Football classes, why not basketball?
I often think about this and sometimes ask myself why football is now in a 6-class system and basketball continues to stay the way it is. I love the Sweet Sixteen and attended about every one of them throughout high school and absolutely loved that week of basketball. However, what is the justification of classing in football and not basketball.
They do have the all “A” this week in Richmond and I think it is a great tournament, but why don’t we class and do this at the end of the year. This is also a scheduling nightmare for the schools who are in the all “A” tournament. You run the risk of going over your game limit and you better hope there are coaches who will let them out of contracts to stay within the game limits. I think Somerset has run into that and had to cancel a game with Boyle Co. and luckily Judy has been in this tournament before and knows where coach Akins is coming from and let him out.
If we were in a four class system, why couldn’t you take the top four teams of each class and still have the Sweet Sixteen. You could let the 4 teams from each class play until you have a winner from each class and then crown an overall winner. Once you have the four classes crowned then let the winner of 1A play the winner of 3A and then let the winner of 2A play the winner of 4A and then let the two winners play for all the marbles.
I think a lot of the reason is money and what the Sweet Sixteen brings each year, but I contest that you would make more $ if you had teams from each class representing the tournament. For some reason we won’t touch basketball and it may be the bread and butter of funds for KHSAA, but why not try it?
I also question, sometimes, why football is classed and basketball is not? Is it because at bigger schools they have more and bigger athletes to choose from? Well, wouldn’t that apply to basketball as well? Now football is in 6 classes and to win your class you have to be better than what 36 or 37 schools? In basketball you have to be better than all of them. To win the region you have to beat the big dogs as well as the smaller schools — in other words size does not matter and it confuses me. There may be a great explanation and keep in mind I am a basketball coach, but I love football and I really enjoyed watching the Titans bring home the 2A hardware.
I am sure some of you football coaches can explain this to me about football, but who can explain why basketball does not?
Coach Stonebraker—give me some insight on this!!
Until next week, keep your head up and shoot with confidence!!
Chris, I have been wondering and pondering the exact thing of why not have the 4 class system just as you have it. It would give us 4 class champions and also an overall champion. Maybe you need to get on the KHSAA board of control and try to get this going. I cannot see how it could possibly affect the big money they now make from the state basketball tourney. I quite possibly could help it. Also it would need to be the entire student population and not the silly male only population like they did the new football classes. That was done only to get around the public school vs. private school debate. Good article once again.
Coach Souder,
I enjoyed your comments on classification. I, as you know, coach high school baseball at Mercer County. I have been asking some of the same questions for years. Kentucky is the only state that does not classify baseball. Why is that? Are we that far behind? Are we that backward? It makes no sense! I would love to hear a logical answer to why that is. I know that baseball is not a big revenue sport, but why not classify and try to bring more teams and fans to the state tournament. There is no way that a small school should have to compete with a big school. In baseball you have to field 9 different players and can’t sub freely. You also need at least 3 dominant pitchers to win it all. Tell me a small public school that has all of this? We are rewarding the large school and private schools with no classification. Give the kids a chance to compete against schools their own size. Baseball is a sport where so much depends on what is on the mound. It is not a single elimination sport. The region should be a double elimination tournament. We should take a look around to see what other states are doing. I don’t think that we’ve out smarted the other states by not classifying baseball. (or basketball…..Sorry, Coach!!)
I definitely think that the move to 6 classes will benefit KY HS football. The move, itself, does beg the question that you ask cencerning the classification of other sports. I wrote a blog entry concerning this and you and I both know that basketball could definitely be classified. I actually think that more money could be made (for both schools and the KHSAA) if basketball were classified.
Personally, I think the tradition of the Sweet 16 plays a huge role in the fact that there is not a big movement to classify hoops. As I stated in my blog entry I think that you could find plenty of basketball coaches that would favor classyfing hoops. However, many administrators I have talked to about this have balked at the idea and the tradition of the Sweet 16 often comes up as the reason.
You mention a scenario that Indiana used when first classifying hoops in their state. I believe they had 4 classes and the winner played each other in what they called the ‘tournament of champions.’ I am sure that model could be followed here, also. One factor in lobbying to classyfing hoops would be that the vast majority of boys and girls basketball coaches would have to be in agreement on a scenario to use and sell administrators on the idea. In football, adding two games to championship weekend will not change sponsorship issues much and we won’t have to worry about venues previous to the state final weekend. However, if you have 4 classes in hoops then do you play each ’state’ tournament at one site or split them up? If you are looking at multiple sites then there will be a hefty increase in rental fees for venues, security, personell, etc. How will this affect sponsorships? If you play all four at one site then you may have to divide each class into 4 regions where only 4 teams from each class make it to the ‘big dance.’ That may be more feasible logistically, but it will be a hard sell to the larger schools in the state who will essentially be giving up spots in the ‘big dance’ to smaller schools. Also, how will district and region tourneys be set up? There would be alot of variables to be worked out in that plan before you would get something that the Board of Control might take a serious look at.
I think there would be many more issues to deal with in hoops than there are in football’s postseason change. But, I think it will someday have a shot because it is financially feasible for the schools. As I stated in my earlier blog entry if I were a principal I don’t think I would support adding classes to any sports other than football, basketball, or volleyball because it would not be prudent financially. Athletic budgets are tight enough as it is without voting for changes that will cost schools more money. It shouldn’t come down to just money, but as you know it is a key variable. As I said earlier, I think that the best chance for basketball to be classified would come through a great unification of girls and boys coaches on one single plan. It may get shot down a time or two (as happened in Indiana), but I think there would be a really good chance to eventually get it worked in.