texas2step4u

[quote name="12gage" post="1140961" timestamp="1323209845"] They deserved so much better that you decided to take your guys out as you were hammering the last bb coach, again if you go to school in bmt , move to bmt [/quote] Yep, I agree.  Coaches cant recruit, but parents who "shop" their kids shouldnt be allowed, either.  Just my opinion.

NO, Ozen needs for some leaders to step up and make sure this sortof stuff doesnt happen again.  Ever.

The Vidor Pirates got past Buna today and are in the finals on Saturday, against HF, I would presume.  Could be wrong about HF and Orangefield would play Vidor in the finals.

Vidor beat Warren by 15.  I dont remember the score, just the margin....The only football player on the team today was Montana.  Not sure yet if there will be others or not. So Vidor plays Buna tomorrow afternoon.  Two young teams going at it.

as to the person who asked about upward basketball....we do have that now and have had it for several years.  One of my kids played in upward when he was 5 and is now a junior in high school....the emphasis there seemed to be more of bible study than basketball skills learning, or at least, thats how it was back then.  Not knocking upward basketball at all, I think its great and certainly better than nothing at all, but its not a basketball skill building activity, IMO. As to the last poster, it sounds like HJ has a pretty good junior league for football, so thats very good to hear.  I honestly dont have some magic bullet that would make HJ a good football team.  I still think that it all begins with expectations and rabid fan support.  The more people put an emphasis on something, the better things tend to get..I wish HJ luck in building a competitive football program.

Yep, HJ is a basketball school.  Like posters have said, they start training those kids at a very early age, right along with baseball, tennis, and golf.  I honestly dont know about the football kids.  Do they have a flag/tackle league in HJ?  Vidor is a football school.  Always has been.  Vidor starts kids at about 5 years old in football and baseball.  Vidor doesnt have a Little Dribblers program, so there isnt any organized basketball until jr high school.  Its no small wonder why the Pirates struggle on the hardwood.  As to the poster who said that 300 or more fans at every game for the Pirates while playing basketball, I would say, not this year.  More like 150 and when your place holds 1500 it looks awful empty.  But Vidor has never supported a losing basketball team, ever.  Winning puts butts in the seats.  Simple as that.  I would suggest that those folks in HJ who want a good football program to be rabid supporters of their program, win or lose.  Encourage your kids to get involved at an early age and stay involved no matter what the record is....course, if a kid doesnt like football or otherwise doesnt want to play, thats fine too. Just support your high school teams, whether its football, basketball, volleyball, right on down the line.  Those kids work hard, or, are supposed to, so go out and support them.  Fill the stands no matter what the record or the weather.  Great expectations with hard work equals great results.

The Pirates arent a team yet.  It will take some time before they gel together.  They had a good summer league and beat some good teams along the way, but now that things are organized, lack of varsity experience, maturity, and team play are showing up.  It really is what was expected early on.  I dont think that the Pirates planned on being 1-2 right now, but thats how it is.  Looks like Orangefield figured out that they had to put a lot of pressure on Reagan inside to keep him from getting his shot off, so he will have to adjust if teams keep doing that.  He averages about 15 a game and all of it inside and last night he was held down to 6 points or so.  Once the sophomores get better acclimated to varsity, they should take some of that pressure off of him....it just all takes time and hard work.  I know that Coach Sterling has them working on drills daily that will eventually get them to where they need to be.  Stay positive with the coach and the players.  They need us to encourage them.  They know that they are inexperienced and playing poorly bothers them.  It may be tough all year, but they are building a program that will deliver good results.

I wouldnt say that the kids would be penalized for playing football and then coming over and playing basketball.  Its just a tough thing if you just came out of football at a high level and expect to be at a high level in basketball.  Montana is a rare athlete that can and will start, Im sure.  Heck, maybe as early as tomorrow night in Orangefield.  I believe that Larry Sterling will put his best players on the floor and expect them and the subs to go out and perform to the best of their abilities.  No matter if they were there last week or not.

Play as long as it doesnt keep the players away from the playoff games.  We missed a game in order to watch our football team and another school cancelled a game on us for the same reason.  I think everybody understands when teams make that decision.

I dont have that, I got the paper bracket while walking through our locker room Saturday.  You would have to get with someone from Evadale for that.  Sorry.

Williamson....the starting point guard, and a real warrior out there. You might want to get to know those guys who do this all year long.  We dont have any height, or experience, but we do have some guys that will battle with anybody.  And that's before you add a couple of football guys.  Montana is a real difference maker, but dont anoint this team because he is now playing.  It takes time for this team to come together and dont forget that we have 3 sophomores who will see quite a bit of playing time.  Very young team that hasnt gelled just yet.  Again, Larry Sterling is a great coach who WILL build a program that can compete with anybody, but there will be some growing pains this year.  Keep supporting the team.  They need people in the stands cheering for them just like the football team, believe me.

You can find the Evadale tournament Thursday play on the Evadale tournament thread.  I would add it myself, but I dont know how..sorry bout that.

