Pops

I think Linton needs to find that consistent 3rd scorer. At times Pyne has looked like it. I don't believe Walters has shown his offensive skillset yet, and it was nice to see Webb have a nice game against Loogootee. The really good teams are going to figure out a way to take Lincoln away or hold him below his average. If some other players step up and show that ability to consistently score 10-15 points a night then I think it becomes harder to focus on Lincoln. Joey is super talented but he has been a little inconsistent so far, but no doubt he is going to be a really good ballplayer for the next 2-1/2 years. Overall, it is good to see the SWIAC rebounding some. Eastern is playing well early. Bloomfield and North Daviess are always going to be competitive and fighting for the top spot. North Central is continuing their turnaround and Shakamak and WRV have some nice young players. There should be some really good games this year in conference.

Miner D-Line is going to have to improve. I didn't see stats for the game but Edney and NV moved the ball on the ground rather easily at times. A good back has to be a concern right now for the Miners.

I will be very surprised if they try to restart this. My guess is that hoops are over for this year. Most of the first games for springs sports usually start the first week of April. IF all goes well and we get back to normal in three weeks (which I doubt) then spring sports athletes still have to get their 10 practices in which will push them back to Mid April. If the BB tourney is still in play then those teams will have to be given a week or two to practice and get ready which will impact all the dual sport athletes in basketball that play spring sports. Then when they are done they will have to get their ten practices in. For Seniors this is disappointing. It will be a mess. The whole thing is unfortunate but I believe it was necessary. Guess I will stream some old ESPN Classic games again.

Not sure if you saw or not, but it is now postponed indefinitely which I guess is better than cancelled at this point. We will see how it all plays out.

I think it would be very hard for the IHSAA (and NCAA) to run amateur athletes out there when the paid professional athletes aren't doing it. The situation with the Utah Jazz and last night with the Hoiberg situation probably were the tipping point for the IHSAA, NCAA and other sports. It is unfortunate for these HS athletes and especially Seniors. I just talked to one of them a few minutes ago and he is pretty bummed. Said it is going to be hard to get up because they feed off the crowds. Going to be more like a summer league or AAU game atmosphere. I do hope the IHSAA can stream all these games, because I do hate the fact that players, fans, families, students are going to miss out on a High School experience that isn't guaranteed from one year to the next. Certainly unprecedented times for us.

Congrats to both the Cardinals and Miners on their Sectional Championships and good luck this weekend representing the SWIAC and Greene County. The issues with the Miners are the same issues that we have seen all year, but now it is costing them more. When you play a sectional opponent, who has already played you at least once and has scouted you at least a half dozen times you can bet that they are going to be prepared for everything you bring to the table and they will game plan for it. The Knox county teams did just that and it nearly paid off. That was two of the worse shooting games that we have had this year. Partly due to what S. Knox and N Knox did and partly due to poor shot selection. A wide open 3 pointer in the 4th quarter with a 7 point lead is not the same as a wide open three in the 1st quarter and we don't seem to recognize that. Value the basketball! Lots of dumb fouls in the 2nd half away from the bucket that stopped the clock and gave them free throws, and either the players, coaches or both, never seemed to make an adjustment to letting Fickling get the ball deep in the post. He killed us in the 2nd half and especially the 4th Qtr. Drew Smith has played really hard and really well in the last 3-4 ball games. He does need to be a scorer more in the paint, but the ball has to get to him too. Regionals and beyond are a little different than Sectionals. Most teams watch a little tape, but really line up and do what they have done all year and see if you can stop it. I think we will be fine against a hot Crawford County team, but it will take our best game to get by Providence or South Spencer. Providence has been beat up all year and just got healthy and is showing what they are capable of. South Spencer, coached by Former Bloomfield player and coach Matt Britton, will be a handful if we face them. They actually will run something other than a dribble drive offense and are very talented. I have an uneasy feeling this weekend about the Miners. I hope they surprise me and find their groove. Bloomfield is stepping up their game at the right time. Turner still doesn't look 100% yet, but he is still a dang good player at 80 -90%. They will have to play really well to get out of that Regional but, the type of game they play and their defense will give them a chance and that is all you want this time of year....a chance.

