The void, not having one team from our region competing in the boys or girls basketball state championship weekend in New Hampshire or Massachusetts, hurts.
I admit it. I had a blast up at UNH last spring, watching Jackson Marshall lead the Pinkerton boys to a title and the Pelham boys assume their place in history as two-time state champs.
No such luck this time around.
So, this weekend instead of covering the action, we’ll play the “What if?” game, centered around Massachusetts and the one debate that continues to rage:
Should each sport have a special, all-division eligible, “Super Eight” style tournament, as was once done in boys hockey and baseball?
Hoops would have provided an interesting test case this winter, especially on the girls side.
Now, we’re cheating a bit here. We have postseason results to skew the results. But I have to agree with Andover High coach Alan Hibino, who before the tourney began noted: “If there was a girls Super Eight, you’d have teams from three, maybe even four divisions.”
On the girls side, Division 1 finalists Wachusett and Bishop Feehan would have been absolute locks for the Super 8, pulling down the top two seeds.
Top seeds Medfield (D-2), Saint Mary’s (D-3) and Cathedral of Boston (D-4) all would likely have been Super 8 choices and backed that up by reaching the state finals this weekend.
My last three girls teams in would have been Springfield Central (No. 3 in D-1 and a state semifinalist), Woburn (No. 5 in D-1 and a quarterfinalist) and Dartmouth (No. 2 in D-2, and a quarterfinalist.)
Judging by the results, and two fiercely close battles with Wachusett plus a win over Woburn, you could have made a case for Central Catholic.
Wouldn’t that have been one heck of a debate? But, thankfully I guess, there is no Super Eight, and it saves us the controversy.
Our imaginary boys Super Eight would likely have been a powerhouse of an event.
Division 1 finalists Newton North and Franklin would have been mortal locks for the field. Those of us who follow and worship hoop in the Merrimack Valley would like to think that Central Catholic and Lowell deserve a spot.
Heavy Division 2 favorite Malden Catholic for sure belongs with the best. And we’ll fill out our field with Attleboro, Springfield Central and Division 3 Saint Mary’s.
And for a second, just think about what having a Super Eight would have done for the hopes of teams like North Andover, Andover and even Methuen because the D-1 field would have been thinned a bit.
You know our stance on the Super Eight. If it’s done for boys sports, it has to be done equally for girls.
I know that’s not a popular platform for some, but it fairness take precedence.
But this corner would love to see it happen in hoops.
Talking Tickets
Just running the numbers roughly this weekend, but if the MIAA averages 1,000 fans per game over the 10 title tilts played this weekend, it will bring in $200,000. Ticket prices at Tsongas Arena this weekend are $20 (plus $1.45 for fees).
I don’t know what kind of rent is being paid, but this is the point where I remind people that these buildings, be them privately owned or owned by colleges, should be handing their facilities over to the high schools for their championships.
Robert Kraft has done so with Gillette Stadium for decades now for the football championship games. The Kraft Family and the Patriots organization does not charge the MIAA rent and absorbs the majority of the operating costs for the football title games.
Is Tsongas Arena or UMass Lowell charging the kids of Massachusetts some exorbitant cost forcing the $20 tickets?
Sorry, I know I’m old, but seeing $20-plus tickets on high school events bothers me, especially when on the same day, the folks heading to the New Hampshire title games at UNH will be paying $8 for adult tickets and $6 for students.
That’s a 60-to-70 percent price difference for basically the same event.