2A-6 Basketball

[JJYahoo]

I know it is early but who do you think are the early favorites in the 2a-6 basketball.  Let's rank them out boys AND girls.  Let me know what you think.

[jbtiger73]

Boys: Clarendon, then Brinkley or Augusta. then whoever after that

Girls: Seem to be kinda wide open, with Brinkley, Carlisle, Augusta, and maybe DA in contention. don't really know about Hazen, PW, or McCrory.

[Ventman]

Does anyone know anything about Kipp delta, aren't they in the 6 this year?

[MomaLion]

We played Kipp Delta last year early in the season and they played us close...we won 74-69 boys...it looks like they were 22-10 last season.  I believe they lost their head coach though.

[MomaLion]

I agree with jb...if Brinkley has most of their players back they will be up there.  We have all of our starters back.  Augusta can be really good but they are inconsistent.  Kipp had a lot of potential but with their head coach leaving, they may or may not be in the top. These are boys.
I'm really not sure on the girls.  I know Brinkley graduated some really good players.  We are building. It's pretty much wide open.

[redrider30]

Augusta has some talent but lost some very good seniors. Last year their Jr. High boys was one of the worst teams I've ever seen. Don't know if leaving the 2A-3 will help or hurt them.

[jbtiger73]

as far as top to bottom, its not a great league. but still can be competitive at times. but Clarendon just has too much coming back. or as I jokingly call them, "The Holly Grove Lions". lol

[ab24]

how will carlisle boys be?

[keohog]

how will carlisle boys be?

Not good.

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

This will probably be des arcs worst team in several years.

[HorseFeathers]

Kipp's Boys are athletic as anybody in the state....but tend to fold under a little bit of pressure...a very mediocre Bradford team took them to double overtime in Region last year...and that team athletic/raw talent wise had no business playing them with 10-20 points...

Kipp's Girls are horrid...talking score single digits in a ballgame horrid...

[BrianfromCarlisle]

Carlisle boys should win some games.  Definitely won't be great.  The sophomores will help, but not enough to make a major difference.  They will be vastly improved when the current jr high group gets there with the sophomores.  But hey, anything is an improvement on zero. 

[MomaLion]

as far as top to bottom, its not a great league. but still can be competitive at times. but Clarendon just has too much coming back. or as I jokingly call them, "The Holly Grove Lions". lol

They aren't all from Holly Grove lol...but most are 

[BigLion10]

What year did holly grove close moma

[MomaLion]

The decision was made to consolidate in 2004.  It took a few years to get everyone over if i'm remembering right.  I think the high school consolidated first then the elementary after additions to the already crowded elementary building.

[jbtiger73]

yea, momma. I think that was one of the worst decisions that Brinkley ever made, was not to allow HG to consolidate with Brinkley. we actually had first choice since we were the larger district and had more room. but our good ole boy (if you know what I mean), school board decided that it probably would cause a lot of problems with the students possibly not getting along. now HG and Clarendon made more since as far as distance wise. but definitely would have loved to have those kids there. we probably would have still been in 3A if that would have taken place. wonder what Clarendon would have been like?

[MomaLion]

We had a lot of issues with kids not getting along for a long time and there is still tension when you talk about colors and mascots because Holly Grove gave up everything and we didn't change anything. Personally I think we should have included more of the Holly Grove tradition into ours but many Clarendon alumni won't budge. We just got the words Clarendon-Holly Grove on our buses this year.
I fear Clarendon would be at risk of closing had we not consolidated and it's definitely easier on the kids to travel to us than to Brinkley.

[jbtiger73]

Yea, momma. I would have assumed the same thing. even there are still talks of having 1 high school for Monroe County. but I can definitely remember some of the Holly Grove players maybe a year ago I believe, wearing red & black lettermen jackets instead of the normal Clarendon red & white. and instead of the letter "C" on it, it had "HG". just thought that was kinda funny. were they doing it to be defiant, or was it a school approved thing? because I know some of the HG parents, still feel salty about them not having a school anymore.

