IN tournament

[JetMetFan]

If someone who lives in Indiana could help on this one.

I'm watching the state H.S. finals on ESPN360 and I see they doctored up the court at Indiana State to make it 84 feet instead of 94 feet. I know hoops is huge in the state so they want a large venue but is there no place it could've been held which had a regulation H.S. court? It looks really confusing.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

If someone who lives in Indiana could help on this one.

I'm watching the state H.S. finals on ESPN360 and I see they doctored up the court at Indiana State to make it 84 feet instead of 94 feet. I know hoops is huge in the state so they want a large venue but is there no place it could've been held which had a regulation H.S. court? It looks really confusing.

84 feet is the "ideal measurement" for a HS court. NFHS 1-1

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by mbyron

84 feet is the "ideal measurement" for a HS court. NFHS 1-1

True, my mistake. Regardless, they still doctored up the court to make it 84 feet instead of using the regular lines on the 94-foot ISU court. I can't see how the extra lines make life easier...apart from the fact everyone gets to run ten feet less.

[JugglingReferee]

I'm guessing that most schools play on a court that is max 84'. If that is the case, they should not play the state finals on a 94' court.

Having a horribly marked court as you describe to me would the last option though. Got a picture?

[Rich]

WI plays its state at the Kohl Center on a 94' floor. I've always found it to be idiotic. Team could play its first game on a college sized floor at the state semifinal. Changes the game dramatically, IMO.

Personally, I wish we'd go to a 94' floor for everything. Opens things up quite a bit and, IMO, makes the game a bit easier to call.

[wfd21]

This happens here in maine. They play tourney games at 4 different venues to start 1/4 finals. Then they drop the 1/4 final venue in southern Maine, called the "EXPO". This is a "D League" Venue which is also home court to one of the Portland city schools. Actually a great place for tourney ball, but only seats about 3200. They then move to the "CCCC" venue which has very little basketball played their. It is marked with an NBA 3 PT arch and a high school 3 PT arch. They played A & B semis and State A finals here. You see the players strugle with depth perception on all outside shots. They seem to have a hard time adjusting as there is nothing behind the backboards. The stands are at 50' back on the endlines. So even the fans are way away from the action. But it seats about 5600. So they can fit more fans and MPA makes more $. They also don,t play any college ball here. Always seems like the teams strugle on this court.

[zm1283]

Mizzou Arena hosts the Missouri finals, and it is obviously a 94' court. It won't be the first game for any of the teams because at least one of their playoff games will have been on a full length court at a college site.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

NCAA R1-S2-A1 states that the dimenions of the court shall be 50ft by 94ft, while NFHS R1-S1 states that the dimenions of the court shall not exceed 50ft by 94ft with the ideal size being 50ft by 84ft.

Many high schools in Ohio have courts that are 94ft in length and the many tournament games are played on college courts. I have never heard a coach from a school whose home court is 84ft in length complain about playing on a court whose length is 94ft. Only after I retired from college officiating after MTD, Jr.'s first year of officiaing did I start to complain about having to officiate on a 94ft court, .

The state finals in both the boys' and girls' tournaments are played at The Ohio State University. And the Ohio Special Olympics have played its final four on college size courts.

MTD, Sr.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Personally, I wish we'd go to a 94' floor for everything. Opens things up quite a bit and, IMO, makes the game a bit easier to call.

Then, we're gonna need a lot of wall stretchers for thousands of high school gyms across America.

Personally, I don't see 94' as an issue. Teams here play on a 94' court from time to time during the season. It's not an issue at all.

[tomegun]

The final four is played in a college court in Nevada. It doesn't seem to be that much of an issue and all teams have to play on it after playing on an 84' court most of the year.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Then, we're gonna need a lot of wall stretchers for thousands of high school gyms across America.

[3whitey]

(1)I also think marking up the floor is insane. I would much rather play/officiate a game on 94 ft than all the markings.
(2) the Ihsaa owns a high school floor they use in indy why not use it there.
(3) when milan won the state championship it was held in Hinkle fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University.. so I assume it a 94 ft floor.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

The state finals in both the boys' and girls' tournaments are played at The Ohio State University.

Okay, drink up, people.

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

I'm guessing that most schools play on a court that is max 84'. If that is the case, they should not play the state finals on a 94' court.

Having a horribly marked court as you describe to me would the last option though. Got a picture?

I wish I knew how to get video over from ESPN3, etc. The only video I can find is low-angle stuff from local news outlets. Here's a link to the game on ESPN360. If you're on any of the cable systems which is needed to log in - and there are tons - you'll be able to see it.

Streaming Online - WatchESPN

If you can't see it, what they did was put white tape down five feet inside each end line to shorten the court. They also used white tape to "shift" the lanes and FT semi-circles five feet and create new high-school three-point arcs . The arcs were really distracting because the Hulman Center has the new college arc - in white - and never removed its old NFHS/NCAA arc, which is in black.

There were definitely a few plays on the end lines where the players and/or officials were confused by the whole thing.

[Scratch85]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

I know hoops is huge in the state so they want a large venue but is there no place it could've been held which had a regulation H.S. court? It looks really confusing.

Towns submit bids to the IHSAA to host the state tournament. Since class basketball in 1998, it has been said that it is harder to make money hosting the tournament.

Indianapolis is ideal, but new venues such as Canseco and Lucas (both have been used) are expensive and easily booked for other events. They do not want to commit to multiple year contracts with the IHSAA. College gyms (Hinkle) in the Indy area do not want to make multiple year contracts because of conference tournaments.

Ft. Wayne loves High School basketball and would probably host it every year but the southern part of the state doesn't like that. Ft. Wayne and Evansville being the two largest cities behind Indy are on exact opposit ends of the state. Apparently Evansville has not submitted a bid to host the state tournament.

Looking for a site located near central Indiana but not Indy, pretty much leaves Terre Haute. Which pretty much leaves Rose-Hulman (Fighting Engineers) and ISU. They probably did the best they could with their court considering it was just a one year contract. Although IN has some of the largest HS gyms in the country, I cannot remember a HS hosting a state tournament game.

Many blame class basketball, many blame the new venues in Indy and others blame the IHSAA. I'm sure all have had an effect on what towns are willing to do to host the state tournament.