[quote name="robanadana" post="1132600" timestamp="1322374366"] [quote author=texas2step4u link=topic=92089.msg1131716#msg1131716 date=1322347353] He could try out for the basketball team, but I doubt he would make it.  Larry Sterling isnt about keeping football players in shape.  He is trying to build a program about basketball. [/quote] Montana, David and Steve were on the basketball team last year and they are dedicated players. I'm a long time Vidor basketball fan and can assure you Coach Sterling will be happy to get these players back to round them out before district. I'll bet they don't ride the pine for too long before they start.... [/quote] Montana, you bet.  But David and Blake(Steve) werent there all summer long playing with the rest of the basketball players during the summer leagues.  David could give Jay some rest at times at point and Blake could be some help to Reagan in the paint.  Montana is going to take a lot of pressure off of Jay and he can play down low and rebound with the best of them.  I was at practice yesterday and I can tell you that the attitude that Montana brings has already helped.  This season will be very difficult for the Pirates and I dont think anyone is saying anything different.  Coach Sterling is a great coach and he is building a program, not unlike Brian English did....and we will reap the rewards.  The addition of Montana brings one thing that no one else on that team has....experience at the varsity level.  He knows that the gulf between JV and varsity is very wide.  He is a proven winner and his basketball skills really improved while on varsity last year.  His play this past summer proved that to me.  I do know that Blake will be tasked with rebounding and defense.  He is a smart kid and he likes basketball.  And I know that Reagan need lots of help in the paint.  David didnt play last year at all and I honestly dont know if he has talked to Larry Sterling or not but basketball skills are like any other skills...you have to work them or they leave you.  Handling a basketball against varsity pressure is not an easy thing so David would have to work very hard just to give Jay some rest for a few minutes a game.  Just my opinions.

He could try out for the basketball team, but I doubt he would make it.  Larry Sterling isnt about keeping football players in shape.  He is trying to build a program about basketball.

ok, I got the schedule and brackets: Thursday: Evadale vs. Bridge City at 9:15 Vidor vs. Warren at 11:45 Orangefield vs. Deweyville at 4:45 Hampshire Fannett vs Kountze at 7:15 I was mistaken about HJ....I sometimes get HJ and HF confused.

Ah man, I just had the schedule in my hand and left it at the high school....lets see, participants are: Evadale Bridge City Vidor Warren Hardin-Jefferson Kountze and I cant remember the others... Evadale starts it against BC at like 8, followed by Vidor and Warren at 9:45....HJ and Kountze finish the first days play...Im sorry, but I cant remember the rest.  It will be next week sometime before I can get back down there to get the schedule.

Just wondering if anybody has a schedule for todays games....I would like to head over and watch some of them..appreciate any input on this one.

I never said the game shouldnt have been close.  The game was close because Evadale forced so many turnovers.  For every one of those turnovers, the Pirates didnt get a chance to score.  Evadale didnt shoot the ball very well, but Vidor didnt shoot well from outside, either.  Most all of Vidor's points came from close in, and mostly on driving layups or dish-offs.  Evadale will be a good team and I predict that they will win their district and should go far into the playoffs.  The Rebels have had about 2 hours of practice as a team since football ended, so I expect them to get better and better.  I know that the Pirates are very young and have two games of varsity experience for the whole team.  They have to grow up pretty fast and play fundamentally sound basketball to have a chance to win any game.  Had Evadale shot the ball well, it would have been a very different story last night, but give some credit, Vidor players tended to have a hand in the face of the shooters.  Sometimes you win ugly and I bet that the Pirates are glad for the win.

Vidor won, 46-41.  Evadale is for real, though.  I expect them to make a deep run into the playoffs again this year.  They have a bunch of guys that just play smart basketball and are athletic.  The turnover hurt the Pirates again tonight and I would bet they had 30+ for the game.  If they can protect the ball, the Pirates should do much better on the offensive end of the floor.

from a Pirate fan...Lets go Dawgs....

From a Pirate fan....lets go Panthers

[quote name="Sleepy1" post="1123591" timestamp="1321721654"] I love the enthusiasm with which they coach and the way they prepare these boys week after week. However, what I'm most impressed with is how they keep  the players emotions in check, the respect they demand, and the discipline they have instilled. [/quote] These are all characteristics of a Jeff Mathews team.  Integrity starts with him and he expects it from his coaches and players.  Both on and off the field.

I didnt mean to imply that I wasnt proud of the Pirates before this season.  I actually go to practices sometimes and I am always impressed when I speak to the players at how mature and respectful they are.  That comes from good parents and coaches and teachers through the years that expect greatness from these young men.  The Pirate program under Mathews has been one of honesty and integrity, from the man at the top, to all the coaches, players, and support staff.  I am proud to call Jeff Mathews my friend because I know how much he truly cares for his players and wants only the best for them.  But, on the field, this team is something very special.  I also want to thank all of those not from Vidor who post on these pages in support and also those who come out and watch our kids play and cheer us on.  Maybe now people will finally realize that we arent just a bunch of racial rednecks, but actually good people who radically support our teams on the court or field.

Lets go Nederland and Ozen....lets prove it once and for all that 20-4A is the real deal. 

I will admit that I never expected the Pirates to have the kind of season that they have had.  I have been a long time Mathews fan, but never really liked the slot-T offense.  It simply allows other teams to load up in the box and stuff the run....but this team is something special.  This team simply doesnt care how many you put in the box, they just get it done.  Your starting quarterback plays both ways and has managed to stay healthy through a tough season in 20-4A, as have most of the players on the team. This team has a motor like I have never seen.  Undersized against most every opponent and they just dont seem to care how big you are, they are gonna whip you.  I have never been prouder of a Pirate team.  I predicted an average season for the Pirates but I am so glad that I was wrong.  I graduated from Vidor many years ago and I have always supported my Pirates, I just never expected this team to play the way they have.  From Coach Mathews to all of the coaches on staff, to the players who go out and get it done, thank you.  Well done.  Keep on working, keep on winning.  You make us so proud.