Semi Picks

[BigMan15]

Thoughts

[NeaBaller21]

Lamar, Episcopal, Tuckerman,....and torn between Riverside and Charleston

[Lrbasketballguru]

Lamar, Episcopal, Tuckerman,....and torn between Riverside and Charleston

Those are spot on to me. I like Riverside though. Stone has been unstoppable

[NeaBaller21]

Those are spot on to me. I like Riverside though. Stone has been unstoppable

That's my hometown team though. Really don't want to jinx them lol

[Lrbasketballguru]

To heck with superstition. Be confident.

[BigMan15]

I got Charleston vs ECS
Jesseville vs Manila

Although could be Lamar over manila and Riverside over Charleston both of those are huge matchups IMO

[tiger2016]

I'll take Charleston vs Episcopal and Lamar vs Tuckerman

[biglion1985]

I think I like BigMan's picks better for obvious reasons lol. Yeah in the second round it could come down to Charleston and riverside and if that happens charleston better keep a guy on gavin stone at all because if not then it's gonna be a long night for them and I know that charleston has there own sharpshooter

[bbfan89]

I know Episcopal has been great the past couple of years. I am sure this year will be no different. Nothing against the kids but I have never been a fan of the private schools who can pick and choose their players. No matter what the student multiplier is for private schools it does not equal the playing field for legitimate 3A communities.
private schools could have their own tournament that would be extremely competitive.

[neds]

Funny that you only hear the above argument when there is a private school contending. You needed to attend one of the Episcopal football games this year and your note would be one of sympathy.

[Lrbasketballguru]

Bball I understand you points, but it would not be that competitive. Sharp fall off after LRCA, ECS, and AB.

[BigMan15]

Having a lot of friends that have or had kids that go to ECS, its not all about basketball like you think. They are a very good academic school with tons of activites for the students. When we decided to move from Paris, ECS was high on that list.

[RTF]

Priorities Bigman.... Priorities, LOL....

[BigMan15]

lol

[Nature Boy]

I think I like BigMan's picks better for obvious reasons lol. Yeah in the second round it could come down to Charleston and riverside and if that happens charleston better keep a guy on gavin stone at all because if not then it's gonna be a long night for them and I know that charleston has there own sharpshooter

Stone is very good. Quick hands. The games I've seen him play, he averageS 10-12 pt/GM via the snowbird. Great shooter to boot.

[CoolBreeze]

I know Episcopal has been great the past couple of years. I am sure this year will be no different. Nothing against the kids but I have never been a fan of the private schools who can pick and choose their players. No matter what the student multiplier is for private schools it does not equal the playing field for legitimate 3A communities.
private schools could have their own tournament that would be extremely competitive.

Not this tired old nonsense, yet again. It is my understanding that ESC does not "pick its players." They have rigorous academic standards which would exclude many top athletes. If you are aware of the discussion on other threads, you will not that there are a lot of dubious transfers at various public schools. That's where the players are actually "picked."

[cdelaney]

Not this tired old nonsense, yet again. It is my understanding that ESC does not "pick its players." They have rigorous academic standards which would exclude many top athletes. If you are aware of the discussion on other threads, you will not that there are a lot of dubious transfers at various public schools. That's where the players are actually "picked."

Thanks for saving me the time to do my usual way too lengthy response to this nonsense. ECS doesn't pick its players; almost all of their teams have been filled with kids who have been enrolled there for many years. The "playing up" is a big factor in football, not so much in basketball, I agree. Probably the biggest change affecting privates the past few years is that the kids have to sit out a year if they go from Public to Private- not the case in Public to Public "school choice" transfers, or even in private to public. That makes it pretty hard on kids who want to go to a private school and play sports- not many want to sit for a year.

[RedWolf275]

Pretty lengthy anyway Cd

[neds]

^^ and accurate

[jk]

Seems like if you wanna compete you better recruit. It's a sad thing but it's the truth. Charleston would still be good but not a title contender and Lamar would of never got out of district. Paris wins this district

[teachers pet]

Really, Jessieville beat Paris in district.

[cdelaney]

Pretty lengthy anyway Cd

Sorry

[RedWolf275]

I thought it was pretty informative myself.

[TeeLee]

Really, Jessieville beat Paris in district.

Really, Paris beat Jessieville in regional.

[cdelaney]

I thought it was pretty informative myself.

Much shorter than most of my EC$ recruiting posts

[teachers pet]

You were talking about winning district, not regional, that's two different tournaments.

[TRgators11]

Really, Jessieville beat Paris in district.

Paris beat Jesseville in Regionals with one of their starters out sick RE: SWtimes

[teachers pet]

And your point...Jessieville won in district tournament with no one out sick so the teams have each beaten each other once!

