Best Jr. High Teams

[bballsvcfan]

Any ideas or comments on the best Jr. High baseketball teams in southern ohio?

[TribeManiac10]

Lynchburg Clay and Peebles probably have the two best teams in the SHL.

[SOCFAN1430]

Eastern Pike has a solid 8th grade group

[Eaglepapaw]

Trimble,Vinton County and Belpre in TVC

[theuglytruth]

It is a unique situation in the SHL...The adams county/ohio valley schools like Peebles, NA, and WU have one team. They have more kids to choose from, and not in all cases, but some cases the seventh grade team is better than the eighth grade team. West Union boys improved because their seventh grade is decent. NA girls got better because they had a good group from sixth grade coming and hardly any contributing eighth graders. For example some of these eighth grade adams county teams probably lost games in seventh grade that they are now winning in eighth grade.

The one team factor makes it a difficult situation for everyone. The coaches, parents, and most of all the players. It is a lot harder to make it a good experience for the kids if you have 16 or 17 players than 10. In my opinion it is going to keep a lot of good kids who could be important pieces to the program in high school. Kids develop, hit growth spurts, and change immensely over the jr. high years. How many times have we seen kids not be major contributors and then become studs in high school. See Rob Preston- Lynchburg Clay, average jr. high player, Division 1 high school player. Whiteoak, West Union, Hillsboro, and East CLinton had some kids look to be studs in jr high and not even play in high school! no one can predict the future, but I think its the coaches in the programs responsibility to evaluate the types of kids he has and what kids are going to be kids who stick with it and put the time into improving, and what kids COULD eventually help the program. This is the biggest problem I see at the jr high level. Especially in the SHL. When my son went through at Hillsboro, we hada kid who was the shortest boy, and couldn't even tie his shoes, who matures and put the time in and ended up being a very nice Varsity player. What if someone would have wrote him off and made his jr. high experience a bad one. I GUARANTEE there will be kids quit in adams county who would have been important pieces to the program in High School. This is something for all jr. high coaches to consider....What kind of experience are you making it for everyone, or are you just throwing these good kids in every 3 or 4 games for a few seconds..and what kids would stick around for the next 4-5 years and potentially help your program...

That being said Lynchburg 8th grade team is a very nice team. Mark Pierson has done a nice job with them, but it helps that he has had the luxury of moving up to the jr. high level with the same team. The girls are also a nice team.

[Eaglesnest]

Eastern Pike has a solid 8th grade group

have heard very good things about this group as well SOCFAN1430. HAve you seen them play?

[trojandave]

Portsmouth 7th grade: 13-0.........8th grade: 9-4

[SOCFAN1430]

Eastern Pike has a solid 8th grade group

have heard very good things about this group as well SOCFAN1430. HAve you seen them play?

I've only got to see them once, I do get regular updates on there games. The Rowe boy is the best overall player they have and is one of the more athletic kids on the team. They have a good overall team 1-5 with athleticism and players who can do different things to contribute.

[BasketballJunkie11]

I agree that having just 1 team hurts kids in Adams County but I dont think you can blame it all on the coaches. Their job is to win games and develop these kids into players that will be ready to compete at a high school level. You try to rotate kids as much as you can but there is a time where you can only do it so much.
Lynchburg Clay does have a good boys team, never seen the girls play, how are they doing this year?

[THE GOVENOR]

Symmes Valley and Eastern Pike are 2 of the better teams in the SOC I. Both games were close with SV winning both.

[ty.stephens]

You mean Mark "crybaby" Pearson?

[theuglytruth]

I'm not talking about anyones character....obviously this animoscity is stemming from the Peebles/Lynchburg game considering your handle in PHS14 lol, but From what I heard both schools were a bit out of control with several parents on the floor, food being thrown on the floor, and administrators having to make visits to the stands.... Regardless of what anyone says Pierson has done a nice job with the Lynchburg boys. They are a nice team...

I have seeb both teams, and they are both very nice teams, but I would give the nod to Lynchburg.

[ty.stephens]

Im not questioning the job he has done because they do have a nice team but just saying he is a crybaby. The game the other night against peebles was a barnburner. How is lynchburgs girls doing this year? I missed the girls game the other night only to come after the game and see a packed house lol...

[Sggrad06]

Gallipolis has a very strong 8th grade team.

[CharlieHustle]

Portsmouth 7th grade: 13-0.........8th grade: 9-4

And those 4 losses have been to very tough teams...@Chillicothe (lost at the buzzer in OT), Valley twice (Valley is spectacular, both losses very close), and Zane Trace, who from what I understand is undefeated.

[Hitchbone64]

The thread of Best Jr High Teams is one that is misleading and IMO, distrubing. Best is relative and at the levels below Varsity, should not be measured in wins/losses. In fact the "Best Jr High Programs", really can't be measured until these kids are Jrs/Srs. It is all about teaching and developing. I agree with theuglytruths post above about what happens with these kids. I see some programs who play 7 kids for the sake of winning, yet only 3 of them may end up being solid varsity players.

Years ago, Chillicothe had 6 7th grade teams and multiple 8th and 9th grade teams. We now have 1 each. District size, cost constraints, etc contribute to this, but kids get lost in the system if we only play to win at these levels.

I remember a few years back, Wheelersburg had undefeated Middle School teams. I'm not sure where these kids are (except McBee at Minford), but look at the Varsity now. They are having their struggles and IMO, Barrick runs an excellent program.

OK, I'm off my soapbox, and I do see a lot of Middle School kids. That saying, the "BEST" are those that work the hardest at development and building team concepts.

[coop]

Valley is undefeated..

[thirteen]

Barlow Vincent. That's where every parent should want their kid to go so he can be developed into a pure basketball player on all aspects of the game on and off the court.

[SOCMAN05]

I remember a team a few years back that was undefeated in the 7th and 1 loss in the 8th grade and won the 7th and 8th grade county tourney. Today that team is sitting at the top of the SOC 2 undefeated in conference play ! If these 7th and 8th grade players stick together they will also experience success at the High school level ! JMO

[Softball_skids]

Gotta go with the 7th grade Streaks!