This is way way out there... but its pretty interesting if you

think about it. with all the talk of enrollments, classification, etc...I want to just want to throw something out there that no one would ever be for.... nor would it even be thought about putting in place for the simple fact of what it is.

But with all the arguments, debates, b****ing and whining and all this other stuff about big school, small school etc... for basketball anyway.. I think Virginia for a 2 - 3 year trial period ought to go the way of Kentucky high school basketball and just do an all-classification state tournament. Now.. in doing so.. the VHSL could keep the private schools and public schools separate. This would still be a VHSL public school tournament unlike Kentucky where private schools can also compete.

Divide all the member basketball schools up into 64 4-5 team districts depending on their distance from each other (4 teams for longer travel times and 5 for the teams with a lesser distance to travel with the number of them pretty balanced) and just let everyone duke it out.

At the end of the season, you will have 64 district tournaments being played.. with 64 teams making the regionals.

Example for Southwest Virginia:

District 1
Thomas Walker
Lee County
Appalachia
Powell Valley

District 2
Rye Cove
Twin Springs
Gate City
Virginia High

District 3
St. Paul
Coeburn
Wise
Norton

District 4
Pound
Clintwood
Ervinton
Haysi

District 5
Virginia High
John Battle
Abingdon
Damascus

District 6
Castlewood
Lebanon
Council
Honaker

District 7
Hurley
Grundy
Twin Valley
Richlands

District 8
Patrick Henry
Northwood
Chilhowie
Marion

District 9
Tazewell
Pocahontas
Graham
Rocky Gap

I think you see the picture.

Fix up 64 Districts all across the state. NOVA, Virginia Beach - Norfolk, Richmond would probably have to have at least 5 in each of theirs with all the growth and proximity of their schools. But like us, all of those schools would be grinding it out as well for a berth in the Sweet Sixteen.

And to get to the Sweet Sixteen, have the tournament go something like this:

A. All regular season games against the opponents in your district result in your seeding for the district tournament. Teams can play any other non-conference opponent that they want no matter from what state.

District tournament champions face each other in a Regional Tournament made up of the 4 Districts involved.

Region 1 would be made up of: for example
Dist. 1 champ (Lee County) vs. Dist. 2 champ (Gate City)
Dist. 3 champ (Norton) vs. Dist. 4 champ (Haysi)

If this took place this year... and say the Region 1 champ turned out to be Gate City with their talented squad that they have, they would go represent Region 1 in the Sweet Sixteen Boys Basketball tournament at a place say like:

John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.

Then you would have Districts 5-8 battle it out for Region 2.

For example:
Dist. 5 (Abingdon) vs. Dist. 6 (Castlewood)
Dist. 7 (Twin Valley) vs. Dist. 8 (Northwood)

Then these teams would battle it out and then if say Castlewood won Region 2, then Castlewood would go represent this region in the Sweet Sixteen at JPJ in Charlottesville.

I know this is way out there... and I know that teams from down here would be facing all the big AAA teams from the 'Beach, NOVA, Richmond, maybe Roanoke...etc... who knows...but it would be just one of those teams though.

And the excitement of teams from down here knowing that they get a shot to go up there and play in a Sweet Sixteen would really put Virginia basketball on the map.

Kentucky also has an All A State Tournament as well for schools who fall below say a 600 enrollment... or something around that number. So... even though it will never ever happen.. it is something fun and interesting to think about.

And if the VHSL is concerned about money... they'd make a dumpload of it in something like this.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TornadoAAChamps0</div><div class="ubbcode-body">District 3
St. Paul
Coeburn
Wise
Norton

District 4
Pound
Clintwood
Ervinton
Haysi
</div></div>

If the Region 1 final opponent for GC was decided between those 8 teams, I'd like Coeburn's chances. REALLY like Coeburn's chances.

District 4 couldn't win the next game if they made an allstar team out of its teams [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif[/img]

I wonder how VA High is going to compete in 2 districts. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]