If I was in charge of the DIAA, I would.........

[BriggsBeall]

1. Find a way to improve the seeding for the tournament. I wouldn't completely eliminate the points system, but add some human input. The seedlings this year were terrible.

2. Look into how Blue Hen conference teams can play home and home. Do they need another conference?
Move some teams to Diamond State conference?

3. Every game should have player fouls posted on the scoreboard.

4. Stagger the starting times for first 2 rounds of the tournament to allow fans to go to more than one game. Go 6:30 and 8:00 like the semis...

Any other ideas?

 

[8yaz]

30 second shot clock

 

[bone_em_up]

Take votechs out of blue hen and have them join a conference with charters and privates. They all don't have feeders.

But word is next year is the last year for the traditional conferences. They are all being blown up and reconfigured.

 

[Simmonj4618]

Move back to a 22 games schedule.

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

If that 2017 revamp goes through, there are going to be some pissed off people, because as I remember the Delaware State News story reporting on it way back in August, none of it made any sense.

But if I ran DIAA, definitely a 30 second shot clock for boys and girls hoops. It's past time for one.

 

[sals2011]

Do you have a link to the story Id like to read it.

I would make the season longer
30 or 35 second shot clock
10 minute quarters
Only final 4/chip at bob

 

[8yaz]

Only final 4/chip at bob

That's not a bad idea unless they can fix what failed this year (empty seats with fans willing to pay outside that can't get in).

If they move the quarter finals out of the Bob they HAVE to be in the largest HS gyms in the state to get as many interested fans in as possible. I would do the same with the second round games. I don't care about the home court advantage.

 

[Doghead22]

I enjoy both boys and girls basketball.So I would have boy and girls varsity played together. And JV boys and girls played together. I would be able to see top players on both sides

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

Do you have a link to the story Id like to read it.

http://delawarestatenews.net/sports/diaa-mulls-major-realignment-for-sports-teams/

 

[HCS Football Fan]

Take votechs out of blue hen and have them join a conference with charters and privates. They all don't have feeders.

But word is next year is the last year for the traditional conferences. They are all being blown up and reconfigured.

Couldn't agree more! Tech schools are much more like private and charter schools as they can be selective in who they accept. For sports where there is a DI and DII championship, add a DIII (or whatever you want to call it) with that being for all the non-traditional schools. Do away with the stupid rule (if I understand it correctly) that at varsity games you can't give any public recognition of your local PopWarner or middle school teams. Traditional schools are built around communities and that should be allowed to be celebrated.

Specifically for basketball I too would love to see varsity girls and boys play one after the other like in the "old days". Would get more attention to the girls game and hopefully improve the level of overall play. However, I do understand why logistically that could be difficult.

 

[pksundevil]

What do you mean by non-traditional? You don't mean the vo-techs,charters and private, do you?

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

Yeah, like those non-traditional schools don't make up at least half the state now. Come on, Delaware's too small for that kind of separation. This isn't Maryland where you can have a public schools championship and a private schools championship, everyone has to adapt or get left behind. Separating schools by their mission and structure makes absolutely no sense.

 

[pksundevil]

Yeah, like those non-traditional schools don't make up at least half the state now. Come on, Delaware's too small for that kind of separation. This isn't Maryland where you can have a public schools championship and a private schools championship, everyone has to adapt or get left behind. Separating schools by their mission and structure makes absolutely no sense.

I can't believe that's what he meant. That would lead to more athletes going to those schools because that's where the best teams would be in many sports. And do you think the publics don't want their shots at Sallies, Sanford, St. Georges, Ursuline, whoever?

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

Exactly. The problem is the politicians and powers that be in education ignored public schools when Charters started flashing dollars and private schools offered "safer" environments for a cost and that's why high school athletics is in such a bind now.

