from Mike Ellis at The Jamestown News:
Ragsdale and Northwest split on the hardwood tonight.
Girls:
Northwest 16 13 25 14 – 68
Ragsdale 12 12 11 11 – 46
Northwest was led by Gretchen Bennett with 18 points. Kaitlyn Shelton had 14 and
Natalie Harper 10 for the Lady Vikings who improved to 14 – 6 overall and 7 – 2 in
the Piedmont Triad.
Ragsdale was led by Ciara Jackson who had 10 points. Ragsdale fell to 11 – 8 and 4 –
4. At halftime, Ragsdale senior Lindsay Lee was honored with a game ball
representing that she pulled down her 800th career rebound last week to set a
Ragsdale Lady Tiger rebounding record. She had 227 rebounds for the season entering
tonight’s game.
Boys:
Northwest 8 10 22 11 – 51
Ragsdale 10 16 9 20 – 55
Ragsdale’s 26 – 18 halftime lead was quickly erased as the Vikings burned the nets
for 5 3’s early in the third and actually took a 5 point lead at 38 – 33 with 2:40
left in the third and maintained that advantage heading to the fourth with a 40 – 35
score. Ragsdale got the first 5 points of the final quarter to tie the game. When
the Tigers went on a 15 – 2 run they had opened up a 50 – 42 lead with 1:50 left in
the game. Northwest tried fouling but Ragsdale hit 12 of 17 in the final quarter to
come away with the 55 – 51 win.
Benaiah Wise and Tyquan Roberts both had 14 points for the Tigers and Kalik Parker
added 10. Northwest was led by Reed Lucas who had 16 points including 3 three
pointers during the Vikings run in the third. Kyle Vebber was also in double
figures with 11. Northwest connected on 8 treys while Ragsdale had 6 from behind
the arc.
Ragsdale is now 9 – 11 and 6 – 2 in the Piedmont Triad while Northwest falls to 6 –
14 and 4 – 5.
*****High Point Central lost tonight so Ragsdale is #1 in the conference at (6-2) and HPC is now at (5-3)…..******
The boys have the best talent in the conference but unfortunately the worst coach. Hence the record…..
what coach are you talking about NW or Ragsdale???
Whats NEW – What’s new would be if your son could catch the ball and make a layup, that would be new. He needs to sit the bench along with you. You know who you are big mouth. Bye the way, stay out of the locker room and keep your big fat butt in the stands.
Is it Football Season yet!!!
How bout this NW fans let the kids play and let the coaches coach! Quit trying to be a monday morning QB! If you think its so easy why don’t you guys get out there and do it!!!!
Here’s the deal….I was looking at the rosters @ NWG. NW both Football, and Basketball teams are very young. Don’t blame the coaches for everything. Give them some time they will be alright! Maybe not this season but I look for them to make some noise next year.
I think there are forces at work here that try to get a rise from everyone. And it looks like it works. The coach at NWG is doing a great job and the record reflects the players ability. I don’t know how many players they have on the team but they are a 4A school and you would think they all have the ability to play well. So evidently NWG doesn’t have talent on the BB Team and the coach is doing his best with what he has to work with.
Except for a few games, they are in every game. They play hard and are making progress. NW is in good hands with Manny as the coach and Mr. Kitley as the principal. You will see success in the next couple of years. If What’s new actually has a kid at NW, I suggest you go somewhere else. From the sounds of it, nobody would miss you.
I have seen the NW boys play a number of games. They bring intensity, skills & heart. The only place they are lacking is in the W department. I like what they are doing & hope they continue to do what they are doing. The coach is doing an above average job, but the players need to make a few more plays per game. Switching to the NW girls—-they are playing well at the right time——let’s talk about coaching problems—i.e.— last night at Ragsdale—-NW girls won by 22—the problem is that it should not have been a 5 pt game at the half—the way they were playing in the first half, the game should have been over at halftime—wacked out substitutions in the first half & Coach J is yelling at the kids at halftime break—–go figure, knock em out when you’ve got the chance & halftime break will be much smoother. She has the talent, but she coaches like she’s trying not to lose, instead of coaching like she’s trying to win. The x’s & o’s are there, without a doubt. She’s a great person, but she doesn’t go for the throat when she’s got the chance—that’s poor coaching–sorry
If NW would just sit players who arent producing and stop leaving them in the game things would be fine. Coach has a tendency to take players out who are the only ones scoring or who just made a nice shot or play. Let the kids play coach stop taking them out and using everyone on your bench. Let the 5 guys stay in who go on a run. Just like last night Nw went onto a 20-7 run and he took out players who were producing. If that continues to be the case dont count on them winning anymore games.
