I'm going to hedge here.

 

The thoughts of a Scott County-Ballard finals makes me yawn, and other than a natural lack of sympathy for Scott County, I actually have no interest in who wins this game.

 

While there are often upsets, unless Holmes or Warren Central can spring an upset in the morning this entire Sweet Sixteen has been a formality and in effect it has become the Sweet Two.

 

Many of the smaller schools playing in the Sweet Sixteen will certainly take a lifetime of memories home with them and will always be their region's 2007 Champion.

 

Believe it or not, the All "A" State Tournament does take some of the futility out of never having the chance to win a statewide competition, and would be comparable to winning a classified KHSAA state tournament.

 

With having the "A" and also having a chance to be your region's champion and coming to Rupp to see how far you can ascend towards the mountaintop is a double benefit IMO for the smaller schools of the state.

 

Lets take the 2003 St. Henry Crusaders for example - won the "A" State, won the 9th (great honor) and came to Lexington with a real opportunity to win it all. Let's fantasize for a second and visualize the Cru beating Mason County and going on to replace them as the 2003 State Champ.

 

Would Coach Faust and his team, wish to not have had that opportunity, and have been relegated to a Class A only State Title??? I think not.

 

But we have to wade through the Scott Co - Ballard years all too often.

 

The Silver Groves, Ludlows, Bellevues, Beechwoods, and the many Christian schools of the world aren't going to compete for a classified A state KHSAA championship any more than they compete for an All "A" State Championship now.

 

So, for those rare opportunities when a Carlisle County, Edmondson County, or St. Henry do come along with an opportunity to win the unclassified state KHSAA state tournament I'd like to see them have their shot. In the meantime, we will set our goals to win the "A" State, our district, our region, and get to Rupp and see how far we can go once we get there, with the full understanding that the Scott Counties and Ballards of the world are the strong favorites and that we are distant longshots.

 

Great post Mustang, well said, and I agree. You will sse a class A school like St Henry or Bishop Brossart make a championship run in the future. These teams are well coached and give 100% every day. Oh no, did I open another can of worms. (public vrs. private):sssh:

Great post Mustang, well said, and I agree. You will sse a class A school like St Henry or Bishop Brossart make a championship run in the future. These teams are well coached and give 100% every day. Oh no, did I open another can of worms. (public vrs. private):sssh:

 

 

If you take out the University Heights World Basketball Academy team that won in '92 with a lineup of European Transfer students, name me a dreaded private Class "A" school that's won the Sweet Sixteen?? In fact if you examine the list of past state champions, you'll find very little "private" representation (about 2 in the last 45 years)??

 

Fact is if you look outside the weak regions with few larger schools (I'll apoligize in advance for this statement, but it's a fact that over half the regions could be won by the mid-range teams from the stronger regions in most years); the "A" type schools are competing ONLY for the honor of playing in the Sweet Sixteen, and have little realistic chance to win the whole thing!! "Hoosiers" was a successful story due to the rarity of the situation, and you'll find they seldom make movies about everyday occurances!!

Great post BG. I'm pretty sure most schools in this part of the state would be in favor of going to class basketball, especially the third and fourth regions because everyone knows the path to Rupp usually ends in Owensboro and Bowling Green.

Great post BG. I'm pretty sure most schools in this part of the state would be in favor of going to class basketball, especially the third and fourth regions because everyone knows the path to Rupp usually ends in Owensboro and Bowling Green.

 

Don't get me wrong, as I'm a HUGE fan of the smaller schools; and support several (one in particular) that have been able to admirably "compete" with their larger brethern in multiple sports, winning on many occasions. However, at the end of the day, somewhere along the road to a championship; a larger, better equiped and funded institution gets in the way on the road to the riches!!

 

This is true for even many of the larger schools I'm familiar with. Despite the success of a Covington Catholic or Holmes in NKY and around the state, how many basketball titles do they have?? How many football titles would CCH, Beechwood, NCC and Highlands have between them if they competed in a one class system?? Doubtful they'd have more than one or two, if any??

 

Once again, I understand the arguments about tradition, one true state champion, etc.; but also understand as long as you stay with this system, you'll see the small schools playing virtually only "to get there", and help create the European UHA's and old Rose Hill's of the world!!

If you take out the University Heights World Basketball Academy team that won in '92 with a lineup of European Transfer students, name me a dreaded private Class "A" school that's won the Sweet Sixteen?? In fact if you examine the list of past state champions, you'll find very little "private" representation (about 2 in the last 45 years)??

Actually, the UHA team that won it all in 1992 wouldn't qualify as the "World Basketball Academy" ... the only player with foreign ties on that team was Darren Allaway, who had originally come there from England, and it's my understanding that his parents (his mother was from Hopkinsville) was back in the states by then.

 

UHA was practically a branch of the foreign legion from the mid-80s until 1991.

I thought UHA had two foreign born players on that team. Where was Cline from?

