Three Class Basketball is Here

[DL Sioux]

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/prep/ndhsaa-approves-revised-three-class-basketball-plan

 

Should be interesting to see what happens the next few years!

[Frozen4sioux]

[Wilbur]

Let the arguments begin!!! (Continue...)

[Sioux>Bison]

Can’t wait for better competition and 8 more teams to make the tournament. Not sure I see any downside .

 

somehow Bishop Ryan found a way to stay class B……. Of course they are afraid of better competition!

[The Sicatoka]

4 minutes ago, Sioux>Bison said:

somehow Bishop Ryan found a way to stay class B…

Enrollment doesn't lie. 

[Kab]

I think the argument on the parochial schools is they could recruit.  They say it wasn’t done but we know it may have (did) happen.

same with schools on reservations where students just seemed to play where there were going to be good teams,

IMHO,  tell me where I’m wrong.

as long as the lower 2 classes can still play each other it should be fine, otherwise the travel could be a nightmare.

to me a school night should have no travel more than 75 minutes.  Have more Saturday afternoon games and girls and boys double headers , getting kids home after midnight is crazy.

 

 

[Oxbow6]

19 minutes ago, Kab said:

I think the argument on the parochial schools is they could recruit.  They say it wasn’t done but we know it may have (did) happen.

same with schools on reservations where students just seemed to play where there were going to be good teams,

to me a school night should have no travel more than 75 minutes.  Have more Saturday afternoon games and girls and boys double headers , getting kids home after midnight is crazy.

 

 

The ADs in MN Class A sections 6 and 8 would like a word with you.

[JohnboyND7]

22 minutes ago, Kab said:

I think the argument on the parochial schools is they could recruit.  They say it wasn’t done but we know it may have (did) happen.

same with schools on reservations where students just seemed to play where there were going to be good teams,

IMHO,  tell me where I’m wrong.

as long as the lower 2 classes can still play each other it should be fine, otherwise the travel could be a nightmare.

to me a school night should have no travel more than 75 minutes.  Have more Saturday afternoon games and girls and boys double headers , getting kids home after midnight is crazy.

 

 

Jamestown would not be allowed to play anyone in anything during the week lol

[UND08]

2 minutes ago, JohnboyND7 said:

Jamestown would not be allowed to play anyone in anything during the week lol

Williston and Minot too haha!

 

[UND1983]

39 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Enrollment doesn't lie. 

Enrollment is not the issue.  Quality over Quantity.  

[The Sicatoka]

1 minute ago, UND1983 said:

Enrollment is not the issue.  Quality over Quantity.  

Only one is objectively measurable to base classification by. 

[The Sicatoka]

34 minutes ago, Kab said:

I think the argument on the parochial schools is they could recruit.  They say it wasn’t done but we know it may have (did) happen.

Way back I was presented more than once with the notion of how wonderful (ND parochial HS) would be for my personal and academic development (over my public school) ... and of course they also offered (sports/activities) and they assumed I'd keep pursuing those as I had ...  

[iramurphy]

46 minutes ago, Kab said:

I think the argument on the parochial schools is they could recruit.  They say it wasn’t done but we know it may have (did) happen.

same with schools on reservations where students just seemed to play where there were going to be good teams,

IMHO,  tell me where I’m wrong.

as long as the lower 2 classes can still play each other it should be fine, otherwise the travel could be a nightmare.

to me a school night should have no travel more than 75 minutes.  Have more Saturday afternoon games and girls and boys double headers , getting kids home after midnight is crazy.

 

 

Public schools have also been recruiting for many years. That hasn’t been just parochial schools for a long time. Also, in larger communities, when school boundaries are adjusted, much of the debate regarding boundaries is related to athletics. 

[UND1983]

11 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Only one is objectively measurable to base classification by. 

Which is why they wanted the multiplier.  

[The Sicatoka]

14 minutes ago, iramurphy said:

Public schools have also been recruiting for many years. That hasn’t been just parochial schools for a long time. Also, in larger communities, when school boundaries are adjusted, much of the debate regarding boundaries is related to athletics. 

Does any of this matter in a world of open-enrollment? 

Give me a PowerBall win and I can load up any HS school I choose using "Sicatoka NIL" funds to HSers. 

[iramurphy]

8 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Does any of this matter in a world of open-enrollment? 

