The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-04-05
EQUALlzED BASKETBALL

EQUALIZED BASKETBALL
In almost every kind of spol
division into classes is regarde
as necessary TO insure more equa
and more interesting contests
Organized baseball has A, B, an,
c leagues. Football has its co.
legiate conferences. Boxers ant
wrestlers are divided by weigh
limitation. High school football
naturally falls into sectiona
groups. But high school basket
ball seems 10 be a one class sport
In Montana at least, every am
bilious team, regardless of the
size of its school or town, is pitteC
against every other team. and
hopes and strives to go through
sub-district, district and state tour
nament, and win against all com
ers, regardless of size. training
and unfamiliar surroundings such
as floor and altitude. 1t is an
honor to a school to send its
team 10 the state tournament, and
a pleasant experience for the
players but within a scope of four
or five teams the result is a fore
gone conclusion. No representa-
tive of northeastern Montana has
ever won even a high rank in the
state tournament at Bozeman.
Only very rarely has a small town
team from any section won state
honors.
Some states divide contestants
into "a" and "B" classes, holding
sectional tournaments for both
classes at the same time and
place. The idea gives rise to the
question: Would there be greater
interest, greater incentive, closer
games and more equal opportuni-
ties for c%ontesting schools if the
teams in each of the four corners
of the state were divided into A
and B classes, with four regional
schedules or tournaments? Plans
could no doubt be worked out if
desirable and advisable for the
four winners in each class to meet
on a central, neutral floor, where
conditions would be as nearly
equal as possible, to settle state
honors, at minimum expense.
Luke Wright, popular sports
writer, in the Great Falls Tribune
touches on the subject of revision
of high school basketball sched-
ules and Journeys in a reference
to the national tournament at
Chicago, where Montana was rep
resented by the Miles City quint.
In part Wright says:
While no definite announcement
has been made, indications /
that the national inter-scholastic
basketball tournament, held annu-
ally under the auspices Of the
University of Chicago, may not
exist after next Saturday night.
Miles City has represented this
state in the national tournament
twice. Her career as a title con
tender this year was cut short
by defeat which advanced New
port News, Va, to the second
round.
University of Chicago officials
have indicated that if the schools
of the country do not want a ma
tional tournament the Chicago
affair will be discontinued. 1t
may not be wiped off the map an
tirely but will be simply an in
vitational tournament with no
title at stake.
1t will take a good many years
but l shall not be surprised when
the day comes that Montana
abandons tournament play in bas-
ketball. l look for schools to
adopt the conference idea as a
means of assuring themselves a
full seasons schedule and at the
same time have the right to COM
pete for a title.
The first step in elimination of
tournaments, l believe, will be the
Introduction of additional tourna-
ments into the present system.
The expense of handling the pres
ent state tournament at Bozeman
results in a deficit occasionally.
If the State college authorities de-
eide to reduce the field of state
title contestants to four or eight
teams it will mean o tourna-
ments in other cities. In addition
to the present sub-district and
district meets there will be re-
gional or sectional affairs.
This must necessarily mean
starting of the subdistricts earlier
than ever before and schools
which are eliminated in these will
find the basketball season just
well started when the end comes.
The big schools with good teams
win never have trouble in getting