Why do you ask this? Here are the reasons why and if you are from Gate City you will not like to hear this but it is the truth. So turn away now if you do not want to read it. Both the GC boys and girls basketball teams are DONE!!!!
The run to repeat as state champions is over for the Lady Blue Devils. In the past few games that they have played, they have, like their male counterparts, played without any emotion or heart. The hunger that they showed last year collectively has vanished. The Blue Devils boys basketball team is also in the same boat. I tried to tell myself, in watching them play some before school started back in January and a little bit since, that this was just a slump of sorts that both teams were going through. After hearing different comments made by some of my friends up here as well as friends at other schools who have seen them play, it is evident to see that both Blue Devil basketball teams (boys and girls) are playing just to be playing. The teams they play, although very outmatched talented wise, are just more hungry and always play harder than the Blue Devil team ever thought of playing. I never dreamed I would be saying this at all about any teams from GC. But after hearing comments made by other people: reporters, other coaches, etc... about how average Gate City is now... I have come to have to agree that they are correct as much as I hate to even admit it.
For instance I will take this week's events for example. I wasn't able to attend the games up in Coeburn the other night because of a night class I have up here at King. I called a good friend of mine from UVA-Wise who went to watch a cousin of his play for Pound and he said that the team the Blue Devils put out on the floor would be lucky to win their first round game against whoever they play.
In his words, he said that, "this is the first Blue Devil team that I have seen play that actually looked soft as teddy bears. They strut and dunk and do all this stuff in warmups and then they play and you wonder for what reason the struts and stuff were for. If you had told me that Pound was the district champion and Gate City was the lower seeded team I would have believed you because Pound played like they were the champions of the Lonesome Pine."
When he said that I was shocked. Since I have talked to him, I have heard nothing else but negative things. The most telling thing I heard was from a reporter who was speaking of Gate City up at Honaker last night when I went the Black Diamond District semifinals with a buddy of mine from King. I knew those games probably were going to be good because we went to the JV Championship game at 4:30pm and the gym was packed out just for that game. Back to the reporter, a fan on the Twin Valley side asked him if he thought the Panthers could hang with Gate City if they met in the Region D Semifinals. And what he replied with told me all about the respect that people view the Blue Devils with now. His reply was, "Twin Valley looks pretty good and they do not get rattled very easily. If you want to know the truth, Twin Valley would beat Gate City by 20 because as talented as they are, the Blue Devils have a bunch of cupcakes for players. They do not play with any emotion and they look as if they could care less if they win or not. They are a team that could very well win the Region D Tournament next week, but, and I never thought I would ever say this of a Gate City team..... but they are heartless. You never see them really look like they care about their teammates and you never really see anyone really act like they care about who they are or anything. I fear that Gate City athletics has gone from having players who were hungry and were ready to fight for each other, to being a program full of arrogant, egotistical, self centered athletes who think that they are much better than they really are. The Gate City Blue Devils girls basketball team has went so far downhill that they will not have to worry about repeating as Group A State Champs this year. They will by far be lucky to get out of the state quarterfinals in my opinion. As for the boys basketball team, it is my belief that they will get beat by Norton in the LPD Finals by 17 and the girls will get beat by J.J. Kelly by 4 on Friday night if both teams are able to advance to the finals."
My friend went and talked to a coach that he knew from Honaker. He asked him about Gate City and why people are talking so negative about them. He said that he himself was surprised to hear about this but for him all the players at Honaker, they really didnt care because they were hungry for their own success. The Honaker coach also heard that the main drawback on what he has heard about the Blue Devils is that they dont play for each other and they just dont care about anyone but themselves. I asked him if that was really surprising and he said that it was but that he saw a little bit of it himself when they played the Blue Devils in a summer camp game. He said that you can look out on the court and there will not be anyone really being a leader for them out there. My prediction is that you will not have to worry about seeing Gate City because they won't be there. Their girls will not make the Region D Finals either because they are playing the same way. Its sad. They have athletes playing as if they have already won the entire thing. They are the most arrogant Gate City teams I have ever seen play in my life. That is really sad... they used to be respected for their heart and how hard they play. The heart with which Blue Devil teams are known to play with in the past... its gone. That is what set them apart from everyone else around. Now they are everyone else. Case closed."
Region D Tournament prediction
Gate City vs. Rye Cove --- winner Rye Cove
Norton vs. Honaker ------- winner Norton
Rye Cove vs. Twin Valley - winner Twin Valley
Norton vs. Castlewood ---- winner Norton
Norton vs. Twin Valley ---- Region D Champion Norton
Norton is THE BEST TEAM IN LPD AND REGION D!!!!!!!!
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