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No doubt, the madness has begun...
And we're gonna cover every insane aspect of it...
like only The Corner can!
No Boys Allowed (The Girl's Corner)
Man, Katy Cooper (East Newton) got righteous the other night in a District victory over Diamond! Check out this line: 19 points, 18 rebounds, 8 blocks and 6 assists! Are you kidding me? The entire Diamond team only had 22 rebounds for the whole game.
The first round victory for East Newton sets up a rematch with Seneca tonight at 7:30PM (at Mt. Vernon High School). Seneca has won both meetings this year and beat The Lady Pats for the district crown last year.
23 to 6. That was the score at the end of the first quarrter! The #1 Lady Cards of Webb City (27-1) dismantled Republic in sectionals 60-34 to move on to play #3 St. James on Saturday at 1 p.m. at The Hammons Center in Springfield. Balanced scoring from the frontline was too much for the Tigers as Kaitlin Jaeger had 16, Hailey Roderique 15 and Kyndal Clark 14.
Coach of the Year honors may belong to a coach who continues to get the best out of his girls year in and year out.
That man is John Blankenship, College Heights. Year after year, Coach B has to deal with what it means to be a coach at a small private school. Losing players to transfer, families that move away, low turn-outs for try-outs, being forced to play underclassmen before their time...and somehow...He gets them ready and they make Cougar Nation proud. Sure they lost to state power Miller (24-4) last night in the second round of Districts, but I don't care. Coach Blankenship did wonders with this group of girls and they are all to be commended on an exceptional year!
Congrats to Lauren McRae of Carl Junction. First, for reaching the 1,000 point plateau. And second for doing it against Webb City with a 28 point outbreak. Has anybody scored that many points on Webb as a team this year..lol. Way to go, Lauren.
To the 6 girls who play varsity for the Thomas Jefferson Lady Cavs basketball team: Thanks for showing up! Pride has nothing to do with trophies...
Back to Seneca, The #2 seed Lady Indians won their first round district game 73-16 over Souhwest! Seneca (20-7) had 4 girls in double figures...they got 19 from Taylor McDaniel to lead the way. The aforementioned rematch with East Newton awaits...
Girl's Middle School basketball report:
The Lady's play so early in the year...so I wanted to give you a few nuggets from the season that was.
No doubt, the madness has begun...
And we're gonna cover every insane aspect of it...
like only The Corner can!
No Boys Allowed (The Girl's Corner)
Man, Katy Cooper (East Newton) got righteous the other night in a District victory over Diamond! Check out this line: 19 points, 18 rebounds, 8 blocks and 6 assists! Are you kidding me? The entire Diamond team only had 22 rebounds for the whole game.
The first round victory for East Newton sets up a rematch with Seneca tonight at 7:30PM (at Mt. Vernon High School). Seneca has won both meetings this year and beat The Lady Pats for the district crown last year.
23 to 6. That was the score at the end of the first quarrter! The #1 Lady Cards of Webb City (27-1) dismantled Republic in sectionals 60-34 to move on to play #3 St. James on Saturday at 1 p.m. at The Hammons Center in Springfield. Balanced scoring from the frontline was too much for the Tigers as Kaitlin Jaeger had 16, Hailey Roderique 15 and Kyndal Clark 14.
Coach of the Year honors may belong to a coach who continues to get the best out of his girls year in and year out.
That man is John Blankenship, College Heights. Year after year, Coach B has to deal with what it means to be a coach at a small private school. Losing players to transfer, families that move away, low turn-outs for try-outs, being forced to play underclassmen before their time...and somehow...He gets them ready and they make Cougar Nation proud. Sure they lost to state power Miller (24-4) last night in the second round of Districts, but I don't care. Coach Blankenship did wonders with this group of girls and they are all to be commended on an exceptional year!
Congrats to Lauren McRae of Carl Junction. First, for reaching the 1,000 point plateau. And second for doing it against Webb City with a 28 point outbreak. Has anybody scored that many points on Webb as a team this year..lol. Way to go, Lauren.
To the 6 girls who play varsity for the Thomas Jefferson Lady Cavs basketball team: Thanks for showing up! Pride has nothing to do with trophies...
Back to Seneca, The #2 seed Lady Indians won their first round district game 73-16 over Souhwest! Seneca (20-7) had 4 girls in double figures...they got 19 from Taylor McDaniel to lead the way. The aforementioned rematch with East Newton awaits...