NW’s head coach is a very good coach who cares a great deal about every player on his roster.
Before anyone goes around criticizing… Please ask yourself how many games you’ve won as a high school basketball coach. If you’ve won more than him then feel free to share your thoughts. If the answer is zero then one must respect the decisions of the coach. Coaches don’t go around telling you how to do your job better.
NW coach is a terrible coach he has the best talent in conference and they are 4-5 because he doesnt know how to call a timeout so they dont blow a 15 point lead with 4 minutes left when you know your team is struggling dont just let them sit out there and run around. do something about it, call a play to help things go smooth. Leave your best players in the game and dont keep sitting them as soon as they mess up on one play let them redeem themselves, and most importantly dont take a player out when they just made a good play, that just makes you look bad and causes drama, why do you think dudley and northern are so successful because they leave their best player in the game and get him the ball. NW needs to give their best player the ball more often
NWG is not a basketball school……do you not get it???
Yes the kids play hard, yes they’re solid players, yes they’re in every game…….that’s what solid, hard working players get you…….”in every game”. On the other hand, highly skilled athletes close games and make plays to win. That’s what NWG doesn’t have now and doesn’t have very often. If you don’t get that NWG has solid, hard working kids and not highly skilled athletes you’re not watching the results year after year in basketball and football.
#1 – Stop worrying about your kid’s college prospects…..mom’s and dad’s can not worry or complain their kids way to D1.
#2 – If your kid is a player…..colleges will find them regardless of the HS teams record. They’ll have great summer of AAU, etc. If they’re not a player……please note #1.
#3 – Relax and enjoy the games and your kids ability to play HS ball and compete as opposed to the non-sports alternatives. NWG is not an athletic factory……stop putting it on the coaches for your kid’s inability to compete at the highest level in highly athletic sports.
The NWG parents ran Mike Everett off and now it looks like some of them are trying to do the same thing with Coach Bloom. At least Mike stuck around and I believe he still teaches at NWG, but if you want to do well and at least finish the season on a positive note, I feel you need to stand behind your coach.
Coach Bloom has a good staff and unfortunately things are not going their way right now, but with the Conference Tournament coming up, it is still anybody’s game….
NWG has never been a powerhouse for boy’s basketball except the first year the school opened back around 1966 and they won the State Title or made it to the finals that year, with Roger Nelson as the coach.
NWG was a contender when Rusty Larue was there with Jason Ferguson and crew and then the Vikings had a solid run with the Matt Bohlander, Jamie Hemmingway squad that was in contention for the Metro 4-A title with Coach Anthony Long, back around 1999ish….
Maybe NWG is just not that good and your expectations are too high. There is a big difference in the Colfax, Oak Ridge, Summerfield, Stokesdale ball that the kids play, compared to when they move up to the Varsity level…..
NWG has some sound/funamentally grounded players, but are those kids strong physically, I not so sure about that…..I don’t see any Bohlander-type kids on this team.
It is all finesse type action and who is really in there mixing it up in the middle of the lane, like a Rashad Sweeney at Grimsley.
NWG loves the outside approach and when those shots are not falling it can be a long night. With the bad weather and no practice, that can kill a team that needs to shoot and shoot and shoot to get warm and be ready prior to game day.
A power team will be ready to hit the hole and there is no finesse to what that type of team does. With shooters and I have seem it myself over the years, it may take 4-5, maybe even six hours to get warm and you need that type of shooting time every day….
On snow days we used to be at the gym from 9 in the morning until 5 or six in the afternoon and it helps when you have a private school gym to go to and back in the day, since I was the coach, I had the keys….We would shoot all day with a one-hour break for lunch…..
Free throw shooting is like that too, we all know that. A good/decent free throw shooter will shoot 200-300 a day and at least 100 of those will be done while keeping a % track. Always easier to hit the numbers with % when you use the 100 mark as your standard…..
