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4a-1 Boys predictions

Started by Jimmy42, July 24, 2014, 08:27:09 pm

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Jimmy42

Predictions and players to watch for the 2014-15 4a-1 season boys

oldballer

Really early, but I will give my opinion for what it is worth. (nothing)
1.Huntsville- has probably best PG in league, decent outside shooting, has a wide body in the lane not extremely tall, but a load to move. You know they will be well coached and the step down from 5A will be a big advantage.
2. Pea Ridge - One of the better players in the league returning, good outside shooting, stingy defense and will get some help from sophomores.
3. Shiloh - I don't know much about them.  Good size at a couple of positions, but guard and ball handling weak. Give them the edge here due to competing in 5A previously.
4 -5 Gravette - Life after Pierce- New coach should help and get them in position to compete for 4th or 5th. Small avg guards, can shoot the 3, no real PG, has 1 big forward 6'4" or so decent 3 point shooter and a big guy in the paint 6'8" that will have to make a difference this year.
Gentry - Quick athletic guards, but young and undersized. Has some really good shooters and sophomores will play a role in success. The 4-5 spot can go to either of these teams
6. Berryville - Again not real sure, but has to replace Carr and the mountain that played inside. Should have avg guard play, ok outside shooting, not a lot of size but always hard to play at their place.
7. PG - replacing a leader like Tice isn't easy and I don't think they can duplicate their late season run from last year. Poor outside shooting, lacking guard play. They do have the big boy 6'7" 250+ in the middle depending on how good football team is he will not join them until late. He can contribute, but not carry the team.
8. Lincoln - Losing as much as they did sets them back. Goldman is pretty much it for them. He better learn how to get away from double teams.
There are no Marquee names this year as in prior years. Will be really interesting to see who steps up and stands out as the top players in the league this year.

Nip/Tusk

August 05, 2014, 02:35:07 pm #2 Last Edit: August 05, 2014, 05:57:30 pm by Josh Louin
Pg won't finish 7th unless all their players don't play. That is a ridiculous prediction.

Yes they lost Tice, but they return 3 starters (assuming the big boy comes back) and a couple of role players

If they get everybody back they were expecting, top 3 will be in play.

Pea Ridge should be very good and I honestly don't know what huntsvile has. But they're always pretty good.

oldballer

Positions 4-7 will probably be separated by 3 or 4 games. I think that is how far the conference is down and evenly matched those teams are. 4th place will probably be 7-7 or 6-8. Even if the big boy plays don't see them finishing in top 3. Is he thinking about not playing? 4-7 will be a mess probably changing often.

Nip/Tusk

That's what everyone said last year about pg before they won districts.

I don't know for sure about the big kid, but I had heard it was a possibility.

Cajun Hog

August 05, 2014, 10:30:35 pm #5 Last Edit: August 06, 2014, 02:17:01 pm by Cajun Hog
1. Huntsville - Well coached and have PG and big man
2. Pea Ridge Soph will have a big impact with Vets
3. Gentry - young and have shooters
4-6 Berryville - Well Coached
4-6 Gravette 6'8" post player
4-6 PG - If big man stay only as a FB player big blow.
7. Shiloh - needs help in a lot of areas.
8. Lincoln has Biggie and not much else

4-6 could go in any direction, they are that close.


oldballer

August 19, 2014, 08:52:30 pm #6 Last Edit: August 19, 2014, 08:55:52 pm by oldballer
I saw this kid from Gravette on youtube. Does anyone know anything about him? Here is the link. http://youtu.be/MH1VT8djHKE His name is Austin White. I knew they had a big one, but this video just showed him doing some dunks rather easy.

Cajun Hog

Quote from: Feral Man on August 10, 2014, 11:59:28 am
I saw Pea Ridge beat a team of kids all of whom had signed with a college. Pea Ridge has 4 kids they can put on the floor at 1 time who can consistently hit multiple threes in a game. They don't have a ton of size but they will be tough to beat. The Davis kid who is a Sr will benifit from playing with the best Sophomore class in 4 A in the State. Davis could be All State this year. Huntsville will be a close 2nd in my opinion. They have a great PG and some solid shooters. They will be well coached just like Pea Ridge. Gentry will be right behind them, with pretty much bringing back their team from last year and adding a solid Sophomore in Morris. Prarie Groves year solely depends on the big kid playing. If he does, they should be 3rd or 4th followed by Shiloh. After that the conference will be even!