Girl's Middle School basketball report:
The Lady's play so early in the year...so I wanted to give you a few nuggets from the season that was.
Perhaps one of the most impressive teams was the 8th grade Carl Junction Lady Bulldogs. They are deep and talented. They used constant pressure and speed to keep teams on their heels. They only loss a game or two all season.
The 8th grade Lady Cards was one of those losses. When most of the current Varsity team graduates next year, there will not be any rebuilding, just reloading. Listen, these girls can shoot! I mentioned a few weeks ago that the Varsity girls can really shoot, trust me, this group is right with 'em. This group could prove to be just as good as the current varsity squad. You heard it here first...but if you live in WC you already knew it.
The most impressive player was probably Jacqueline Lieurance from Joplin South. Long, athletic and a deadly shot. She ran the point for South but was usually about the tallest girl on the court. There is real Division I college potential in her.
Kaylee Godwin led Thomas Jefferson in almost every statistical category this year. She is a dynamo who plays with great explosiveness!!!
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Keep your eyes on the 6 foot Katie Skaggs (Carl Junction). She is just now blossoming into a force to be reckoned with. College ball certainly waits for her. She has an older sister Lanie, who should also prove to be a force for the Varsity squad next year.
okay boys...
We're taking today off from the draft...but I'll be back with it next week.
Short Corner:
Seneca had a very impressive win over Lamar in their district opener. What was so impressive about it? The fact that they overcame "stall ball" to win 58-27. It is so hard to play that way and stay disciplined. You have to wait for the game to come to you, and they did. This sets up a huge match-up vs. Southwest Friday in Mt. Vernon. And I'll talk about stall ball later.
Thomas Jefferson (22-1) rolled in their first round game as well, winning 78-25 over Bronaugh.
They will play tonight (Thursday) vs. Rich Hill at 6PM in Golden City.
And the nominees are...
I have received the nominations for our awards and while I will not reveal them all here's the big one.
The Finalist for Corner MVP are (alphabetical order):
Matt McCreary (Joplin), Alex Oserowsky (Thomas Jefferson), Toby Roelfsema (Seneca) Jordan Stauffer (Thomas Jefferson), Derek Stokes (Joplin), Alex Wise (Neosho)
These names appeared over and over again on almost every ballot, including mine. We'll see who takes home the award after the season.
My Wish List
Here's a list of things I would like to see in the High School game.
1.An end to "stall ball". Hey no offense to the coaches who've used it. If it's there, I won't fault anyone for using it. But for the sake of the game, let's put in a high school shot clock. If you think 35 seconds is to short, okay, let's do 45...but personally I think it should be 35. 32 minutes is a short game...we need to be using that time to teach our kids how to compete! I don't believe losing is the worst thing that can happen to a person or a town. As a matter of fact, you will learn more about yourself, your town, who your friends truly are and the truth of your surroundings by how they deal with losing.
I want our kids to catch up with the rest of the basketball world...and we can. But we can't do it holding the ball.
2.Free-Throw line set-up should be like college. Players should be allowed to release as soon as the ball leaves the shooter's hand. The truth is, the new format favors the offense. The shooter knows how the ball will miss and the defenders are stuck guessing. And if the shooting team has a quick, skinny post player lined up to rebound, he'll get to the ball before the other guy can box out. I speak from experience.
I don't know if it were safety issues that created that rule, but to me it hurts the game a little. The college rule puts the advantage back where it should be, with the defensive team.
3.At least 2 teams from each district should qualify for state. Now, football has done this, and I pray basketball's not far behind. A few years ago, as many of you remember, Neosho beat a 30 win Kickapoo team in districts. It was great for Neosho! And regardless of where you're from, Kickapoo belonged in the state playoffs.
In North Carolina, the top 4 teams advance from each "district". They now even have "Wild Card" slots. It's a bigger and longer playoff, but how is that a bad thing? These kids, and I emphasize "kids", work too hard to see it end on one shot or one tough night. We need to find a way to reward them more for the regular season and conference.
4. I would like to see realignment that would put local teams in the same conference.
The Large Corner:
Carthage, Carl Junction, Webb City, Joplin, Seneca and Neosho in a conference would be awesome...
