A class system for hoops?

[Ironlung]

The real question is: Are we in this for the fans and money or for the kids who participate?

Kids should come first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're right, the kids should come first!

Ask any kid in a smaller school who's experienced the State Tournament as it is now if he wants to strive to get there or he wants to see 4 seperate tournaments which would be nothing like the atmosphere at Rupp now. I really think the majority would want to keep it as is.

Most kids won't get a chance to experience "cutting down the nets", only a select few will. Let's not take away their ability to experience the dream of getting to the greatest show on earth. That's what sets our State Tourament apart from every other, the dream of getting there.

I would be willing to bet that kids from Holy Cross, Brossart, NCC, St Henry,Newport and many others would not want to trade that dream for an A or AA State Championship. They have the perfect senario now with the possibility of winning the All A and still being eligible for the State Tournament.

Do all the other states have it wrong? Yes, they do! Indiana is the perfect example.

[BGGreen]

Having four state champions is like kissing your sister. The way basketball does it is the best, you seperate the best from the best and find out who comes out on top.

 

 

So you're saying that Mercer County, Newport Central Catholic and Covington Catholic aren't state champions because they didn't beat Trinity?? Or is Trinity not the state champs because they didn't beat CovCath & the others?? :confused:

[BGGreen]

You're right, the kids should come first!

Ask any kid in a smaller school who's experienced the State Tournament as it is now if he wants to strive to get there or he wants to see 4 seperate tournaments which would be nothing like the atmosphere at Rupp now. I really think the majority would want to keep it as is.

Most kids won't get a chance to experience "cutting down the nets", only a select few will. Let's not take away their ability to experience the dream of getting to the greatest show on earth. That's what sets our State Tourament apart from every other, the dream of getting there.

I would be willing to bet that kids from Holy Cross, Brossart, NCC, St Henry,Newport and many others would not want to trade that dream for an A or AA State Championship. They have the perfect senario now with the possibility of winning the All A and still being eligible for the State Tournament.

Do all the other states have it wrong? Yes, they do! Indiana is the perfect example.

 

They seem pretty happy about it in football at say NCC or Beechwood?? I've seen some pretty happy kids from St. Henry or Brossart after winning a state title in classified track or cross country?? I love the Sweet Sixteen too, but reality is such that the medium to small schools seldom have a chance!!

 

This is why you go into many gyms who celebrate their one "regional winner" or once in a lifetime "regional runner-up" team with pictures or a banner!! Few teams even have a basketball banner which has a spot for state titles won?? Even a periennal basketball powerhouse such as CovCath (who does at least have a location on their hoops' banner for an eventual state championship) seems to celebrate their regional winners, with little hope of adding the big banner one day!!

[BGGreen]

Here's a link to the past state champions:

 

http://www.khsaa.org/records/basketball/boyspastwinners.pdf

 

Don't see many Hoosier's stories on there?

[Ironlung]

They seem pretty happy about it in football at say NCC or Beechwood?? I've seen some pretty happy kids from St. Henry or Brossart after winning a state title in classified track or cross country?? I love the Sweet Sixteen too, but reality is such that the medium to small schools seldom have a chance!!

 

This is why you go into many gyms who celebrate their one "regional winner" or once in a lifetime "regional runner-up" team with pictures or a banner!! Few teams even have a basketball banner which has a spot for state titles won?? Even a periennal basketball powerhouse such as CovCath (who does at least have a location on their hoops' banner for an eventual state championship) seems to celebrate their regional winners, with little hope of adding the big banner one day!!

We're not talking about football, track or cross country. Those sports never had and never will have a Sweet 16. That's what makes basketball in Kentucky so unique.

Yes, the small schools seldom have a chance to win it, but I still don't think they would want to change it.

Yes, CovCath celebrates their regional winners as does every other school, because they got the CHANCE to play in the Sweet 16!

[BGGreen]

We're not talking about football, track or cross country. Those sports never had and never will have a Sweet 16. That's what makes basketball in Kentucky so unique.

Yes, the small schools seldom have a chance to win it, but I still don't think they would want to change it.

Yes, CovCath celebrates their regional winners as does every other school, because they got the CHANCE to play in the Sweet 16!

