Finances could force tourney changes

The clash between tradition and economic reality has hit state high school basketball as administrators seek out alternatives to the current four-day, 16-team tournaments that are becoming a financial drain in the wake of declining attendance.

“Coaches are strongly in favor of the status quo,” said District 8 secretary Randy Ryan. “Few support change. When you get to superintendents and principals worried about missing school time, plus athletic directors paying the bills, they tend to support something different.”

The economic reality is that schools that must travel and stay overnight are not being reimbursed, as was customary, because of declining revenues.

“Financially, the tournament has been down and if the trend continues, how do we make it profitable enough to kick money back to schools to defray travel costs?” asked Ryan.

Such discussions are merely in the preliminary stages, but Ryan has offered a proposal that is a hybrid of ideas being considered. One is to return to a concept that was implemented 45 years ago – and much like baseball currently – with four four-team regional sites advancing four teams to the finals. Another idea is to play single elimination.

“My push is if we could put both B tournaments together, and if we combine the 3A and 4A at one site it would be great for our league,” Ryan said.

Ryan has e-mailed out a suggestion that would put 4A-3A at one site, 2A-1A at another and 2B-1B at a third. They would be 16-team single-elimination tournaments with the first round on a Tuesday at regional sites.

Eight teams of both genders would gather Thursday-Saturday for the state quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

His rationale: increased interest for all games; regional sites should create big crowds and gates to support travel costs like the first two rounds of football; heightened media following with two “Elite Eight” classifications in one venue; reduced costs by using only three facilities; and less travel cost and lost school time while retaining the feel of the 16-team bracket.

He agrees that the disadvantages are that a team would travel only to lose and return. And, like soccer, there might be cross-state travel on a school night for the Tuesday rounds.

The old regional format filled the Spokane Coliseum during the day. It eventually morphed into eight-team state tournaments and gradually returned to the 16-team event.

There’s something special about that week making it understandable why coaches, and probably most of us fans, would prefer to maintain the status quo.

But the economic reality in this day and age is $4-a-gallon gas, $100-a-night motel rooms, the cost of food and supervision, higher-paid bureaucratic oversight and less fan following.

Whether or not Ryan’s proposal is a model eventually adapted, expect some form of change down the road.

State baseball move

Because weather has delayed construction at Avista Stadium, this year’s State 2A and 1A baseball tournaments, scheduled for Spokane, have been moved back to Yakima.

Mooberry this week

Rogers’ annual Mooberry Invitational track meet has been moved to Saturday to avoid conflict with next weekend’s Pasco Invitational. The meet will be held at Gonzaga Prep because of construction at Rogers.

The meet begins at 9:45 a.m. A total of 17 schools will compete.

New Newport track

Newport High School received word it has received a $75,000 grant to build a track at the school.

According to coach Barry Sartz, the town raised about $100,000 and will do much of the work and provide materials. He said the team and volunteers planned to begin prep work during spring break, but 2 feet of snow foiled that plan.

“We hope to have it done by the end of August,” Sartz said.

–Dave Trimmer