Yes I know Seneca's smaller, but they can more than compete in basketball. And it makes them better for districts. They could move to the small conference for football if need be, because College Heights and Thomas Jefferson don't have football teams. So there you go.
And it would free up the other 5 schools in the Large Corner to go play a few free dates in football to help them get prepared for districts.
The Small Corner:
Thomas Jefferson, College Heights, McAuley, East Newton, Diamond, Mac County, Sarcoxie, and Jasper
Why are we driving 2 and 3 hours to play conference games?!?!
Don't be afraid of the competition. Human beings usually rise or fall to the level of those around them.
It would be great!
Larger crowds, better ticket sales, more exciting atmospheres, save on gas and travel, kids get home early enough to do their homework and we help each other prepare for districts. And I promise you, I guarantee you...WE WILL ALL GET BETTER AND MORE COMPETITIVE COME STATE PLAYOFFS! I GUARANTEE IT!!! Give it 3 years and see what people think of The Corner then.
And don't tell me it can't happen!!!
It's that kind of thinking we have to get away from.
Buzzer Beater from The Corner:
Writing this column, watching all these teams play this year...
It's changed my focus...
I have never been so fired up!
I want us to be the best in the state in basketball!!!
I want it bad!
So I sat down and prayed about what I could do to help. And here's what I came up with.
I am going to offer any knowledge I have to all the kids in The Corner.
I am starting 2 programs.
1) Intense, fundamentally driven summer camps for The Corner this summer.
We are going to go to a new level of discipline and training for kids. I will let you know the dates as they become available. They will be cheap, $50...I don't care about the money, I want state championships!!! I'm tired of being at home in March!!!
And no one will be turned away because of money, if you need a scholarship...we'll get you one. Now, I don't want to get in the way of what other people are doing...and I'll try to avoid that at all cost...But I just can't sit and watch anymore. Our kids deserve to be the best.
2) I have developed a Speed, Agility and Vertical training program for Basketball players
We need about 6-8 inches on our vertical leap to take down KC, Springfield and St. Louis.
And trust me, we can get it and we can get them.
Okay so here it is:
In my time playing college basketball I learned a lot about what we were doing wrong in training basketball players. People spend money of vertical leap training, speed training, etc...only to find limited results.
I gained 6 1/2 inches on my vertical through proper training. I went from 4.75 forty time to a 4.60 time. And the biggest difference I noticed was explosion and finishing in traffic going to the basket. And it's not just about how high you jump, but also how quick you get off the groud (explosion).
So I have put together some of the things that truly worked for me into a 2 month program (8 weeks, once a week)
That includes things like:
Shuttle runs: short runs that concentrate on explosion and quickness
Jump rope drills: which improve foot speed and coordination
Box Jumps:Explosion and lift
Push-ups, crunches, etc...
Ball drills that I got from college: like tap drills and explosion lay-up drills.
The work-out will be and hour and half long. Once a week.
The kids will be tested the first week, retested at the beginning of week 5 and at the end of week 8.
Our goal at minimum for each kid:
Improve vertical leap by 2 inches
Forty time by 7 one-hundredth of a second: example 4.70 becomes 4.63
Improve core strength by 20%: example 50 crunches in a minute becomes 60
Improve arm and shoulder strength by 25%: 20 push-ups becomes 25
That's the minimum, but that's a huge increase in 2 months/8 workouts. We will provide homework for the kids. What they do on their on will bring the difference.
You must be entering 9th grade next year (and at least 13 years old) to participate in the program. A copy of a recent physical must be provided as well as a medical consent waiver signed and on file.
The cost is only $100 for the 8 weeks.
The program is slated to begin March 22nd. The program will take place at the Carterville Gym (209 E. Hall St. Carterville, MO 64835).
Again, I could care less about the money or notoriety. I'm just fully invested in these kids.
I don't care what schools they go to. I love all these kids.
I want to do all I can to help them reach their dreams and potential.
If you are interested, you can contact me at 417-540-0293 or email me at rainmakers21@gmail.com
Or you can sign up at my booth at Sign-Up Saturday (this Saturday) March 6 from 10AM-2PM.
I have always believed I was brought to this area for a reason.
And I have never been more motivated than I am now...
I want state championships!
I love The Corner...this is my home...I will give what I have.
And if state championships never come, if my camps and clinics don't bring results, if I fail miserably...
at least I gave you everything I had...
And I can live with that.
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