[MomaLion]

Yea, momma. I would have assumed the same thing. even there are still talks of having 1 high school for Monroe County. but I can definitely remember some of the Holly Grove players maybe a year ago I believe, wearing red & black lettermen jackets instead of the normal Clarendon red & white. and instead of the letter "C" on it, it had "HG". just thought that was kinda funny. were they doing it to be defiant, or was it a school approved thing? because I know some of the HG parents, still feel salty about them not having a school anymore.

I doubt it was school approved...probably belonged to their parents...although we have incorporated more black into our uniforms(with a ton of complaining from some folks).  I like the added color.  I can certainly understand them wanting to keep some of their tradition and since we were rivals, it gets hairy sometimes lol.

[jbtiger73]

yea, but I still feel that's disrespectful for them to be walking around in HG jackets. as the old rap song goes, "those are the breaks". hated that their school was shut down, because we had plenty great matchups with them on the court. but that's just the way things are sometimes. I also feel a lot of tension still in the air about it as well. especially knowing a lot of those people from there personally. you would have thought it would've died down by now.

[JJYahoo]

This board got way off topic real quick!! 
Boys:  Clarendon, Brinkley, Augusta, KIPP, Hazen, Des Arc, Carlisle, McCrory, Palestine-Wheatley, and Marvell
Girls:  McCrory, Carlisle, Clarendon, Augusta, Des Arc, Hazen, Palestine-Wheatley, Marvell, Brinkley, KIPP

[jbtiger73]

Brinkley's girls still have the all state PG and a couple of move ins that will contribute. they finish no worse than 3rd.

[JJYahoo]

From what I was told that all state PG moved away!!

[jbtiger73]

she was about to. but changed her mind. plus, by the time she decided, it was too late to transfer anyway. I talked to her last Friday night after the football game.

[JJYahoo]

Then I say Carlisle, McCrory, and Brinkley are in the top 3 then.

[HorseFeathers]

she was about to. but changed her mind. plus, by the time she decided, it was too late to transfer anyway. I talked to her last Friday night after the football game.

She was going to move? Woulnd't it be the parents choice moreso than hers?

[jbtiger73]

Well, you know how some kids relationships are with their parents are these days. plus her mom works in LR, which would have made the move much more easier. but in the end, she decided she wanted to stay for her last season. she told me personally that she would have felt bad leaving.

[BoxNOne]

Then I say Carlisle, McCrory, and Brinkley are in the top 3 then.

Has McCrory had some move ins or is this conference weak. Saw them in 2A-3 last year and they took a lot of beatings. Their jr high was decent but not great.

[jbtiger73]

I thing this year, the conference is gonna be kinda down. girls wise, that is. although I seen McCrory's jr girls last season play at Brinkley. and they definitely have some talent there. but nothing too spectacular. wouldn't be surprised to see no team from this conference qualify for the state tourney in regionals.

[redrider30]

Marmaduke girls will play Brinkley on Sat. December 20th @ Pangburn. This will be a matchup of 2A state final four teams from last year.

[keohog]

Did Brinkley get a new coach?

[JJYahoo]

yes they hired a boys coach and a girls coach.

[keohog]

yes they hired a boys coach and a girls coach.

They will be much better with a coach not having to do both , both teams was good last year.

[jbtiger73]

You're definitely right Keo. I think it was hard balancing two teams for him. especially since both teams made it as far as they did in state. but I haven't met the new coaches yet, but I've heard a lot of great things about them.

[JJYahoo]

I know that all state PG can play but I would guard her with 2 girls and make the other ones beat me!!

[jbtiger73]

just found out that she actually did move to Bryant. but it was after September 1st. so she wont be eligible until January. but we do have a young lady that moved in from Conway that's pretty darn good. but hopefully we can make a push. and also, were playing #1 Marmaduke either around thanksgiving or Christmas in a tournament in Pangburn. we're also in the Heber tourney again this year.