Agree it's between Huntsville and PR, Gentry will be better. If big boy doesn't play for PG they will be in bottom along with Shiloh will be in bottom half.

Ole Legend

1. Pea Ridge- They return some starters from last year, plus a very good sophomore class. They play really good defense. The have a young coach, but he knows what he is doing.

2. Huntsville- They are always good, I think it might have something to do with their coach (he is a legend!).

3. Prairie Grove- Their season depends on whether or not the big guy plays, and how far in the playoffs their football team goes. They have average guards, but that won't help win any games without good post play.

4. Gentry- This year might be the exact opposite of what Gentry fans are used to. I think its been three years since they have won a conference game. At the end of the year last year they started playing the stall game, and it was somewhat successful. They have the second best sophomore class coming up. The Morris kid is young, but good.

5. Gravette- They lost their only scorer from last year. Pierce had been their offense for three years, and they will be lost for the first part of the season. But they have the 6'8 kid down low, and no one but PG can match that size down low.

6. Shiloh- Don't know too much about them. I have heard they are down this year, but they could have a "move in" at any point, so no one really knows what to expect.

7. Lincoln- They lost a ton of talent to graduation last year.

8. Berryville- Carr and the big guy were the only threats last year, and they are both gone.

oldballer

I agree on the first 2, but a big guy is worthless if there is no one to get the ball to him and no other threats to keep him from being double teamed. PG and Gravette will probably have this problem. If Gentry is depending on sophomores to carry them, they are still sophomores playing against 17/18 yr olds. Spots 3-6 who knows what could happen?

Ole Legend

PG has a couple of guards that can play, but the difference maker is the post player. Nobody will be able to match up size wise with him. As far as depending on sophomores, Farmingtons best player last year was a freshman. I am NOT saying that the Gentry sophomore is anywhere near as good as the Farmington kid, but he is a solid player that will be tough for any team to defend.

always88

Do you know positions and ppg avg for the Farmington player and for the Gentry player?

Cajun Hog

Quote from: always88 on October 16, 2014, 07:09:49 pm
Do you know positions and ppg avg for the Farmington player and for the Gentry player?

Farmington is in the 5A West this year.

Ole Legend

I think the Farmington kid averaged like 16 PPG last season, but they moved to 5a. The gentry kid played in the district tournament, and I think he had about 12-15 in that game.

replacementplaya

The Morris kid from Gentry averaged about 26 ppg last year in Jr. High.  He was the best all around player I saw in this conference last year, period. 
I think Gentry has a chance to finish in the top 4 this year.  They aren't very big, but when they play well they will be tough to beat.  Won't be depending on Morris to get it done, but he will contribute for sure.
I do think Pea Ridge has a great chance to go a long way this year.  I look for them to run away with conference.  Probably followed by Huntsville, they are always good and athletic.  Shiloh is the unknown factor.
Berryville will be down, Gravette will be down, PG will be down, and Lincoln will be way down.  Lincoln may not win a conference game this year. 

Ole Legend

Morris kid is a good player, I think Gentry has another guard that will be a sophomore that is pretty decent as well.

Cajun Hog

This isn't JR anymore, most of these Soph are not strong enough yet for SR basketball.  Morris is going to have develop an outside shot.

The 1-4A will be way down this year.

