As a purist, I must admit that initially I opposed the changes implemented by the ISHAA in 1997 that in turn resulted in class basketball. Those changes spelled doomsday for the traditional high school tournament that so many of us were raised on.
Yes, gone with it are the occasional scenarios that could pit David versus Goliath and that seemed like a shame at the time. Then I thought about how unevenly stacked the deck really is against those small enrollment schools and I quickly came to like the concept.
Realistically, I find it quite unfair to have schools competing against teams with an enrollment larger that the smaller school’s entire community. Sure, every once in awhile a small enrollment can produce a great team, but nine times out of 10 it is an aberration at best when such a team exists, and can defeat a larger enrollment school. For those of you who like to point to the movie “Hoosiers” I offer the following facts.
The Milan team in which the film was “loosely” (kind word for it) based upon was a really good team, one that returned letter winners from the previous year. They were certainly no slouch. Even so, you could probably debate they played over their respective heads in the State Finals and still needed a last minute shot to secure the championship.
With class basketball, the disadvantages of smaller enrollments are diminished if not totally eliminated, providing the impetus for more evenly balanced match ups. Sure, there will always be some lackluster teams, but the crux of this is to provide the opportunity for fair and balanced competition between relatively equal and fairly matched schools. It also allows for more individual players to experience the unadulterated joy of winning a state title, and to foster memories that will stand the test of time.
The detractors will say it undercuts tradition and needs to go. That is in my humble opinion a combination of sour grapes and hogwash. Ask any young person who has had a championship medal draped over their head if they feel it was compromised or tainted. They will tell you no, as it symbolizes unity and accomplishment.
Class basketball is good for young people and should not be a topic of discussion by our lawmakers and politicians. While those debates are better suited for barber shops and pubs, there can be no debate that class basketball has been a rousing success for those who have embraced such. It may not be the perfect solution for the traditionalists, but it is fair for today’s competitors and that’s what counts.
Danny Bridges can be reached at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
