Hinsa, I like your post and replied to it once- either I didn't submit it properly or it got deleted for a reason unknown to me. I'll give it another shot, point by point.
Hinsa wrote:NDplayin: I agree that the game is for the players.
Awesome, I love that. If a person agrees with that point both in theory and in practice than I'm happy to civilly debate the details of what is/isn't in the players best interests with them.
Hinsa wrote:I disagree with your statement that some of the top teams had zero chance to make it to state. Win and you are in. I understand your point about wanting the top teams in the state tournament, but saying that these top teams had zero chance is just not true. What you mean is that there was zero chance that the "best" teams make the state tournament.
You don't disagree as much as you think, because you repeat exactly what I mean- which is exactly what I thought I said. The way the system is now- it is a guarantee that not all the top tier teams make the tournament- impossible for it to happen. Mind you, I doubt we ever have a full 8 top tier teams in any year... usually probably 4 to 6, but it happens so often that two of those are in the same region.
It almost never happens that you actually get all the top tier teams to the tournament, but that should be because one of those teams lost to a Cinderella (which I love)- and not because the system automatically disqualified one of them (which I hate).
This year is a prime example of the problem that is repeating in front of us too often. We all know the media poll is flawed and political and never perfect, but it will serve us well for this discussion. This year we had teams 1 vs 3 in one region. and teams 2 vs. 5 in another region. Two of those top tier teams will be out of the tournament and not because they blew it to a Cinderella. Meanwhile in other regions, you had the 8 team vs a team who didn't get a vote all year... you had the 10 team vs a team who didn't get a vote all year, and two teams playing who neither of them appear in the final poll.
That kind of common disparity is why I call the system broken.
Hinsa wrote:I disagree with your contention that 60 players, their coaches, and fans are excluded from the the state tournament. That is a false statement. No matter who is at the state tournament, there are 8 teams participating. They just aren't the right 8 teams in your opinion. Who is to say that it is more important for the "best" 8 teams to experience state, or 8 teams that are the best from their area experience state.
Simple misunderstanding. When I wrote that I was not talking about teams who don't get to go to state like you thought I did. I was talking about teams who don't even get to play in a district. Those are the ones being robbed of the educational experience of a tournament atmosphere.
Hinsa wrote:This is where you and I differ. You want the best 8 statewide, I think it's fine to have the best 8, one from each area.
Again not as different as you think we are. I don't want all of the best 8 teams statewide- I want the opportunity to have all of the best 8 teams statewide- or at least the opportunity for all of the top tier teams to go. Again, 5 beating 2 and 3 beating 1 are not Cinderella situations.
4 Regions doesn't change the idea that you can cheer for the representatives from your area. All it does it redefine what your area is and give you two representatives instead of one.
Hinsa wrote:This point is inarguable: No matter WHAT system you use, someone is going to feel left out, feel like they got hosed.
It is inarguable that someone is going to FEEL left out and that someone will FEEL like they got hosed. What is arguable is if anyone ACTUALLY did get hosed. The current system we have actually excludes top tier teams who didn't get upset by a Cinderella year in a year out while other regions have two Cinderellas playing each other. That is a broken system.
Could a similar thing still happen with the 4 regions- of course- and it would OCCASIONALLY happen. The major difference is that it would happen much, much less frequently. Which is why it would be a better system for the current climate of North Dakota Class B Basketball