Top 7A teams boys/girls

[jking7]

Just wondering who everyone thinks are the top 7A teams boys and girls going into the season.. Top 5 if you can.

[A-Good-One]

Boys:
1. NLR
2. Van Buren
3. Bentonville
4. Fayetteville
5. Northside

Though, I admit, I know very little about West Memphis.

Girls
1. Conway
2. Northside
3. NLR
4. Central
5. West Memphis/Fayetteville

[Brian G]

The West is simply going to be awesome(balancewise) this year.  Conway girls beat FHS tonight in competitive game and FHS boys beat CHS by 3 in a nip/tuck.

[Brian G]

Northside boys lost tonight to Clarksville but I understand they where missing 6 or so players for various reasons.

[jking7]

Boys:
1. NLR
2. Van Buren
3. Bentonville
4. Fayetteville
5. Northside

Though, I admit, I know very little about West Memphis.

Girls
1. Conway
2. Northside
3. NLR
4. Central
5. West Memphis/Fayetteville

Your boys top 5 is pretty much what I was thinking.. I do think VB and Bentonville could flip flop. (They could meet in a early season tourny in VB if both win out) Bentonville may have the best player in the state in monk but I think VB has  the better overall talent.. And The Pointers Bigman Smith is a heck of a player too.

[A-Good-One]

I'm not, currently, convinced there's all that much difference between No. 2 through No. 7 in 7A boys (WM notwithstanding).

Girls has two - again, currently - elites then four or five right on the cusp. A few others could sneak around and be tough draws in conference or tough outs in tourney.

[jking7]

It seems to me that the 7A boys will be really fun to watch..  I do think NLR,Bentonville and Van Buren would be the teams to beat but It looks like the 7A is packed with good teams so you never know.

[A-Good-One]

Yeah. Three losses could win 7A West boys this year.

[jking7]

The only thing that kinda Stinks for VB is in conference the only 7A schools they will play are Conway, LR Catholic and Bryant I know Conway has a pretty good team and honestly I know nothing about this years Bryant or Catholic team. I guess it's not really a bad thing for VB but as a fan I would love to seem them go head to head in the 7A west.. Also travel would be better in some cases as in replace Russellville and Siloam springs and add the two fort smith schools makes a much shorter trip. But it's not a big deal.

[reggiebushfan]

Girls:

1. Conway
2. Fayetteville
3. NLR
4. Northside
5. Springdale

I think there is a lot of good arguments to be made for switching 2 through 5 around, but that is the way I see it. I don't believe in LRC or WM for a second over any of these 5.

[woods]

All the crying about Springdale Harber and their recruiting and they are in no Top 5's?

[TheMercenary]

Girls:

1. Conway
2. Fayetteville
3. NLR
4. Northside
5. Springdale

I think there is a lot of good arguments to be made for switching 2 through 4 around, but that is the way I see it. I don't believe in LRC or WM for a second over any of these 5.

#s 2-5 will all be playing in the Fort Smith Tournament of Champions at Southside High School December 11th, 12th, & 13th.

[1umberjack$]

Girls:

1. Conway
2. Fayetteville
3. NLR
4. Northside
5. Springdale

I think there is a lot of good arguments to be made for switching 2 through 5 around, but that is the way I see it. I don't believe in LRC or WM for a second over any of these 5.

#s 2-5 will all be playing in the Fort Smith Tournament of Champions at Southside High School December 11th, 12th, & 13th.

FS TOC sounds like the tournament of the year then...updates as much as possible please!

1. Conway
2. Fayetteville
3. Northside
4. LRC
5. NLR

I would put Central in over Springdale but Springdale is my Jekyll/Hyde for this year.
***Cabot is MUCH improved and I heard Hamlett from WM put up 42 on Hall last week (I saw it on FB so take that as you will, I never saw it in print).

[1umberjack$]

Boys:
1. NLR
2. Van Buren
3. Bentonville
4. Fayetteville
5. Northside

Not many takers on the boys top 5.  I've seen Fayetteville (w/o football players) and Conway and CWY is right there...actually led going into the half.  I was wondering though just how good Van Buren is.  They are the only team listed above that is in our conference.

[jking7]

Boys:
1. NLR
2. Van Buren
3. Bentonville
4. Fayetteville
5. Northside

Not many takers on the boys top 5.  I've seen Fayetteville (w/o football players) and Conway and CWY is right there...actually led going into the half.  I was wondering though just how good Van Buren is.  They are the only team listed above that is in our conference.

Van Buren is loaded this season. Starts with Mitchell Smith the 6"10 Jr. Who can score and defend very good then you have Jaylynn Dye also a Jr. playing point guard who also can score and defend not to mention he has great ball handling and movement. The rest of the team plays great as a unit no one single player outside Of Smith and Harms will score 20+ Points on most nights but they all can hit 3's and will score as a unit. one night one guy will score 10-15 another night it's a diffrent guy. Overall VB can shoot and defend from top to bottom of the roster. That's what will make them a great team this upcoming season.