oldballer

Quote from: replacementplaya on October 20, 2014, 02:49:04 pm
The Morris kid from Gentry averaged about 26 ppg last year in Jr. High.  He was the best all around player I saw in this conference last year, period. 
I think Gentry has a chance to finish in the top 4 this year.  They aren't very big, but when they play well they will be tough to beat.  Won't be depending on Morris to get it done, but he will contribute for sure.
I do think Pea Ridge has a great chance to go a long way this year.  I look for them to run away with conference.  Probably followed by Huntsville, they are always good and athletic.  Shiloh is the unknown factor.
Berryville will be down, Gravette will be down, PG will be down, and Lincoln will be way down.  Lincoln may not win a conference game this year.
First of all Pea Ridge will not run away with the league. Huntsville will have a lot to say about that. Pea Ridge is talented, but I still give the edge to Huntsville. They have more upper classmen and have been playing against much better competition the last couple of years in the 5A. That will help them some. They will compete for 1 & 2 but will be decided by 1 game or tie breaker.
Shiloh has no reliable guard play, had some kids transfer out, has some injuries. Does have a couple of big boys, but don't look for them to carry the team.
Gentry will be better, but could they go down any? Not going to be consistent with all the young players. They are 1 year away. If having a successful JR high program meant you would be successful in SR high, they would be in top 4 every year. Gravette lost Pierce and the post player about 95% of their scoring. This year I guess they better play great defense! 1 starter back that is 6'4" and average at best and a 6'8" kid that is unproven. New coach should help this team at least 1st time thru conference play. Prairie Grove what they did last year was outstanding and not going to happen this year. They lost to much and not sure they have the players to replace them. Before everyone starts yelling about the big kid remember he is a football player that plays basketball. Don't see him having near the impact he had last year because the other parts are missing. Berryville like Gravette lost all their scoring and will struggle this year. Lincoln basketball team will be in the same shape the football team is. They just lost way to much and don't have the parts to replace them. I know they have the Big Shooter, but he is going to have a long year of double teams and players being physical with him since he doesn't have much help.  Hard to score when you can't get the ball.
Recap
1-2 Huntsville/Pea Ridge either way
3-6 no order Gentry, Gravette. Shiloh & PG
7 Berryville
8 Lincoln
Let the rebuttals begin


always88

Rumour is the Morris kid in Gentry switched schools to Little Kansas, Oklahoma

Cajun Hog

Quote from: always88 on October 24, 2014, 05:05:25 pm
Rumour is the Morris kid in Gentry switched schools to Little Kansas, Oklahoma

That is correct.. Big blow to Gentry.

channing

Does look like another very competitive basketball season in the 1-4a. Huntsville will be the team to beat . Pea Ridge should be a year older and a year better,Lincoln will be down but no way they will be as bad as everyone on here are saying(you'll see) Shiloh, who knows but they will be athletic. Prairie Grove is hard to figure, they do have two solid roll players coming back in Galligan and Pursell, and the 6'7 junior (soehner) but they lost all their guards and from what Im hearing there's  not much there. They ended the year the hottest and pretty much the best team but too many questions this year to get behind them as a favorite.Gravette will be down but do have some weapons. Gentry,berryville, not so good. 

oldballer

Quote from: channing on October 26, 2014, 06:16:39 pm
Does look like another very competitive basketball season in the 1-4a. Huntsville will be the team to beat . Pea Ridge should be a year older and a year better,Lincoln will be down but no way they will be as bad as everyone on here are saying(you'll see) Shiloh, who knows but they will be athletic. Prairie Grove is hard to figure, they do have two solid roll players coming back in Galligan and Pursell, and the 6'7 junior (soehner) but they lost all their guards and from what Im hearing there's  not much there. They ended the year the hottest and pretty much the best team but too many questions this year to get behind them as a favorite.Gravette will be down but do have some weapons. Gentry,berryville, not so good.
Lincoln wins 8-10 games this year if they are lucky and only 2 of those are conference games. They play enough 2A and 3A teams to win some games.

Cajun Hog

Quote from: oldballer on October 27, 2014, 12:08:04 am
Quote from: channing on October 26, 2014, 06:16:39 pm
Does look like another very competitive basketball season in the 1-4a. Huntsville will be the team to beat . Pea Ridge should be a year older and a year better,Lincoln will be down but no way they will be as bad as everyone on here are saying(you'll see) Shiloh, who knows but they will be athletic. Prairie Grove is hard to figure, they do have two solid roll players coming back in Galligan and Pursell, and the 6'7 junior (soehner) but they lost all their guards and from what Im hearing there's  not much there. They ended the year the hottest and pretty much the best team but too many questions this year to get behind them as a favorite.Gravette will be down but do have some weapons. Gentry,berryville, not so good.
Lincoln wins 8-10 games this year if they are lucky and only 2 of those are conference games. They play enough 2A and 3A teams to win some games.

