Playoff time....Explain how your do it State does it

[ODog]

Format
In Massachusetts, there are four divisions (I thru IV), boys and girls.
Teams must finish at least .500, or at least second in their league, to qualify for the state tournament. The state is divided into four sections (North, South, Central, West). Each sectional plays to a champion, creating the four state semifinalists (exactly like the NCAA/Final Four model).

Officials
Each section has its own postseason assignor, who bases his roster strictly on the recommendations of the regular-season assignors, who must submit a list of names for the boys side and the girls side. Most lists have the same names on both, with a few exceptions. Coaches’ input was eliminated as a criterion by the MIAA a few years ago, so unlike certain states, coaches have no impact on officials’ postseason prospects.

Assigning
From there, each assignor assigns as he sees fit. I can’t speak to how it works in other sections, so I’ll explain how it works in mine. Our section happens to conveniently be comprised of three distinct, clearly-delineated geographic areas. So the postseason assignments work off a matchup-based “formula”:
If teams from the same “area” square off, all three officials will be from that area.
If the teams are from different areas, there will be one official from each of the three areas, the third acting as the “neutral” official. In these matchups, the neutral official is always the R, the official from the home area the U2, the official from the visiting area the U1.

So, in our section at least, the more teams from your area that advance, the more opportunity for officials from your area to advance. There is also the general guideline that you are not to work a team more than once in the postseason.

State semis/finals
Once things reach the state-semifinal stage, North plays South, Central plays West. So let’s use Central-West as an example. There will be 8 semifinals (four divisions, boys/girls), so 24 officials. Twelve will be from Central, 12 from West, each game using split crews in a 2/1 ratio. I’m not sure how it’s determined which games get two Central officials and which two West.

The assignors for the four sections retain their duties for the state rounds, assigning all officials needed from their section. Alternates are also assigned for the state semis and finals, almost always from the area where the game is played, since nobody wants to travel too far to be the A.

For the state finals, the MIAA suddenly wants all-neutral crews. So the eight games are divvied up among the four sections, each assignor getting two to assign. Because of the desire for all-neutral crews, once again, the matchups determine the makeup. Therefore, if a North team is playing a West team in a particular state final, the crew will have to be from either Central or South, and so on. So at this stage, teams from “your” section advancing can be a bad thing. For example, if a team from your section makes the boys Division I state final, you are eliminated from having the chance to ref the boys Division I state final. But we’re talking state finals here, and only six officials from your section are going at all, so beggars can’t be choosers.

Execution
Again, I can only speak to how our sectional assignor handles things, but if you work a sectional final, you will not work a state semifinal. And if you work a state semifinal, you will not work a state final. And you will not work state finals in consecutive years. This is all done to promote opportunity and creates at least the possibility of new faces being rewarded each season. But I know some of the other sectional assignors don’t subscribe to that philosophy, as one individual from another section has worked at least three consecutive state finals, while another from another section just went back-to-back. Sending the same people year after year seems crazy to me when there are literally thousands of high school basketball officials in the state.

Officials in our section feel fortunate our postseason assignor has created all of those guiding principles to mix it up and give more people a shot once things reach the state level. I would have to imagine there is a sense of frustration and hopelessness among members of the sections where the same names get state finals year after year.

It’s far from a perfect system, but at least in my neck of the woods, it’s a seemingly fair and open process, once you get beyond (and get over, for many people) the lists submitted by the regular-season assignors.

[Pantherdreams]

3 Division A, AA, AAA (more A's are bigger)

Boys and Girls in each.

4 regions South West North East. Within each region their are 1 or 2 assigning zones with their own assignor.

PLayoffs

Round 1 - Regionals

Top 3 teams in each zone make it at each level. These teams meet in regional playoffs. South vs West, North vs East. Boys and girls alternate which year which region hosts.

In each division the top team in the hosting zone plays host to the other 3 teams. 2 vs 3 cross overs are elimination games on Friday night. Winners move onto semi's vs 1's on Saturday. After semis a championship and consolation (3rd place game) are played for seeding.

Officials for the regional tournaments are assigned by local assignor and zone Must be varsity rated officials, but selection is at discretion of the assignor. Varisty rating for playoff games can be obtained through test scores and formal evaluations at official evaluating tournaments.

Round 2 - Sectionals

In each division the winning team from each regional hosts a sectional. The 3rd place team remains at that sectional. 2nd place and 4th place team travel to opposite regional winner, with their 2 and 4 seeds travelling as well.

1 vs 4, 2 v3 single elimination on a Friday night. Winners meet on Saturday.

Officials for these games cannot be from assigning zones of teams involved. A crew chief (an assignor or university rated official) is sent with a group of officials to cover these 3 games. Based on performance in Friday games and the Saturday Matchup. Crew Chief will decide who does the Saturday game.

Round 3 - Championship

All sectional winners in all divisions and genders. Meet for the 6 championship games on the same Neutral site (university/pro court) the following weekend. Schedule fluctuates but generally 2 championships on Friday 4 on Saturday.

Recommendations from Crew CHief and Assignors based on previous weekend and season body of work decide the crews for each final. At this stage they try to avoid having officials from zones being represented on those games but not always possible. Officials from the same assigning zone cannot be put together.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

3 Division A, AA, AAA (more A's are bigger).

Odd. Here in Connecticut, LL schools are larger than L schools.

[sdoebler]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Odd. Here in Connecticut, LL schools are larger than L schools.

Isn't that the same then? More letters, larger

[ODog]

Originally Posted by sdoebler

Isn't that the same then? More letters, larger

Sure is -- and Conn. doesn't even use letters anymore anyway -- but that post count doesn't just happen without A LOT like the above.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ODog

Conn. doesn't even use letters anymore anyway.

No letters for boys (Roman numerals), due to the new "open" division.

Still use letters for girls, LL, L, M, S.

Thanks for bringing back the memory of the old fashioned Connecticut abbreviation.

I haven't seen it printed that way in over fifty years, back before we switched from two digit zones to five digit zip codes, and the decision to only use two letter state abbreviations.

In 1963 I lived in East Haven, Connecticut, and a letter addressed to me would read: East Haven, Conn. Zone 12.

Good tidbit for a cocktail party conversation: What town has the highest percentage of Italian American residents in the state with the highest percentage of Italian American residents?

East Haven, Connecticut.

Pizza anybody?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by sdoebler

Isn't that the same then? More letters, larger

Sorry. Read it too fast, and too wrong.