bballchick

I was sitting right there when this happened, and he did more than just address one of the fans...he said, and I quote, "Shut up, old man." And proceeded to threaten to come up into the stands. He may be a good coach who gets a lot out of his players, but if this incident is any indication of who he is as a person, I wouldn't want my son learning anything from him. I've never seen a coach act in such an inappropriate way. He may be a great guy who was having a bad moment, but this is all I've seen of him, so unfortunately, it's all I have to go on.

Anybody know where I can find Big Sandy's schedule? It's not listed on this site with all of the other teams. I was just curious to see who all they played in their pre-district schedule.

My guess is Big Sandy wins it, but I might have to pull for the underdogs on this one! Should be a good game. I know HD is going to come ready like they were when they played WH...you could hope BS might be a little overconfident, but I don't think that's really like them. Still, anything could happen. Big Sandy is a really good team, but they've played a couple of less than great games this season...one was against Woodville. And I think HD can give them a run for their money if they're on. Good luck to both teams! I hope I get to make the game.

Flop, I'm just passing on info that someone told me they heard from Cooper ...I don't know if ESPN will really air it...we'll see!

Wow...huge drop for West Hardin! I guess when you fall from a perfect record, you fall hard, huh? They'll be back (already are, actually). Glad to see Big Sandy on this list...they deserve it.

It's Kent Fuller who's at West Hardin. Are those five guys really all better than Joubert at Kountze? I've always been really impressed with him (his assistant, too!), but I don't know much about your top five guys... Also, Foster at Big Sandy definately deserves a mention! All three of these guys are not only great basketball coaches, but classy, too. I think their players probably learn more from them than just basketball. I'm glad you did this post...I don't think coaches get enough credit for how hard they work and all they do, and the ones who really care about their players are making long term differences in the lives of the young men they coach! So, THANK YOU to all of you coaches!!!

Hey, bbislife...hope you don't think I was "raggin on you" before like bmt whoever said...just giving my two cents...I'm all for your list...keep it up!

Great job, HD...without three starters! Props to coach for standing his ground on a disciplinary issue...shows integrity...the team will benefit from that in the long run! Keep your heads up, HI...you guys should be proud of your fight! Keep playing your game and never give up!

I've heard that the guys have talked to ESPN and are sending them the tape. Supposedly they're going to show the shot on an episode of Sports Center during one of their Top Ten Plays of the Week or something...not sure when that will air. I'm sure Cooper will post it on his website if he finds out when it's airing.

:)

Wow - great job, Big Sandy! Would've loved to have seen the game. Keep your heads up, Spurger. You guys are a good team...keep working hard.

sportsmom3, my sources tell me that he probably means that without Brandon and Tyler they don't have much speed or ability to move the ball down the court and can pretty much only play under the basket (in other words what post players like Matthew, Jared and Austin do best). I get where you're coming from, Mr. Reality, just have to disagree a little about Simmons.

Props to all of the fans who go out and support their athletes! I know it means a lot to the players when their fans get loud in support for them. From what I've seen, WH fans show up in the largest numbers and are the loudest, but I've only seen the teams we've played, so I can't say they're the loudest of all of the schools. I will say when we were at Goodrich, a few (not all) of the fans were making gestures at our fans and bowing up and pulling on their shirts like they wanted to fight or something...pretty immature (of course, when they lost, they made a bee-line for the door!). Go Oilers!

Okay, I got my answer. And I mostly agree with you, Mr. Reality, but where's the love for Zach Simmons? He has just as much speed and endurance as Brandon and Tyler! And, really, aren't most teams half-court teams when you take away their guards?

