...
good question Jesco White ... I have seen 6 of my top 8 teams play this season already - Logan Elm 3 times (vs Washington CH, vs Circleville, vs Athens) , watched Warren beat Meigs, Eastern Brown vs Vinton County, Zane Trace vs Amanda CC & Unioto, Circleville vs LE & South Point ... Miami Trace vs Vinton County .. out of my top 15 I have seen 11 play this season ... throw in South Point, Chesapeake, Logan twice, Piketon, Huntington, Meigs, Alexander, Hillsboro, Westfall, Bloom Carroll, Lancaster ... by seeing my top teams I have a good idea how to compare other teams Below the Line ...I watched Logan Elm beat Circleville at Circleville, I watched Logan Elm beat Athens in Athens, I missed the Warren loss to Portsmouth - had to see my Logan boys on opening night in Logan... with that said I will admit THE team that gets short changed until I see them is Lucasville Valley in this weeks rankings ... I haven't seen them YET, I will see them however at least twice (vs Warren at MC and again Jan 11 in the Beasts of the SE at Chesapeake vs Athens) ... I KNOW they are good- I know the Indians players/know what they bring to the floor; is LVHS as good as Warren/Athens/Logan Elm??? I have to see them for that call ... I KNOW what the others bring to the table - I saw how close of a game Athens' 1 point loss to LE was ... I KNOW what the Big 3 for Warren looks like when they are getting it done - the loss to Portsmouth? big loss at home , but I felt Portsmouth WOULD get a "W" vs Warren but I thought it would be at Portsmouth ... both Warren and Athens dropped to where I felt they should be compared to the rest of the teams ... Miami Trace was the weakest team in last weeks top 8 imo, Washington CH had lost to LE on the first night of the season, Court House isn't a top 8 team (yet) but they look/play a lot like Logan Elm ... Oak Hill may be ranked a little high - they aren't flashy, no great players but they are a very good TEAM ... Norm teaches the game beginning with Defense and fundamentals - his kids play fundamentally sound basketball, the ball doesn't hit the floor for more than a bounce pass, rebounders are where they are supposed to be on the floor, crisp passes, great spacing,no wasted dribbles ... I was smiling the whole time I was watching the Oaks vs River Valley yesterday at Rio Grande ...
... I've seen 24 of the teams out of the 72 I rank ... comparing what I have seen which I feel are the best Below the Line, I look at what I know teams have coming back from last year AND what they have lost to graduation, seeing who teams have lost to thus far AND using my Ouija Board - I feel good about the rankings so far ... I get emails from some fellow seops posters who I have known on seops and some since the jjhuddle days - I value their input on teams they see and follow, most are good about telling me whether teams I have ranked I have too high or too low - usually it is where I have them too high and the feedback is on THEIR team that they follow ... it's not perfect, it is but my opinion based on what I know about the coaches, teams, players in Southern/Southeastern Ohio ... I don't mind criticism - I read much of the threads that are on here, I know those posters who actually KNOW of what they speak, while I also KNOW those that are not worth the read ...Jesco White ! I take nothing personal my friend! I know I try to be fair ... if someone gives me good reason to consider where I have a team ranked, I will make note and try to make sure I read the papers/get out to see the team in question in person ... I know what I like to see from teams when they play the game - is it the only way to view a game? - hardly - but when what I like in teams fits the teaching/coaching philosophies of the best of the best among coaches Below the Line - I feel pretty good about my view of teams/players and coaching ...
... the first couple or 3 weeks of the season are the hardest to rank but by then all of the preseason hype has been backed up or disputed based on what the product is on the court ... the best teams in Southern Ohio always reach the level in the rankings that they deserve based on their performance not on any one persons rankings or old Ouija Board ...
