State Tournament Assignments

[BillyMac]

Connecticut: 100% IAABO, six local IAABO Boards.

The state interscholastic sports governing body assigns all state tournament officials, using Arbiter. Connecticut is a geographically small state and officials can be assigned a state tournament game anywhere in the state, with the maximum one way trip being about one hundred miles.

There are four classes based on school enrollments, however there are exceptions for magnet schools, charter schools, Catholic schools, etc., that have a history of being successful in the state tournament and draw students (it ain't recruiting, wink, wink) from a large geographic area.

Schools that win at least 40% of their regular season games make the state tournament. All coaches, even those that don’t make the state tournament, vote for officials. Officials that receive the most votes are put into a pool that are assigned state tournament games, with some tinkering based on the number of schools that a local Board services. The more votes an official receives, the more likely he is to work further into the state tournament.

Almost all of the local Boards have their officials select either the boys tournament, or the girls tournament. At least one local Board allows their officials to work state tournament games of both genders.

If a state tournament game involves a school from Board A, and a school from Board B, the game will be officiated by officials from one of the other four local Boards. Officials will always work with officials from their own local Board.

If a state tournament game involves two schools from Board A, the game will probably be officiated by Board A officials, although there are exceptions.

State tournament games up to the quarterfinals are two person games. Quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, are three person games.

State finals, in all four enrollment classes, for both genders (eight championship games), are played at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

That's right, high school kids at an Indian casino, some playing championship basketball games a Sunday.

"Baby needs a new pair of basketball shoes".