BleacherCoaches.com

Why are you fellow bleachercoaches always putting me on the spot??? I wanted to stay away from this one.

Well....honest opinions certainly not meant to upset anyone....

S.Fulton is a mild surprise, knew they would be good and they were my pick for #2 spot coming into the season. After losses at TM and CR in Dec. I felt I had them pegged about right but then within days they upset Everett twice and should clinch the league title this weekend (a tie for it anyway)

C.Ridge is a mild surprise, knew they would be better but had them middle of the pack coming in. Big wins over SF and Everett were unexpected and they are the one team still in position to win or tie for the title with SF and go to Warfordsburg on Tuesday.

Tussey is doing about what I thought they would do....thought maybe a little "Bailey magic" would have them flirting with 15 wins this year but just because that hasn't happened I wouldn't call it a disaster or a flop. I had them figured in the mid-pack mix with CR, FR, F-M, and McC coming in.

Everett somewhat disappointing. I had them picked to win it coming in but maybe I overestimated and was picking them to do better with my heart (Know and like the kids and have long term coaching staff connections) instead of with my head. If they only had a true center...one key missng ingredient. Still a good season and a legit shot at the 5-AA title if they play like they did in December.

I'll lump the Fulton/Franklins together...They are all doing about what I would have projected. FR is up and down....typical of a team going through some growing pains with a new coach and new system...third coach in 3 years for the Blue & Gold (or is it red & white this year--what are their school colors!) F-M has 'talent'...Enough to have flirted with the SF's and Evt's in the upper echelon but I've never "expected" to see them do extremely well. They don't play well on the road and can't seem to crack the traditionally strong programs even when they are talented. McC-burg has a mix of young and experienced players and are very capable, but a little like FR they are up and down from night to night...about what I expected from the Spartans coming in.

N.Bedford...I really thought they might win a few more games (predicted 5-7 coming in) but I'm in agreement with a few other local coaches that they have probably gotten as much out of their inexperienced squad as anybody and even though only 3 wins they are competitive nearly every time they take the floor.

Hyndman...As expected....another 0-fer league season...One has to wonder why they just don't form a coop with Bedford in sports and save themselves the agony.

Biggest disappointments then....TIE F-Metal and Everett

If we are talking girls....McConnellsburg is biggest disappointment IMO.

You made some very accurate and valid points in your post. I too expected Bailey to work a few miracles with that team to post a few more victories than they have. However, they have certainly been competitive in almost every game which is more than other coaches would have done with that program. SF and Everett should have been the cream of the crop with the returning players they had coming into the season. SF in my opinion is more balanced and have the inside players that Everett lacks. Placing F-M in that group was a longshot. They currently have no tradition in any sport, and in basketball they haven't posted a winning season in quite some time. F-R is better but still inconsistent. Mcbg has been a program on the rise in the past few years. They can't be taken lightly by anyone. They could win districts. C-R has certainly been a surprise. Other players have raised their level of play to take a little pressure off of Barefoot at times. He's still the heart and soul of the team and he is capable of carrying the team to a victory. He's the only player in the league capable of doing this consistently.

I know the heading is SHL, but I'm going to take it a little further and say that I don't see any district 5 team winning a PIAA State Playoff game this year. Even the more established programs in the past 5 years have been underachievers in the state playoffs. The Tussey Mountain team of 2001-02 should have accomplished much more than they did that year, and SF posted good records for years but couldn't win consistently in the playoffs until last year. And these are supposed to be our elite teams.

Lastly, I'd like to comment briefly on the F-M program that you felt the need to belittle a couple times this week. That program is certainly one of the underachievers in the past 5 years. That 2000-01 team should have been a super squad but they had no leadership at the top, and until a year ago they have lacked stability in coaching. You can't go anywhere without a knowledgeable head coach and they didn't have that. In addition, the athletes at F-M simply lack the work ethic and desire to turn a perennial loser into a perennial contender. Let's look at this year's team. I believe they have four seniors. Daniel is four year lettermen and is the type of player any coach would love to have. He plays with passion and for what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in hustle. Hostler is a pure shooter and offensive threat but he lacks defensive skills. Pye has the size but doesn't understand how to use it. Has he ever devoted any off-season time into becoming a better basketball player. Umbrell is an exceptional ball handler but from what I've seen he's never learned how to utilize this talent to make others around him better. I highly doubt he's ever been commited to an off-season program of any sort. In closing, the program seems to be improving a LITTLE but until the student - athletes become more dedicated to winning, they will never become a contender.

Oh I almost forgot Head Roadie, I'm just curious as to what your career record was coaching high school basketball, and did any of your teams ever win any championships?

SOrry to put you on the spot HR!!! But with your background and knowledge of the teams in the SHL you are a good guy to ask. HEad Roadie did win some championships. I know they won 2 Dist championships for sure. WOn some Bed Co titles and SHL titles. NOt to bad for a Northern guy.

Head Roadie also had a team in the Elite Eight.

Curious to hear of your coaching accomplishments strike three.

Strike three. Where did Head Roadie belittle the FM program?? The thing about the ketchup was awesome and was not meant to belittle the boys program. That comment was interesting to say the least. He did not put down that program at all. Last time Fm was really good was year Chappelli was head coach lost in Dist Championship game. Stuart Moats senior year they were good but NBC throttled them in the playoffs. Looks like they could be pretty decent again but I did not see anyone bash them or belittle them on Bleacher coaches.

Fannett and Forbes game is rescheduled for tomorrow at 3:30...since both teams have been having an up and down season it's hard to tell who will pull out in front. Both teams, in my opinion, HAVE the talent. Both teams have the coach. If both teams come to play, it should be a good one....

Also...maybe it is because I am from FM but people do underestimate how well we can do in sports. Look at our soccer team going to the championships. Our volleyball team in 01 and 02. It's also hard to keep a coach here. I think Best is doing a great job and if he is going to stick around for a long time, FM will continue to be a threat.

I was curious as to what HR accomplished as it sounds like he has great insight into district 5 sports. I have never had the opportunity to coach high school athletics , time and career just doesn't allow for it. I follow F-M a little closer than most of the other D5 schools since I have ties in the area.

you cant really call forbes road a letdown because last year they were 2-22. this year they are much better with basically the same players. this just shows you what difference a coach can make.

I'd like to make a comment about the sports program at FM. Although it has been a couple years since I was a student, I know that it hasn't changed much...

Most of the student-athletes who play basketball (both boys and girls) are also involved other sports and various school activities during the off-season. If FM didn't have many multiple-sport athletes, it would be impossible to furnish enough players for the Fall and Spring sports. This makes it a bit difficult for the students to focus on just one sport year-round.
Of course, there is the summer...when most students try to balance a summer job, "Open Gyms" for 2 or 3 different sports every week, Summer League games, and team/individual camps.

My point here is that the students who are dedicated to FM sports are usually spread pretty thin, and most people don't realize that. I'm not trying to make excuses for our poor performances. I'd just like everyone to understand the situation a little better.

mjunkin makes an excellent point. This is a problem at many of the small schools in our area. I know some kids from bigger schools who play practically year-round in their sport. Soccer, for example, Indoor through the winter, traveling or elite teams in the summer, and school soccer in the fall. The smaller school's high school teams are playing basketball in the winter and baseball in spring. When you think about it, when a FR or a McBg or a FM does well going up against one of the bigger schools with year-round players, it is quite an accomplishment.