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Will Waterford make another run to state?
Federal hocking will be good again this year. Belpre seems to be moving in the right direction.

Thoughts?

Waterford lost one senior from that starting lineup. The Jones girl was a four year starter. And ran the floor well. Tough as nails. Do they have anyone to step into that role? They have a solid 3 with Wagner Smithberger and Sury. All who can handle the ball. Not sure how well the Malec girl is - she got significant time last year and seems darty fast. Their bench doesn’t seem to be as solid as the past. Will be interesting to see what close and his staff have in store for this season.


Federal hocking is returning the Cottrill girl who plays unbelievably well. I know they lost some other seniors but they were pretty solid off the bench too. Younger snedden girl is tough in the paint. Wondering if they will be as strong as last year.


Belpre seems to have some good moving parts and some players. Will they make it interesting for Waterford and federal hocking?

Eastern- I hope they build this program back up. I know they had some years with low numbers - any idea on who is returning?

Trimble - I know they were in the same position as eastern with low numbers - any info on their team?


Southern was the same as eastern and Trimble- low numbers.

Looking at DVII as a whole Waterford and Fort Loramie have to be two of the immediate favorites. Barring injury, I would be shocked if they didn't go undefeated in the TVC but it will be interesting to see who takes over in the starting 5.

Belpre has the capabilities to upset anyone and everyone in the TVC this year. If the players buy in and the parents step back they will do very well. Good luck!!

1- Waterford- Will return 4 starters from the 2024 state runner up team. 3-Seniors 6'4" Purdue, Fort Wayne commit Avery Wagner, 1st Team all-ohio Kendall Sury, Scrapper Avery Smithberger and Jr. Elsie Malec, she will most likely split time at point guard duties with Fr gurad Brynlee Pottmeyer. The Wildcats will be young and inexperienced off the bench, I see Sophomores Ava Hurley and Gracie Hartline getting some minutes.
2. Fed Hocking- Cotrill and Walker may be the fastest dou in the league. If they can get hot from 3, control the tempo, they could knock off Waterford in their early home game on 12/5.
3. Belpre- Bills and Alloway both can handle the ball and with their size and skill they will give teams fits all season. New Coach-will the players and parents buy in this time? If Miller and Way can take care of the ball, Belpre can be dangerous on any given night.
4. Trimble- I don't know much about Trimble. Fouts (soph) and the incoming freshman will most likely be thier best players.
5. Eastern- I know less about Eastern. I have heard the Jr Hi coach has been promoted to varsity coach, in the last week or so. He has some assistant varsity experience on his resume but coming in on short notice will be a challenge in itself.
6. Southern- I have no idea.

What about Laken Heiss for Waterford?

After last night, I think the Lancers will share the league title. I think the Lancers depth and coaching will overtake the cats. Couldn't get to the games last night and the streaming was worse than watching Tyson-Paul. They did struggle with giving up points last night but the new defense and the deep rotations will round into form as the season goes along. I actually think they have a better chance of winning the second game with Waterford. Who knows, Close may be down to single digits in players by that time. Heard that Waterford has some parent issues and Close's daughter wants her kid to start and be all conference. To do that he had to let the assistant coach go. Most people would agree that they made a good tandem and the program will suffer from this and from what they say, the other parents and kids are not happy. IF this is true then they sacrificed a chance to win the state for coach's granddaughter.

Spiderjon wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2024 11:05 pm 1- Waterford- Will return 4 starters from the 2024 state runner up team. 3-Seniors 6'4" Purdue, Fort Wayne commit Avery Wagner, 1st Team all-ohio Kendall Sury, Scrapper Avery Smithberger and Jr. Elsie Malec, she will most likely split time at point guard duties with Fr gurad Brynlee Pottmeyer. The Wildcats will be young and inexperienced off the bench, I see Sophomores Ava Hurley and Gracie Hartline getting some minutes.
2. Fed Hocking- Cotrill and Walker may be the fastest dou in the league. If they can get hot from 3, control the tempo, they could knock off Waterford in their early home game on 12/5.
3. Belpre- Bills and Alloway both can handle the ball and with their size and skill they will give teams fits all season. New Coach-will the players and parents buy in this time? If Miller and Way can take care of the ball, Belpre can be dangerous on any given night.
4. Trimble- I don't know much about Trimble. Fouts (soph) and the incoming freshman will most likely be thier best players.
5. Eastern- I know less about Eastern. I have heard the Jr Hi coach has been promoted to varsity coach, in the last week or so. He has some assistant varsity experience on his resume but coming in on short notice will be a challenge in itself.
6. Southern- I have no idea.

