By Steve Williams
Austin-East and Chattanooga Brainerd boys basketball programs will have special interest in the TSSAA Board of Control’s decision Aug. 13 when it announces its decision regarding the second-year of a post-season ban those two programs are currently under for the brawl that occurred in a game between the two teams last season.
Both schools have taken steps to try and improve sportsmanship as well as make fans’ aware that their actions at games could result in sanctions and fines for their teams. Both A-E and Brainerd joined together to host sportsmanship clinics this summer – one in Knoxville and one in Chattanooga.
CARRYING THE LOAD: Knox County’s streak for having one of its teams make it to the TSSAA state finals in baseball continued again this year thanks to CAK’s state championship.
That streak has now reached 18 years in a row. Tommy Pharr’s Warriors have kept it alive the past two seasons.
JUST WRIGHT: We did a column recently on the role Tracy Miller-Davis plays as Knox County Schools Administrative Assistant in Athletics and Jody Wright, Fulton AD and longtime head basketball coach, sent in a nice follow-up comment of how Tracy assists coaches and athletic directors:
“Tracy is a jack of all trades with the Knox County athletic department,” started Wright. “She is organized and she knows what she is doing. She is not only very knowledgeable about what she is doing; she always has a smile and kind word for all of us. Very rarely have I ever called her that she didn’t know the answer. She is a blessing to the ADs and coaches in Knoxville.”
In her athletic duties, Miller-Davis works closely with Marion Quinn, part-time Athletics Specialist for KCS.
STORY TIME: We heard back from CAK grad Rebecca Story on June 23, after our feature series on all the local high schools’ Student-Athletes of the Year.
“I will miss running in Tennessee, but look forward to seeing all the future runners in our area continue to beat everyone across the State! I have started my summer cross country training with my Stanford coaches and head to Palo Alto on Aug. 30,” emailed Rebecca.
Story, by the way, won the Open Girls’ 800-meter run at the Music City Distance Carnival in early June with a PR time of 2:10.91.
LITTLE LEAGUE: Morristown will host this year’s Tennessee State Little League tournament, which gets underway Saturday, July 21 at Popkin Field.
This is the tourney for 12 year olds that leads all the way to Williamsport, Pa., and is televised every summer.
Maryville advanced out of District 6 with a 15-0 win over McMinn County in the finals at Karns on July 7. State host Morristown defeated Greeneville 9-3 in the District 4 title game July 13.
District champions from across Tennessee – from the Tri-Cities to Memphis – will play in the state with hopes and dreams of qualifying for the Southeast Region.
It’s a great summer attraction for fans that enjoy watching pure sports drama.