[1umberjack$]

Boys:
1. NLR
2. Van Buren
3. Bentonville
4. Fayetteville
5. Northside

Not many takers on the boys top 5.  I've seen Fayetteville (w/o football players) and Conway and CWY is right there...actually led going into the half.  I was wondering though just how good Van Buren is.  They are the only team listed above that is in our conference.

Van Buren is loaded this season. Starts with Mitchell Smith the 6"10 Jr. Who can score and defend very good then you have Jaylynn Dye also a Jr. playing point guard who also can score and defend not to mention he has great ball handling and movement. The rest of the team plays great as a unit no one single player outside of the two I named will score 20+ Points on most nights but they all can hit 3's and will score as a unit. one night one guy will score 10-15 another night it's a diffrent guy. Overall VB can shoot and defend from top to bottom of the roster. That's what will make them a great team this upcoming season.

Thanks jking7.  Now I remember the 6'10" kid from the state tournament last year.

[TheMercenary]

My Mistake......
Springdale will not be in the TOC.

But, Incarnate Word from St. Louis (finished last year as ESPN #1 team in the country) and

East Central High School from Tulsa will be in this year.

Springdale is no doubt a top 5 team, I do know that much!

[Brian G]

All the crying about Springdale Harber and their recruiting and they are in no Top 5's?

They're talking like it.

[A-Good-One]

I think very highly of Springdale girls. They might be better than both WM and Central. Hard to tell right now.

[A-Good-One]

Van Buren is loaded this season. Starts with Mitchell Smith the 6"10 Jr. Who can score and defend very good then you have Jaylynn Dye also a Jr. playing point guard who also can score and defend not to mention he has great ball handling and movement. The rest of the team plays great as a unit no one single player outside of the two I named will score 20+ Points on most nights but they all can hit 3's and will score as a unit. one night one guy will score 10-15 another night it's a diffrent guy. Overall VB can shoot and defend from top to bottom of the roster. That's what will make them a great team this upcoming season.

Dye isn't going to score 20+ many nights, if any at all. He's a distributor. And a very, very good one. Harms, however, will go for 20 a few times.

[jking7]

Van Buren is loaded this season. Starts with Mitchell Smith the 6"10 Jr. Who can score and defend very good then you have Jaylynn Dye also a Jr. playing point guard who also can score and defend not to mention he has great ball handling and movement. The rest of the team plays great as a unit no one single player outside of the two I named will score 20+ Points on most nights but they all can hit 3's and will score as a unit. one night one guy will score 10-15 another night it's a diffrent guy. Overall VB can shoot and defend from top to bottom of the roster. That's what will make them a great team this upcoming season.

Dye isn't going to score 20+ many nights, if any at all. He's a distributor. And a very, very good one. Harms, however, will go for 20 a few times.

That's my bad I meant Harms not dye on the scoring 20+ I'll fix it in my post. Thanks for pointing that out!!

[OldCoach1]

Van Buren is loaded this season. Starts with Mitchell Smith the 6"10 Jr. Who can score and defend very good then you have Jaylynn Dye also a Jr. playing point guard who also can score and defend not to mention he has great ball handling and movement. The rest of the team plays great as a unit no one single player outside of the two I named will score 20+ Points on most nights but they all can hit 3's and will score as a unit. one night one guy will score 10-15 another night it's a diffrent guy. Overall VB can shoot and defend from top to bottom of the roster. That's what will make them a great team this upcoming season.

Dye isn't going to score 20+ many nights, if any at all. He's a distributor. And a very, very good one. Harms, however, will go for 20 a few times.

That's my bad I meant Harms not dye on the scoring 20+ I'll fix it in my post. Thanks for pointing that out!!

Good observations on the Pointers.  Defense will still be king in Van Buren when you have Smith who protects the rim and rebounds everything and add Dye as an on the ball defender to complement Harms (who defended the best scorers of the West very well last year) and then have team defense concepts that allows everyone to defend their man and help; on most nights it will be tough to score on the Pointers.  I do think that Barlow (SS Transfer) will run the point vs Dye.  Dye will be the wing slasher.  Both Barlow and Dye are very heady guards and very good distributors of the ball, but capable of scoring.  Then, you add the inside/outside scoring threat of Smith and Harms who led the team in scoring last year and several other players who can knock down shots, the Pointer's will be a very solid 7A team this year and capable of challenging for the 7A Crown. 

[OldCoach1]

Just wondering who everyone thinks are the top 7A teams boys and girls going into the season.. Top 5 if you can.