The NWG kids are good kids, but maybe and just maybe they are not outstanding basketball players yet and hopefully that may come in time, but historically speaking, NWG has not a powerhouse in boys basketball.
Will that change? It may, but you may have to get some tougher kids in there and find a gym rat or two in the mold of a Rusty Larue.
Who are the NWG great players over the years????? There have not been a large number of them, and what about Rusty’s kids? Does he have any sons that might be headed toward NWG? Maybe he doesn’t live in the district now, but you would think he might move back in the area to help out his old school.
I remember his family was in the East Forsyth district and his brother Chan went to East and then I guess they moved to NWG territory, because Rusty and his sister Katie attended NWG…..
Coach Bloom is not on the clock. He deserves the chance to try and turn this thing around. What is this, his second year?????
Any of this make any sense?
I know it is a lot to read, but I am trying to give this an honest and fair breakdown…..
Chan Larue went to Glenn—They never lived in the NWG district. they only went to NWG—Hmmm!!!!!
Eddie,
I had heard the same thing on the moves to NWG over the years, but double-check on Chan.
I may be losing it, but I thought I remembered seeing him in an East Forsyth uniform playing football against Page one Friday night.
I could be mistaken, but that was always on my mind, as Mr. Nelson(Willie not Roger) used to say…
I thought Chan Larue was at East Forsyth and I remember him for football for some reason…..
Maybe Chan Larue was a young assistant coach with East Forsyth?
I could have sworn he was with them the first time I saw those guys at Page.
For those that think Bloom is the right guy for the job, obviously have never had a child play for him. Should have never been hired, were there’s smoke there’s FIRE. You would be hard pressed to find a player or parent of a player that has any respect for the guy.
I’m sure some are looking for other places to play next year and others that will gut it out because NWG is a great school.
IN MY OPINION – He’s selfish, it’s all about HIM and not the program. He’s a con man and would make a good bookie.
Take a look at the comments from the article in the Palm Beach Post in which he is being sued for over 100K. Find the quotes from open your eyes and for himself. Bottom line…the NWG boys deserve better.
I go to NWG high school and i can tell you the parents dont like him and that the players want him gone and mike everette back at head coachi know this because i am friiends and speak with them everyday in school
Well, that’s just too bad—you people think you can choose everybody else’s b’ball coach. Now, just live with the one you have.
After all, your AD indicated he had conducted a national search and had vetted this individual on 15-20 occasions or did he say one person had recommended him 15-20 times?
Andy,
Not all the parents ran Everett out. There were a select few and they are now gone and we are trying to move on. Parents sure do have a lot to do with a coach being successful at NW. When you have a parent that calls the coach every time HER child is benched or does not start a game the pressure starts to build no matter who the coach is. For instance, after last nights loss this same parent took it upon herself to enter the boys locker room to ream out the coach because her child did not play the whole game. Truth is he is not a very good player at this stage of his life and the players and coaches realize this and are trying to adjust. She nor any parent has any business entering a boys locker room to confront the coach. And to have to have your own child practically pull her off the coach. It is embarrassing for the child. Does she not understand what that does to not only her child but to the rest of the team. It is uncalled for and someone at the school needs to get her under control. She needs to know she is the laughing stock because of her actions. We all know how she bullies every coach that her child has had. How is a child/player supposed to play to their potential if MOMMY keeps butting in????? We always hear about children being punished for being bullies she needs to be punished. She should be banned from stepping foot in any gym for the rest of the year so the TEAM can focus on the rest of the season and not have to worry about their coach being attacked after every loss!!
Again, bashing the coach. Dean Smith couldn’t coach this team up to play the other schools in this county……Dudley, NG, Oak Ridge, etc, etc.
Whether Bloom is a great coach or not is not the issue (yes I’ve seen them play and know NWG sports very well)…..we need to relax and realize that NWG doesn’t roll out top athletes so we better accept that and enjoy the ride with our HS players……not ruin it for them.
By the way, my son plays ball at NWG, so I’m not bashing…..I’m being realiztic in general.
For those above mentioning or referring to kids that we all know about…….please stop!!
Did a mom really enter the locker room after the game? If this did happen, that mom really needs to do a little self evaluation. Maybe a few games away is in order.