[CoolBreeze]

Thanks for saving me the time to do my usual way too lengthy response to this nonsense. ECS doesn't pick its players; almost all of their teams have been filled with kids who have been enrolled there for many years. The "playing up" is a big factor in football, not so much in basketball, I agree. Probably the biggest change affecting privates the past few years is that the kids have to sit out a year if they go from Public to Private- not the case in Public to Public "school choice" transfers, or even in private to public. That makes it pretty hard on kids who want to go to a private school and play sports- not many want to sit for a year.

Can't you just see it? ECS coaching staff lurking around Pulaski County playgrounds where pre-schoolers visit on the lookout for potential athletes. Probably follow 4- and 5-year olds home so they can bully their parents into enrolling them in ECS, but not until they grill the parents to determine the kids' future academic prowess. That way they can state truthfully that their athletes have been ECS students since kindergarten.

[cdelaney]

Can't you just see it? ECS coaching staff lurking around Pulaski County playgrounds where pre-schoolers visit on the lookout for potential athletes. Probably follow 4- and 5-year olds home so they can bully their parents into enrolling them in ECS, but not until they grill the parents to determine the kids' future academic prowess. That way they can state truthfully that their athletes have been ECS students since kindergarten.

They start lurking at 3 yr old Pre-K. Avoid the rush.

[Head Lion]

They start lurking at 3 yr old Pre-K. Avoid the rush.

+1

[CoolBreeze]

They start lurking at 3 yr old Pre-K. Avoid the rush.

Great post cd! You did me one better.

[NeaBaller21]

Lamar, Episcopal, Tuckerman,....and torn between Riverside and Charleston

Well, well, well ....guess I called it!

[bbfan89]

it is absurd to say that ECS and PA and Baptist Prep and virtually every other private school don't pick and choose who they want to fill their rosters with. Everyone has heard about the promises private schools have made to the parents of star players. If you look back over the past 10-15 years you will realize that private schools win a disproportionate amount of state titles. Seemingly every year there are two or three private schools that win state out of the 14 champions. To be fair their are a number of private schools that have taken matters into their own hands by bringing in (notice I did not se the dreaded R word) fresh talent every year. Simply put communities that have ethics find it hard to compete with private schools and cheaters.

[Lrbasketballguru]

How is 3 out of 14 disproportionate? Also, do you have any substance to back up your claims? It's really risky to call whole communities unethical if you don't.

[cdelaney]

it is absurd to say that ECS and PA and Baptist Prep and virtually every other private school don't pick and choose who they want to fill their rosters with. Everyone has heard about the promises private schools have made to the parents of star players. If you look back over the past 10-15 years you will realize that private schools win a disproportionate amount of state titles. Seemingly every year there are two or three private schools that win state out of the 14 champions. To be fair their are a number of private schools that have taken matters into their own hands by bringing in (notice I did not se the dreaded R word) fresh talent every year. Simply put communities that have ethics find it hard to compete with private schools and cheaters.

Ha ha. "Ethics". Thanks for the laughs. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

[General Lee]

How is 3 out of 14 disproportionate? Also, do you have any substance to back up your claims? It's really risky to call whole communities unethical if you don't.

How many private schools are in the state?
Public?

[smallybells]

"Ethics" or not, ECS is located in Little Rock and plays in 3A. I can assure you that the 5A-7A schools in the city are not concerned with what they are doing. I get that their SR High basketball squad doesn't match the demographics of the school at all, but it is what it is, sometimes you just have to play ball :-)

[bbfan89]

How is 3 out of 14 disproportionate? Also, do you have any substance to back up your claims? It's really risky to call whole communities unethical if you don't.

Because of the number of public schools compared to private schools. If you take time to go back and look at how many times the private schools have made the finals or won them in recent history in comparison to the small percentage of competing private schools the picture is clear.

[bbfan89]

How many private schools are in the state?
Public?

In 3A there are only two conferences that have a private school. Harding Academy, ECS,LISA Academy and I am not sure if KIPP out of Helena fits in this category.
Harding Champions in 2013 (beating ECS)
ECS champions in 2014
ECS champions in 2015
Arkansas Baptist Prep (now 4A) won several titles in this classification
Harding and especially ECS have been dominant in the last four to five years and they are two of the fifty-six schools in 3A 

[neds]

In 3A there are only two conferences that have a private school. Harding Academy, ECS,LISA Academy and I am not sure if KIPP out of Helena fits in this category.
Harding Champions in 2013 (beating ECS)
ECS champions in 2014
ECS champions in 2015
Arkansas Baptist Prep (now 4A) won several titles in this classification
Harding and especially ECS have been dominant in the last four to five years and they are two of the fifty-six schools in 3A

You can't have this argument and not look at the bigger picture. How have those same private schools finished academically vs their public school competitors? It is a private school, you as a parent are paying for a better result for your child. You get that product every year academically and some years you get it in sports. Football and baseball have been fair at ECS, but I would not say good/great. Basketball has been an exception since 2012, before that they were terrible.

