I've put this thread in the basketball thread but it has applicability to other high school sports.

The standard high school basketball court is 84' by 50'. An NCAA court is 94' by 50'. Is it fair for high school kids to play their season on a court that is one size and then, come tournament time, to play on one that is bigger? I know plenty of games during the season are played on college-length courts such that probably most players have experience on the larger surface. It seems to me that if you are going to determine a high school champion, then high school rules should be used. I am also aware of the economics involved in playing in larger, college arenas. However, if I am not mistaken, years ago when the hgh schools played in Freedom Hall, the court was shortened to accommodate the high school length. To alter a court nowadays would be a floor-striping nightmare I would guess.

 

Do you feel that the longer court really makes much of a difference? If so, what style of team does it favor?

 

There is a similar example with playing on a college football field because the uprights are narrower and possibly (I"m not sure) the hash markings are different.

This is an interesting point. I actually think the issue with football with the goal posts being not as wide is not really fair for kickers at all. More so than the length of a court..........Kind of like making the baskets ever so slightly smaller. BTW what is the difference between a high school goal post and a collegiate goal post.

 

Thanks!

KHSAA has this as their solution to court size:

B) Dimensions of the Tournament Courts and Game Balls

1) The dimensions of the court on which the games will be played

will be determined by the size of the court at the designated

tournament site.

This is an interesting point. I actually think the issue with football with the goal posts being not as wide is not really fair for kickers at all. More so than the length of a court..........Kind of like making the baskets ever so slightly smaller. BTW what is the difference between a high school goal post and a collegiate goal post.

 

Thanks!

I didn't think High school and college goalposts were different, not sure though. NFL is around 5' narrower.

I didn't think High school and college goalposts were different, not sure though. NFL is around 5' narrower.

They are different.

Goal posts in both the NFL and college football are 18 feet 6 inches apart. The goal posts in college used to be 23 feet 4 inches wide but were reduced to the same width as the NFL in 1991. This is what I foudn so far. Now what is high school??????

Goal posts in both the NFL and college football are 18 feet 6 inches apart. The goal posts in college used to be 23 feet 4 inches wide but were reduced to the same width as the NFL in 1991. This is what I foudn so far. Now what is high school??????

23'4", I knew they were the same in years gone by, I wasn't aware of the 1991 change.

I didn't think High school and college goalposts were different, not sure though. NFL is around 5' narrower.

 

I don't know exact dimensions but the goal posts in college are about 4 feet narrower then high school posts. And I have more of an issue with this then the length of a basketball court. Over the years I have seen teams lose games in the playoffs on kicks that would have been good on HS posts but were just wide on college posts including 1 several years ago that hit the post and bounced back.

In basketball, for probably a good portion of the teams out there, there's probably little difference. However I think a team that has an effective full court press could have a slight advantage (after all, there's an extra 5 feet to move the ball into the front court now), while a team that does some half-court trapping may not be as effective just because that half-court line is further back and allows for much larger spacing out on top. Other than that, I don't know.

Hashmarks are different too. I am not sure about at WKU but I know a number of college stadiums have both the HS and college hashes marked in some way. To answer the question with the longer court I would expect a faster and up tempo team to gain an advantage

I remember clearly when the colleges changed because there were some smaller schools that opted to add 2 additional uprights inside the original ones so as not to have to replace the entire goalpost. I have often said that the KHSAA should demand as a condition of hosting the state football championships the host school or committee agrees to rent or buy temporary goalposts at the HS width. I know at Trinity they have a set that they use for the Toy Bowl since those games are played on a 70 yard field. If they can afford to do it then surely WKU or the BG committee could as well.