LakeNormanFan
03-02-03, 09:12 AM
A suggestion to the NCHSAA: Please make decisions based upon improving your sports programs rather than making them based on making money.
THE PROBLEM: Last year your group decided to play the sectionals on "home and away" sites as opposed to neutral sites. To decide who got the home court advantage (and it's a BIG ADVANTAGE) a coin was tossed before the season even started to "predetermine" which conference had priority in case of seeding ties (example: #1 seed in TriCounty vs. #1 seed in NPC). Was this decision made to improve the tournament? NO. Was this decision made to make money? YES.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR: In the 3A Mens Bracket, undefeated, #1 in the state, nationally ranked West Rowan went on the road to Sun Valley. What a reward for a undefeated season!!!! In the NCHSAA, no good deed goes unpunished!!! But wait, it gets better: Sun Valley's gym was so small that players' parents were being turned away due to the early sell-out. Way to go NCHSAA! (because of some last second heroics by WR's principal, the folks got in anyway)
WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR: In the 3A Mens Bracket, undefeated, #1 in the state, nationally ranked West Rowan goes on the road to Trinity. What a reward for a undefeated season!!!! In the NCHSAA, no good deed goes unpunished!!! Does this sound familiar?? Ever heard of learning from your mistake ?The NCHSAA expects thier athletes to learn, why don't they lead by example??? Even Major League baseball learned after a similar playoff format in 1995 proved to be a disaster.
A SIMPLE SOLUTION: I still prefer the neutral sites (it's a great reward in itself for a program to play at local colleges and large high-school gyms), but if the home/away format is needed to increase revenue, use the "predetermined conference" tie-breaker based upon seeding AND both teams' loss record. Furthermore, if you have more than 1 undefeated team in a region, don't put them in the same sectional.
Trinity HS has a great basketball team (top 5 all season) and is capable of knocking off WR, but because of the NCHSAA, a victory over the Falcons Monday will be forever "tainted" in many peoples' minds.
ps - I could start a thread about this past season's expanded football format but I'm sure it's already been done (another bad NCHSAA idea)
THE PROBLEM: Last year your group decided to play the sectionals on "home and away" sites as opposed to neutral sites. To decide who got the home court advantage (and it's a BIG ADVANTAGE) a coin was tossed before the season even started to "predetermine" which conference had priority in case of seeding ties (example: #1 seed in TriCounty vs. #1 seed in NPC). Was this decision made to improve the tournament? NO. Was this decision made to make money? YES.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR: In the 3A Mens Bracket, undefeated, #1 in the state, nationally ranked West Rowan went on the road to Sun Valley. What a reward for a undefeated season!!!! In the NCHSAA, no good deed goes unpunished!!! But wait, it gets better: Sun Valley's gym was so small that players' parents were being turned away due to the early sell-out. Way to go NCHSAA! (because of some last second heroics by WR's principal, the folks got in anyway)
WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR: In the 3A Mens Bracket, undefeated, #1 in the state, nationally ranked West Rowan goes on the road to Trinity. What a reward for a undefeated season!!!! In the NCHSAA, no good deed goes unpunished!!! Does this sound familiar?? Ever heard of learning from your mistake ?The NCHSAA expects thier athletes to learn, why don't they lead by example??? Even Major League baseball learned after a similar playoff format in 1995 proved to be a disaster.
A SIMPLE SOLUTION: I still prefer the neutral sites (it's a great reward in itself for a program to play at local colleges and large high-school gyms), but if the home/away format is needed to increase revenue, use the "predetermined conference" tie-breaker based upon seeding AND both teams' loss record. Furthermore, if you have more than 1 undefeated team in a region, don't put them in the same sectional.
Trinity HS has a great basketball team (top 5 all season) and is capable of knocking off WR, but because of the NCHSAA, a victory over the Falcons Monday will be forever "tainted" in many peoples' minds.
ps - I could start a thread about this past season's expanded football format but I'm sure it's already been done (another bad NCHSAA idea)