WEST BASKETBALL

[free safety]

There will never be DISCIPLINE at West.

[Westfan]

I'm not sure where the funds for the teachers salaries comes from, but Ciraso was quoted in the community common last week that at least 2% of the money for the new school could come from the general fund. So there is obviously capital in the system somewhere. Granted I am a big fan of building the Middle School with the others, as the present situation with the distance between the Middle School and the others is ignorant; but 2% of a project like that is alot of money. So something isn't jiving. She told us the only way to hire more staff is to pass a levy. If you think about it the fuel savings on the buses alone would probably be a major savings.

Besides, if it took a levy to pay our coaches better and to hire more assistants in football, etc, so be it. Enough people in our community love sports that I bet a small levy could be passed if it was guaranteed to go to sports only. If we move the middle school we're gonna have to either build another football field or install turf on the present field. Where's that money gonna come from?

Basically the whole thing just ticks me off. The difference in say West and Burg is Burg has people on their schoolboard whom like sports and recognize it's benefits. If you walk through their schools you see banners and plaques everywhere about their scholastic achievements and references to winning or playing like a winner. You see none of that at West. Why is that? The thing is, it's just not this case. We can't pay assistants in football for instance. Why is that?

Thing is I hope the guy can work something out, but I can't blame him for going elsewhere and it's a shame. All I know is to put pressure on the board and especially Ciraso. Voice your opinion. If people want to organize a calvary for the next board meeting, I'll help anyway I can.

[THE'GENERAL']

lets call a community meeting like hoosiers

[Westfan]

lets call a community meeting like hoosiers

It did work out good for them.

I appreciate the complement jumper. I just like to stand up for what I think is right and I really care about the school. Academics are really important thats for sure. But I believe a good sports program can have just as much of a positive effect on the school as the academics. Kids wanna be a apart of a winner. It makes them work harder and opens doors for them with scholarships and such. If they don't make the grades, they don't play. Just look back after the state runner-up in football and the changes in attitude that it caused from the kids to the public. Everybody loves a winner. Its quite evident to me that either our leaders don't understand this or just don't care. Sad thing is we have the athletes to be really good at all sports male and female.

[black76]

Agreed, it seems to that the hiring of coaches in several sports at West(both boys and girls) has been done carelessly (except football) in the past. Maybe they only have a few people interested in these jobs. But when you see a coach from Minford,say, in track or Burg in basketball, for example, that really seem to have kids that know the particular sport they are playing, then you have West with just as talented kids that are flying by the seat of their pants and seem to be making it up as they go, what a difference there is in the result....it is a shame for the amount of talent at West. And by the way I do believe West kids have discipline, if not in the past?, they are showing it now, just look at the kids working out in the weightroom daily.

Now the board and the super have a chance to remedy that in varsity basketball and choose not to? Don't know another school that wouldn't jump on the opportunity, especially since Kitchen went out of his way to help the school this past year.

[TheSportsGuy]

I'm glad the team got away from the awful regime of their previous coaches and were able to spend a couple months with the second coming...please note the sarcasm.

I hope everyone hasn't forgotten how many close games the team dropped in 06-07. They were one posession away from about 5-6 more wins and an above .500 record. It's no wonder that the team won a couple more games after so many tight contests when they had another year of experience, and Jordan really stepping up and maturing for his senior campaign. Heck, the team won its two games without having a varsity coach on the bench. Granted, it wasn't their two most talented opponents, but they won each game easily...on the road...without a coach. This was a gutty bunch of kids.

I agree that Kitchen did a good thing helping the team. But it wasn't the selfless act you paint it to be, and I don't feel he was the difference in the season. It was the kids...they were a special group.

While a lot of good was done by the new staff, it must be noted that two of their juniors either quit or were removed from the team because of the new coaches, and the younger suspensions can't be blamed on the fresh. coach without the Simpson suspension being tagged in part on the varsity coaches.

Yes, Kitchen did some good things, and is a pretty good coach and person. He, by no means, wowed the board or fans in his brief stint as coach, and the board has every right to open up the search. He's welcome to put in, and with his experience with the kids, he'd surely be a front-runner, and from the looks of this forum, a fan favorite.

[TheSportsGuy]

They had more depth, but last years seniors weren't as gutty as this years juniors and seniors. This team has graduated some of its best players each year for the last 4 or 5 and gotten better each year after Gibson arrived. Coach Kitchen has been nothing but modest, hard-working, and dedicated to this program. But was he promised anything about a full-time job at the start?

[Westfan]

If anyone couldn't look at the execution of that team before and after Kitchen got here and seriously say they weren't better, then they have no clue about basketball. I liked Gibson and he was definately a stepp up from Jenkins. But the fact is Kitchen is a better coach. Besides Gibson Quit and I never agree with quitting.

[THE'GENERAL']

they really had a good game plan and executed it well in the tourny

[black76]

Does not surprise me at all. Sammons quit plain and simple and would have a hard time convincing me no matter what his credentials are, that it wouldn't happen again. The only real answer is Kitchen, agree with siderman, if you saw the difference in execution and enthusiasm before and after the change, you could not help but agree. As for the Hurd guy, saw a couple of 8th grade games and saw the same kind of lack of discipline and lack of game plan and that was with super talented kids. No disrespect intended to any one, just call it like I see it. Do not really know any of them personally, including Kitchen, so this is as objective as it gets. Unless they hire Kitchen or someone of his experience, they will get the same problems, maybe worse, next year.

[black76]

Sports guy, I disagree with you, if the kids brought the season around and not Kitchen, then they really don't need a coach now do they? Sorry, I agree the 3 seniors were good but it takes a good coach with a solid plan of execution to do the rest.... There is a lot you say that I throughly disagree with though. One junior quit the team after a game (the next day) on his own and later agreed it was a selfish gesture, all because he didn't get playing time in one night that the team WON against Waverly. That hurt the team but had nothing to do with a coach that was just getting to know these kids. Nice try though! Really you are in a minority, he wowed the fans and the kids, you must not have much experience in taking over a varsity team! If they hire someone with more or as much basketball knowledge/experience on the varsity level as Kitchen I will be happy, but, sorry, the guys mentioned above are not even in the same league.

[knowledge]

WOW,I heard yesterday evening that Sammons,one of the quitters, Jason Hurd and Chris Dunham had applied for the job.I guess things go full circle sometimes.

I had a conversation with Dunham today and he did NOT apply for the West job.

[THE'GENERAL']

from my rumor lobby there will be more that apply then already mentioned and it should be interesting who the school selects some i heard i think will do a great job

[Westfan]

from my rumor lobby there will be more that apply then already mentioned and it should be interesting who the school selects some i heard i think will do a great job

We all hope so.