Bedford County Boys Basketball All-Stars
Bedford County Boys Basketball All-Stars
Some interesting choices for the first team. I know that historically the All-Star team is usually made up of the top scorers in the county, but this year that was literally the case. The top seven scorers in Bedford County made first team.
Since my own son is one of the players who made the second team, I'll lose any credibility I might have by suggesting that he could have been a first team member -- but I'll still argue at least three members of the second team could easily have made the first group.
The fact that the second group includes three players who are point guards -- three pretty dang good point guards if you will, seems ironic.
Measuring the value of a point guard involves far more than the points he scores, of course, though perhaps this was ignored or forgotten by the voters. Since the Gazette does not keep stats on assists -- maybe they should start (if the coaches would cooperate) -- nor steals, recoveries, blocks, deflections, and, of course, rebounds, The voters, I guess, are hamstrung by the scoring stats.
And there are other facets of play, such as defense, ballhandling, passing, leadership, intelligence, etc., etc., that are factors too. Some call these things intangibles, but to me they seem tangible as can be. Unfortunately, coaches often do not address these elements of the game in their post-game reports.
Tussey, Ridge, and Everett had the best records in the county as well as the Sideling Hill League. They all had excellent point guards. Since I'm biased about Herncane, I'll focus on Ryan Decker of Everett and Elias Hoover of Tussey -- two players who ran their teams' offense, got the ball consistently to their top scorers, effectively stopped pressing defenses because of their ballhandling and passing skills, and played tough defense, often on the other team's best players.
If all we're talking about is points, pure and simple, then I guess the guys who made the first team were good choices. I'm certainly not one to slight their accomplishments. But if we're looking for multifaceted, well-rounded players -- the best players -- then I certainly feel that a few other boys could just as easily made that first team -- and maybe even deserved to be there.
Some would argue that selecting players for an all-star team is very much a subjective business. Looking at the top scoring averages and picking the top seven is hardly subjective. I know it's a difficult business for the voters -- the coaches -- and believe it or not -- I've actually had some coaches tell me that on occasion there's more than a little politicking involved.
My point in bringing this up really doesn't have much to do with the players I feel who were slighted. Ryan Decker, Elias Hoover, and Nick Herncane , as well as any others for whom similar cases could be made, probably haven't given the all-star selections much thought or lost any sleep over making second team.
I guess what I'd really like to see is less of an emphasis on "I" -- look how many points I've scored -- and more on the "we." After over 35 years of coaching basketball on and off, I've found that "selfishness," not selflessness," is too much in evidence.
Maybe I'm hopelessly old school, but I still argue that the main reason for a boy or girl to play high school sports is to bring fame and glory for their "school" and "team," which, if my grammar serves me right, are both collective nouns.
Since my own son is one of the players who made the second team, I'll lose any credibility I might have by suggesting that he could have been a first team member -- but I'll still argue at least three members of the second team could easily have made the first group.
The fact that the second group includes three players who are point guards -- three pretty dang good point guards if you will, seems ironic.
Measuring the value of a point guard involves far more than the points he scores, of course, though perhaps this was ignored or forgotten by the voters. Since the Gazette does not keep stats on assists -- maybe they should start (if the coaches would cooperate) -- nor steals, recoveries, blocks, deflections, and, of course, rebounds, The voters, I guess, are hamstrung by the scoring stats.
And there are other facets of play, such as defense, ballhandling, passing, leadership, intelligence, etc., etc., that are factors too. Some call these things intangibles, but to me they seem tangible as can be. Unfortunately, coaches often do not address these elements of the game in their post-game reports.
Tussey, Ridge, and Everett had the best records in the county as well as the Sideling Hill League. They all had excellent point guards. Since I'm biased about Herncane, I'll focus on Ryan Decker of Everett and Elias Hoover of Tussey -- two players who ran their teams' offense, got the ball consistently to their top scorers, effectively stopped pressing defenses because of their ballhandling and passing skills, and played tough defense, often on the other team's best players.
If all we're talking about is points, pure and simple, then I guess the guys who made the first team were good choices. I'm certainly not one to slight their accomplishments. But if we're looking for multifaceted, well-rounded players -- the best players -- then I certainly feel that a few other boys could just as easily made that first team -- and maybe even deserved to be there.
Some would argue that selecting players for an all-star team is very much a subjective business. Looking at the top scoring averages and picking the top seven is hardly subjective. I know it's a difficult business for the voters -- the coaches -- and believe it or not -- I've actually had some coaches tell me that on occasion there's more than a little politicking involved.
My point in bringing this up really doesn't have much to do with the players I feel who were slighted. Ryan Decker, Elias Hoover, and Nick Herncane , as well as any others for whom similar cases could be made, probably haven't given the all-star selections much thought or lost any sleep over making second team.
I guess what I'd really like to see is less of an emphasis on "I" -- look how many points I've scored -- and more on the "we." After over 35 years of coaching basketball on and off, I've found that "selfishness," not selflessness," is too much in evidence.
