Reader comments
High school basketball: 5A tourney format expanded

hello | 9:25 a.m. June 12, 2009

I disagree with the coaches comment that a 4 team in a region could beat a higher seed in another. THat is how it has always been and you fight with in your region and deal with it. I also think that you can not choose which region is the toughest to give more game. I as a head coach of two sports disagree with this article and comments.

Dixie Boy | 9:29 a.m. June 12, 2009

Mabey someone could allow Region 9 represenative in 4a. Dixie, Pineview and Snow Canyon to come up with a plan to not punish the 3rd place team in our region in every sport?

High School fan | 10:05 a.m. June 12, 2009

Home sites for the first round? I disagree. The first day of the tourney is the best.

Comments continue below

thanks coach | 10:57 a.m. June 12, 2009

This coach deserves a lot of credit for putting in the work to allow more teams to get a chance to play. I'm sure it wasn't easy but a lot of kids will get a chance to play for a championship, which is what its all about. Wait just kidding its about having fun, but good job anyways!

Anonymous | 11:11 a.m. June 12, 2009

I hope they do this for baseball as well

New format is not best | 11:14 a.m. June 12, 2009

5A schools have little to complain about. Travel is not much of an issue as all are within three counties (Davis, SL, and Utah).

Talent ebbs and flows from year-to-year. Arguing that Region 1 needs more consideration is a joke as the Utah County schools have dominated play in nearly every sport. Irregardless, the number 6 seed is never going to be relevant. State champs have never been lower than a #3 seed in their own region.

Coaches who submit alternative plans have personal agendas at stake.

5A Coach | 3:10 p.m. June 12, 2009

The exciting first day of the state tourney has been taken away by the UHSAA, not by these coaches. When this proposal went through in February or March, it was before the UHSAA decided to "axe" that first round day at the state tourney that everyone loves. Coaches Geertsen and Lewis had two simple objectives when putting this new proposal to a 5A school vote: 1. Inclusion of more teams and 2. Getting the best teams to the tourney site. When the votes went out to the coaches in 5A, both boys and girls, it was almost unanimous that the change to 20 teams occur.

This change is a positive, because 20 teams will make the tourney. The negative side is eliminating the 16 teams at the Dee Events Center next year. At this point the majority of the coaches in 4A and 5A are wondering why this ever happened. Was it an economic issue? Was it academic related? I would sure like to know why this happened, and so would the coaches.

WHAT?? | 3:58 p.m. June 12, 2009

RE:New format is not best | 11:14 a.m. June 12, 2009

A couple things you missed here.

"Utah County schools have dominated play in nearly every sport.."

Really??? Did you watch any sports. I will give you Baseball. SF was dominant and LP did make the finals. Football? Bingham and Alta are light years ahead of the UT county schools. The best UT team lost to Syracuse and did not even make the final 4. Basketball...West Jordan won it. What other sports are you talking about? Tennis, Soccer, Golf, Softball, Volleyball, Track. Check them all. SL County overall did better. Region 3 had a team in the final 4 in every sport. COME ON.... Get out of your UT county bubble.

5A final 4

Baseball
SL County 2
Ut County 2
Davis Co 0

Football
SL County 3
UT County 0
Davis Co 1

Basketball
SL County 2
UT County 1
Davis Co 1

HUH? | 4:08 p.m. June 12, 2009

RE: New format is not best | 11:14 a.m. June 12, 2009

By the way Mr. UT county, Irregardless is a double negative and not a standard word. I know they use it all the time in you meetin' house.

No worries, I understand.... Utah county education... I get it. I am sure UT county dominates in education as well. LOL

What are they thinking??? | 9:52 p.m. June 12, 2009

I am so disappionted that the first rounds will take place at home sites. I think this robs the kids of what they've worked so hard for during region play. The kids deserve the thrill and excitement of playing their first round games at a venue other than a high school gym. This is the only chance some teams have of having an experience like this. Obviously because half the teams are eliminated in the first rounds. The UHSAA is doing an unjustice to the kids. Give me a break! UHSAA. PLEASE. Make the change this summer back to holding the first rounds at the college venues. The first rounds are the BEST! I hope the UHSAA will do the right thing so I won't have to go on strike against the state tournament.

i agree | 8:26 a.m. June 13, 2009

with 'what are they thinking'???we let band and choir and art classes all travel out of state missing class time, but can't allow a bus of 15 players to travel to the next county for a first round game???get it back to first round at neutral site and do it today!.....how fair is having a good year and planning on going to the tourney and then instead getting a first round game on the road at lone peak or provo or west jordan...basketball is not the same as football or baseball-where home field is important, but in basketball its huge! please change it back in fairness

Re: What are they thinking??? | 11:03 a.m. June 13, 2009

I agree - play all rounds at the State Tournament venue. The kids deserve the excitement that comes with that and the fans love it.....not just another game at another high school gym. If we are looking to save money do away with the 3rd referee (at least in the pre-season) - they have not improved the product and don't justify their expense.