 

[CountianJeff]

I sometimes think the "dominance" of public/vocational/charter schools is a little overstated. Sure, some are consistently good in select sports, but few are good in all of them. Actually, Sallies is probably the only one that is competitive to dominant (boys' soccer, lacrosse, other less mainstream sports) across the board. And part of that has to do with its student count advantage. Public schools, even not counting the vocationals and charters, do better than a lot of people realize. Also, I absolutely don't feel you should separate vocational or charter schools from the public schools. I can understand the public/private split though. If the argument is that there isn't enough private schools to do that, well then, I'd at least like to see all of them (private schools) be considered Division I for every sport regardless of student count.

Anyway, just from water cooler talk, last I heard a change in divisions like the possible one the DSN story highlighted is far from a sure thing. At least in the next handful of years. Of course, I didn't follow up on that because I really don't care how they do it until it actually seems like it's a possibility and then becomes a story.

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

I think people are intimidated because privates/charters/vo-techs can have a slight selection process, but as we've seen over the years, public schools run their share of sports (See Henlopen South in softball, Cape in girls' LAX/Field Hockey). I like the Divisional set-up the way it is. Splitting schools by their perceived class level in certain sports would be foolish.

 

[CountianJeff]

I think people are intimidated because privates/charters/vo-techs can have a slight selection process, but as we've seen over the years, public schools run their share of sports (See Henlopen South in softball, Cape in girls' LAX/Field Hockey). I like the Divisional set-up the way it is. Splitting schools by their perceived class level in certain sports would be foolish.

Those examples are just looking at state championships too. If you look at the overall picture, even in sports where a private or charter school might be dominant -- Division I boys' soccer for instance -- comprehensive public schools still do very well. Still, regarding the divisional split, it's hard to argue that putting a school like Woodbridge or Laurel against CR or Sallies in anything is very fair. But if you were to just split schools by population, the same ones would still be at a disadvantage in most sports that aren't already separated. Sanford would win Division II basketball, both boys and girls, nearly every year. When it didn't, you'd still have Caravel to contend with. St. Mark's too. St. Mark's and CA would rule baseball. CA and and Henlopen team would still be in every softball final. I could go on, but you get the picture.

All of that is to say, maybe the status quo is the best option. I, however, tend to think there are things that can be done to make the playing field at least somewhat more level without requiring a total overhaul.

 

[Clickclack51]

Open the tournament to all schools like back in the late 80s I witnessed a low seeded Tatnall take a strong Newark team to the buzzer

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

With all due respect - Nobody's trying to see DAPSS get mauled by Sanford or this year's Sussex Tech team (talk about falling off a cliff) get manhandled by Appo/Mount. Opening up the tournament to 45-50 schools would be the worst thing DIAA could do.

 

[Clickclack51]

With all due respect - Nobody's trying to see DAPSS get mauled by Sanford or this year's Sussex Tech team (talk about falling off a cliff) get manhandled by Appo/Mount. Opening up the tournament to 45-50 schools would be the worst thing DIAA could do.[/yeah that's what I thought to back then but if my memory is correct Newark was the #1 seed which included (D.Chambers,A.Southerland,S.McCants and L.Wise) against a one man team Tatnall that included (R.Deadwyler)and I think they were seeded in the low 20s

 

[Simmonj4618]

I can't see going too more than two divisions. Delaware is just to small and some sports that have a small number of teams should stay at a single division. This issue comes down to competitive balance that cannot be determined based on just size alone. I don't have all the answers but if there was a move to have a State Champion for every classification of school (Public, Charter/Private or Vo-Tech), I would like to see a Tourney of Champions like NJ to crown the overall Champion.

 

[bone_em_up]

When is the last time a traditional public has won the basketball tournament?

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

Penn in '09, the Brian Oliver squad.

 

[bone_em_up]

If mount doesn't do it this year could be a very long drought.

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

I don't know if it'll be a long drought, but Mount certainly has the best chance now. This is the perfect storm of talent, coaching and sacrifice that you rarely see in ANY team, much less high schoolers.