[JRutledge]

We have a Girl's Basketball Administrator and a Boy's Basketball Administrator for the IHSA

We have two classes of playoffs. Class A--the smaller schools. Class AA--the largest schools. All playoff assignments are assigned by one person (for individual gender) throughout the playoffs. The administrators assigned based on a rating system, availability of officials, geographic area, level or ranking of an official, previous playoff experience, observations made by either the administrator or other IHSA personnel and any other qualification that is not listed to assign playoff officials.

Also in our state everyone makes the playoffs, they are just assigned by Regionals through rankings and geographic area. Most officials that work the playoffs work multiple games. There are exceptions. I will be working a Class A Boy's Regional this year and at my particular site, there will be two separate crews (at least) working the entire Regional. There are 6 total games and I will be working the Championship Game with likely two other officials. There will be another crew that will work one of the Regional quarterfinals and semi-finals. So if everyone has similar availability then only 6 officials will work the Regional site. Class A has more schools and this is common. Class AA has fewer schools overall and usually the Boy's side uses one crew to work all the games on that side. Those assignments have not come out yet, so time will tell if that is how it will work again. I have done the last 3 years of Class AA Boy's Regionals and that is what was done all 3 times. Very few Class AA Regionals have another crew working a game outside of the crew that works the championship, but there are a few that have two games on one night and it is not required that an official would work both games on that night.

The Sectional level usually has two crews. There are 3 games total, two semi-finals and a championship game. One crew works two games and one crew is only assigned 1 game. You have to work a Regional Final in order to move to this level.

The Super-Sectional level is one game. The officials that work these games worked a Sectional Final during the same playoffs and are one step away from the State Finals Assignment.

The last level is the State Finals have had to work. Officials are only going to work two games. The first day (Friday) everyone works what is called a Quarterfinal. The next day officials are assigned a Semi-Final, 3rd Place game or Championship game.

All assignments are done by one person out of the IHSA Office or what is called the Sports Administrator. Local associations have no say in who works a playoff game and who does not. There are some ratings associations can submit, but it is factored in with many assignments and one rating or submission is not going to make or break one assignment.

All games are 3 Person mechanics. And when someone works the final level, they are considered as a State Final Official. It was a long standing unwritten rule that you only could work the Finals 3 times. That rule has kind of gone by the waste side, but you can only work 2 in a row at the most (you might not qualify) and after that you may work another 2 in a row if you qualify. But there are no guarantees. Also it is really only likely that you will work one Championship game.

Peace