This is some great analysis. And I think you have this right but Waterford is hitting a bump the road.
Hilverding just stepped down and that will be a HUGE loss in the coaching staff because he and Close have been a dynamic pair in creating state run teams.

And I don’t think the freshman Pottmeyer on Waterford is the right one to fill Jones’ spot. She came from Warren and has not played with caliber players like Wagner, Smithberger, Sury and Malec I would put either ponchak or the other Wagner (not sure if she is related to Avery w. ) in that position. Speed grit and length has gotten Waterford to state. This group has all the ability and talent to go back. Ponchak played quite a bit last year.
After watching them play up at union local - they have some figuring out to do. The three seniors are good. And they remind me of the 2022 class (Taylor and crew) in their ability to create plays, etc but they need two strong players with knowledge and experience. That 2022 team had two strong players coming off the bench (Sury and Heiner) who didn’t change the pace or play of the game. In fact- they may have sped it up a little. They were more experienced than the current group and Heiner hit some big threes in that state run and Sury was in that position to make plays or create plays. Right now - there are not two players that can come in and keep the momentum and pace of play going like that group did. Malec is growing as a player but needs to be more confident and needs some basic ball handling fundamentals. She is good but doesn’t complement the three seniors as well as Jones did last year.
Experience- You don’t have that with these underclassman - they think they know what they are doing but watching them
play - they are more “me than we” they seem to get in the way of Wagner and Smithberger. Pottmeyer seems to like to drive the lane and turn it over. She has to learn that she can dump it off to the block or outside. Hurley and Hartline don’t have enough time on the court to be able to effectively contribute. With time- they can but the senior trio need teammates on the court that know the plays and can play good defense.
Not overly impressed with the bench right now. These three seniors need to get some work in with players who can play team ball and play defense.

FH played at Marietta in the rumble series against Monroe Central and that was a game of no defense. They are speedy fast and shoot well beyond the arc but Waterford’s length may give them trouble. They don’t have much size and Sury Wagner and Smithberger are 5-10,6-4 and 5-11 respectively.
That will hurt FH but they are quick. And it will be a great matchup both in Stewart and Waterford. Cottrill is the real
deal and definitely has the ability to score anywhere on the court. She is a play maker and play creator. Her and Walker will give them another good run. Interested to see how them and Waterford play in early December.

Belpre - not really sure where they will end up. Bills could not handle Lauer against Marietta Friday night. Belpre’s guards are good but turnovers will hurt them. If they can control that- they will be able to bring in some good wins. Miller is a great guard. And Way can definitely give teams more trouble than not. But this is their 3rd or 4th coach in the last 5-6 years/ I hope this one stays and builds up this program. They have good players. Just need stability from a coaching standpoint.

Eastern, Trimble and southern - I’m just happy they have teams. Eastern looks like they have quite a few girls out this year which is great because they can build on those numbers.

Stan Smith wrote: ↑Fri Nov 22, 2024 9:08 pm What about Laken Heiss for Waterford?

She didn’t come back out. She played a lot last year and filled that other guard spot well being a freshman. She was fast and had good defense. Not sure why she didn’t come back out. Big loss for the cats in my opinion.

dboy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 23, 2024 7:46 am After last night, I think the Lancers will share the league title. I think the Lancers depth and coaching will overtake the cats. Couldn't get to the games last night and the streaming was worse than watching Tyson-Paul. They did struggle with giving up points last night but the new defense and the deep rotations will round into form as the season goes along. I actually think they have a better chance of winning the second game with Waterford. Who knows, Close may be down to single digits in players by that time. Heard that Waterford has some parent issues and Close's daughter wants her kid to start and be all conference. To do that he had to let the assistant coach go. Most people would agree that they made a good tandem and the program will suffer from this and from what they say, the other parents and kids are not happy. IF this is true then they sacrificed a chance to win the state for coach's granddaughter.

You may have just made the best statement of the year. He may have just sacrificed another state run for his granddaughter who barely plays.

This is a HUGE loss for this program. Hilverding is one of the best assistants in the area. Probably could step into a head coaching position if he wanted but he and Close were an incredible pair. Word on the street - he was a volunteer coach. Which shows his vested interest in the program and players was because he enjoyed it and definitely wanted to create great human beings on and off the court.

I’ve watched these two coach for quite some time - and they compliment each other well. Hilverding would stand pre- game and take notes. Would dissect the game the first few minutes and then they would create a game plan if their current was not working. Close relied on him a lot for in game analysis. Having a great assistant allows you to be a great head coach.
Sad that this happened to this program at the start of the season which could’ve been another state run for this group.