Give me a PowerBall win and I can load up any HS school I choose using "Sicatoka NIL" funds to HSers. 

It has. It has been occurring in rural areas where NIL funds haven’t become an issue. However offers of jobs for parents have been part of the recruiting. 

[The Sicatoka]

23 minutes ago, iramurphy said:

It has. It has been occurring in rural areas where NIL funds haven’t become an issue. However offers of jobs for parents have been part of the recruiting. 

But as you say ... it's where the donor wanted the money to go. 

One doesn't have to agree with it, or even like it, but it is the world we've made for ourselves. 

[fightingsioux4life]

Outside of the hardline traditionalists who probably think there should be one class in all sports (and think the three-point line and shot clock are bad ideas too), I think this will work out great for most everyone.

[sioux rube]

1 hour ago, UND08 said:

Williston and Minot too haha!

 

Can’t forget Dickinson 

[DL Sioux]

DL Girls had 6 weeknight games in Fargo this season!! 

[Oxbow6]

5 minutes ago, DL Sioux said:

DL Girls had 6 weeknight games in Fargo this season!! 

I read about that a couple days ago. Ridiculous. That's on the AD. Couldn't schedule a couple back to back Friday/Saturday games??

[DL Sioux]

16 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

I read about that a couple days ago. Ridiculous. That's on the AD. Couldn't schedule a couple back to back Friday/Saturday games??

I believe there was one Thursday/Friday North and Wahpeton during Xmas vacation.  

[UND92,96]

One good thing that will come from this is the increased ability of crossover games between EDC and WDA schools. With the addition of Horace this year, EDC teams were limited to one non-conference game. Next year, assuming the EDC AA schools play each other twice, that should leave open the possibility of five non-conference games. 

[Kab]

3 hours ago, JohnboyND7 said:

Jamestown would not be allowed to play anyone in anything during the week lol

That’s why need to play other divisions

Valley city is 35 minutes to Jamestown

 Williston and watford city are 45 minutes apart 

still leaves Friday and saturdays to get games in 

dickinson May have trouble 

I will boost to 90 minutes 

[UND08]

30 minutes ago, Kab said:

That’s why need to play other divisions

Valley city is 35 minutes to Jamestown

 Williston and watford city are 45 minutes apart 

still leaves Friday and saturdays to get games in 

dickinson May have trouble 

I will boost to 90 minutes 

Williston/Watford comparison works because those teams are of similar abilities right now...but if we went back to the Hennessey/Qvale days of Williston a game against Watford might be convenient but does very little for either side.  As these schools continue to co-op and others consolidate, travel will get to be greater and greater and there's not a whole lot that can be done about it.

Many of the 3 class supporters come from a "this will give the most benefit to the small schools" mindset.  I think the biggest benefactors of this are the AA schools.  They gain the ability to play crossover (WDA/EDC) games against teams of similar skill, which will make their programs better.  They can also play down a division or across state lines to preserve/renew rivalries or match up with teams of similar talent levels.  Likewise they get to kick out the outliers in both geography and competition.  A game in Valley City does nothing for Davies, similar to a game in Watford City for Minot.  You only get something like 20 regular season games...those teams now have an ability to use them more how they see fit.  

The middle class will develop into a fun class over time imo as long as programs stay of similar quality (big if).  Devils Lake probably has the inside track right away due to having a pretty strong core of younger kids on the boys side currently, but I could see a Rugby/Kindred/CC/Thompson absolutely challenging them (especially in time).  Those schools take basketball seriously, and I think a state tourney featuring the best 8 teams in that class would make for compelling basketball, even if the general public interest isn't there right away.

The small schools benefit on paper...but they're going to lose "The B" as they know it (really it died 30 years ago).  If you remove all the good teams from Class B, you do allow new blood in your state tournament, but you also water down the quality of play at said tournament.  I've been a dyed in the wool Class B guy my whole life, but I've watched enough bad small town basketball in recent years to know that this version of Class B basketball does very little to move the needle in my world.  But if it saves small town schools from co-oping and gives more kids a chance to play then it worked.  I'm skeptical that will actually happen.

Is the plan perfect?  It's not...nothing would be.  There will still be top dogs and door mats in any alignment, and a lot of that goes to program culture and coaching.  This will strengthen the top basketball playing programs in the state, and I'm all for that!  I'm not envious of the ADs that have to re-schedule everything though!