BleacherCoaches.com

Nah...what the Bisons do... is choose not even to show up for 16 or 18 games of their schedule and therefore the 12 or 13 week season is not as grueling of a task as when you are actually competitive. So what's left? 5 or 6 games Bedford actually chooses to show up and play a whole game of basketball. and lo, and behold, they win.
TM and CR on the other hand, gets up for the two games against each other, gets up for the Southern Fulton games,the Everett's the NB's, the tough places to play on the road at the Fulton Co schools and also for the non-league games, as well. The "competitiveness" of it all makes for a more taxing, emotionally speaking, season and lo and behold, they lose some.
Nothing too emotional about knowing you'll get thumped three out of every four games, (or close).

Sneaks, you forgot to add the gargantuous task of hosting Turkeyfoot Valley to that list of "huge games" that Ridge and Tussey must get up for. I really have to compliment them for getting up and coming out on top of the major headliners.

Hey, I know there are some games that don't fit the point I was trying to make. But I feel what I am saying is valid enough to look at anyway.

True, but who's to say bedford doesn't get up for those games? What if the rest of the LHAC is just that good that try as they might, Bedford just can't beat them, even when they play with the same heart and intensity as they do against the Lions or Titans?

Let it go you guys. You're as repetitive as I am whining about refs.

Yeah, the LH is a significantly better basketball league. But no -- the Bisons aren't making much of an effort to get better where they're at -- because no effort has been made to upgrade the junior high schedules even though varsity coaches have wanted this. Bedford doesn't play any harder junior high schedule than SH teams, do.

Back in the Ice Age when I coached junior high we played County teams (TM. Everett, and NBC almost always had strong teams), plus teams like Roosevelt, Keith, Central, Hollidaysburg, BG, BM, Bishop Walsh, Fort Hill and Allegany, Huntingdon, etc. etc. We were hard pressed to get to 500 sometimes. Guess how well the varsity usually did. (Hint -- it sure wasn't my superb junior high coaching.)

If the Bisons are going to get out of the cellar in the LH, they're going to need more than talented, enthusiastic coaches. In the meantime, beating even the top SH teams (remember they didn't do it last year) are hollow victories.

I agree with this. Bedford lost several games this year against other bottom dwellers in the LHC such as Cambria Heights twice (a team ridge has beaten the last few years in their tourney) and Richland (ridge beat them this year). While they were blown out by the elite Johnstown, McCort, and Westmont, they were competetive with teams in the middle of the pack such as Somerest, Forest Hills, and Central. Sometimes teams just play to the level of their opponent. Other times, uncontrollable forces such as officals play a hand in deciding a game (which has happened to Bedford this year a few times as well.)

Perhaps the most important thing to consider is the fact that these are 15-18 year old kids. It is hard for every player and every team to play the best they can in every single game. A player that makes a good decision in one game may make a bad one in a similar situation in the next game. Teams and players go through phases over the course of the season where they play well, then have some times where they do not play well. Its that simple.

Sneakers. Ask my brother or any of the other kids on the floor if they get up for the LHAC games or not.

You saying that is absoultely retarded. They would much rather hang their hat on beating a team like PC(which they did this year) than beating Tussey and/or Ridge. To say they don't try in the other contest shows your lack of knowledge about the kids that are in the program.

Mark Anderson has things going in the right direction for Bedford, Foghorn. Last years team was much more talented and only won 4 games under Waltman, and losing 3 games total to Ridge and Tussey (Ridge twice). I don't know who you want on the sidelines for the Bisons who shows more emotion and enthusiasm than Anderson. He's done so much better with this group than Waltman ever did, even with Harris and Co. It's just a shame that that group of kids never had the opportunity at a REAL coach with REAL knowledge of the game.

Ham:

Did you even read my post? I don't doubt that your brother plays his butt off every game. Just saying that some other kids may not. They are high school kids. They arent going to play their 100% best game every single night. Believe it or not there are other things going on in their lives than basketball. However, I do think that a good enthusiastic coach like Anderson, for the most part, gets all he can out of his players and gets them to play hard.

I can't sympathize with you too much about Bedford's coaching the last few years. They did win the district just 2 years ago. Granted, last year there may have been a lack of enthusiasm, but he did the right thing and hung it up. No one has had worse, non-enthusiastic coaching the last 5+ years than Ridge. If you watched the end of the Bedford/Ridge game you know what i'm talking about lack of enthusiasm and the inability to control one of his players at the end of the game.

Also, as someone who works with people who are mentally challenged and who has mentally challenged people in his family I find it disheartening that you would use a word like "retarded" on this public forum.

Ham,

Pay attention. Where did I knock Anderson? He's one of the finest young men I know. Bedford's dang lucky to get him.I consider him one of my better friends. I was lucky enough to coach and teach him, be invited to his wedding, and have him as a teaching colleague. But until he gets a little help with an upgraded junior high schedule, it's going to be hard for him to have reall success. If you cared about your alma mater you'd lobby for that kind of change.

Explain something else to me. How can Bedford win the district and the next year not have enough players to field a jv team? Is that all the coach's fault? A coach who would spend half his summer working on fundamentals with individuals. But because that was too much hard work or wasn't fun or whatever, hardly anyone showed up. Just like guys wouldn't show up for summer league games.

Don't talk to me about Waltman being a bust. His biggest problem was a bunch of parents (many who are my friends) who were against him because he wouldn't kiss their asses. There is a no more morally upright and decent man around than Steve Waltman. I could get you a long list of former players who would go to the wall for him -- as well as students whose lives he positively affected and still affects by being the best guidance counselor a school could possibly have.

Both Mark Anderson and Steve Waltman could coach my kid any day.

After Troy and his class walked out, you should have seen the way "coaching" went down hill. Kids quit the team because of his actions and attitude. I'm good friends with Waltman's son, have been for a very very long time. And the talent that he had on the court for Bedford when Shoemaker was a senior, or even a junior, was insane and he made nothing of it at all. I don't even think they made the playoffs those years, and there was some INCREDIBLY talented kids.[quote="foghorn";p="135405"]
If the Bisons are going to get out of the cellar in the LH, they're going to need more than talented, enthusiastic coaches. In the meantime, beating even the top SH teams (remember they didn't do it last year) are hollow victories.
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That's where I got that from. And you know what it's like to lobby for something at Bedford, even if you're strong in numbers, they still won't listen. Heck, it was all people could do to keep Creps from getting the football coaching job when Shoemaker had to step down.

unknown.

When you posted that, I was in the process of typing my post. I didn't even know you had posted that before I got on here this afternoon to check things out.