TucsonUte | 11:22 a.m. June 13, 2009

UHSAA should have done a power ratings system like Arizona has for their schools. The top 16 teams make into state based on their overall schedule not how they did in region. Again, UHSAA misses out on a better way to make a more balanced tournament.

I am disappointed to see the change. The first round has always been my favorite as a fan because you were able to sit and watch some great basketball at one location.

All Sports | 2:14 p.m. June 13, 2009

Why is this being done in basketball only. This should be done in all sports if it is going to be done in one.

The same idea would apply to other sports in other regions also.

Re: WHAT?? | 6:55 p.m. June 13, 2009

Only 6 of the 26 current 5A schools are in Utah County so they've more than held their own. I don't agree with the statement that they've dominated in every sport but they have represented themselves well. Next year only 3 teams from Utah County will be in 5A since Timpanogos, Lehi, & Spanish Fork will be moving to 4A. Also take into account that some of these schools, like Timp, have been competing against 5A schools when their enrollment was about 1,400 this year which makes them smaller than a lot of the current 4A schools. When you pull out numbers showing the representation of the counties in the respective tournaments it doesn't prove much since Utah County has a smaller percentage of teams competing in 5A.

LP VOLLEYBALL/Utah County | 7:27 p.m. June 13, 2009

won the state title, PG was in the final. Lone Peak has been in the finals four of six years, PG has won a couple of title and been in the finals twice as well in the past seven years. Utah County has dominated volleyball.

Utah County has dominated in 5-A baseball...period. Three of the last four state champs have came from Utah County.

Indeed West Jordan won the 5-A basketball title but LP won the previous two state titles and was in the title game this year. I think AF won the girl's basketball tournament and was second last year. Spanish Fork has been the top softball program over the past several years even though they didn't win a state title. Utah County teams have also done very well in Track and Field and x-country over the years and LP won the golf championship this year. Also Utah County dominates 4-A athletics in general as well.

Region One is the wrestling power. Utah County is also weak in football, tough to tell who the dominant Region is in that sport or who will be in the future.

One of way looking at things... | 7:34 p.m. June 13, 2009

In raw numbers Salt Lake County should win the most 5-A state titles and have the more of the top teams. Utah County had (as they will now have three) a whopping six schools in 5-A last year compared with 12 in SL County and three were so small they are going to 4-A in the new alignment.

Region 1 | 4:12 a.m. June 14, 2009

The one sport not mentioned earlier was wrestling. Utah County in wrestling...hmmm...not so much. In 5A, wrestling is dominant. They can make whatever changes they want in wrestling because it is one sport (like track, tennis and others) where Utah County just doesn't matter.

Re: Region 1 | 3:20 p.m. June 14, 2009

Region One and Davis County has dominated 5-A wrestling no doubt. But Salt Lake County wrestling is far worse than Utah County wrestling. And also bottom line, Payson, the 4-A state champ was far better than any Region One school in wrestling including Viewmont and Davis and proved this in a number of tournaments. It also likely that Payson and the new school Maple Mountain, though 4-A, will likely have better teams and individuals than Region One (mostly made up of Davis County) are likely to offer for this upcoming Region. So with that said, Utah County is doing just fine and wrestling and I think Springville produced arguably the best overall wrestler in the history of wrestling with Jason Chamberlain and Payson and Mapleton have the dominant junior high programs in the state right now.

Nice work coach | 5:46 p.m. June 15, 2009

Nice work to the Jordan coach for taking the bull by the horns and making positive changes in 5A basketball. Now we need to convince the UHSAA to bring back the 16 team format at Weber State. Nobody wants to see these games on home floors! Get it changed UHSAA. 4A and 5A coaches need to unite and demand this be changed!!!!

Anonymous | 11:03 a.m. July 20, 2009

With four Region's in 5A, they should have increased the field for the state basketball tournament to 24 teams. You give a first round bye to the four first and second place teams. That means the third place teams play the sixth place teams and the fourth place teams play the fifth place teams and then you move on from there.

To Anonymous | 8:14 a.m. July 28, 2009

The original proposal did have 24 teams in the format that you suggested. The problem occurred when the north league complained that they have 9 teams and the other regions only 7. So they were not going to vote for a proposal that was equal (6 teams from each region) because they would have had 3 teams left out and every other region only 1. That is where the complications began, and fortunately they were able to find an equalization solution that helped this to pass.

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