Maybe I'm hopelessly old school, but I still argue that the main reason for a boy or girl to play high school sports is to bring fame and glory for their "school" and "team," which, if my grammar serves me right, are both collective nouns.
"Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much."
-- John Wayne
-- John Wayne
Re: Bedford County Boys Basketball All-Stars
[quote="foghorn";p="138723"]
Maybe I'm hopelessly old school, but I still argue that the main reason for a boy or girl to play high school sports is to bring fame and glory for their "school" and "team," which, if my grammar serves me right, are both collective nouns.
[/quote]
Maybe, you are a little old school, maybe I'm a little new school. But tell me when a whole "school" or whole "team" made an all star team. Your son's contributions helped his team to a tie with the best record in the Sideling Hill. If you say that most emphasis for the fame and glory is for your school, why are you making this argument. Your son was a role player for the Lions this year, sometimes, certain role-players don't put up the big numbers off the boards and in the box scores. Rebounds and points scored are usually the top two things "ALL STAR" teams look for, lucky for the Bedford County big men. Look at it this way, If your son was top 7 scoring and someone who had more assists than him received first team accolades, would you be still making this argument? I think so. Nick, Elias and Ryan all had great senior campaigns for their team and for their school, not for themselves. Maybe it was unlucky for them or maybe it was straight up unselfishness.
Hey, we all have our point of views.
Maybe I'm hopelessly old school, but I still argue that the main reason for a boy or girl to play high school sports is to bring fame and glory for their "school" and "team," which, if my grammar serves me right, are both collective nouns.
[/quote]
Maybe, you are a little old school, maybe I'm a little new school. But tell me when a whole "school" or whole "team" made an all star team. Your son's contributions helped his team to a tie with the best record in the Sideling Hill. If you say that most emphasis for the fame and glory is for your school, why are you making this argument. Your son was a role player for the Lions this year, sometimes, certain role-players don't put up the big numbers off the boards and in the box scores. Rebounds and points scored are usually the top two things "ALL STAR" teams look for, lucky for the Bedford County big men. Look at it this way, If your son was top 7 scoring and someone who had more assists than him received first team accolades, would you be still making this argument? I think so. Nick, Elias and Ryan all had great senior campaigns for their team and for their school, not for themselves. Maybe it was unlucky for them or maybe it was straight up unselfishness.
Hey, we all have our point of views.
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pointguard21
- Freshman
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Re: Bedford County Boys Basketball All-Stars
Well im the pointguard for tusseymountain and i averaged 11 point per game and i had 147 assists, i took 13 charges, had 76 steals, and shot 76% from the foul line and if thats not good enough for bedford county then i dont know what is...i was 2nd in scoring on the team, i had the most assists on the team, i was 2nd in charges on the team and 1st in steals and 2nd in foul shooting...its kinda llike a slap in the face no to be on the first team...but i guess that is the way it goes.. congrats to everyone that made the first team..i just guess that everyone the made the first team was better then me...ryan and nick were pretty good pointguards as well
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Head Roadie
- Moderator Team
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Re: Bedford County Boys Basketball All-Stars
Just a point of clarification, the coaches did not vote on the Bedford County All-Stars.
Coaches did vote and had approximately 80% of the votes cast for the Altoona Mirror All-Stars. Using their voting system and understanding that Hyndman is left out--A Bed. Co. All-Star Unit would have looked like this:
1st Team- Dondaldson, TM; Hoover, TM; Beegle, E; Ritchey, NB; Fleck, C-K.
2nd Team- Marshall, Bed; Kohler, CR; Herncane, CR; Grimes, E; Spiker, CR.
Which team is more representative is up to the masses to argue, I'm just presenting what might be the coaches alternative if they had voted.
Coaches did vote and had approximately 80% of the votes cast for the Altoona Mirror All-Stars. Using their voting system and understanding that Hyndman is left out--A Bed. Co. All-Star Unit would have looked like this:
1st Team- Dondaldson, TM; Hoover, TM; Beegle, E; Ritchey, NB; Fleck, C-K.
2nd Team- Marshall, Bed; Kohler, CR; Herncane, CR; Grimes, E; Spiker, CR.
Which team is more representative is up to the masses to argue, I'm just presenting what might be the coaches alternative if they had voted.
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once a runner
- Official BleacherCoach
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Re: Bedford County Boys Basketball All-Stars
[quote="foghorn";p="138723"]
Maybe I'm hopelessly old school, but I still argue that the main reason for a boy or girl to play high school sports is to bring fame and glory for their "school" and "team," which, if my grammar serves me right, are both collective nouns.[/quote]
I couldn't agree with that statement more. I can only imagine how much greater the game would be if nobody cared about their individual numbers. I've seen good teams fall apart because one individual decided that they need to make their local all-star team or score 1,000 points or break some sort of record. I'm not saying it's wrong to score 1,000 points as you must be a very good player to do so. It's just when a person makes scoring more points a higher priority than team success that I have a problem with it.
