The Hocking seems to be in a bit of shambles right now. Eastern beat Waterford and Fed Hock. Trimble beat Belpre. Eastern seems to be the only team that has had any consistency so far. The Lancers are banged up and, honestly, are probably missing the assistant coach. Waterford is unsettled on a rotation and, honestly, are probably missing the assistant coach. Belpre is just, well, Belpre at this point. Eastern seems to have a new confidence and they have some talent to go with that. Not sure what the rest of the year brings but the conference is feeling the winds of change.
TVC Hocking outlook based on these first few weeks.
Federal Hocking
Led by Cottrill, one of the league’s top players.
Strong supporting trio: Walker, Ballew, and Tabler.
Depth and size on the bench could be better utilized to dominate rebounding.
In control of their destiny, but still searching for that missing “spark.”
Waterford
Facing a down year with the loss of Hilverding from the coaching duo and last year’s three seniors (Wagner, Sury & Smithberger).
Relying on speed and defense, but lacking varsity experience and leadership.
Freshmen are promising, yet struggles against Southern raise concerns.
Tough schedule ahead—may hover around .500 unless growth accelerates.
Eastern
Surprising resurgence with standout players: #3 PG (playmaker, floor leader) and #21 Simpson.
Effective zone defense that disrupted Waterford.
Could challenge Federal Hocking for the top spot if momentum continues.
Belpre
Anchored by Miller and Bills.
Coaching changes have sparked positive development.
Potential dark horse—likely to improve and gel as the season progresses.
Trimble
Showing steady improvement after several down years.
Progress is visible, though not yet at contender level.
Building toward long-term competitiveness.
Federal Hocking still looks like the favorite, but Eastern’s surge and Belpre’s dark horse potential make the race much more interesting than expected. Waterford’s dynasty may indeed be fading, while Trimble is slowly climbing back into relevance.
Depth and bench usage could be the deciding factor for Federal Hocking, while Eastern’s guard play might be the X-factor in upsetting the balance.
Just 2-3 games in and everyone has at least one conference loss and everyone but Southern with at least one conference win. 1-5 Belpre on the edge of the cliff gives the lone unbeaten (Eastern) their first loss. I’d say its a bit crazy.
Saw the belpre vs eastern score and it definitely shocked me. Taking nothing away from belpre, but i had eastern winning by at least 15. Great win for the now 2-5 eagles.
If we could ever hire a good coach we have the players to dominate. I would like to know when the last time was that we hired even a decent coach in anything. I can’t remember any so it has been a long time no doubt.
A good coach can take a good team and make them great. Sorry to hear this.
Seems as though things are settling in. Federal Hocking settling in and I look for them to win out in the league.
Eastern looks like they aren’t a fluke and should be able to secure 2nd.
Waterford is just unknown. Did Hilverding really make that big of a difference?
Belpre is, well Belpre. Kids, parents,coaches. Who knows.
Trimble has done a nice job to get back to being competitive. Wouldn’t shock me to see them get to third by year end.
FH should win out.
Eastern and Waterford will be in contention for 2nd.
Belpre looked like a solid 2nd but they start out well then fall off after a big loss or something affects their team.
Your comment about hilverding? I would have to say he made a huge difference with in-game adjustments. It was really interesting watching them coach together over the years.
Over the years. Hilverding always was all in on the first 3-4 minutes of the game then adjustments were made. Excellent at what he brought to the team and the players.
Close is good at coaching his players- getting the most out of each of them- exposing their strengths and using players in situations where their strengths help the team win.
The win over eastern - he put a smaller faster lineup in. They played zone. Threw the Eagles off their game. Eastern is good and played all the way to the end. Young coach vs a seasoned veteran coach was evident tonight.
Great preparation by the wildcats.
^ Not only did it throw Eastern off their game but I heard they been lifting them danged weights and we all know that throws off your shot.
W atched the Eastern/Meigs district championship game and I have to say I’m impressed with the turnaround of the Eastern program. Just a few years ago they were winning fewer than 10 games, and this season has turned into somewhat of a Cinderella run.
I was able to catch several of their games this season and it really makes you wonder what changed. There’s a new, young head coach and quite a few new faces that weren’t part of the well-known junior high classes that were coming up through the program. Credit where it’s due — something clearly clicked for them this year.
I did hear through the grapevine that the head coach also coaches AAU and that several of the new faces played on his team, which may explain some of the chemistry and familiarity they seem to have on the floor.
One thing I will say, though — and this is just my observation — the new coach might want to work on showing respect to opposing coaches. I watched several games where he did not go through the handshake line with the opposing coach after the game, and most of those were losses. The one that really stood out was the game at Waterford where he didn’t go through the line.
Maybe there were circumstances I didn’t see, but when you split the series with one of the more successful coaches in the TVC girls league and don’t even shake the man’s hand after the game, it doesn’t come across well.
Eastern looks like they can continue to be successful moving forward, but moments like that are important. High school sports are about setting the right example for the players as much as they are about winning games.
Got you a couple digs in there subtly didn’t you. It wasn’t lost on me. There’s a new sheriff in town, so get used to it. And thanks for the back hander. I’m sure the coach would welcome your suggestions if you want to settle it up with him face to face. Have a happy day.
I’ve been watching Eastern for about 10 years and they’ve struggled to find a coach who will stay and build the program. Kudos to them for going out and finding a young coach. I truly hope, for the sake of their program, that he sticks around and helps develop it long term.
That said, it’s important to set a good example for your players, future players, and the school. One thing that has always been part of the game is respect between coaches. Win or lose, coaches shake hands.
Go to any big game and watch. Coaches shake hands, talk, and even joke around before games. I was at a girls game earlier this year where several schools were scouting, and the coaches were all standing around talking and shaking hands—even programs that have faced each other in big games. Rivals. State runs. These coaches respect each other on and off the court. Respect is respect.
I’m not throwing shade or taking digs. A good coach teaches lifelong skills, and one of the biggest ways to do that is by leading through example. Being a young coach you often make mistakes and you learn from them. We all have looked back at something we have done and learned from it. Hopefully this guy will see that having these veteran coaches on your side - rivals or not is a bonus and respecting them will pay dividends in the long run.
Sidenote:
it’s good to see the TVC improving. On the girls side there were three strong teams at the top this year, and those programs will continue to compete.
I’m sure he’d love to hear your advice. So next time you see him go up and tell him what you think instead of posting it on here behind a computer screen where you can get your digs and slights in. Or, you could accept his team’s success with some humility and just congratulate them and leave it at that.