20-2022, 11:24 PM

(03-20-2022, 09:02 PM)DukeBoy Wrote: How did the Madden interview go?

I always thought that when hiring a successor to someone you would try to better your program. Why would Madden be a step up for that program? One losing season at Jackson Co., let go for some reason and runs an AAU deal at London. Hard to picture him being an upgrade to Burchell.

DukeBoy · 03-21-2022, 08:45 AM

Because he cares and he is competitive. He will work his ass off. You ever ran an AAU Program with 20 teams? He must of schooled you back in HS. Basketball is basketball. Coach Cook at GRC came from dang Pippa Passes. Got a State Title this weekend. Got to give people a chance.

BUFFALO · 03-21-2022, 12:47 PM

(03-21-2022, 08:45 AM)DukeBoy Wrote: Because he cares and he is competitive. He will work his ass off. You ever ran an AAU Program with 20 teams? He must of schooled you back in HS. Basketball is basketball. Coach Cook at GRC came from dang Pippa Passes. Got a State Title this weekend. Got to give people a chance.

Nothing personal. Don't know him. Didn't school me. I'm just asking , is it a move up to hire Madden ? I have heard that he is a top candidate , maybe the only candidate. Seems to be a tough job, coaching basketball in Clay.

DukeBoy · 03-21-2022, 02:04 PM

I think he is what the Clay girls need. They better get ready to work is all I got to say.

BUFFALO · 03-21-2022, 02:19 PM

(03-21-2022, 02:04 PM)DukeBoy Wrote: I think he is what the Clay girls need. They better get ready to work is all I got to say.

Seriously, what happened at Jackson Co. ?

DukeBoy · 03-21-2022, 03:55 PM

Honestly I don’t know. Apparently it was nothing because he has a lot of girls playing AAU for him.

nedreader · 03-21-2022, 04:34 PM

Burchell had some good teams years ago but it appears he really didn't put a lot of effort into the program lately. He's put in a lot of years so I'm sure he's pretty much had his feel of things. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't S. Laurel and Jackson Co. both have starters that would have started at Clay this year? Both would have definitely made a difference. I wouldn't be upset at the girls' parents, I'd be asking what Clay can do to make them stay at Clay. Sadly, maybe nothing...