[JJYahoo]

Here is my girls Poll
1. McCrory--move up two girls from very good Junior high team
2. Brinkley- Will have good athletes and apparently a move in from Conway
3. Augusta- good athletes and glad to be back in this conference
4. Clarendon- Very athletic and much improved
5. Carlisle- Having to start over after losing 4 starters to graduation
6. Des Arc- Always physical but might lack scoring power
7. Hazen- down year bc of graduation but will be back in a year or two when kids move up.
8. Palestine-Wheatley- Not much talent but heard they play hard.
9. KIPP Delta- Haven't been very successful in a very young program.
10. Marvell- Always at the bottom.

I hope her new coach realizes that she has to sit out the first game she is eligible for since she got thrown out of the last state tournament game.

[jbtiger73]

yea, they realize it. she told me this past weekend when she was up for Brinkley's homecoming game.

[HorseFeathers]

Here is my girls Poll
1. McCrory--move up two girls from very good Junior high team
2. Brinkley- Will have good athletes and apparently a move in from Conway
3. Augusta- good athletes and glad to be back in this conference
4. Clarendon- Very athletic and much improved
5. Carlisle- Having to start over after losing 4 starters to graduation
6. Des Arc- Always physical but might lack scoring power
7. Hazen- down year bc of graduation but will be back in a year or two when kids move up.
8. Palestine-Wheatley- Not much talent but heard they play hard.
9. KIPP Delta- Haven't been very successful in a very young program.
10. Marvell- Always at the bottom.

I hope her new coach realizes that she has to sit out the first game she is eligible for since she got thrown out of the last state tournament game.

Don't know anything about Marvell, but they might look to benefit from Kipp Delta moving into the conference...They were not very good at all last year.

[redrider30]

If McCrory wins this conference and Augusta is 3rd this may be the weakness conference in the state.

[BrianfromCarlisle]

Brinkley and Carlisle will be at the top of conference.

[redrider30]

That's what I thought. Brinkley girls should be pretty good. No offense to McCrory or Augusta but they just left the 2A-3 and they were bottom dwellers in Sr. and Jr. high and with the exception of Marmaduke that league is down from what its been.

[Lions84]

The forced merger between Clarendon and HG left some hard feelings that are still showing up 10 years later. It sad folks can't let it go and blame Mike Huckabee since it was his pet project.

[MomaLion]

The forced merger between Clarendon and HG left some hard feelings that are still showing up 10 years later. It sad folks can't let it go and blame Mike Huckabee since it was his pet project.

More so among the parents than the kids.

[MomaLion]

Clarendon starts basketball this week since we will not be going to playoffs in fb. I hear the basketball players will not play their last fb game this week.

[jbtiger73]

I know 2 years of coming so close to making the playoffs in football has to hurt them mentally. Now going into hoops season, its state championship or bust after coming so close last season. If they dont win it this year, honestly, I see some coaches and or players leaving. After thinking this was their last shot at a title.

[MomaLion]

Honestly I don't know why you would think anybody would leave if we don't win state. Obviously Coach Hudson is doing a great job. We aren't a win at all costs school. Of course we want to win but when you are dealing with teenagers there are so many variables. These kids didnt come to Clarendon for the team, it's their district so I doubt they'd leave because of the team.

[MomaLion]

People also thought we wouldn't be any good after Jamarlin graduated but they were wrong then as well.

[BoxNOne]

The forced merger between Clarendon and HG left some hard feelings that are still showing up 10 years later. It sad folks can't let it go and blame Mike Huckabee since it was his pet project.

Huckabee definitely the guy to blame on that issue. Worst law ever passed in Arkansas in my pretty long life.

[MomaLion]

The forced merger between Clarendon and HG left some hard feelings that are still showing up 10 years later. It sad folks can't let it go and blame Mike Huckabee since it was his pet project.

Huckabee definitely the guy to blame on that issue. Worst law ever passed in Arkansas in my pretty long life.

Definitely agree.  When these small schools close, the towns dry up. What business wants to locate to an area that has no school...it's just common sense.