[BoxNOne]

"Ethics" or not, ECS is located in Little Rock and plays in 3A. I can assure you that the 5A-7A schools in the city are not concerned with what they are doing. I get that their SR High basketball squad doesn't match the demographics of the school at all, but it is what it is, sometimes you just have to play ball :-)

I agree with this totally. The demographics part is very true. I don't think they should be playing for state championships against public schools, but as you say "it is what it is" so let's go at it!

[Central AR]

You can't have this argument and not look at the bigger picture. How have those same private schools finished academically vs their public school competitors? It is a private school, you as a parent are paying for a better result for your child. You get that product every year academically and some years you get it in sports. Football and baseball have been fair at ECS, but I would not say good/great. Basketball has been an exception since 2012, before that they were terrible.

Before 2012 they were terrible? 2009 to 2012 was pretty good. They had Alex Rose his freshman year before he transferred to Harrison. Lacy was great for them and they also dealt with a lot of injuries those years. I think you meant 2008 or 2007 and down.

[General Lee]

I think the question everyone is really wanting to know is this: how many of your starting 5 have been there since kindergarten?

[bbfan89]

You can't have this argument and not look at the bigger picture. How have those same private schools finished academically vs their public school competitors? It is a private school, you as a parent are paying for a better result for your child. You get that product every year academically and some years you get it in sports. Football and baseball have been fair at ECS, but I would not say good/great. Basketball has been an exception since 2012, before that they were terrible.

Look at where these schools are located. Almost all are in the central part of the state and thus not an option for a lot of students. Academics are always of more importance than academics but there are plenty of students who do just fine in the public schools. I know a lot of parents want to take their kids out of public schools because they want them in a "better environment" and that's fine. However, we all know that private schools use extracurricular activities as a selling point and championship teams look good in the brochure. If people want to separate their kids from public school kids maybe they need to totally separate themselves and create their own private school only league. After all, if your too god to go to school with public school kids, your to good to compete in sports with them. 

[Central AR]

I think the question everyone is really wanting to know is this: how many of your starting 5 have been there since kindergarten?

I have no clue but people think these kids are world beaters. The only player on their team with an offer is Brasfield but it's to a small school in Kansas. The 2 freshman will eventually be D1 in my eyes. One of them had a brother who just graduated from ECS and he plays ball at App. State now so I believe that family has been at the school for sometime. Little Rock has a lot of talent and ECS will always be a good destination because the coaches have been good and not a lot of competing to start for them. If they were to choose a LR Hall or other public schools then playing time would maybe be reduced. It makes sense to an extent to go their over other schools.

[Central AR]

Look at where these schools are located. Almost all are in the central part of the state and thus not an option for a lot of students. Academics are always of more importance than academics but there are plenty of students who do just fine in the public schools. I know a lot of parents want to take their kids out of public schools because they want them in a "better environment" and that's fine. However, we all know that private schools use extracurricular activities as a selling point and championship teams look good in the brochure. If people want to separate their kids from public school kids maybe they need to totally separate themselves and create their own private school only league. After all, if your too god to go to school with public school kids, your to good to compete in sports with them.

You want them to make there own private school league? That already exist with SWCA and others. Be lucky SWCA isn't playing in 2A or the 3A because they actually do recruit but they are a prep team.  I hope you were more than kidding. Have you seen the faculties of these bigger schools in Little Rock? Some of the worst in the state. LRCA, Prep, ECS, and PA all are better destinations as far as academics. If a parent has the money and chooses to send their kid to a public school in that area over one of the private schools then I want to talk to them. It's a no brainer if you have the money. Athlete or not, you want your kid at PA or Prep or ECS, etc.

[cdelaney]

I think the question everyone is really wanting to know is this: how many of your starting 5 have been there since kindergarten?

ECS didn't have kindergarten when this group was kindergarten age. Was only a middle school (6-8 grade) and High school till 2011. All the kids on their 2 State Title bball teams, and the teams that made some noise in the FB Playoffs (2013-2016 years) were at ECS from 6th grade forward except Kelvin who came after 7th grade. Kelvins younger brothers have been there for years. (Sorry to tell you there are two more on the way up). The post on this team moved from LRCA after his Sophomore year, sat out last yr, and is playing his only season this year.
So they have been over 95% home grown.

[Lrbasketballguru]

Don't know if anyone said this, but I think it makes a huge difference that Episcopal is the only 3a school in little rock, because that's where the gold mine of talent is.

[General Lee]

ECS didn't have kindergarten when this group was kindergarten age. Was only a middle school (6-8 grade) and High school till 2011. All the kids on their 2 State Title bball teams, and the teams that made some noise in the FB Playoffs (2013-2016 years) were at ECS from 6th grade forward except Kelvin who came after 7th grade. Kelvins younger brothers have been there for years. (Sorry to tell you there are two more on the way up). The post on this team moved from LRCA after his Sophomore year, sat out last yr, and is playing his only season this year.
So they have been over 95% home grown.

That would be 80% homegrown by my math.