All A classic

What does a team get out of playing in the All A classic?

Is it worth playing in?

What does a team get out of playing in the All A classic?

 

Is it worth playing in?

Basically every eligible team plays in it, so that should answer your second question.

I understand that all the small schools play it in! What does a team get out of beating a team by 25+?

For example Beechwood will play 5 games in 7 days. This late in the season! They have a chance to play 8 or so games in 10 days.

For example Beechwood will play 5 games in 7 days. This late in the season! They have a chance to play 8 or so games in 10 days.

If they go very deep down in Richmond, they will probably have to cancel a game or two.

What does a team get out of playing in the All A classic?

 

Is it worth playing in?

If you don’t know then you didn’t go to a small school!!

From previous years of watching Newport Central Catholic go deep in the tourney, fatigue is a real problem afterwards. Great experience but definitely takes a toll late in the season.

I know there is two teams in Beechwood district that hope they go far.

I am not bashing the All A classic at all.

From previous years of watching Newport Central Catholic go deep in the tourney, fatigue is a real problem afterwards. Great experience but definitely takes a toll late in the season.

My point! Beechwood has two big games following this tourney. If they lose those two games, they will have to face the number 1 seed(Most likely Covington Catholic )in the first round.

My point! Beechwood has two big games following this tourney. If they lose those two games, they will have to face the number 1 seed(Most likely Covington Catholic )in the first round.

Ok. I don’t think Beechwood thinks they are beating Cov Cath and going to go to Rupp this year. They think they can win the All A. They don’t care how tired they are afterward if they do. I am sure the young men playing are having fun, which is what it is all about.

Good prep for the postseason. Gets the kids used to a tournament-type situation where they will play several games in close quarters if they keep winning.

A lot of teams definitely experience the "All A Bounce" if they go deep in the tournament, and usually most teams that play in the All A have to turn around on the following Tuesday and play a district seeding game. Gets kids used to keeping the intensity up while dealing with fatigue.

Why would it be a bad thing for them to play X amount of games in X amount of days? When I was a kid I would have loved to have a game everyday. That’s why the NBA and such is like it is today; because of this kind of thought process.

On another note, how often does a 1a or 2a school win state or even make the final 4? This is the state tourney for small schools. A deep run in the actual state tournament is awesome but it just icing on the cake. You wouldn’t sacrifice the chance at playing in the All A to be better rested to win your region. And then you draw Trinity first round, which you have little to no chance of beating, and you missed your chance at the All A for nothing.

I remember When I was a kid in the mid 90s we would leave school early to make the trip from Harlan to Richmond to watch my older cousin play in the All A Classic. The atmosphere was electric. People love basketball and the players love basketball. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a kid complain about playing 4 or 5 games in a single week. I wanted to play a game everyday when I played.

I will use Louisville Collegiate as an example. The excitement I saw Saturday night when they won the All A Seventh Region was off the charts. They won their game yesterday. Those are substantial achievements for Collegiate, a school with an enrollment of 229.

Even though Collegiate is having its best year ever, it will be extremely difficult for Collegiate to get to the Seventh Region tournament. Collegiate is in the same district with Male (enrollment of 1958) and St. Xavier (enrollment of 1341, all males). While Collegiate fans can tell you about beating St. X in the district tournament in 2011, it will be an extremely rare occurrence for Collegiate to make it to the Seventh Region tournament. AND if they make it to the Seventh Region tournament, some combination of schools like Eastern (enrollment of 2080), Manual (enrollment of 1918), Ballard (enrollment of 1882), and Trinity (enrollment of 1205, all males) will be waiting for them.

So, yes, playing in the All A is worth it.