IHSAA Rejects Basketball Proposal
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana High School Athletic Association has rejected a proposal that would have changed the format of the state basketball tournament. The plan called for the largest 64 schools by enrollment to make up Class 4A, with the remaining schools distributed among the other three classes.
November 7, 2014
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — The Executive Committee of the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) rejected a proposal that would alter the state basketball tournament during its monthly meeting this morning.
Members voted unanimously (17‐0) against the measure that was presented to them in August by a study committee made up of leadership of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA), the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (IIAAA), the IHSAA Board of Directors and IHSAA staff.
Feedback received from constituents around the state since the format was introduced in August was mostly against the measure.
During nine administrator meetings around the state this fall, informal straw polls collectively showed 68 individuals in favor of the proposed format while 228 were against (22.97% approval).
The proposal, which would have begun with the 2015‐16 school year, called for the largest 64 schools by enrollment to make up Class 4A. Sixteen sectionals would have been played with four teams each and all games played on Saturday. The remaining schools in Classes 3A, 2A and 1A would have been evenly distributed with seven or eight schools per sectional and played in a Tuesday‐Wednesday‐Friday‐Saturday format.
Additional portions called for the IHSAA staff to determine host sites at each level of the state tournament with the same site hosting both years of the alignment window. In recent years, school administrators within each sectional have determined the host
site with some rotation between schools
“I want to commend the Executive Committee for their thoughtful deliberations surrounding the basketball tournament format proposals,” IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox said following the meeting. “The Committee entertained two different proposals throughout this process and in the final analysis, those varied proposals did not significantly improve the current tournament format. While the Association is not presently modifying the four class tournament, several salient points were raised during the conversations and those objectives will be considered during the next reclassification and realignment exercise which will occur in April of 2015.”
About the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA)
The IHSAA is a voluntary, not‐for‐profit organization that is self‐supporting without the use of tax monies. Since its founding in 1903, the Association’s mission has been to provide wholesome, educational athletics for the secondary schools of Indiana. Its member high schools ‐ public, institutional, parochial and private – pay no annual membership fee or incur entry fees to play in the Association's tournaments. A state tournament series is conducted annually in 21 sports, 10 for girls, 10 for boys and one co‐ed (unified track and field). A 19‐person board of directors, elected by member school principals, governs the organization.