You’re right..it doesn’t matter if Manny is a good coach or not. Maybe he’ll grow up someday.
It’s starting to get rough in here on some of the players, the coach and parents.
I wish this were like Hoosiers and we could say like Jimmy did, Coach Stays, I play, Coach goes, I go…..
Who should I start if I were the NWG coach….Based on what I was seeing earlier and I haven’t seen them since MLK Day at the Coliseum, I would say the starting lineup would probably be:
Pawlowski
Clary/Lucas
Vebber
Elwood/Haack and I would guess Coble
I would also be looking at Reed Lucas maybe in a equal rotation with Hunter Clary and they may rotate in the starting lineup….Lucas has played well all year long in my estimation….The Haack/Elwood rotation would important too with Haack giving us some more length and Elwood able to light it up at times from the corners and elsewhere outside…..
Berger, Haack, Everette, Hartman and others coming in off the bench…..
Let’s just assume that I am now coaching the team….Do you have any suggetions for me and let’s try and defer your frustrations away from the coach and put them on me now.
Give me some ideas for how you would see this team going and I am going by the team web site and see if I can pull in some names of other players that I have left out.
Open meeting, I am the coach and what ideas do you have for me and most importantly, let’s be tough on the kids, but let’s respect them and their families as well and not start trashing people.
If you are going to trash someone, trash me, I need to take garbage out in the morning anyway….
I am going over and study my roster and I’ll be back in here in a few….
If we get ugly in here at the team meeting, then we’ll have to put a close on the comments…..
Let me know more about this team and where do you see us going beginning on Monday….
With our lineup we need some heighth in there, but we have to stick to our guns and if you’re not playing hard then you will not continue to see action and we will not have any outside interference in our locker room…..
I wish I could find a kid the size of Ralph Kitley out there somewhere…..That fellow was a horse who played like a bear……
There is something wrong if an AD does not prevent that kind of display in my opinion. If this is true, then there should be some kind of suspension from the Guilford county schools. If you read the “Fair Play” rules, that type of behavior should be dealt with and I mean strongly. Why isn’t the foolish old woman even embarrassed. I wonder where her wimpy husband was, or was he in the abckground pulling the strings.
Andy, your idea is very juvenile, by the way.
One vote against.
Now I know how the coach feels.
Why can’t you fans just let us do our job…..
*****And on another, No other students in the gym while we are practicing. Practice time is the coaches time and game time is time for the players to show they know what we have been teaching them.
We will have the gym from say 6:30pm till 8pm each day on non-game days…..*****
I wish people would let the young men play ball and coach Bloom coach. It is very disappointing as a fan to read everyone’s comments. I have been to many of the NWG games, I think they play the best they can play and with a lot of heart. We don’t really have any eye catching stars on our team. They all play as a team. As it goes, there is no “I” in team. If it is about you or your child, then maybe he ought to play golf or a sport where it all weights on his own shoulders. If you are a parent that makes waves, then you already have a reputation where ever you go. I am a parent who has children who play sports at NWG and I have had to bite my tongue on many occasions. It is definitely the best for you the parent and for your child. NWG is great school. Some of our athletic programs are great and some are average. My main focus of NWG is academics. If your athlete is a good student then being a good athlete is a bonus. PARENTS just enjoy the time you have to watch your child play the sport they love and sit back and enjoy the ride. In a few years, it will all be over and you only wished you had it back again. College sports are not for every athlete. We all need to put in perspective the reality of it all. GO VIKES! I am one of your biggest fans!
Andy,
I would agree with your lineup. NW seems to have a lot of solid players but lack the great player. What separates them from the really good teams is a finisher. If you have to a score or a stop, there is no one that you can consistently count on to get you either. Dudley has PJ that will score and Reggie to shut someone down. Northern can always count of Frye or Berry when they need a big play. NW lacks the intangables that you do not get from a Coach. Just my opinion but they need to be tougher mentally and physically. An open shot does not translate into a good shot and you must defend and block out strong. Good luck to them the rest of the way.
I am going to go ahead and close the comments on this one over night and and let it chill for a while.
We will look at opening it back up on Saturday…
Often times the over-night crew gets a little adventerous….