Lincoln guards are going to have major improvement from this summer to win 8-10 games. Biggie needs some help.

channing

Berryville 3 !!!???  you know something that everybody else doesnt ?  Word from PG folks, Big man playing Bball

budman123

1- HUNTSVILLE
2- pea ridge
3- gravette
4- pg
The rest don't matter, really bad to mention...

Cajun Hog

Quote from: channing on October 28, 2014, 03:46:37 pm
Berryville 3 !!!???  you know something that everybody else doesnt ?  Word from PG folks, Big man playing Bball

If Big Boy is playing its will news to basketball coach at PG. He in ow has Bama looking at him in FB.


OldTimeCager

1. Huntsville
2. Pea Ridge
3. Shiloh Christian
4. Prairie Grove
5. Gentry
6. Berryville
7. Gravette
8. Lincoln

A lot of new players this year plus two new teams.  Top three will be solid.  Prairie Grove will miss Tice, but will have the most dominant post player in the league along with 2 other starters.  Gentry will miss the Morris kid, but has one of the other best scorers in the league (anyone know his name, should be a Jr. this year.  Gentry won the Jr. high league 2 years ago?  Berryville will miss Carr, but has some decent bench players moving up if I remember correctly from Jr. high the past couple of years.  They are always tough at home.  Gravette lost everything except Cole Turner and that is not much.  Their big kid is big, but too soft.  This group of Gravette players has 3-peated for 8th place in the Jr. High conference not winning a single Jr. High game in 3 years.  With no new players moving in the best they will do is maybe 6th.  Lincoln, one good player returning who has to move from always playing the perimeter to the post.  That's hard to do.  He will have a hard time scoring this year being their best player instead of the 5th best on the court. 

Cajun Hog

Revised now that we know who's playing and who's not.

1. Huntsville
2. Pea Ridge
3. Prairie Grove
4. Gentry
5. Berryville
6. Gravette
7. Shiloh Christian
8. Lincoln


channing

Lincoln will finish no lower than 4th you'll see .  They did lose a lot but biggie will be enough for several wins by himself . Not sure either why all the love for the PG big kid , he's big but not overly athletic. pea Ridge and Huntsville by far class of the conference

OldTimeCager

I like Old Baller's picks above.  With slight modifications:

1-2 Huntsville vs. Prairie Grove for top two positions
3-6 Gentry, Prairie Grove, Berryville and Shiloh
7-8 Lincoln, Gravette

Ole Legend

Quote from: OldTimeCager on November 17, 2014, 06:40:59 pm
I like Old Baller's picks above.  With slight modifications:

1-2 Huntsville vs. Prairie Grove for top two positions
3-6 Gentry, Prairie Grove, Berryville and Shiloh
7-8 Lincoln, Gravette

You mean Pea Ridge and Huntsville for 1 and 2.

oldballer

Quote from: channing on November 17, 2014, 06:26:26 pm
Lincoln will finish no lower than 4th you'll see .  They did lose a lot but biggie will be enough for several wins by himself . Not sure either why all the love for the PG big kid , he's big but not overly athletic. pea Ridge and Huntsville by far class of the conference
[/quote
After watching Huntsville the other night I don't think they will lose a conference game. You can talk about Pea Ridge all you want, but Huntsville's kids are just as athletic, bigger, more experience and much more depth. Pea Ridge will be 2nd and you are correct on the big PG kid. He is just big and teams with no size will struggle to contain him, but if you have anyone to contest his shots and deny him the ball he will not be a factor. Biggie may have a say so in beating some of those 2A schools Lincoln plays, but they will be lucky to win 2 conference games. He isn't a dominating, take the game over type of player. He is going to see his share of double teams and box and one this year. He has to have help and from what I saw at Charleston there is no help there.

oldballer

Quote from: OldTimeCager on November 17, 2014, 03:06:16 pm
1. Huntsville
2. Pea Ridge
3. Shiloh Christian
4. Prairie Grove
5. Gentry
6. Berryville
7. Gravette
8. Lincoln

