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Virginia's smallest high schools may be

crowning twice as many champions next basketball season.

When the Group A principals and athletic

directors met in Richmond during last weekend's state tournament, they voted

to split the group into two divisions based on enrollment numbers, creating –

in effect – two Group A state tournaments.

But while most Group A schools supported the

plan, many of those in the Shenandoah District apparently did not.

"Personally, we're against the

split," Buffalo Gap athletic director Tony Ramsey said Wednesday. "We

like it as it is. There's a true single-A champion. By doing this, you water

it down a little bit."

Stonewall Jackson girls' basketball coach

Jeff Burner, who guided his team to the Group A semifinals in Richmond this

season, agreed.

"I'm not real keen on the whole

idea," Burner said Wednesday. "I sort of see it as just watering down

in terms of the accomplishment. It's sort of like a lot of things we've done

in public education right now. Some people say it will give more kids the

regional experience. That's not the regional experience. It's, you played

there and got there."

While the proposal appears to be close to a

done deal, it still needs to be formalized.

"The regions are in the process of

determining how to seed teams and do everything, so we really don't have a

proposal yet," said Laura Bickley, assistant to the Virginia High School

League's executive director.

Bickley said the VHSL is expecting a formal

proposal in mid-April and will vote on it May 2.

Riverheads principal Steve Barnett, the Region

B chairman, did not return a phone call Wednesday and it was unclear who

initiated the proposed split.

The split would follow the same divisional

format as football, which currently has two state champions in each of the three

groups. It is unclear how the regional playoffs would be handled. In Region B,

for example, Wilson Memorial would be the only Division II school.

While he isn't against the split, Luray

athletic director Don Ehlers said Wednesday he thinks it's all happening too

quickly.

"I think it's maybe a little too

hasty," Ehlers said. "But that's just one A.D.'s opinion."

Ehlers also said he believes Group AA is

considering a similar move, depending how things play out next year in Group A.

"Double A has been hesitant to do

it," Ehlers said. "They want to see what happens with us before they

do it. I think we're going to be the guinea pig and we'll see what

happens."

The question of how to determine who advances

is a complex one. Burner said he fears a scenario where a team with a better

record misses the postseason in one division, while a less successful team makes

it in the other. Football has tried to balance its postseason by using a

power-points system.

Another option, Luray boys' basketball coach

Jim Sanders said, is to have all the teams in Region B seeded and then play a

regional tournament.

"I don't think it waters it down,"

said Sanders, whose Bulldogs have reached regional play three of the last five

years. "I don't know if it necessarily gives everybody the opportunity to

win it. It will definitely give kids the opportunity to go play at different

places and different venues. That would be a real plus for kids in that

situation. Ultimately, the teams that need to be there, the real contenders,

they're going to wind up there at the end."

(reprinted with permission)

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