Kittyhunter27 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2024 8:43 pm

Stan Smith wrote: ↑Fri Nov 22, 2024 9:08 pm What about Laken Heiss for Waterford?

She didn’t come back out. She played a lot last year and filled that other guard spot well being a freshman. She was fast and had good defense. Not sure why she didn’t come back out. Big loss for the cats in my opinion.

That's too bad. She was quick and very scrappy.

may have just made the best statement of the year. He may have just sacrificed another state run for his granddaughter who barely plays.

I know he put her in the state game last year and fans couldn't believe it.
That tipped his hand for future right there.

Correct me if I am wrong but I think the Hess girl was in the same grade as his granddaughter and it wasn't going to last having someone in that class ahead of her. Haven't heard but wouldn't be surprised if she was forced out. That was a piece that would worry the Lancers - she added some depth, speed and hard nosed defense. She could score in the break and was a compliment to the three seniors. But that ship sailed (or was sunk) as well. Regardless, I think this is Fed Hock's title to lose.

This place is ridiculous.

I’ll take the team that won the league, district, region and finished as State Runner-Up with 4 returning starters to win the league

But, that bench player who played 6 of the 64 minutes at last year’s state tournament quitting could destroy the team. So, I may be wrong.

Respect what you are saying but I think the view is that other than the 4 returning starters she was the only one with real experience that returned. The rest of the bench was made up of seniors. And maybe the cause of her exit along with the coach could be a shift in culture. If the coach is preaching team first but he doesn't put the team first, there could be a fracture in the locker room and on the floor. How long before players start worrying about getting theirs. BUT the biggest thing is that the Lancers split with them last year and bring more back than the Cats. Plus they have added some more depth so as much as I can see your point, there is no doubt that Federal Hocking is coming. You may be right that they win the league this year but it may be their last for a while.

Some of you, as the young kids would say, really need to "touch grass" and stop living your lives through teenage kids from the comfort of your basement. Some of the crap that has been spewed in this thread is absolutely mind boggling! Not a single one of you have any idea what is going on in the majority of these programs but yet you sit here day after day, hour after hour just foaming at the mouth for the opportunity to make a "bold" statement. I have told myself for years that I would not give in to this crap hole, but enough is enough and some of you need to have your perspectives widened. It's the same crap year after year around here. Blah Blah Blah, this coach is doing this, this coach is doing that. Now its the 2 of the most respected coaches in the league, scratch that, south eastern Ohio, scratch that again, the entire state have had a huge falling out because of a grand-daughter? Some of you all should find a second job rather than sit around here spewing lies day in and day out. Did it ever cross anyone's mind that maybe Hilverding left because of personal reasons? Maybe he wants to step back and spend more time with his family? Grandkids have this unique affect on people, pretty sure Todd has a couple of new ones. Maybe, just maybe the guy is looking a the bigger picture after a decade of passing his knowledge and wisdom onto others children.
IF some of you clowns spent as much time helping build your respective programs up like this duo has over the years then maybe you would have a place at the table to talk. Close and Hilverding have built a literal girls basketball power house right before your eyes and the majority of people on here are too stupid to appreciate it. You people wish you had an ounce of the stones it has taken to build such of a program.
The final comical portion of this thread is arguing over who is going to win the TVC. Go back and read some history on here, its obvious that some of you live here so you have more than enough time. Runs some statistics on how many times over the years the same thing has been said, "Waterford lost to much". At this point its a race for who comes in second. If you want to debate this then you didn't attend very many games last year. The majority of TVC teams are struggling to put a roster together, their struggle for talent is even lower. We have seen in the last decade the occasional "pop-up" team put something together. Wateford lost one starting player from a State Runner up team, who do we really think is going to take the TVC from them this year? The logical answer is no one, with the exception that Wagner, Smithberger, and Sury don't all have season ending injuries. No matter how hard some of you hope and pray, it isn't happening this year.

When you build a power house program like Waterford has built it becomes a mentality, that mentality doesn't leave because a couple of pieces left the puzzle. There are 2 things that are expected with Waterford Girls Basketball, hanging banners, and deep tournament runs. Sit back, shut up, and take notes!

