With basketball season in full swing and district play ramping up, UCR’s Rusty Ellis and Michael Lindsay have graded each team’s performance to this point. Grades were decided upon using multiple factors including win-loss records, quality of wins and preseason expectations for each school.
Tigerettes: C
Overall Record: 4-10 (0-3)
Key Win: At Gordonsville
Reasoning: It’s been a tough start to the year for first-year head coach Kailyn Thompson, but it hasn’t been without its bright spots. The team battled a very spirited Gordonsville team on the road and came away with a win, in addition to wins over Trousdale County, Jackson County and East Robertson, but an 0-3 start to district play has the Tigerettes in an unfavorable position in the season’s most important stretch.
How to Improve: Constant growth and playing the spoiler for other big teams. There are moments where the improvement from last season to now for the Tigerettes is very clear. They’ve already surpassed last season’s win total, so the key at this point is finding consistency for a full 32 minutes.
Tigers: C+
Overall Record: 5-11 (0-3)
Key Wins: At Westmoreland, Bledsoe County
Reasoning: Like Thompson, first-year boys head coach Michael Owens has had his ups and downs with the Tigers. They’ve also surpassed their win totals from a year ago, but just like the Tigerettes, they sit at 0-3 in district play thus far. They’ve competed and they’ve got some good wins, but it’s clear there’s still more room to grow for the Tigers.
How to Improve: Play the spoiler in the district and cut down on turnovers. The Tigers will have tough games night in and night out in 7AAA, but they’ve shown the ability to stay with teams as long as they value possessions. Turnovers are a killer for any team, so improving on that will lead to better showings for Owens’ squad.