As it turns out, South Charleston, George Washington and Logan won't have to battle each other in a sectional.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As it turns out, South Charleston, George Washington and Logan won't have to battle each other in a sectional.
But that doesn't mean all of them like their new digs.
The SSAC released its realigned basketball sectional pairings Tuesday, which alter the paths teams will take to the state tournament beginning next season.
When Logan, one of the state's top Class AA boys programs the last few years, was bumped back into the AAA ranks with last year's reclassification, the Wildcats were initially stuck into a sectional with fellow state powers South Charleston and George Washington. That, of course, caused an outcry among the coaches involved.
But after the SSAC Board of Directors passed a proposal in June to revamp the sectional and regional tournaments, those three schools all wound up in different sectionals (see adjoining list).
SC is lodged in Region 4 Section 1 with Hurricane, Nitro, St. Albans and Winfield.
Logan, in Section 2 of Region 4, is paired with the likes of Cabell Midland, Huntington, Lincoln County and Spring Valley.
GW, in Region 3 Section 1, joins Capital, Ripley, Parkersburg and Parkersburg South.
The state's basketball-playing schools will be divided into four regions instead of the current eight. Each region sends two teams to the state tournament - possibly one that suffers a loss in the sectional final. The format is much the same as is used for volleyball, except there's no regional championship game.
Until the two sectional finalists are determined, the playoffs remain a one-and-done deal. But after the sectional final, both teams move on to a regional game - the sectional final loser plays at the champion from the other section, while the winner plays on its home floor against the other section's runner-up. The winners of those two games move on to the state tournament.
Pairings for the new system, however, were not met warmly by everyone. GW coach Rick Greene, who in past years had to meet SC right off the bat in a two-team sectional, now dislikes the travel part of his road.
"It's ridiculous. Just look at it,'' Greene said Thursday night. "Other than Capital, they've taken away all our natural rivals and made us travel. I don't see any logic in it.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As it turns out, South Charleston, George Washington and Logan won't have to battle each other in a sectional.
But that doesn't mean all of them like their new digs.
The SSAC released its realigned basketball sectional pairings Tuesday, which alter the paths teams will take to the state tournament beginning next season.
When Logan, one of the state's top Class AA boys programs the last few years, was bumped back into the AAA ranks with last year's reclassification, the Wildcats were initially stuck into a sectional with fellow state powers South Charleston and George Washington. That, of course, caused an outcry among the coaches involved.
But after the SSAC Board of Directors passed a proposal in June to revamp the sectional and regional tournaments, those three schools all wound up in different sectionals (see adjoining list).
SC is lodged in Region 4 Section 1 with Hurricane, Nitro, St. Albans and Winfield.
Logan, in Section 2 of Region 4, is paired with the likes of Cabell Midland, Huntington, Lincoln County and Spring Valley.
GW, in Region 3 Section 1, joins Capital, Ripley, Parkersburg and Parkersburg South.
The state's basketball-playing schools will be divided into four regions instead of the current eight. Each region sends two teams to the state tournament - possibly one that suffers a loss in the sectional final. The format is much the same as is used for volleyball, except there's no regional championship game.
Until the two sectional finalists are determined, the playoffs remain a one-and-done deal. But after the sectional final, both teams move on to a regional game - the sectional final loser plays at the champion from the other section, while the winner plays on its home floor against the other section's runner-up. The winners of those two games move on to the state tournament.
Pairings for the new system, however, were not met warmly by everyone. GW coach Rick Greene, who in past years had to meet SC right off the bat in a two-team sectional, now dislikes the travel part of his road.
"It's ridiculous. Just look at it,'' Greene said Thursday night. "Other than Capital, they've taken away all our natural rivals and made us travel. I don't see any logic in it.
"They're making us and Capital drive north to the Parkersburg area, then if you win you've got to drive south to Beckley and play Woodrow [Wilson]. Or if we're fortunate enough to host these games, then other people have to travel. They've killed the gate and everything. At least when we were with South Charleston, there was no travel. I don't see how they've made it any better. It's amazing how they've coupled them together.''
SC coach Bob Dawson, though, wasn't as displeased with his draw.
"It's exactly the thing I said should be done,'' he said, "as far as teams and geographics. If there is a best thing that we could do, I thought that was the best. It puts two teams who are state-tournament-type teams in every one [of the sectionals]. It gives a chance for the better teams to go.
"I'm sure everybody won't be happy about it, but it's close to what it should be. At least it's not that power sectional thing they had going [with SC, GW and Logan]. That was unbelievable. I didn't think they would change that, and we'd be fighting like cats and dogs.''
In AA, Kanawha Valley teams like Poca, Sissonville and Herbert Hoover will have a much different path to the state tournament, since former roadblocks Winfield and Ravenswood are no longer there.
Winfield jumped to AAA and the Generals' annual regional counterpart, Ravenswood, was switched into the northernmost region to compete against AA teams all the way up to the Northern Panhandle. Ravenswood and Winfield met in the last five Region 5 finals to decide who would advance to the state tournament.
"I think in my four years at Sissonville, and before I took this job, it was the toughest double-A region in the state,'' said Indians coach Rich Skeen. "Having Ravenswood and Poca in the same regional year in and year out ... they were double-A powers, especially here the last 10 years anyway.
"The change, in general, I think is good. It's new blood, and we'll have to change our regular-season schedule to play these teams. You look at our [new] region and there are still some powerhouse teams like Scott, Tolsia and Tug [Valley]. No matter who you play, you still have to win games and beat teams to get there. I think the regionals will be more exciting and, in turn, it makes the state tournament more exciting.''
The biggest change among Class A schools finds state tournament veterans Charleston Catholic and Buffalo now housed in the same section - Region 4 Section 1.
The Irish have played in the state finals the past four seasons, and the Bison have reached the Civic Center each of the last four years after previously not making the state tournament field since 1961.
At some point after midseason, coaches around the state will vote on seeding for their entire "super region.'' That sets up brackets for the sectional tournaments - a fifth seed will play a fourth seed with the winner playing No. 1, the No. 2 will play No. 3, and so forth. As before, coaches will vote on state tournament seeding before the regional games, ranking the 16 teams.
Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.
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