BOYS:
1. NLR
2. VAN BUREN/FAYETTEVILLE
4. NORTHSIDE
5. BENTONVILLE


GIRLS:
1. CONWAY
2. NORTHSIDE
3. FAYETTEVILLE
4. SPRINGDALE
5. NLR

[jking7]

Van Buren is loaded this season. Starts with Mitchell Smith the 6"10 Jr. Who can score and defend very good then you have Jaylynn Dye also a Jr. playing point guard who also can score and defend not to mention he has great ball handling and movement. The rest of the team plays great as a unit no one single player outside of the two I named will score 20+ Points on most nights but they all can hit 3's and will score as a unit. one night one guy will score 10-15 another night it's a diffrent guy. Overall VB can shoot and defend from top to bottom of the roster. That's what will make them a great team this upcoming season.

Dye isn't going to score 20+ many nights, if any at all. He's a distributor. And a very, very good one. Harms, however, will go for 20 a few times.

That's my bad I meant Harms not dye on the scoring 20+ I'll fix it in my post. Thanks for pointing that out!!

Good observations on the Pointers.  Defense will still be king in Van Buren when you have Smith who protects the rim and rebounds everything and add Dye as an on the ball defender to complement Harms (who defended the best scorers of the West very well last year) and then have team defense concepts that allows everyone to defend their man and help; on most nights it will be tough to score on the Pointers.  I do think that Barlow (SS Transfer) will run the point vs Dye.  Dye will be the wing slasher.  Both Barlow and Dye are very heady guards and very good distributors of the ball, but capable of scoring.  Then, you add the inside/outside scoring threat of Smith and Harms who led the team in scoring last year and several other players who can knock down shots, the Pointer's will be a very solid 7A team this year and capable of challenging for the 7A Crown.

Thanks for adding that the defense is very very good... Im not sure why i left that out.. but yes VB can score and defend.. it will be very hard to get points against the Pointers this season.

[chucktownboys]

If Van Buren is a top 5 team then there are some very weak teams, Northside, Jonesboro, NLR, bentonville etc should run them out of the gym most nights

[Brian G]

Basketball lends itself to off nights.  Sometimes you still win and sometimes you don't.  It's not slam dunk predictable.  This is especially true right now.

I expect this season to be exciting and the least predictable it's ever been.  Boys and girls.

[A-Good-One]

If Van Buren is a top 5 team then there are some very weak teams, Northside, Jonesboro, NLR, bentonville etc should run them out of the gym most nights

Well, Jonesboro isn't in 7A. And, yes, there are some very weak teams in 7A. No one, besides NLR, you look at and say "man, they're really great." Even NLR isn't as good as the last two years, it seems.

Bentonville might be the No. 2 right now, but Van Buren still hasn't lost. Northside hasn't won a game yet and Fayetteville doesn't have its football players in yet (and it's evident).

[chucktownboys]

Realize Jonesboro is not 7A just not impressed with Van Buren boys being a top team, competitive yes, top, no. Saturday night will be your answer on where the top is and the Pointers are at, have a lot of respect for Van Buren program

[jking7]

Realize Jonesboro is not 7A just not impressed with Van Buren boys being a top team, competitive yes, top, no. Saturday night will be your answer on where the top is and the Pointers are at, have a lot of respect for Van Buren program

yeah the 7a is a bit weak compared to past years... but If you are grading the pointers on last night.. I can tell you they are much better then they played last night.. I expect Van Buren to pick it up as the year goes on..   I do understand why you would not be impressed with them as of last night.. we played very off all night and you guys brought it big time.. to be honest I think VB kinda looked ahead to Bentonville when they should not have...

[jking7]

Realize Jonesboro is not 7A just not impressed with Van Buren boys being a top team, competitive yes, top, no. Saturday night will be your answer on where the top is and the Pointers are at, have a lot of respect for Van Buren program

Also Van Buren Vs. Bentoville should be a great game this weekend but if we do come out flat.. we wont win... thats for sure...

[A-Good-One]

Realize Jonesboro is not 7A just not impressed with Van Buren boys being a top team, competitive yes, top, no. Saturday night will be your answer on where the top is and the Pointers are at, have a lot of respect for Van Buren program

The top, they're not. A top, they are. They are, at worst, a top five team in 7A right now, at this moment, and it's likely they'll finish in the top three.

[jking7]

Realize Jonesboro is not 7A just not impressed with Van Buren boys being a top team, competitive yes, top, no. Saturday night will be your answer on where the top is and the Pointers are at, have a lot of respect for Van Buren program

The top, they're not. A top, they are. They are, at worst, a top five team in 7A right now, at this moment, and it's likely they'll finish in the top three.

Agreed... last night had my heart pumping.. but I really feel like VB did not play anywhere near the best ball they can... they seemed off all night... they fix that they will be a top 3 team..

[chucktownboys]

You guys know your team better than I do, good luck hope you are a top 3 team and bring respect to this region

[jking7]

You guys know your team better than I do, good luck hope you are a top 3 team and bring respect to this region

Good luck to you guys too!! hope you guys can bring some respect to this region aswell!

[chucktownboys]

Doing our part, state finals 2 out of last three years