Time to set a limit on DII and make a DIAA Division

Okay Farrington Coach Alan Silva and the rest of the Govs Boys Basketball team deserves the DII HHSAA title. They played a great game with one of the greatest treys in a HHSAA championships. Alan Silva teaches a good game and has done free clinics on shooting (remembered for his bicycle tire rim analogy) and is a super nice guy. However does Farrington belong in Division I. They currently are ranked as far as enrollment (2,569 students) as the second largest Hawaii School. Meanwhile Campbell the third largest (2,370) won the HHSAA Girls DII Basketball Title. In fact the largest school Waipahu is in division II in the OIA girls and boys division.

Compare small schools such as St Joseph of the BIIF and Kohala (297). Farrington has a student body that is 800% bigger than Kohala. Even McKinley that competes in both Boys and Girls HHSAA DII tournaments has a student body of 1,877. That means they have that many more students to build a team from. But some may argue that the school size does not guarantee quality players. I think the public schools have made too many rules that have worked against themselves. They make tough rules on off season work outs and skill training that it has put many public schools at a disadvantage to the ILH and some private schools.

The key in developing a competitive league and team is to develop off season programs for the school’s teams and players. If there is no off season skill programs you lose good players to schools that have programs that allow athletes to reach another level. In other words the day of feeder programs have changed. The local parks and recreation league is not working out as the feeder program of choice. Players are going to national tournaments at a younger age and club teams are forming as fast as the sun goes up and down. True most good public school talent gets recruited away to private schools and club teams, sometimes the public schools don’t have the facilities, modern equipment, money and coaches network like some of the private schools.

But to make excuses and to lower the bar so large schools can go to a tournament is not what DII is about. But, small outstanding programs like St Joseph, Kohala, Seabury Hall and Hawaii Baptist should enjoy their recognition they deserve. Also, this would force many mediocre athletic departments to develop a total sports program versus just putting together teams. It is about leveling the playing field, giving those small private and public schools a chance to compete against similar schools with the same number problems.

Also, there are more public school athletes that don't get developed fully because public school athletic programs have gotten too burdensome, bureaucratic and have relied on coaches, club and outside leagues to develop the athletes, but those schools give coaches limited resources. Some athletic directors have even put up walls that deter off season involvement or use of facilities. I must mention that the Kahuku football program, Kailua baseball program, Pearl City baseball program, and the Kalaheo basketbal programs are some of the exceptions. I would suggest that the HHSAA change DII criteria to schools with 1,200 students and less. I would take it one step further and make a DIAA bracket somewhat like California (multiple divisions) does and have three or more tournaments. That way larger public schools can compete in another division and the DI would truly be for the elite programs and DII for the truly small schools. That would give the larger schools some flexibility from year to year. Lets face it, we must expand as student enrollments and athletes expand. The amount of new schools has doubled but tournament slots have not kept up with expansion.

Give different options and opportunities for different levels of play. Clinging on to old ways is not practical for todays large population. We still need the competitive division for the college to be athletes (showcasing) and the other alternative divisions that don’t have the same talent. What’s your thoughts………

HHSAA Tournament Needs Better Planning

The HHSAA Girls and Boys Basketball Tournament is currently going on with the venues of several high school gyms on Oahu. There are some great matchups like we saw in Konawaena girls versus Punahou and Kamehameha Hawaii versus Kalaheo. However, for us watching on OC16 at home some of the great matchups were not seen on TV or radio. Why, because the HHSAA thought it would be all right to put the tournament together at the same time. The word circulating is that the main venue of Blaisdell or Stan Sherrif was not available for the Girls tournament the previous week or it could have had something to do with a popular Jamboree tournament coinciding annually with the girls HHSAA tournament. Okay, no big stage for the final game or semifinals. We might hit a title nine issue here. So alas we have the current mess of having two tournaments at the same time. The gyms are spread out as far as Pearl City all the way to Waialae, some good match ups were not shown on TV or broadcasted on radio. Some outer islanders were delighted thinking they could watch more games and have a buffet of girls and boy's basketball. But the reality of it was the matchups clashed at primetime so most had to pick and choose where they would be. It would not be practicle to travel to Aiea from McKinley to watch the second half of another game. The results, less coverage for both tournaments and venues all over creation. Do you think the HHSAA should do this again?

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Joey Deserves A Round Of Applause

The University of Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans just ended the UH-Rainbows 15 game series winning streak over the weekend in a 4-3 win. Joey Estrella gets criticized for not winning at the Division I level where most of the elite players in college compete. However, to put together a win and to push the Rainbows to eleven innings in another game was sweet for the Vulcan Baseball Program. Under severe disadvantages and a small budget the Vulcans are able to compete and win a game or two versus some of the elite programs around the country. Estrella is doing a heck of a job, runs a clean program and his teams always competes tough to the end with many local players. Will this season be different? What are your thoughts about UHH going to division II for earlier start?

Clash of the Titans Over?

BIIF Girls and BIIF Boys Basketball Seasons just ended for 2008. What we saw, was a repeat schedule, referee burnout, thinned out crowds, bus shortages, and a season of blur. We can't do anything about changing the girls season. However, what can be done better for next year. What are your thoughts?

Did The BIIF Get Good Seedings For HHSAA Tourney?

The brackets came out for the HHSAA Basketball Tournaments. The Waiakea Girls got the number two seed for the Girls DI Tournament. What do you think of the pairings and the matchups. Kamehameha boys will have to deal with a tough draw of playing OIA power Kalaheo.

BIIF Soccer Teams In HHSAA Report Card

Okay the 2008 HHSAA Boys and Girls Soccer Tournaments are over and done with. The Kamehameha-Hawaii Girls finished with the DII Title while Konawaena Girls struggled. In boys Kealakehe got manhandled by Kamehameha-Kapalama but came back with a great win. It was a mixed bag of wins and losses for the BIIF. The BIIF has yet to win a HHSAA DI tournament and has not reached a semi final DI game in recent years in either Boys or Girls. Are we in danger of losing the first round bye? What are your thoughts about BIIF soccer and what needs to be done to become more competitive in DI Soccer?