 

Other than the argument "because that's always the way we've done it", a line of thinking that has killed literally thousands of companys, institutions, endeavours, etc. over the years; what is different about the success of multiple classes in other sports and virtually every other state??

[Big K 61]

Here's a link to the past state champions:

 

http://www.khsaa.org/records/basketball/boyspastwinners.pdf

 

Don't see many Hoosier's stories on there?

I think that is what makes the Hoosier story so great!! The fact it doesn't happen very often.

[BGGreen]

I think that is what makes the Hoosier story so great!! The fact it doesn't happen very often.

 

My point exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[UKCATSFAN]

Then how can you say you want to see a class system and ruin the whole experience?

 

 

It wouldn't ruin the experience of a state championship tournament. I like to Sweet 16 experience the way it is but that's not enough reason to keep it if it's unfair to the kids. That's probably the worst reason. The kids are the most important thing and not whether or not you and I have a good time at the tournament.

[coachi]

I love the arguments "lets not change....let's keep things the way they always have been"....then in the same breath, it is said "i think seeding is the only way to go". If they had seeded the district in "Hoosiers", there would have never been a movie, cause Jimmy Chitwood's last big shot would have probably been taken in the first round of the district, and they would have lost in a subsequent round...

[UKCATSFAN]

I love the aura of a "one class" championship, it's always great to see a small school make it to Rupp. Is it fair, no, but nothing in life is fair, you cut the pie into four slices and you'll still have teams at a disadvantage, there will always be the top dog and the bottom feeder no matter how many classes.

 

 

But it would be fair!! That's what matters the most. The kids.

[UKCATSFAN]

Having four state champions is like kissing your sister. The way basketball does it is the best, you seperate the best from the best and find out who comes out on top.

 

 

That's ridiculous. Maybe that would be the case if every school in KY had the exact amount of kids in their school. But they don't, so you have classes to make a fair playing field for all.

 

It's unfair to the kids in the current system. It almost seems as though the Sweet 16 is solely for the entertainment of the people and that's all the KHSAA cares about, the almighty dollar. Who cares what people like or dislike, you have to take the kids and fairness into account.

[NEERFAN]

I didn't play for a small school and we never made it, actually we were beat out by a "A" school, and that "A" school made it to the semis losing to Tates Creek, I bet those kids from HC were very proud to have made it to Rupp after beating two schools with 1K plus enrollment. In my case I wish they would have had seperate classes since the "small school" beat us, the current system isn't always fair to the big boys either. It won't affect my school if they ever split, just more kids will have a trophy, but those same kids won't have the chance to experience the big show as it is today.

[HDE]

Around half the teams in the state qualify for the All "A" Classic. The small schools always have a shot at that state title, and for those of us who live in communities that have won them, it is treated like a state championship.

 

Those teams (and kids) that won All "A" titles would have been disappointed if they weren't given a shot at competing for the ultimate state championship. Harlan got to the semifinals in 1995. Winning another Class A title would not have meant as much as playing on Saturday morning in Rupp against PRP.

[UKCATSFAN]

You're right, the kids should come first!

Ask any kid in a smaller school who's experienced the State Tournament as it is now if he wants to strive to get there or he wants to see 4 seperate tournaments which would be nothing like the atmosphere at Rupp now. I really think the majority would want to keep it as is.

Most kids won't get a chance to experience "cutting down the nets", only a select few will. Let's not take away their ability to experience the dream of getting to the greatest show on earth. That's what sets our State Tourament apart from every other, the dream of getting there.

I would be willing to bet that kids from Holy Cross, Brossart, NCC, St Henry,Newport and many others would not want to trade that dream for an A or AA State Championship. They have the perfect senario now with the possibility of winning the All A and still being eligible for the State Tournament.

Do all the other states have it wrong? Yes, they do! Indiana is the perfect example.

 

 

I disagree. I think they would trade the dream of JUST getting there to a dream of WINNING a championship whether it be A, AA, AAA, AAAA. Do you know what it feels like to be part of a state championship winning team? It's undescribable. I've been a part of both(not as a player but as a part of the program), a state championship winning football team and a regional winning and I know what feels better. Don't get me wrong, going to Rupp is a big deal and it was a great experience to be part of but winning the championship is on another level.