Statewide power ranking system a hot topic at MIAA Basketball Committee meeting

The new statewide power-ranking system is here to stay.

It doesn’t mean everyone is going to like it.

Whitman-Hanson athletic director and boys basketball coach Bob Rodgers is one of several who are troubled by the formula. He has major issues with the margin-of-victory component (capped off at 10 points) along with the fact that wins and losses are not even factored in.

“There is something fundamentally wrong with having to win a game by more than 10 points,” Rodgers said during Wednesday’s MIAA Basketball Committee meeting. “If I win a game on a buzzer-beater, it won’t mean as much as winning by more than 10 points. We need to have a system where wins are taken into account.

“Look at my team from 2020. We played a tough nonleague schedule, won every game by double-digits, ended up the season by beating Brockton and Mansfield in their gym by 20 and we end up eight spots behind Mansfield (if the new system was in place).”

Former Boston Herald high school sports editor Jim Clark created the system, which will go into play starting in September. He explained that he wanted to create a system, one that could be used in any sport. Cognizant of the fact that some coaches are troubled by the margin of victory, Clark pointed out that he broke down more than 3,400 games and more than two-thirds of them are already being decided by double-digits.

The committee also discussed the new statewide basketball tournament structure, which will make its long-awaited debut next winter. Teams will be seeded by the MIAA Power Rating System and a sub-committee will handle the pairings. It was advised that at least one coach be present as an observer.

The anticipated cutoff date is Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 at 6 p.m., with the actual seeding to take place the next day. Preliminary rounds, if needed, are slated to run from Feb. 28-March 2. The ensuing rounds are as follows: Round of 32 (March 3-5), Round of 16 (March 7-9), Round of 8 (March 10-12), state semifinals (March 14-16) and finals from March 18-20.

As for venues, the higher seed would host all games leading up to the state semifinals, provided the gyms pass the MIAA standards. For preliminary and first-round games, gyms must be able to seat 250. When the tournament reaches the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, the capacity increases to 500.

If a home team can’t host the game, the home school athletic director has the right to find a suitable facility. If one can’t be located, the lower seed would host the game provided their gym meets the standards.

“We need to have a system whereby tickets can be distributed evenly,” Rodgers said. “We’ve had situations where parents were shut out of getting into the gym to watch their kids play.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3w8FNMs