Question #1 - Hayesville and Robbinsville should once again battle it out for the SMC title next season but which team will ultimately finish the year as SMC champs?
Question #2 - Cherokee once again appears to be the top challenger to the Jackets and Knights. So, will the Braves repeat their 3rd place finish or will a new team emerge as the top competition to Hayesville and Robbinsville?
Question #3 - How many starters does each team return next season?
Question #4 - Which team will be the most improved and which team will see the biggest drop off from last season?
Question #5 - Zach Cottrell should easily win SMC POY honors, so who then will be the second best player in the SMC?
Murphy: The 'Dogs are coming off another poor season and three consecutive years where the program has regressed. Now it's time to ask some hard questions of the program. Coach Payne, he's a great guy and clearly an upgrade over Murphy's previous coach (one of the worst in the state) yet he needs to demonstrate that the program is on the rise once again.
With the talent pool walking the hallways and the number of athletes relative to the rest of the SMC, Murphy should RARELY finish outside the top 3 in SMC play. The dwindling participation from the school's top athletes the last few years has been a major issue, as Coach Payne has shown an inability to consistently win without elite talent. Hayesville and Robbinsville (to a lesser extent) have been the only consistent programs in the SMC for quite a few years now, Murphy should be in that group.
What all this means is that if another year of regression or the status quo of the last three years occurs then a discussion regarding the Murphy head BB coach position must take place. Murphy is bringing back 4 starters and have added a major transfer. While the talent of that group is mediocre at best, a real building block has fallen into the staff's lap so a real bounce back year should be in the cards. If it's not and the same history of not utilizing timeouts, having too large of a rotation, bizarre substitution patterns etc. occurs then this discussion should become action.
This post was edited on 5/1 11:47 PM by ncvol2381
Question #2 - Cherokee once again appears to be the top challenger to the Jackets and Knights. So, will the Braves repeat their 3rd place finish or will a new team emerge as the top competition to Hayesville and Robbinsville?
Question #3 - How many starters does each team return next season?
Question #4 - Which team will be the most improved and which team will see the biggest drop off from last season?
Question #5 - Zach Cottrell should easily win SMC POY honors, so who then will be the second best player in the SMC?
Murphy: The 'Dogs are coming off another poor season and three consecutive years where the program has regressed. Now it's time to ask some hard questions of the program. Coach Payne, he's a great guy and clearly an upgrade over Murphy's previous coach (one of the worst in the state) yet he needs to demonstrate that the program is on the rise once again.
With the talent pool walking the hallways and the number of athletes relative to the rest of the SMC, Murphy should RARELY finish outside the top 3 in SMC play. The dwindling participation from the school's top athletes the last few years has been a major issue, as Coach Payne has shown an inability to consistently win without elite talent. Hayesville and Robbinsville (to a lesser extent) have been the only consistent programs in the SMC for quite a few years now, Murphy should be in that group.
What all this means is that if another year of regression or the status quo of the last three years occurs then a discussion regarding the Murphy head BB coach position must take place. Murphy is bringing back 4 starters and have added a major transfer. While the talent of that group is mediocre at best, a real building block has fallen into the staff's lap so a real bounce back year should be in the cards. If it's not and the same history of not utilizing timeouts, having too large of a rotation, bizarre substitution patterns etc. occurs then this discussion should become action.
This post was edited on 5/1 11:47 PM by ncvol2381