Wow, you've sure generated a lot of discussion with your top 30...Congrats! From reading some of the replies, I can see that Tyler Copeland from West Hardin has been on the list but isn't now. Last Friday he hit 6 out of 10 three's and last night he stepped up and led his team when Letsinger was sick. And he's just a sophomore! . Last year he was named Newcomer of the Year when they were in 2A w/ Kountze and EC, and he's improved like crazy even since then! I believe he deserves to be on there. And, how come a hurt wrist affects Brandon Letsinger's status on the list? This is a list of the Top 30 players, right? ...not players of the week, but just who the best players are. Letsinger's been hit hard this past week with a severely sprained wrist (thought it was broken for several days) and now with a bug that has totally wiped him out the past three or four days, but that doesn't change what kind of basketball player he is or the talent he has! Just something to think about...keep up your list!

Somebody help me out...what's a "half court team"? (mentioned by Mr. Reality in his post).

Do not hang your heads for one minute, Oilers! You guys had the deck stacked against you and you came out and fought hard!!! Big Sandy is a great team, but even they don't know tonight whether they can really beat you when you're all healthy! Just remember: It ain't over! This is an extremely minor setback. A perfect record would've been nice, but hey, not as nice as district champs is going to be! Stay focused and stay strong! All of your fans are behind you 100% and extremely proud of all of you!

So true, AHudd! Congrats to the Oilers! They deserve it. I honestly believe that a healthy West Hardin Oiler team could go undefeated into the playoffs...the question is whether or not they can achieve the 'healthy' part! Adversity builds character!!!

Thanks for the info Shermdog; I thought it was three. Sunshine, I was kind of surprised to find out today that you're Stokley's best friend. He's a great guy, and you probably are, too, but you're sure not making any friends on this site. By the way, we can compare IQ's anyday.

Well, Moonlight, since you ARE Sunshine, I'm glad to hear you agree.

Well deserved!!! Now let's just pray that Brandon's wrist heals up FAST!!! GO OILERS!!!

Intelligent observation, backspin. FYI, Sunshine, West Hardin's 16-0 record includes at least five or six victories over 3A schools, a couple over 2A schools and one over #2 state-ranked Goodrich. West Hardin's numbers have technically been 1A for at least the last year or two, but they've been playing in a 2A district because redistricting only occurs every three years. And you don't go 16-0 without FIVE SOLID STARTERS. West Hardin has possibly the best 1A player in the state of Texas in Letsinger and Tyler Copeland isn't far behind. Zach Simmons regularly scores in the double digits (and DOES NOT get the credit he deserves!), and Jared Tomlinson and Matthew Hashaw make more than a solid contribution to every game. That said, HJ has an incredible team as well, and you should be proud! I'm just not sure why you're spending your time worrying about the little 1A team down the road...could it be a tinge of jealousy in that we've now gone around three weeks longer undefeated than ya'll did?

Definately West Hardin or Big Sandy. I haven't seen Big Sandy play this year, but I hear they're awesome and have just about as much heart and will to win as West Hardin does, and are just as well coached. West Hardin did beat Big Sandy (barely) in their own tournament last year, but I don't think that's going to be a predictor for this year. Having said that, anyone who has been around this West Hardin basketball team will tell you that this is a group of guys that makes West Hardin fans PROUD! They're talented, hard-working, full of heart, focused, and they have character. I'm certainly pulling for them to win district and go undefeated all the way, but regardless of whether or not they do, I'm proud to be an Oiler fan! There's little doubt they're going to pull out an amazing record this year!!

They didn't announce an MVP, but assuming it would come from the winning team, no doubt it would've been Letsinger. He, Tyler Copeland and Zach Simmons were all-tourney for the Oilers, and I think Phillip Whittaker and Tanner Sheffield were all-tourney for Spurger.

All three of Warren's guards didn't foul out at the same time, so it's impossible to make it sound like all 15 (not 17) of Letsinger's fourth quarter points were scored after they fouled out. And by the way, three of West Hardin's starters were also on the bench the majority of the fourth quarter. Let's leave it at this, West Hardin has beaten Warren in their last three match-ups, so enough smack. Warren's a solid team. Good luck in district.