March Madness is Frustrating for this Tennessean!
GO MEMPHIS TIGERS!!! GO VANDERBILT LADY ‘DORES!!!
Oh the frustration…The Tennessee Vols mens team lost on a last second shot. I had such high hopes for the Lady Raiders from Middle Tennessee and thought they would be the sleeper of the tournament but it was not to be – with 10 seconds and the ball in their half court they were unable to execute a final shot to win and lost by 1 point. This team will be better for this experience and have become a quality basketball program. My beloved Tennessee Lady Vols are very young and overwhelmed as they were bounced soundly in the first round. And finally, a big dissapointment was the snub issued by the NIT to the Vanderbilt Commodores. This quality team was not invited to post season play. All of these teams will be players in the Big Dance next year.
The Memphis Tigers continue to roll in tournament play and are a sound top tier team. The Tigers seem to step it up as necessary to win the game. The Vanderbilt Lady ‘Dores have also demonstrated they are a team that may go very deep in the tournament. Good luck to the Tigers and the Dores!
The Pursuit of Another State Basketball Championship!
This morning I was going through my weekend routine of thumbing through the sports section of The Tennessean and noticed that the Shelbyville girls high school basketball team won their regional first round game and will now be in the 4AAA regional semifinals.
Yes, after all these years and turning 50 in July I am still a huge supporter of this perennial powerhouse. Tennessee has the nation’s most respected and active girls basketball talent. It has always been this way as long as I remember; even going back to the 3-on-3 days that ended in the mid to late 70’s – and Shelbyville High School is the leader.
I admit as I get older the less I follow my alma mater but I am proud to say that I come from a high school that has this nationally recognized storied program going back to the early 60’s when the Shelbyville Golden Eaglettes won their first state championship in 1964 under the direction of Coach Bobby Locke.
This hot bed for girls high school basketball has racked up numerous state titles, a few national titles, a few national runner-up titles, All-Americans, All-State players, AAU champions, one National Player of the Year, several state MVP’s, two winning streaks over 100 games, and one in the 90 game stretch, and created a Hall of Fame basketball coach in Rick Insell. The remarkable Golden Eaglettes are also recognized as earning high levels of academic achievements and many have gone on to be successful college players with a few becoming coaches on different basketball levels.
Come one, come all…Thousands attend each basketball game over the years and have attracted national sports television stations, government officials, hall of fame basketball coaches reviewing the talent, national news features and spotlights, a book titled Only Eaglettes Understand written by renowned author Gene Pearce, national showdown with high school powerhouses including bringing in Lisa Leslie years ago (her team lost in the first round so the #1 versus #2 high school game did not take place), and many ceremonies with new title banners hung in the rafters and on the walls.
I wish Coach Lynn Burkey and his Golden Eaglettes all the best as they strive to achieve their annual goal of a state title. If they fall short, it will be a natural process for them to hit the court next year as they renew their campaign to be #1. Good luck!
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