Miners looked sloppy last night. The kind of sloppy that gets you beat against good teams. They better clean it up and hope that shots start to fall or a disciplined South Knox team could upset them. WRV vs Bloomfield could be a good game for a while but I don't see the Wolverines upsetting them tonight. I will say this about the Wolverines....they have zero quit in them. They don't always play smart with the ball, or make the right pass, but they play really hard. Lot's of offensive rebounds on missed FT's and second chance baskets because they outhustled North Central was the difference. Denham played like a Senior in his last few games and Ellett was a force inside. Crites and Rogers continue to improve as well. Again, I don't think it will be enough against a Cardinal team that is clicking right now, but that's why you play the games. Good luck to all three SWIAC teams tonight.

Hats off to West Vigo. They play hard, scrappy and defend pretty well. They stripped our guys 4-5 times in first half on offensive boards. I would agree the Miners are who they are. I thought the baseline cutter for West Vigo was open entirely too much against our zone. Several easy buckets there. This game was about what I expected it to be. Pretty much the same as last game. If Linton ever puts 4 quarters together on both sides of the ball they will be scary good. Bloomfield—-it was great to see Turner back and playing well. Great kid that deserves to finish out his senior season. Eastern—- a two game winning streak??? Anyone see that coming?

I said early on this season that how those roles are filled will go a long way toward how far the Miners go in the postseason. We haven't replaced the toughness and physical play of the Robbins twins nor have we replaced Slover's motor and leadership. This team can score points in a hurry, but they are also prone to long stretches of play like they had against Marshall where they look lost. It certainly was the tale of two halves. Marshall owned us on the boards in the 2nd half and once they got physical with Lincoln they neutralized him. It was a physical game and if he gets those calls then he probably scores 40 but you get in games where the refs let them play and he has to adjust better. Overall, this group is soft when it comes to this type of play. They get pushed off screens, the get out rebounded especially from the weak side, and the offensive movement slows down when the other team gets physical. They have had a good season, but this isn't last years team and it is a little unfair to think they can be what last years team was. I do believe if they clean things up they can get through the regional, but I also believe they can get beat anywhere along the way if they don't.

Miners got a good draw by getting the bye game vs North Knox.

Well Bloomfield got about as good a draw they could hope for. North Central has to like the bye game too.

Itiswhatisis-----Chill out a bit. Good grief this is just High School basketball. Matchups make games, not polls and ratings. Common opponents are helpful in scouting but that is about it. I put little weight in polls and more so in the Sagarin ratings. I should remind you that you said Mater Dei was going to roll over Triton Central in the Football semi state based on Sagarin and we all know what happened then. The Lady Miners might be considered a favorite next weekend, but the championship game is next Saturday not Yesterday. Frankton isn't going to care that they beat TC. They will have to play well to beat a good Frankton team. That is facts. I watched the first West Vigo game in person and I can say that they are a scrappy, but inconsistent bunch. They gave the Miners all they wanted that night. I expect the Miners to win, but if the Miners are off a bit like they were against North Central the other night, then WV can make this a contested game. The Miners are the better team, but that doesn't always mean much. Coach Hart has the Miners playing well right now, but they still have some of the early season chinks in the armor that show up from time to time. Those chinks will get them beat against a really good team. They will no doubt be the 2A sectional favorite, but anything can happen in the tournament. I would say that the Sectional 57 is going to be interesting. Bloomfield is still the favorite, but with Royals injury they aren't as clear cut as they once were. Clay city is starting to click with wins over Shakamak, WRV and Edgewood and a two point loss to NC all in the last few weeks. WRV and Shakamak are capable of playing some good ball and N. Central would love nothing better than a 3rd chance at the Cardinals. The draw for this sectional could be a huge factor.

No drooling here....You never heard me say Hale was all world. As for transfers, when we get a HS kid move in here like they did at Barr Reeve, then the IHSAA rules can apply. Until then, everyone can hate on the Miners all they want, because it won't matter. As for Sullivan, yeah the 8th grader is why Moore is upset now, but it goes a little deeper than that when you talk Linton/Sullivan.

First off, Joe Records is a good athlete and a scrappy kid....always has been. Him holding Hale to 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals (not sure on assist) is a good job I guess if it was a just a one on one game. Only problem is your taking a shot at a kid when the fact is he didn't need to need score thirty when the scoring was as balanced as it was that night. Nobody is losing any sleep in Linton worrying about Sullivan or any other school being upset.

Eastern is a rebuild for sure, but the way things have went over there with the football program and a few board members I would be very careful being public. It does take a lot of good people and a lot of admin support to develop a K-12 program. They used to have it and it can be rebuilt again. Coach Hudson is certainly capable of doing that. IMO Hale has only scratched the surface. His game has continued to expand and he is beginning to grow into his body and become more physical. I think more offers will come and he will go down has the all time leading scorer in Miner history with a slight chance to eclipse 2,000 pts. Can he play at a high major school? Right now, I don't think his game is there yet, but another year of getting better and stronger and a good summer of travel ball and he could turn some heads. From all I know he is a great kid too and as a fan, that is what you want to see.