When/if you come to Waterford this year make sure you look up on that north end wall because the most of the other TVC schools could combine their accolades and still not hold a candle to what is hanging up there!

riddlemejohnny wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2024 9:31 am Some of you, as the young kids would say, really need to "touch grass" and stop living your lives through teenage kids from the comfort of your basement. Some of the crap that has been spewed in this thread is absolutely mind boggling! Not a single one of you have any idea what is going on in the majority of these programs but yet you sit here day after day, hour after hour just foaming at the mouth for the opportunity to make a "bold" statement. I have told myself for years that I would not give in to this crap hole, but enough is enough and some of you need to have your perspectives widened. It's the same crap year after year around here. Blah Blah Blah, this coach is doing this, this coach is doing that. Now its the 2 of the most respected coaches in the league, scratch that, south eastern Ohio, scratch that again, the entire state have had a huge falling out because of a grand-daughter? Some of you all should find a second job rather than sit around here spewing lies day in and day out. Did it ever cross anyone's mind that maybe Hilverding left because of personal reasons? Maybe he wants to step back and spend more time with his family? Grandkids have this unique affect on people, pretty sure Todd has a couple of new ones. Maybe, just maybe the guy is looking a the bigger picture after a decade of passing his knowledge and wisdom onto others children.
IF some of you clowns spent as much time helping build your respective programs up like this duo has over the years then maybe you would have a place at the table to talk. Close and Hilverding have built a literal girls basketball power house right before your eyes and the majority of people on here are too stupid to appreciate it. You people wish you had an ounce of the stones it has taken to build such of a program.
The final comical portion of this thread is arguing over who is going to win the TVC. Go back and read some history on here, its obvious that some of you live here so you have more than enough time. Runs some statistics on how many times over the years the same thing has been said, "Waterford lost to much". At this point its a race for who comes in second. If you want to debate this then you didn't attend very many games last year. The majority of TVC teams are struggling to put a roster together, their struggle for talent is even lower. We have seen in the last decade the occasional "pop-up" team put something together. Wateford lost one starting player from a State Runner up team, who do we really think is going to take the TVC from them this year? The logical answer is no one, with the exception that Wagner, Smithberger, and Sury don't all have season ending injuries. No matter how hard some of you hope and pray, it isn't happening this year.

When you build a power house program like Waterford has built it becomes a mentality, that mentality doesn't leave because a couple of pieces left the puzzle. There are 2 things that are expected with Waterford Girls Basketball, hanging banners, and deep tournament runs. Sit back, shut up, and take notes!

When/if you come to Waterford this year make sure you look up on that north end wall because the most of the other TVC schools could combine their accolades and still not hold a candle to what is hanging up there!

Seems as though a nerve has been touched!

Southern with a 1 point win over River Valley on Wednesday night. Was a close game throughout and Southern made enough plays down the stretch to win. I believe Southern's biggest lead was 3 and River Valley's biggest lead was 5.
Could see the Tornadoes finishing in the upper crust of the Hocking if they keep improving.

Southern is 3-0 at this point so they have improved and that is good to see. They have had some good volleyball teams for a while but it hasn't translated to good basketball. Not sure if those girls don't play bball or if it just isn't their sport. Trimble also played Vinton County tough so the middle of the pack may be better than people thought. That could provide an upset somewhere in the season that affects they outcome of the league as well. Watched the first half of the Waterford-Wheelersburg scrimmage. Wheelersburg is physical and they play hard and put a lot of pressure on the ball. They forced some turnovers and beat Waterford to some loose balls and rebounds. Wheelersburg won the first half by 5 I think. 24-19. As expected Waterford's first five is good but they struggle off the bench. Hard to tell a lot about starting guard #12 because she had some early foul trouble but looks to be strong and athletic. I assume that is the Freshman. 20 came in and got beat a lot on defense and then leaked out so they will see a dip when she is in. 15 looks young and unsure of herself but it also looks like she could be helpful with some time and coaching. The other person that played off the bench (#5 maybe) didn't play a lot so not sure about her. I was surprised they only play 3 off the bench in the preseason. That tells me they will probably only play 6 most of the year. But their big three is good so if they are on the floor they will be tough to handle. I still like the Lancers to share the title but I think they have to steal the second game at Waterford which will not be easy. Waterford's size will give Fed Hock a lot of trouble so the contrast in styles will be interesting to watch. They play next Thursday in Stewart so that will give us chance to see where we are.

Finally had a chance to watch some of the Fed Hock-New Lex game and NL is really down from what they have been. This score could have been much worse but Fed Hock still needs to clean some things up. I am more certain now that they will have to catch Waterford the second time around because I just don't think they have everything running smooth enough right now to beat them at home next week. Monday should be a good game as well. Alexander continues to improve.