OKCPrepSports

BASKETBALL

Calling a spade a spade

Let's call it like it is - this so-called Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activity Association basketball tournament is the dumbest fund raiser ever. It has nothing to do with determining the best tournament team.

Just look at the 5A and 6A tourneys. The first round of the Regional tourney is single elimination. Then the surviving teams play double elimination through the Regional and Area tournaments. What we are left with is four undefeated teams and four teams with a single loss.

These eight teams enter the State tourney and poof - everyone is undefeated again. The teams now play a single elimination tourney.

Yesterday the eight 6A boys’ teams played the first round. Undefeated teams played teams that formerly had one loss.

Guess what? Three of the undefeated teams lost. Broken Arrow, Putnam City and Union all lost for the first time - and were eliminated.

Putnam City North is the only undefeated team left, but they are on equal ground with teams that were fortunate enough to lose before this week’s State tourney.

How is this fair? It is not important if you win. It is important not to lose in the Regional first round or in the State tourney.  

So what could possibly be the rational for such a tournament? Money! It is all about the money. Playing the double elimination part of the tourney is all about more fans paying to watch games.

And what does the OSSAA do with this money? Well, you can be sure what they do NOT do with it. They only provide an official game ball to each site. Each team must bring their own practice balls. Nothing is provided to the individual teams.

And who buys the official game ball? It is not the OSSAA. Reebok donates the basketballs so that they will have the official ball of the OSSAA. Of course, a fee is likely paid to the OSSAA for that privilege. And the schools must buy their practice balls from Reebok - if they want to practice with the official ball.

It is a sweet deal for the OSSAA and Reebok.

The letter “S” appears twice in OSSAA. It does not stand for selfless or smart.