ASAA tourney format hurts local players, fans

Basketball fans planning to hit the Sullivan Arena Thursday morning for the 4A state tournament will be about three days late.

The Alaska Schools Activities Association Board of Directors voted to play a little game of switcheroo and swapped the dates for the 1A and 2A, and 3A and 4A state tournaments. Rather than hosting the 3A and 4A championships Thursday-Saturday at the Sullivan in Anchorage, as always, the ASAA board opted to move the 1A and 2A events to those days. That left the 3A and 4A programs stuck with a tournament that starts on Monday and ends on Wednesday.

There are so many things wrong with this plan, I am not sure where to start.

ASAA has been married to its March Madness Alaska idea for a handful of years now. It’s one of those plans that’s nice in theory. Combine eight teams from eight different classes and create one giant six-day basketball extravaganza.

Like I said, nice idea.

But it’s just not very practical. Every year there are major problems that can’t be overlooked.

In past years, some 4A teams have had to play at three different venues. A squad could start at West Anchorage High School in the first round, go to the Sullivan for the second day and potentially be at UAA for a fourth-place game.

I hope those teams at least got a guide for their tour of Anchorage.

Because the Sullivan schedule is packed with games Monday through Saturday, teams typically don’t have a chance to practice on the big floor in the wide-open arena.

Do the folks at ASAA understand just how different it is to play in an arena versus the typical high school gym?

ASAA did offer teams time at Anchorage-area high schools, but what’s the point of that? Teams might as well stay and practice in their own gyms.

With 64 teams playing over a six-day stretch, there’s a bit of shoehorning involved just to cram that much basketball into that time period. Spread the tournaments out a little, and teams wouldn’t have to play at 8 a.m.

ASAA’s March Madness Alaska has had its problems, and now the state’s governing body for high school activities actually made things worse.

Colony head coach Jeff Bowker still can’t believe his Knights boys basketball squad will have to play at 9:45 a.m. on a Monday morning.

Monday morning!

Bowker is obviously less than thrilled with this format.

“I’m 100 percent against it. I think it’s insane,” Bowker said earlier in the week. “I’m so frustrated with the state tournament, it’s not funny.”

Players never have to play a game, or practice, on a Monday morning. Now they’re expected to?

It’s actually hard to figure out what is more ridiculous, the fact that some teams will be taking the court early Monday morning or that the 4A boys title game doesn’t even tip off until Wednesday at 9:15 p.m.

Wednesday at 9:15 p.m.!

The biggest large-schools boys basketball game of the year is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. It boggles the mind.

If the game starts on time, and that’s certainly no guarantee, the champion may not be crowned until nearly midnight. And after that, there’s the parade of athletes and the awards ceremony.

It’s going to be well after midnight when the players can even leave the arena. And don’t forget ASAA, these kids have school Thursday morning.

“I have a hard time finding anything good about it,” Bowker said.

Motivation for this move has to center around the potential for financial gain.

“The only thing that ASAA cares about is money, at least that’s what they’re showing me,” said Jeannie Hebert-Truax, the longtime head coach of the Wasilla girls basketball team. “I don’t think they’re doing what’s best for kids.”

I have no problem with giving the 1A and 2A athletes the chance to shine on the big stage in the large arena. But by doing that ASAA is hurting the players, families and fans of Southcentral Alaska.

For the most part, the 1A and 2A players hail from rural communities, such as Klawock, Point Hope or Kotzebue. For the most part, those making the trip from towns off the road system are going to attend the tourney regardless of when it is or where it’s at.

I really don’t see a spike in ticket sales simply because the 1A and 2A programs get to play on the weekend. ASAA is not going to fill the Sullivan with rural fans just because the 1A and 2A games are on the weekend. In the past, when ASAA hosted the 1A and 2A tournaments at schools such as Service High School, rural fans have packed the gym. It’s a great atmosphere. But watching some of the 1A and 2A games at the Sullivan is like sitting in a ghost town. At points it’s so desolate you can almost see tumbleweeds rolling across the hardwood.

Attendance has the potential to drop significantly during the 3A and 4A tournaments. Can the average fan break away from work or school on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday to watch basketball? Can the average fan afford to stay until midnight on a Wednesday night to see the awards ceremony?

Probably not.

Hopefully this is just a temporary case of insanity and the ASAA board figures out just how ridiculous this idea is.

Jeremiah Bartz is the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor. Bartz hopes ASAA officials do not kick him out of the Sullivan Arena Monday morning after reading this column.