Former Vol great Aaron Green is doing a wonderful job on and off the court at Oak Ridge. He's teaching his young men under his wing about life and giving back. You can play a part in this as well.
'The ORHS boys and girls basketball team’s will be conducting the 5th Annual Creating Christmas Memories event for our younger, less fortunate kids in the community. We are fundraising again this year to make a shopping trip for students that both need and deserve that fun experience that the holidays bring. Our younger students love being chosen by school counselors to participate. In addition this is an amazing example of character building in the young men on the team. It is truly a win-win situation!!
If you are looking for that perfect gift for that hard to shop for person please consider giving them the gift of joy that these children will receive. Give them the gift of seeing community building within the walls of our schools!! A donation to the ORHS basketball boosters can make that happen!! The goal is to raise at least $10,000 which will allow 100 less fortunate kids the opportunity for a memorable Christmas. The event will be held at Wal-Mart on December 21st at 2:00 pm. Donations will be taken up until the week of the event. If you have any questions please contact Jeremy Carringer at jcarringer@ortn.edu or Aaron Green at hagreen@ortn.edu or call them at 425-9528. Thank you so much for your support and consideration of this worthy cause.
Coach Green'
Getting conflicting information on Cecil Cherry Jr that I wanted to bring to your attention. Big Will, (AKA Guillermo Grande) called in yesterday and said that he knew for a fact that Cecil Cherry was not committed over but was steered away from the Vols by former Vol all time great Alvin Harper Sr. Will cited Internet rants by a furious Harper back in the summer that Tennessee refused to offer his son. Apparently he trashed the coaching staff. For the record, I never saw any of this. The story goes that Alvin is upset that his son hasn't been offered a scholarship by UT and let it be known even in cyberspace. I argued with Will going on the information 'X' provided me that along with Vol Colonel and a few others. Well, later in the day Vol Colonel along with a couple other sources dug into this for me and came back with a similar narrative that backed up Big Will. So, today I don't know what to believe. Did Tennessee recruit over Cecil Cherry Jr and throw him back into the recruiting pool. Or is Alvin Harper Sr. upset enough that Jr didn't get a scholarship to poison the well with Tennessee on Cherry? Colonel said he thinks there's a move afoot for Harper to package his son with Cherry (they're good friends) to some place like Arizona State.
Look, I don't pretend to know what's going on here. I just present this as I get it. What I want to say might be controversial so please read this very carefully. This is big business now. Plain and simple. Alvin Harper played at Tennessee at a time when it was small business. It was quaint. Loyalty mattered. Money wasn't the issue. Now, it's a free for all. The paradigm has completely shifted. There's no right or wrong, only winning. Kids are trained through high school as if they are professional athletes. It's all way over the top. It's all been professionalized. So, let's say Harper wanted to leverage Cherry into a package deal? I've got no problem with that. Let's say he poisoned the well on Cherry by prying him away from the Vols? Again, I'm not so sure the Vols weren't willing to let him go anyway but even if he was a highly coveted 5 star player, to me business is business.
What's the difference is Harper playing big business with his son and Jay Graham high tailing it to greener pastures or Tee Martin using the Vols for a free trip to Knoxville? It's all big business.
Tennessee is in the process of recruiting over some of the kids they've had committed for months. That's a fact. That's big business. That's cut throat every man for himself big business. Nothing more. Nothing less.
So, if Alvin Harper is leveraging a UT commitment to help his son get a high level scholarship it's par for the course.
Now, it stands to reason that if Harper was blasting UT on social media that this is out of bounds and unnecessary. Otherwise, Alvin Harper's alleged behavior is right in line with the dog eat dog world of major college football.
Speaking of Tee Martin, Iowa is simply Teed up for the Vols in the Gator Bowl. The more I dig into this matchup, the more I realize that Tennessee simply can't lose this game.
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What follows are some shorthand notes taken during an interview I conducted yesterday on the show with Chad Leistikow who covers Iowa for the Des Moines Register.
'Iowa fans thought Tennessee is a team the Hawkeyes can beat at 1st blush. Now Iowa fans are concerned about matchup.
Mobile QB's have always hurt Iowa. This year’s Iowa defense has had zero answers for mobile QB's like Joshua Dobbs.
DT Carl Davis. 1st day NFL pick. DT. Will bull rush up middle. Should be able to make some plays versus the interior lineman at Tennessee.
Iowa has a Pretty good group of seniors but they've underachieved in 2014.
7-5 is a disappointing season for Iowa. They've played easily the softest schedule in the Big 10 and did very little with it.
Kirk Ferentz is under fire there. If he loses this bowl game he may go onto the hot seat next year.
Iowa has a lot of talent on this team but they haven't been able to put it together.
Davis is one of a handful of guys w/ immense talent.
Iowa is always well prepared going into games but they have a propensity to fall apart.
They were up 24-7 in the 2nd half w Nebraska but lost the game.
Fans have been clamoring for backup QB CJ Beathered who is from Tenn. Causes consternation for fan base.
A misnomer about Iowa is that they have tremendous o line. Brandon Sheriff is an Outland finalist but much of the O-line has been disappointing.
Iowa needs to stay out of 3rd and long. They have a dearth of playmakers on the outside.
Playing from ahead is a weakness.
Iowa coaches don't keep foot on gas
Iowa doesn't have lock down defense
No identity on offense.
Tennessee fans feel like they are momentum. Most Iowa fans feel like a win won't salvage the season.
Typically Iowa fans will outdraw their opponents in bowls. I wouldn't count on that happening this year.'
The Iowa media is waking up to the sobering reality that Tennessee is going to roll them.
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'Tony:
UNLV taking a chance on a high school coach. Makes you
wonder what could be with George Quarles.
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Thanks
Todd'
Great point Todd! David Beaty is a mostly high school coach getting a shot at Kansas. I've always maintained that very few of these guys are 'special' and the rest of the head coaches are just coaches. Why Vandy wouldn't give GQ a shot is beyond me. He's way more qualified than that guy currently in the seat. I hope somebody gives George a shot. He's not going to seek it out. Someone is going to have to come to him. I wonder if we would have seen this a few decades ago if Jerry Faust could've swam rather than sank at Notre Dame all those years ago when they plucked him away from Cincinnati Moeller?
'TB:
You like conspiracies. Here goes.
It seems awfully convenient that all four teams in the inaugural playoff are Nike schools.
I wonder if some schools suffered brand bias since they wore Adidas?
Sounds ridiculous, but I'm sure some programs have suffered from network bias because their league isn't part of the ABCESPNDISNEYBORG Kollectiv.
When you keep on seeing black swans, you're not crazy to call it a trend.
And Nike is going to break out some silly uniforms for the occasion.
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Eddie, Cleveland Ohio'
Good stuff Eddie. Here's a novel idea? How about letting the teams participating in this wear the uniforms they've always worn. Now, in the case of Oregon, they can wear those clown unis. Whatever.
Marvin Lewis....Johnny Manziel is a 'midget'.
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David Cutcliffe turns down Michigan? Wouldn't surprise me. These head coaches make too much money. Why would Cut leave Duke? He's a trillioniare with zero pressure. He's got and has done a great job! Why leave?
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In American sport, the NFL is playing its own game.
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Tony
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