Ron Seibel: Clarity needed for GHSA region tournaments
To the credit of Macon's high school basketball fans, getting a seat at Tuesday's Westside-Central basketball doubleheader wasn't an easy thing to do.
Simply put, people got there early. The gym at Central -- a nice, mid-sized facility as far as high school gyms go -- was at least two-thirds full at the start of the girls game, and by halftime of the girls game it was full. It wasn't the first time I covered a Macon-Bibb County basketball game where they had to close the doors, but it was probably the earliest sellout I've seen in a couple of years.
And this, folks, was on a Tuesday night. A school night, not a high-traffic night like Friday or Saturday.
It was a fun evening. Central's boys won by three in a game in which both teams had strong stretches. It was an entertaining display of basketball, and the fans made their presence known in a good way. That kind of crowd likely will be seen again Saturday afternoon at Southwest, when the Patriots host the Chargers.
Thinking ahead a little bit, what does this kind of competition and these kind of crowds mean for next month's GHSA Region 2-AAA tournament?
With Westside, Central and Southwest occupying the top three spots in the GHSA Region 2-AAA boys basketball standings, and judging by the crowds that games between those teams are producing, an argument could be made that the best site to host next month's region tournament would be the Macon Coliseum. The facility used to regularly host games between city schools, and interest in those teams could give the region tournament crowds of 2,000 or more per night, if not closer to 3,000.
Hawkins Arena, which also could host the region tournament with its 3,500-seat capacity, isn't available that week because of two home games for the Mercer men. But the Macon Mayhem won't be in town during region tourney week, so the Coliseum is certainly available.
Unfortunately, such a move like that likely won't happen. In fact, it's highly likely the region championship game will be played in Columbus, not Macon.
First, an explainer about the GHSA and region tournaments: The GHSA doesn't have a standard format for region tournaments in most sports. Regions can determine their playoff qualifiers in just about any manner they see fit. They don't even publish the formats or brackets to the GHSA website.
It's certainly a decentralized process, something that many in the GHSA rank-and-file cherish since they can handle their own affairs without having the state office in Thomaston meddle much. But it's also a frustrating process for fans, the media and coaches, since there's no way of knowing what the region tournament looks like without having to go through a lot of unnecessary digging. Try to ask someone about a region tournament bracket, and they likely will pass you off to three or four other people because none know the answer.
In Region 2-AAA, according to a couple of people I talked with Tuesday, the region tournament site will change each night of the tournament, depending on which team is the highest seed playing that night.
Last year, the boys bracket determined the sites for both the boys and girls tournaments. This year, according to the people I talked with, the girls bracket determines the sites for both events.
Sitting in first place right now in the Region 2-AAA girls standings? Kendrick, a resurgent team that won a state title two years ago that has bounced back from some injury problems last year. The Cherokees (15-1, 9-0 region) are fourth in the Score Atlanta Class AAA rankings, a game ahead of Central and two games ahead of Peach County.
Not to take anything away from Kendrick, which certainly is having a good season and deserves to be rewarded should it hold on for the regular-season girls title, but can Region 2-AAA produce the same type of gate in Columbus that it could get if the tournament was played in Macon?
It's difficult to balance the interests of a region that has teams in two population centers. Someone is going to be slighted, especially when there's no good place to hold postseason competition midway between the two cities.
A plan to hold the tournament at a neutral site in Macon one year and a neutral site in Columbus the next would have been in order for this region. Instead, we're left to wait to see where games will be played, with a bracket materializing a day or so before the tournament starts.
Should the GHSA go to standardized bracketing for region tournaments? Maybe. At the very least, mandating publication of region tournament information to the GHSA website would solve a lot of problems and eliminate a lot of guesswork.
That kind of step wouldn't eliminate every awkward bracketing situation. But it would provide a lot more clarity for all involved, allowing fans to plan for possible road trips.
It's a good, simple step to take.
Contact Ron Seibel at 744-4222 or rseibel@macon.com
This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Ron Seibel: Clarity needed for GHSA region tournaments ."