True Blue Plainview Basketball, a Strong and Urgent Case

 
   Oh wanted to preface all this by saying the School supe and his trustees should be at NACC March 16 to hear Furman novelist George Singleton and Appy State's Mark Powell. Powell has written a political thriller about South Carolina's Dark Corner, Trump Country, Wahalla, Oconee County and environs that has a lot in common with Sand Mountain. Bring the two fellas who helped Robbie Coker turn the wheel on the Gun raffle after Christmas. In tandem with NPR 1a program panel about Appalachia Monday should be an educational experience for all as Will Ainsworth of nearby Marshall County runs for Lt Governor. Who knows, Will may be at the game Jan 25!!!!

    Update Jan 18. Plainview has fallen to 417 at Max preps from their high of 82. They have a good program for a 3a school, even outstanding in that category but top 100 in the nation was pushing it a little. They lost their second game to 5a Wenonah recently and there is no way they coulda hung with the Gaffney Indians Threepeaters of the first decade of the 21st Century or even the LJ Peak years.

   A friend talked to James Worthy of the Lakers on Monday at the Memphis Westin. Worthy remembered playing Gaffney at Ashbrook Gastonia in 77. I was there. The traveling Indians packed it out. I don't think Plainview coulda hung with the Indians that year either.

   Jan 25 against Guntersville and the Mercer signee should tell the tale, little more definition for Plainview in the scheme of things.

  I'm just hoping the Collinsville Panthers can beat the legendary Heather Mayes, coach of the True Blue Girls in the weather delayed finals on Monday; and Austin Posey plays respectable if they get past Fyffe for the panther cats; that is if we navigate Blanton Jones and Banks tonight against Crossville.  

   Stay tuned on this blog, more updates later.       


 I saw what quite likely was the best basketball game played on Sand Mtn Alabama December 28 a few weeks ago. Wanted to write about this earlier but have had some logistical problems gettin online to kick in 2018.

     Plainview, the home of Jeremy Pruett, new head Coach of UTenn by way of Hoover HS, UGA and on the side line with Nick Saban himself Sunday night for the Halle Tua game is ranked nationally in 3a HS basketball this year. Dec 28 they played South Atlanta--yes an all black team from inner city Atlanta vs Lilly White Sand Mtn--in a Holiday tourney on Sand Mtn.

    South Atlanta was last year's Georgia 2a champs. And their coach is a Stetson grad and been with the program for 19 years.

   I threw in with the people of color and sat beside the father of an assistant coach for South Atlanta during the game in a section with some local scouts of other high schools. It was a delightful evening and very much a class act of HS basketball.

      Plainview was ahead most of the game playing Coach Coker's Princeton style of chess match, pass till you find the open three and pop it. Came to learn one of this trey specialists Koby Tinker is the grandson of Wallace Tinker who held Pistol Pete to 32 back in the late 60s when Auburn played LSU.

      And a few days later had some dissenters of my naming this the best game ever as a revenant said the Sylvania Squad of 73 or so, Murdock and his boys all 6 fot 3 and taller averaged 100 points a  game before the three.

   And of course there was the run of Solomon Stanton and the Dutton Brothers on the mid 90s who owned the local county tourney on the same court Blue played South Atlanta Thursday couple weeks ago. I was reminded of one game in the 90s I attended, they called out constables from three jurisdictions, county state and and city cause the atmosphere in the gym among the fans was gettin pretty intense.

    But this game on the 28th was a cut above.

    Atlanta was never far behind and went ahead with 4 minutes to go and won by 8, the only blemish on Plainview's record to date this year.

    Much more later with revisions to this intro to come. Was interesting raffle for guns during the three game evening. Optics were a little incongruous to say the least, but Robbie Coker, a former Assistant at Ole Miss, is trying to build a program best way he can. A leading young Republcan from Blue Plainview, Jordan Doufexis is aware and we are hoping Will Ainsworth and John Federico join the conversation with Bonhoeffer scholar Charles Marsh, but more about that later.

   Do check on this blog next week for more color commentary and historical anecdotes about Dekalb County basketball which reaches further than you may think: Darryl Strawberry, Patrick Ewing and Dale Ellis, for instance.

     We aint provincial no more. least wise basketball.