A lot of new players this year plus two new teams.  Top three will be solid.  Prairie Grove will miss Tice, but will have the most dominant post player in the league along with 2 other starters.  Gentry will miss the Morris kid, but has one of the other best scorers in the league (anyone know his name, should be a Jr. this year.  Gentry won the Jr. high league 2 years ago?  Berryville will miss Carr, but has some decent bench players moving up if I remember correctly from Jr. high the past couple of years.  They are always tough at home.  Gravette lost everything except Cole Turner and that is not much.  Their big kid is big, but too soft.  This group of Gravette players has 3-peated for 8th place in the Jr. High conference not winning a single Jr. High game in 3 years.  With no new players moving in the best they will do is maybe 6th.  Lincoln, one good player returning who has to move from always playing the perimeter to the post.  That's hard to do.  He will have a hard time scoring this year being their best player instead of the 5th best on the court.
I have to disagree on the Gentry point. Just because you have success at the JR high level doesn't mean you will at the SR high level also. Kids develop at a different time and some grow and others don't. They also have the same high school coach, so you can take that for what it is worth. I talked to one of the player's father from Springdale and he said the big kid from Gravette played a very solid game. They had no one that could keep him off the boards or from getting to the rim on offense and when he was in Springdale was only able to score from outside. He also said he didn't think they had another person on the team that could score and they were lacking at point guard. Berryville will be about like Gravette. They lose 90% of their scoring and not much on offensive end to replace it. 4th place team will probably have a losing conference record this year. Way down in talent

doober3

Who does Lincoln play that is 2A?

oldballer

Quote from: doober3 on November 18, 2014, 10:49:13 am
Who does Lincoln play that is 2A?
Sorry, I thought Cedarville was 2A. They are 3A big difference. Then they play Westville, OK x 2 and they would be the level of a 2A school in AR. They won 1 game last year. Then there is the Decatur tournament where they will play a 2A school and maybe a 3A school. I am sure the Scranton tourney 1A will have several 1-2-3 A schools for them to play. They will not play anyone above 3A unless they play Gravette in the Decatur tournament before they start conference play. They will face some 4-5A teams at Ozark tournament.

Ole Legend

Quote from: OldTimeCager on November 17, 2014, 03:06:16 pm
1. Huntsville
2. Pea Ridge
3. Shiloh Christian
4. Prairie Grove
5. Gentry
6. Berryville
7. Gravette
8. Lincoln

A lot of new players this year plus two new teams.  Top three will be solid.  Prairie Grove will miss Tice, but will have the most dominant post player in the league along with 2 other starters.  Gentry will miss the Morris kid, but has one of the other best scorers in the league (anyone know his name, should be a Jr. this year.  Gentry won the Jr. high league 2 years ago?  Berryville will miss Carr, but has some decent bench players moving up if I remember correctly from Jr. high the past couple of years.  They are always tough at home.  Gravette lost everything except Cole Turner and that is not much.  Their big kid is big, but too soft.  This group of Gravette players has 3-peated for 8th place in the Jr. High conference not winning a single Jr. High game in 3 years.  With no new players moving in the best they will do is maybe 6th.  Lincoln, one good player returning who has to move from always playing the perimeter to the post.  That's hard to do.  He will have a hard time scoring this year being their best player instead of the 5th best on the court.

Lincoln will be the 4 or 5 team. I think Gentry will continue to struggle until they get a new coach.

4AWhistler

I agree.  I don't think Lincoln is going to be as 'down' as some posters are thinking.

Ole Legend

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I don't think Gentry has won a conference game in over 3 years...

4AWhistler

Quote from: Ole Legend on November 19, 2014, 02:43:52 pm
I'm not 100% sure on this, but I don't think Gentry has won a conference game in over 3 years...

Not since the 2010-11 season.  They were 5-9 in conference.

oldballer

Quote from: 4AWhistler on November 19, 2014, 08:47:34 pm
Quote from: Ole Legend on November 19, 2014, 02:43:52 pm
I'm not 100% sure on this, but I don't think Gentry has won a conference game in over 3 years...

