Spring Cleaning...
First off, I still hate that girls basketball is in the winter, too many games all over the schedule. If you don't have some sort of electronic method of keeping track of the schedule your daytimer probably has more crossed out ink and white out than Office Depot has in stock.
The rough few weeks of weather played havoc with the boys and girls schedule. It's hard enough to schedule the season with both boys and girls playing twice a week, plus still finding practice time for 6 basketball teams is hard enough (provided that you have all three levels for both boys and girls). It's easy for places like St. Joe that has 6 basketball courts at the high school. But places like Benton Harbor don't. Lakeshore also has an aux gym which makes is easier. The Big 16 has altered the way they will schedule girls and boys games next season. Varsity divisional games will be played on the same night. So on a Friday where St. Joe plays at Lakeshore, the two freshman teams and one of the JV teams will play the night before at St. Joe. It should make things a little easier. The non divisional Friday games will be played at the opposite sites meaning if the St. Joe Boys are at Portage Central, the Girls will also face Portage Central in St. Joe. Confused yet??? Believe me I don't fully understand it myself fully yet either.
Second...
There is an old saying about when the playoffs start everybody is now 0-0 and the regular season is meaningless. No more is that true than for the boys and girls basketball teams at St. Joe. Both of the teams entered the district tournament with less than stellar records. The St. Joe girls were 5-15 on the season and dead last in the Big 16 West. Now they may have not fared very well, but the Lady Bears were playing better and better down the stretch. St. Joe also had the luxury of hosting the District Tournament. The Lady Bears avenged a season opening loss at Buchanan in the first round, rolled over Edwardsburg, and then saved their best for last as they blitzed Lakeshore in the district final, a team that beat St. Joe twice by double digits in the regular season. St. Joe's girls won their first district title since 1994. The Lady Bears season came to an end the following week in the regionals but nobody could imagine that the 5-15 Bears, who didn't have a player over 5'9", a team with only one senior, a team that starts a freshman, two sophomores, a junior, and one senior, could have pulled that off.
As for the boys, the St. Joe boys team struggled in the middle of the season, after a double overtime loss at Lakeshore, St. Joe went into a tailspin, losing their next 6 games, but as I've said before, it's how you play at the end of the season. St. Joe played their best basketball of the season in the last three weeks. Losing in overtime to Mattawan, but then the upset over Lakeshore at the Bear Den. A couple of more losses to a tough Loy Norrix team and an OT loss at Niles. But the second season gave the Bears a new lease on life as the Bears beat Lakeshore in the Districts on the Lancers home floor, and then holding off the Dowagiac Chieftains in the District Finals. Zeeland East ended the Bears season in the regionals at St. Joe high school the next week, but like the Lady Bears, nobody would have picked the St. Joe boys to be playing in the regionals on their home floor after the 7 game losing skid.
It goes to show you that no matter how the regular season goes. The playoffs are a whole different story. And teams that get hot at the right time can make a lot of noise in the tournament.
Third...
It used to be that the Class B district was usually held at Battle Creek's Kellogg Arena or University Fieldhouse at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. While I have no problem with either of the two facilities. I think that having the regional games at a high school gym is much better. The simple reason is the facilities at WMU and Battle Creek keep the fans farther away from the action and change the "feel" of the game. It truly feels like a high school game when the game is held in a high school gym rather than the "arenas" in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. During the Class B regional at St. Joe high school, the three games at the Bear Den were the perfect example of what a high school basketball game should be. The excitement and energy couldn't be topped. I will guarantee you that if they hold those games at Kellogg Arena or WMU, you wouldn't have had the kind of energy and excitement as they did at an actual school gym.
Fourth...
The Girls basketball finals will be going back the the Breslin Center next year after two seasons at the Convocation Center at Eastern Michigan University. The Boys finals are still at the Breslin Center as they have been the last dozen or so years. Now the Girls finals have been at Kellogg Arena, Rose Arena in Mount Pleasant, Breslin Center in East Lansing, and Convocation Center in Ypsilanti.
Now I would love to see the MHSAA basketball finals be moved around every 4 years or so. I know MSU is in the MHSAA's back yard in Lansing, but there are other locations where the MHSAA could have the finals. Obviously the finals used to be held at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, they could go back there. There is nothing wrong with University Fieldhouse in Kalamazoo or the EMU Convocation Center. Does anybody remember when The Palace in Auburn Hills held the MHSAA finals???
The same is true for some other MHSAA Finals. Football. Keep it at Ford Field. I don't think anybody wants to sit outside on Thanksgiving weekend at the Big House in Ann Arbor. So keep it in Detroit.
But how about the MHSAA hockey finals, they are always held at Compuware arena near Detroit. Come on??? Is that the best we can do?? Compuware Arena? How about Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids? A perfect hockey venue. Has anybody thought about Joe Louis Arena??? The marquee hockey venue in the state would be a perfect place to hold a three days of games. If the MHSAA likes saying close to home, Munn Ice Arena in Lansing is fine. I would love to see the high school championships played at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor... That would be great.
Fifth...
Parents suck... before you jump over me, here is a story from the Grand Rapids Press.
Grand Rapids Christian girls basketball coach VanDenBosch steps down after parent revolt
A parent revolt??? Are you kidding me, a parent revolt??? How do parents revolt, and get a coach fired? This is just another example of people who feel the rules don't apply to them and a prime example of why meddling parents are ruining most sports because they feel that little Johnny's or little Suzies's feelings are being hurt. It's called life.
and finally but certainly not least
CONGRATS TO THE BENTON HARBOR LADY TIGERS ON THEIR 2009 CLASS A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
She may not have been Miss Basketball, but Benton Harbor's Destiny Williams truly is the best player in the state, the domination she showed through the tournament is all the proof you need. Good luck at the University of Illinois.
It'll be fun when Illinois faces the University of Michigan the next four years as Rachel Scheffler of Watervliet signed with the Wolverines before the season.
