Tourney is madness indeed

March 23, 2007

The ASAA First National Bank Alaska high school basketball championship tournament is billed as &#8220March Madness Alaska,” and a more apt title could not have been chosen.

Unfortunately, the insanity isn't always in the form of rabid fans and buzzer-beating jump shots.

First, let me say that the hundreds of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to put on such a massive sporting event deserve all the credit in the world. The effort that goes into hosting the tournament is commendable, and everyone involved - from referees and tournament officials to school administrators and volunteers - deserve high praise for the work that they do. I have no doubt that most have nothing but the best interests of the student-athletes in mind.

But again this season, the Alaska Sports Activities Association has made a number of choices regarding the tournament that do nothing to enhance the quality of play or the overall tournament experience. Instead, they've chosen to ignore the principles of what makes high school basketball great in favor of hosting an event designed to boost the image of tournament sponsors and the association itself.

How else do you explain the fact that this year's tournament is being played at three different venues spread around Anchorage?

Or that teams were forced to wait an extra week between the time that conference tournaments end and state begin?

Or the fact that many games are sucked dry of excitement by being played in a cold, cavernous (and leaky) sports arena designed for college and professional athletics?

There are different answers to all these questions, but at the heart of the problem is an Anchorage-centric organization that would rather try and put on a show that run a basketball tournament.

ASAA says the week-long break is needed to give the group time to prepare for the tournament. But they've got an entire year to do so, so scheduling in the extra week shouldn't be an issue. Coaches hate having their teams sit on the sidelines for so long during a time when they should be peaking. The week-long break only serves to detract from the quality of play by forcing rusty teams to take the court.

So why the wait?

Well, one reason could be the timing of the Anchorage School District's spring break, which just happens to be going on this week.

Draw your own conclusions.

As for the three different venues, they're needed in order for the tournament to simultaneously allow 64 teams to participate in one, far-flung affair.

Because ASAA insists on making small schools and large schools into one tournament, teams must shuttle between Service High, UAA and the Sullivan Arena. This allows for all classes to participate during the same week, but ensures that participants rarely play in the same gym twice in a row. Again, this does nothing for the quality of play, as teams never get a chance to settle in.

Last, but not least, is the decision to host games at the Sullivan Arena, including some preliminary rounds and the championship and third-place games for all classes.

This set-up leads to some outrageous scheduling issues, like the fact that the class 3A girls championship game will be played at 1:30 in the afternoon on Saturday.

Talk about prime time.

This also means that many preliminary round games are played in the Sullivan as well. All season long, small-schools teams have played their hearts out in front of rabid fans packed into tiny gyms scattered across Alaska. What better way to cap the season than to play in front of a couple hundred fans in a building designed to hold nearly 7,000 people?

Games at the Sullivan couldn't have less atmosphere if they were played on the Moon.

The recent Northern Lights Conference tournament in Kenai was a perfect example of everything a postseason basketball tournament should be. Students, parents and fans packed the Kenai Central gym to the rafters, and many people commented that games there were among the loudest and most exciting they'd ever attended.

By contrast, the state tournament is often devoid of excitement because of the desire by tournament organizers and sponsors to put on a show. Unfortunately, it's a production that's long on style but short on substance. And basketball players, coaches and fans are the ones who suffer.

Madness, indeed.

Contact Frontiersman sports reporter Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com