Not since the 2010-11 season.  They were 5-9 in conference.
4A Whistler How did Lincoln do last night and how did the Goldman kid do?

beach bum

November 20, 2014, 07:12:56 pm #40 Last Edit: November 20, 2014, 07:18:52 pm by beach bum
Quote from: oldballer on November 18, 2014, 11:26:57 am
Quote from: doober3 on November 18, 2014, 10:49:13 am
Who does Lincoln play that is 2A?
Sorry, I thought Cedarville was 2A. They are 3A big difference. Then they play Westville, OK x 2 and they would be the level of a 2A school in AR. They won 1 game last year. Then there is the Decatur tournament where they will play a 2A school and maybe a 3A school. I am sure the Scranton tourney 1A will have several 1-2-3 A schools for them to play. They will not play anyone above 3A unless they play Gravette in the Decatur tournament before they start conference play. They will face some 4-5A teams at Ozark tournament.

Westville, OK would be a small 4A school in Arkansas, They have a similar enrollment as Pottsville, Highland, and Trumann in regards to size! I agree with everything you said but Oklahoma's classes are different. 1A plays football. The have class B and C even in Oklahoma. But, Westville basketball is god awful though. I agree with your premise though. Lincoln plays cupcakes in all sports for non conference.

4AWhistler

November 20, 2014, 08:14:16 pm #41 Last Edit: November 20, 2014, 08:21:14 pm by 4AWhistler
Quote from: oldballer on November 19, 2014, 08:56:35 pm
Quote from: 4AWhistler on November 19, 2014, 08:47:34 pm
Quote from: Ole Legend on November 19, 2014, 02:43:52 pm
I'm not 100% sure on this, but I don't think Gentry has won a conference game in over 3 years...

Not since the 2010-11 season.  They were 5-9 in conference.
4A Whistler How did Lincoln do last night and how did the Goldman kid do?

Lincoln won by about 10.  Goldman showed his presence in the Lane with a few blocks.  Scoring was spread out evenly, which I was glad to see.  I think it would be misfortunate for them to depend soley on Goldman.  The guard play still leaves me with worries, though.

pea ridge23

I haven't been logged in since 2011 when I was a senior playing. I just want to say I'm excited to see these sophomores in Pea Ridge start there highschool careers. They are a talented bunch and will be fun to watch for the next three years

Ole Legend

Quote from: Feral Man on November 23, 2014, 09:02:33 pm
We left the conference last year, I will not miss my kid playing against those Sophomores from Pea Ridge.

You must be part of that Farmington group.

Ten

Gravette lost to McDonalds County... Bad. I sure hope McDonald County was just that good.

OldTimeCager

Quote from: Ten on November 25, 2014, 10:06:59 am
Gravette lost to McDonalds County... Bad. I sure hope McDonald County was just that good.

I spoke with some McCo. fans and they expect their team to be decent, but not great.  Their guards are smaller but adequate speed and ball handling.  Their forwards have decent size and shoot the ball really well.  Their post is 6'5" and 250+ lbs.  He pushed Gravette's 6'7" post player around pretty good and held him to 1 point before fouling out with about 4:00 in the 4th.  Gravette played hard, but this is a group with little experience.  The Sr's went 0-7, the Jr's 0-7, and the Soph's 0-7 over the last three years in Jr. conference play.  Their guards are undersized, below average athletically, and inexperienced.  Hard to win without good guard play.  Gravette also played 2 sophomore guards extensively.  Hard to win with sophomores.  Jr. Guard Jackson Soule is still out nursing an ankle injury from football.  Getting him back after the holiday break will help.  Soule is the best athlete of the bunch, but he is a baseball, football and basketball player - in that order.  His athleticism will help, but not enough.  My updated Predictions based on what we've seen after week one:

1. Huntsville hands down
2. Pea Ridge - if they want to win it, they will have to upset Huntsville at home on 1/16
3. Prairie Grove
4. Gentry
5. Lincoln
6. Shiloh Christian
7. Gravette
8. Berryville

channing

Pretty good assesment of the conference. Huntsville is very solid at every position. PR will play hard and when they shoot well they are extreamly hard to beat. Saw Prairie Grove play Charleston, will take them awhile to mess now that the footballers are back, Which I believe they are this week. Role players and not much guard play right now. Lincoln is better than most think.   

beach bum

The conference seems a little down.... Huntsville will be stout and Pea Ridge solid too but beyond that I don't see anyone winning games at state!

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