All star teams, more often than not, do not reward the good players who are not the highest scorers. If you must have an all star team, it should be voted on by coaches. Like you said earlier, it's usually just a matter of who has the most points. There are no accolades for defense, hustle or intangibles because those things can't be measured. However, ask any coach how much they would love to have a defensive minded player who hustles and does all the little things that make his/her teammates better and I'd bet they would tell you that this player is just as valuable to team success, if not more, than the ones scoring the most points.
Maybe I'm hopelessly old school, but I still argue that the main reason for a boy or girl to play high school sports is to bring fame and glory for their "school" and "team," which, if my grammar serves me right, are both collective nouns.[/quote]
I couldn't agree with that statement more. I can only imagine how much greater the game would be if nobody cared about their individual numbers. I've seen good teams fall apart because one individual decided that they need to make their local all-star team or score 1,000 points or break some sort of record. I'm not saying it's wrong to score 1,000 points as you must be a very good player to do so. It's just when a person makes scoring more points a higher priority than team success that I have a problem with it.
All star teams, more often than not, do not reward the good players who are not the highest scorers. If you must have an all star team, it should be voted on by coaches. Like you said earlier, it's usually just a matter of who has the most points. There are no accolades for defense, hustle or intangibles because those things can't be measured. However, ask any coach how much they would love to have a defensive minded player who hustles and does all the little things that make his/her teammates better and I'd bet they would tell you that this player is just as valuable to team success, if not more, than the ones scoring the most points.
Who does vote on the BC all-stars then? I was told by another coach that indeed he did vote for such a team.
X, I simply found it a bit disconcerting that the all-star team had no point guards on the squad, in a year where there was, it seemed, a wealth of such players. I would imagine that the other point guards could also throw up some impressive stats as pg21 did, but since such stats often are not recorded, shared and tabulated, they're ignored. Since we're giving the dang awards out, at least let them reflect the reality of such talent. To be honest, I'm all for doing away with individual recognitions, but that's a totally unrealistic expectation in today's award-crazy world.
X, I simply found it a bit disconcerting that the all-star team had no point guards on the squad, in a year where there was, it seemed, a wealth of such players. I would imagine that the other point guards could also throw up some impressive stats as pg21 did, but since such stats often are not recorded, shared and tabulated, they're ignored. Since we're giving the dang awards out, at least let them reflect the reality of such talent. To be honest, I'm all for doing away with individual recognitions, but that's a totally unrealistic expectation in today's award-crazy world.
"Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much."
-- John Wayne
-- John Wayne
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BisonBlue07
- Assistant Coach
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How could Levi Bingman be left out of this talk. He single handedly carried hyndman on his back all year. Even though they did not win many games he we obviously one of the best players in the area. It's as simple as this, when these teams are put out someone always gets screwed. On the lines of point guards...Seth Roy was just like the 3 previously mentioned guys that maybe didn't score a lot, but did a great deal to help the team. He wasn't even honorable mention.
"Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."
-Joe Theismann
-Joe Theismann
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realfootball20
- Junior
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Re: Bedford County Boys Basketball All-Stars
Foghorn I will agree wholeheartedly that the point guard crop in the county this season was outstanding.
You make some valid points concerning the contributions of a good point guard to the succes of a team. As a coach, I will take a great point guard over a 20+ point per game scorer any day. The great point guard will make everyone else around him/her better,
With all star teams, there are always selections that create debate. An agrument can easily be made for all three of the players you mentioned, but I have to completely disagree with your inference that to be a first teamer you just need to only be a scorer.
The players who made the first team were much more than just scorers. A few of those guys were their team's leading rebounder as well as the top scorer. I would bet that most of them were one of their team's top (if not the top) defensive player.
I would also bet that if you asked each individual coach who their hardest workers and the leaders on their team were, that the names of the first teamers would be the first or second name out of the coach's mouth. That is not to say that the people you mentioned didn't possess those qualities, it is just to point out that even though the first teamers are most recognized for their scoring that isn't the only quality that got them on the first team.
You make some valid points concerning the contributions of a good point guard to the succes of a team. As a coach, I will take a great point guard over a 20+ point per game scorer any day. The great point guard will make everyone else around him/her better,
With all star teams, there are always selections that create debate. An agrument can easily be made for all three of the players you mentioned, but I have to completely disagree with your inference that to be a first teamer you just need to only be a scorer.
The players who made the first team were much more than just scorers. A few of those guys were their team's leading rebounder as well as the top scorer. I would bet that most of them were one of their team's top (if not the top) defensive player.
I would also bet that if you asked each individual coach who their hardest workers and the leaders on their team were, that the names of the first teamers would be the first or second name out of the coach's mouth. That is not to say that the people you mentioned didn't possess those qualities, it is just to point out that even though the first teamers are most recognized for their scoring that isn't the only quality that got them on the first team.
The easiest thing to do in sports is hustle.