It's all good. Hale was being looked at by several D1 schools...mid major mostly and has committed to Indiana State.

Both of those teams lost last week so it wasn't surprising that they got bumped down, but Blackhawk is clearly the best team in 2A and will be a handful for anyone. I would expect Blackhawk to represent the north in the Finals. Shendendoah is very good as well and very well coached. This is actually the 2nd time the Miners have been ranked #1 this year. They were #1 until their loss to TH North at the classic.

Now back to basketball.........Linton looked good last night against a THS team that was without two of it's players that played against them at the Classic. Not sure reason, but I would guess either injury or eligibility as it appeared that both were there on the bench. I expected a win, but not by 24. Having a 10 day layoff will be good for this group to get ready for the postseason. If anyone ever doubted what Turner Royal means to this Bloomfield squad it is more than obvious now. Certainly an unfortunate injury. You have to hope that he will be ready to go for the post season. With him they should win their sectional rather easily, but without him I think WRV has a real chance to upset them. Of course the draws will play a part in it too. Wrv is scrappy but just cant seem to make enough plays to get over the hump against the team. Last thing, what has Eastern basketball become? It sounds like it is a huge mess over there right now. Coach Hudson is a good coach, but the frustration is evident in his comments in the paper. I am not sure who he is trying to motivate or benefit by publicly making those comments. He is sending a message, but not sure it is toward the players. That program has went downhill since Coach Igel left. It used to be loaded top to bottom, but that isn't the case anymore. I think it is a total rebuild top to bottom to get back to where it once was. Wonder what everyone else's thoughts are?

They deserved a comment after going to all that trouble just to set up account so they could make one comment like that...I didn't want them to be dissapointed. lol.

Shooter1-----You need to get your facts right. Not one player on the Linton roster transferred to Linton during High School. They transferred to Linton during Middle School or before. Everyone knows the stories about Dugger closing. Those kids could choose any school they wanted when it closed and because some of them chose Linton instead of your school that's not fair?. There is nothing wrong for an athlete to transfer to another school during middle school for ANY reason. There are plenty of Linton kids that are on WRV rosters in several sports, (Softball, Baseball, Volleyball, and basketball). I guess that is okay? When Schools are competing for kids on an academic level because of the money that goes with them, you really didn't expect that to not trickle over to the athletic side did you? The State of Indiana created this mess. When any kid can transfer for a better opportunity academically and the money goes with them, then why shouldn't a student be able to transfer for a better athletic opportunity? The IHSAA governs High School and that is the only reason they can't transfer at the HS level. WRV(your school), Dugger and now Eastern are sending mailers out, putting billboards up, and sending buses into other schools district to pick up kids. Apparently, the academic transfers don't bother you? Of course not. The kids that transfer because they think another school offers a better academic opportunity isn't your concern. Only the ones that might affect your athletic W-L Column. Are some of the Linton faithful upset because someone moved in and took their kids spot? Yeah, but that is life and it happens when athletes begin competing with 4 classes of kids for a handful of starting spots.

When you look at the current SWIAC standings the top, middle and bottom are clearly defined now. I don't see anyone left on Linton's schedule knocking them off but you never say never. I didn't think the ND game would be that close. This weekends games will shape the middle of the conference a little bit more. Friday night Eastern at Linton-----I don't see this one being close. This should be a 20+ win for the Miners N. Central @ Bloomfield----a semi final rematch from the GCI. NC played them tough for 1-1/2 quarters before Bloomfield asserted control and won big. I think I see Bloomfield by 15+ here again. N. Central is just not disciplined enough to play a possession basketball game with Bloomfield. N. Daviess at Clay City----ND should win this by double figures as well. They are really playing well right now. Saturday Night North Central at Shakamak----This could be a tight game. Shakamak won 49-46 in the 3rd place game at the GCI. I think it will be close again but I am going with the T birds this time around. WRV at Clay City----WRV is sitting at .500 and having some success. With a Friday night game home game vs Loogootee they will most likely need this win to stay at .500. Clay City is scrappy and WRV cannot afford to come out slow like they have at times. I am going to go with the Eels here in a close one.

