setxslam

Does EC have TT and Vance?

Thanks, TopDawg. Sounds like Kountze is getting it together. Hope you guys blister Lufkin Hudson and their nasty homer refs!

Congrats to the Lions! TopDawG52, did Kountze have different personnel, different attitude, or both, compared to what they put on the court in the HJ scrimmage?

Great to see Caleb's come all the way back-- and then some-- from that knee injury. Way to go, Caleb and Big Kevin!

Hey, we beat Milburn by 2 more points than Ozen did!

I agree Poppa: Huntington was a pretty tall, good-shooting, fundamentally sound team. They played hard on D. That being said, the refs seemed dedicated to destroying us.

Come playoffs.

I just can't stand Clyde's commentary, and JVG's doing it on ESPN, so I picked ESPN. On the down side, you got to put up with Walton and Screamin' A. Smith in the studio... Sheesh... It's great to see Sunshine wearing his blue HJ State Champs tee shirt. Sunshine, how in the world did you get that ticket?

Section 119, Row 1, Seat 5... Life is good. I can't wait to see that big sloppy grin on ESPN HD!

Hellen Keller's School for the Blind has a butt-whoopin' coming.

Earl the Pearl played positions 1-5 for PA Lincoln in the mid-70s. He beat Moses Malone to win a one-on-one competition at the Seamco Classic, an All-American tournament. He could drop 50 with his off hand. I was told he fizzled after high school because of drugs, which would make him one of the all-time wastes of talent. In HS, though, he was amazing.

Earl the Pearl Evans.

HJ has the best fans in the state, and therefore the world.

They actually could be better than they were last year.

I wrote down the score after each quarter: 22-11 51-27 71-39 88-52 HJ in control from start to finish. The JV kids played as great as the starters did. Way to fly to the ball, Hawks! When HJ gets Trey, Elliot, Jacobey, and Big Jake back from football, man, they're going to be really, really athletic. Nice to see the Hawk Hecklers in such fine form. This is going to be another really fun year. Go Hawks!

He was athletic enough to be All-Regional Team and a major contributer on a state championship team. Navasota was the most athletic team HJ played last year. Their players were shaking their heads at some of the insane, sacrifice-his-body, hustle plays Sundgren put on them. I thought the play he made where he blocked some speedster's breakaway layup from behind was the turning point of that playoff game. Many posters were dismissing HJ as unathletic last year, and they went and won it all. Go figure.

Also, look for a potential Comeback Player of the Year in Deweyville's Caleb Jackson.

Stephen Moten played very big down on the block for Ozen throughout the playoffs last year. He's a more capable slasher/perimeter player than most folks know; everyone who has seen him jump knows there's no one-- maybe just a few in the NBA or NCAA-- who can leap with him. The highlight of my basketball summer was seeing him finish our "special" in-bounds play: HJ's Little Steve Guillory lobbed it up and over the backboard, and Moten came off a high post pick, caught the ball near the top of the backboard, and threw it down rather emphatically. I've never seen that done elsewhere. You need a goal that's centrally suspended from the ceiling, and a guy who can leap like David Thompson, back in the day. Anyway, I'm a big fan of Moten, and feel he's easily top 10. Other good SETX players I've seen, in no particular order: Ozen's Jacoby Joseph EC's Tramain Thomas Mem's J. Brown WB's Dante (sp? Donte?) Lopez and Marcus Malbrough Silsbee's Shannon Robinson HJ's Jarvis Bernard and Trey Burrell (and watch for JonMychal Fontenot, Colby Sundgren, Josh Payne, Ryan Weldon, Steve Guillory, Jacob Ricossa, Garrett McNeely, and others to combine for top 10-type performances this year. Sorry, I'm a Hawk Heckler.) Warren's Paul Sims and Matt Andrews BH's Brooks Ybarra (sp?) Kountze's Devin Bray Oops, I'm already up to 13. I haven't seen the other players mentioned in this thread-- if they belong among the guys I've listed above, then they're really good basketball players. As last year's UIL 2A, 3A, and 4A finals indicates, Southeast Texas has the best basketball talent in the state.

What is the name of the transfer from Ozen?

Who switched from Ozen?

Payne will play a little defense. They don't call him Bruiser for nuthin. HJ got about twelve full-court defenders like him this year, too... And Payne came off the bench at WO-S last year and hit those four three-pointers. Dude's cold.

Now that's a tournament.

HJ will be loaded, much deeper than last year's squad. We'll certainly miss Donahoe and Durley, of course, but we'll be at least 13 quality players deep: Bernard, Burrell, Fontenot, Weldon, Payne, Sundgren, Ricossa, McNeely, Guillory, Turner, Deshotel, Roby, some new fast kid whose name I don't know (Chaz?)... Maybe some I don't know about yet. Everyone listed could be a starter, and/or a finisher. The press will be fresh all game long. :-* The team is more experienced and more athletic overall than last year's state champions. We definitely have the best coaches, trainer, and fans in the state.

Clay Davis.

A five-guard lineup of HJ guards (rotating Jarvis Bernard, Josh Payne, JonMychal Fontenot, Steve Guillory, Garrett McNeely, Jacoby Turner, Ryan Weldon) and Warren's Paul Sims narrowly beat West Brook's varsity, something like 66-63, over at WB yesterday. I think HJ will be all right next year.