Not sure that Cline was from Hopkinsville ... maybe Madisonville. Definitely not an international, though.

Scott County (consensus #1 all season) vs. Ballard (#2 most of the season) in the finals. Wow--This really is the "greatest show on earth" as many have said--Such suspense and excitement?? :rolleyes:

 

Regarding classed basketball, I believe now is about the time a good attorney would say "Ladies & Gentlemen--I rest my case"!!!!

The reasons for classifying are obvious- you have a better chance of getting 5-8 great players if you have 2000 students as opposed to 200. It might be more fair and give more kids an opportunity to compete and win, comparable to weight classification in wrestling- maybe. You would not expect the 103 guy to be able to defeat the guys in the heaviest weight classes at the state finals.

 

But, the tradition is strong, and basketball is NOT a numbers game- like football is without a doubt. You could not play 3 football games in 24 hours, like they do in basketball at the state tournament.

 

Also, in basketball, it is not uncommon for a team to win the title that has never won it before. In football that is rare.

 

Mason County won the state title basically with 8 kids that played- 2 were sophomores. Two of the juniors were division 1 athletes and of those, one was one of the greatest shooters ever to come out of the state.

 

In 93 and 94 at Paris, we had 5 or 6 kids that could have played for anyone in football. If there had been such a thing as 5 man football, for 2 seasons, we could have played with anyone in the state. In football the difference is when one team has 5 great players, and 5 good players. Your opponent may have 3 great players, but 25 good players. The one with the 25 will probably win in the 2nd half, and exploit the weaker links on the other team. I've been there more than once. Again, football is a big time numbers game unlike any other sport.

 

Classifying basketball might be the route to go, but the need to do so is not near as great as is required in football. And, there has been debate about the state of HS basketball in KY as of late. The premier athletic event in KY remains the Sweet 16. I am not sure how wise it would be to screw up the best thing going.

 

Being a Mason County fan, I know it is easy for me to say this because our school is one of the smaller schools that can win a title. I recognize that bias. If I were some where else, I might feel differently.

 

And, I hope that the All A fills that void to some extent for the schools that are smaller.

 

You can tell its March Madness- a football coaches' thoughts on basketball classification.

 

If I told you about the conversation in the football coaches' office last spring about the 10th region tournaments, you really wouldn't believe that one! :sssh:

LexCath and Jtown are 3A and Mason went 3A the year after they won it.

 

I think those examples only make the case stronger for class basketball.

EXACTLY, AS WE ALL SAW WHAT HAPPENED TOTHE SMALLER SCHOOLS THAT DID ADVANCE. THREE CLASSES WOULD BE PERFECT.

The Boy's Sweet 16 pays all the bills and salaries for the KHSAA.

And you ASSUME another format would not make money?

I'm still worn out from the other thread :lol: :lol: :lol: but I would like to try to make a couple of points.

 

For one, no one is wanting to take anything away from the larger schools or diminish the Sweet 16. Some of us just think that a more equitable system could be put into place that's more fair for everybody. Whether that's two classes, three, four or six we could debate all day.

 

Second, many who want to keep one class use the rationale that a small school will eventually make another run at state. I don't doubt that either. But that's like lumping every small school in the state into one "small school" team. I doubt Ballard Memorial got much of a thrill out of June Buchanan making the state tournament any more than a large school like Henderson County is tickled to see Scott County make it.

 

Third, there's a lot of talk from some about how the small schools love the challenge of playing the big schools. However, I've talked to lots of people at lots of small schools and that's not the response I get. Many consider the situation hopeless, which is a sorry state indeed.

 

Now I'm tired again...

Why would you mess things up by classing basketball? They have already did that with football by having 6 classes. It waters things down. Simply put, the small teams get their chance in the 1A stat tournament. Now a small school has a chance to win against teams around their size. If they do that they still have a chance to compete with the big boys as well and do what Paintsville has done.

No they won't. No the ones I've spoken to, which at last count is nearly three dozen. Corbin has tasted some success in the 13th Region, which only has three large schools. If Corbin played in the 8th District, the 4th District or the 14th District, I think they would be singing a different tune.

 

The 13th region has more than 3 large schools and Corbin's district has 2 4A teams in it, but I understand the point you are making. It's a whole lot different being a small school in the 13th region as opposed to say the 6th, 7th or 11th and one's perspective might change if put into a different situation.

Why would you mess things up by classing basketball? They have already did that with football by having 6 classes. It waters things down. Simply put, the small teams get their chance in the 1A stat tournament. Now a small school has a chance to win against teams around their size. If they do that they still have a chance to compete with the big boys as well and do what Paintsville has done.

 

Other than Paintsville and University Heights, which All-A champions have advanced to the Final Four at Rupp in the last 15-20 years? Those are the only two small schools that have won a state title in the last 30 years. You can throw in E-town if you want to expand the arguement to 1A and 2A schools that have won a state title in the last 30 years.