Private schools unfair advantage?

[WCBalla]

I believe that private schools playing Division I should play at a higher classification than their attendance dictates.

 

Using Friendship in Lebanon as an example, they play a single 'A' schedule. Yet they go out and try to recruit the best players from Lebanon, Mt. Juliet and even Watertown. Head coach Matt Bradshaw does not participate in this but a few parents at the middle school level are very active in the recruiting process. If you get an athlete to enter in middle school, they will certainly be there at the high school level.

 

This means that a higher percentage of students in each grade level are capable of playing at a high athletic level. Schools Friendship competes against, such as Watertown and Gordonsville, have to take what their student body has to offer while playing hand-picked, often superior athletes.

 

In my mind, that is a distinct advantage for the private school. I think Friendship should have to compete at the 'AA' level or maybe even the 'AAA' level. Am I wrong? Should classification be based on the percentage of students participating in athletics? I know that doesn't work but the system as it is does not work either.

 

I don't think it is a coincidence that private schools dominate their poorer brothers and sisters.

 

Somebody set me straight and tell me I'm wrong. Please.

[Old Timer]

You are right....let's put a 1.8 multiplier on them and make them compete accordingly. That should set them straight.

 

I believe that private schools playing Division I should play at a higher classification than their attendance dictates.

 

Using Friendship in Lebanon as an example, they play a single 'A' schedule. Yet they go out and try to recruit the best players from Lebanon, Mt. Juliet and even Watertown. Head coach Matt Bradshaw does not participate in this but a few parents at the middle school level are very active in the recruiting process. If you get an athlete to enter in middle school, they will certainly be there at the high school level.

 

This means that a higher percentage of students in each grade level are capable of playing at a high athletic level. Schools Friendship competes against, such as Watertown and Gordonsville, have to take what their student body has to offer while playing hand-picked, often superior athletes.

 

In my mind, that is a distinct advantage for the private school. I think Friendship should have to compete at the 'AA' level or maybe even the 'AAA' level. Am I wrong? Should classification be based on the percentage of students participating in athletics? I know that doesn't work but the system as it is does not work either.

 

I don't think it is a coincidence that private schools dominate their poorer brothers and sisters.

 

Somebody set me straight and tell me I'm wrong. Please.

[lazarus]

"You are right....let's put a 1.8 multiplier on them and make them compete accordingly. That should set them straight."

 

that sounds like a pretty radical idea...

 

do you suppose anyone would go along with something like that?

[mactime]

How about taking away recruiting. Isn't that what separates DI and DII. Shouldn't they be sanctioned for the recruiting, even if it is by parents?

[rollredroll]

How about taking away recruiting. Isn't that what separates DI and DII.

 

Financial aid is what separates DI and DII.

[refuge]

Well, there is more than recruiting as a difference betwween DI and DII. DI can't offer aid to a student, but if a kid can make the acedemic standards you can't really sanction parents for encouraging other parents to send their kids to a good school. Showing a relationship to a sport would be awfully tough.

 

I think the multiplier idea is beyond excellent. The private and magnet schools have a slight but distinct advantage. The population base they draw from is not really defined except by transportation issues; wheras a government regular school is strictly defined.

 

Take a kid who may not make an AAA team, and would sit alot on an AA team but his assigned schools is AAA or AA: He could be a real star on an A team and if he can get into a magnet or a private he gets the sport and a generally better education. It is hard to fault the kids and parents for that kind of decision, but the advantage to the school's sports program is real and is unfair.

 

On the other side of this is the fact that if the public school admins would take care that the coaches are as good as the talent deserves and they train hard they can beat these teams anyway because the advantage is really a narrow one.

[tnsddeveloper]

I get tickled at folks like WCBalla. They make accusations without any real substance to their arguments. A 1.8 multiplier has been applied and abided by. TSSAA has regulations monitoring financial aide and recruiting. FCS easily plays within those rules just like everyone else. WCBalla, if you have a real, substantive case with real facts - then turn them into the TSSAA to investigate. Otherwise, quit crying and worry about yourself.

 

My 2 cents: A parent talking to another parent about the virutues of going to a particular school is not recruiting. Whether it is for going to a particular public, magnet, or private school.

 

That works both ways. Let me interject my life experience into this. I attended a large public system for part of my youth in the Wilson Co. area. I decided to attend a private - just so happens to be FCS. After my sophomore year, I was asked point blank, directly to my face by parents of travel ball parents of public children why don't I transfer to their schools - multiple schools in the greater Nashville area - publics and privates. I was asked directly by both head coaches at the large publics in Wilson Co the same question as they came to catch up with their players during the summer from various teams.

 

Did I consider the parents to be true recruiting? No. Did I consider the coaches to be recruiting? Maybe. I was even asked to move to an east TN school district by a public coach during a summer ball tournament.

 

What does that say? It says that public and private schools are not different, just that some people wear rose-colored glasses when they think they are being slighted when it is really not the case.

Edited March 6, 2006 by tnsddeveloper

[NCSbballfan05]

I don't get why people from public schools can't be satisfied!! There is already the multilpier, and just because a it's a private school doesn't mean that recruiting goes on. I know people who go to public schools that have moved into another schools district so they could play for that team, it's the same thing for private schools except they don't have to move.

 

I didn't want to say anything else, but due to recent events I have to. How can private schools have an advantage when there are several officials that are employees of public schools? I have been to several public vs private school games and have noticed that public schools tend to get more of the calls than private. When I say this I mean the picky stuff like a reach or the difference in a block to a charge, in the fact that the calls in these instances go more toward the public favor. I'm not complaining about refs, all I am saying is give the "private schools have an advantage over public schools" crap a rest!!!!

Edited March 6, 2006 by NCSbballfan05

[Grace Golden Eagles]

What about areas with "Open Zoning" such as Memphis, Oliver Springs, and Bradley County? Who will monitor recruiting at these schools?

[lazarus]

"I have been to several public vs private school games and have noticed that public schools tend to get more of the calls than private."

 

no post could better say; "public and private, we ARE all the same"

 

trust me, public supporters think it goes just the opposite!

[WCBalla]

I get tickled at folks like WCBalla.

 

My 2 cents: A parent talking to another parent about the virutues of going to a particular school is not recruiting. Whether it is for going to a particular public, magnet, or private school.

 

Did I consider the parents to be true recruiting? No. Did I consider the coaches to be recruiting? Maybe. I was even asked to move to an east TN school district by a public coach during a summer ball tournament.

 

...........and I must admit, I got a chuckle out of your reply. Why? Because you seem to know the exact circumstance I refer to when I talk about parent recruiting. Except you left out the phone calls, free meals at local restaurants, visits to the school, etc., etc., etc.

 

You obviously support private schools. Fine. I do not.

 

 

I have been to several public vs private school games and have noticed that public schools tend to get more of the calls than private. When I say this I mean the picky stuff like a reach or the difference in a block to a charge, in the fact that the calls in these instances go more toward the public favor. I'm not complaining about refs, all I am saying is give the "private schools have an advantage over public schools" crap a rest!!!!

Ridiculous. Poor black kids getting calls over rich white kids? Grow up.

[Grace Golden Eagles]

What about areas with "Open Zoning" such as Memphis, Oliver Springs, and Bradley County? Who will monitor recruiting at these schools?

 

Bump