They were both ranked last year but this is the first time they are both in Top 5 to my knowledge. Another school we are familiar with...Shenandoah...is also ranked Top 5 with both teams. Back in the early 80's we had 3 good seasons on the girls side with Stamm, Witty and Dietz. But before class basketball we always ran into BNL, a powerhouse at the time, in the regional. To my knowledge we were never ranked in an all class Top 20 poll. The core group for the current Lady Miners is the Junior Class so they should be good again next year and they have a pretty good 7th grade bunch coming that will help the program. Nothing like the junior class but some solid players. The boys side has some good classes coming, but I have not heard of anyone like a Lincoln Hale type of player in those classes. Just a lot of solid players. Linton has been fortunate the last 8-9 years that we have always had 1-2 scorers that could consistently get you 20 a night. Looking for who is next after Hale graduates. I am not sure how many 1000 pt scorers we had before the 2013 season, but it was 5 or 6 I believe. We have had 5 since then (Karazsia, D. Fougerousse, Dieball, Hale, K. Fougerouse). That says alot. Looking at our remaining Schedule there is a pretty good chance that Coach Hart will guide this team to their 8th straight 20 win season. Linton fans are getting spoiled. That is an unheard of stretch and would extend a state record for consecutive 20 win seasons. Miner basketball fans used to talk about the Jim Callane era back in the 1970's. He was a great coach and won 3 straight sectionals in the mid to late 70s before leaving to go to Kokomo Haworth. That was back in the days when the Switz City Sectional was really a big deal. Miner fans need to appreciate this stretch...that is rarefied air.

Miners did just enough last night to get it done. Talked to Joey afterwards a bit and he said they are tired mentally and physically. Had today off whether they won or lost. They have played 11 games since Christmas and most of those were big time games. Not to many easy ones. I think that showed up last night. North Daviess is much improved. Freshmen are good and when/if Townsend gets healthy again they could be a real handful down the stretch. Not sure what went on between TH North and Clay City for that to be only a five point win. I think WRV is better than Shakamak and played like it last night. They are just so up and down right now. Bloomfield winning big over Eastern was expected, but North Central getting beat by RP by 18!?! Can't say I saw that coming. Overall, outside of Linton and Bloomfield, I don't think any SWIAC teams are playing very consistently right now. As for Tonight I will take Cloverdale over Clay City by 10 South Knox over Eastern by 15 Barr Reeve over N. Daviess by 8 North Central over North Vermillion by 8 Sullivan over WRV by 15 Last thing...Hats off to the Lady Miners for their nice win this morning over 1A #1 Loogootee Lions.

My thoughts on this have changed over the last decade or so. The idea of recruiting isn't a new thing. The 1984-1985 L&M teams aren't the talked about in the same light if Coach Oliphant isn't recruited to come to Lyons and bring his son with him. Also, that might have been the first time a HS redshirt was ever used lol....but that is for a different discussion. Listen our education system is a mess because we have people calling the shots that are idiots. When those idiots decided to make it so any kid could transfer from one school to another for academic reasons they also took the lid of the toothpaste tube on athletic transfers. There is also a financial side to this as well that isn't often talked about. When a kid transfers for any reason the money moves with him. So when schools are struggling for money and a middle school kid transfers for athletic reasons their is a cherry on top in the money that also transfers. Do I think that is a big benefit? No, but it is a reason not to frown on it too. The IHSAA rules say you can't transfer in HS for athletic reasons. They made an example out of this in the Curt Hopf case. However, they don't govern Middle School or elementary athletics so there is no "recruiting" if a kid moves. If a kid and parents decide to transfer for athletic reasons before HS, that shouldn't be looked at any differently than a kid transferring for academic reasons. Consolidation to one school system isn't feasible, but I could see one administration office and two High Schools in our county at some point in the future. If that happens we will be sitting around 20 years from now talking about the good ole days, because it will change everything from a sports perspective.

Jack did play against Shakamak. He has 12 and was the only player in double figures for the Cougars. In the past I think once you got past sectionals you started seeing the area schools pulling for the remaining schools in the tourney. Before class basketball that was very true. Once you lost the local rivalries in the sectionals you also lost some of that support from the conference for sectional foes. Championship game at the GCI was a decent crowd but it doesn't come close to what it used to be at the GCI or the sectional. Every night was packed and standing 3 deep all the way around the top. Having said that I think you still have that support to a degree but "Miners against Everybody" on the warmup is pretty appropriate. Everyone is pissed at the Miners, about "recruiting". Everyone wants to see them fall. The Bloomfield cheering block came across as funny, and it didn't bother me, but believe me the underlying message was meant to be heard.