6 classes in basketball

[crazzyness]

I will say that in the 15 years since I began being involved in high school sports, A has increasingly gotten larger. The perennial A powers in various sports you that you think of like Mitchell, Union City, Humboldt, BTW, Gibson County, Jackson County, CSAS, Hampton, South Greene, they were all AA when I started high school.

 

The small, rural, public high school is slowly dying. And the small schools that remain are left to adjust the best they can. Do I think it's fair in baseball that a school with 139 kids is lumped in with a school with 500 kids? No I don't, but that's the nature of the beast now a days. Schools like Charleston, Powell Valley, Forge Ridge, Hermitage Springs, etc. will continue to shut down/consolidate, and the gap will continue to widen. When I was in school, we had around 350 kids and were among one of the largest 1A schools in the state. Not even close anymore.

[dmm88]

As i look at Alabama's high school classes, 1A cutoff is at 152, 2A is 227, 3A 296, 4A 388, 5A 598, 6A 1,066, and 7A is 1,070 and up. I don't think it needs to be that tight but something like this: 1A cutoff 203, 2A 350, 3A 502, 4A 725, 5A 997, 6A 1,000+. It can work IF TSSAA wants to evolve.

[Swipes]

As i look at Alabama's high school classes, 1A cutoff is at 152, 2A is 227, 3A 296, 4A 388, 5A 598, 6A 1,066, and 7A is 1,070 and up. I don't think it needs to be that tight but something like this: 1A cutoff 203, 2A 350, 3A 502, 4A 725, 5A 997, 6A 1,000+. It can work IF TSSAA wants to evolve.

Have you looked at the enrollment numbers for all the schools. By your number there would be 8 schools that would be 1a so I don't know how it would work out with all these schools being so spread out. These 1a schools would have to drive 2 hrs for district games because cities are growing and consolidating and I guess everyone would be invited to state.

[dmm88]

Or better yet, align the same regions like in football

[Swipes]

Or better yet, align the same regions like in football

Definitely would be more easy that way if they chose to do 6 classes even though I believe that's to many for basketball since you don't have to find as many good players like in football. By your numbers you gave earlier it would be way to lopsided. 1A would have 8 teams 2a 29 teams 3a 39 teams 4a 55 teams 5a 49 teams and 6a 125 teams. Alot of driving expecially for the the smaller schools ex. Cloudland closest 1a game would be 3 hrs away

Edited March 14, 2016 by Swipes

[chattaauhoops]

As i look at Alabama's high school classes, 1A cutoff is at 152, 2A is 227, 3A 296, 4A 388, 5A 598, 6A 1,066, and 7A is 1,070 and up. I don't think it needs to be that tight but something like this: 1A cutoff 203, 2A 350, 3A 502, 4A 725, 5A 997, 6A 1,000+. It can work IF TSSAA wants to evolve.

The way other states do it is by % not by numbers. Ex: 5 classes with 20% of the schools in each class. That is the fairest way and travel is solved by using Saturday for the greatest travel games. To have 6 classes in football and 3 in all others disrespects the hard work of the kids and coaches that play something other than football.

[tradertwo]

If there is no public/private split, the privates will always have the ultimate advantage. Most privates are located in highly populated areas, but compete in the small school division...and that's by choice, not chance. In the western portion of the state there are no large privates outside Memphis, just those that the multiplier advanced to AA football (with no multiplier all would be 1A). Whatever the "cutoff" is determined to be, in a few short years all privates will be within 20 students of that number. The ability to admit or deny students at will is the greatest division between the publics and privates...to change the number of classes resulting in a large shift in student population cutoff's would dramatically change most public schools class placement...the privates would simply adjust their student population to remain at the top of the smaller division, maintaining their competitive advantage.

Edited March 15, 2016 by tradertwo

[GCPioneer]

Why not? "Everybody deserves a gold ball!" -Society

Give everyone a gold ball and let everyone be the MVP... Keeps momma & daddy happy and no one is jealous of the other... What's everyone else's thoughts? 😎

[chattaauhoops]

Give everyone a gold ball and let everyone be the MVP... Keeps momma & daddy happy and no one is jealous of the other... What's everyone else's thoughts?

Here are my thoughts:

Do we give everybody a "gold ball" in football? It seems very rational to treat every sport/ athlete/ coach who work so hard at the sport they love the same. There are 39 more schools playing basketball than football. (382 vs. 343) Yet we have only 3 classes vs. 6 classes for football.

 

Breakdown:

Football                          Basketball

A-             59                          A-        121

AA-           53                         AA-       109

AAA-         56                        AAA-      113

AAAA        53

AAAAA      58

AAAAAA    32

DII - A        21                       DII- A      28

DII- AA       11                       DII- AA    11

 

121 class A schools for ONE gold ball....?  School with 4X's the enrollment of others???

How about a STATE champion with only 11 schools like DII-A (that is smaller than ALL of the Basketball public school REGIONS and we give them a Gold Ball?)

 

It seems to me that we reward and celebrate a STATE champ with 11 schools (private) and the KING of all KINGS in Football has 32 schools ALL of which have an automatic bid to the playoffs regardless of W-L record. Does anyone realize how hard it is to get to the Basketball STATE playoffs? If not, try matching up with Rutherford Co schools in AAA. By the DII A rationale, District 7AAA girls deserve their own STATE champion. (not really but see my point?)

I can't see how anyone can look at this and say this is fair! "Give everyone a Gold Ball??" - Obviously - NOT in basketball......

[dmm88]

I would say Tennessee is a better high school basketball state than Mississippi, Haywood lost to Velma Jackson last year, but the year before South Side beat Corinth, who just won the 4A state championship. So adding 1-2 more classes for basketball shouldn't really be a big issue.

[6aaaFan]

Give everyone a gold ball and let everyone be the MVP... Keeps momma & daddy happy and no one is jealous of the other... What's everyone else's thoughts? 😎

This isn't about mommas & daddy's being happy. It's about the student athletes and it's about the TSSSAA taking a look at making TN high school basketball an equal opportunity sport for every school that participates. IMO, they should go to 4 public classes plus 1 private division. A school is either 100% public or they are classified as private. Put 25% of public schools in each class. You would then have 5 state champs, same number as you have now.

[6aaaFan]

Or, if you read some of the dumb comments on here they could do this: Have only 1 class, PERIOD! Each school have only 1 team for each sport. Boys and Girls play together and if a girl can't make the team, then I guess she just needs to practice more. Then we can crown a school the "true" state champion in each sport every year. That sounds about as reasonable as some of these comments. Arguing for competion to be fair and equal is not the same as saying "everybody should get a trophy".