lacity playoff selection method modified

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SoCalHoops High School News

LA City Section Playoff Selection
Method Modified--(Jan. 27, 2000)

Yesterday's edition of the LA Times carried an interesting article on the changes which the LA City Section is working towards in several areas. One such area is the process for selection of playoff teams. Apparently because of widespread dissatisfaction with the process as it was applied during football season this past fall, the LA Interscholatic Athletic Committee voted this past Monday to modify the selection process. Formerly, that league champions, regardless of ties, were placed into the 16-team City Championship playoffs. This resulted in the Valley, because of several ties, getting "co-champions" into the playoffs with automatic berths, thereby eliminating other teams from the Metro region (i.e., "over the hill") which finished well, or had good teams, not making the playoffs because of fewer "at large" berths.

According to LA City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege, "effective immediately", only one team from each league is guaranteed a City Championship playoff berth. If teams tie, leagues must follow tie-breaking procedures to determine a No. 1 qualifier. Other teams are eligible for at-large berths in the City Championship playoffs or inclusion in the lower-level Invitational playoffs.

The problems haven't yet surfaced in the basketball playoffs because the releaguing process just became effective this year (although how the City Section hoops seeding committee does it's job, with 32 coaches all packed into a room, deciding on the matchups of teams that are, of course, all involved, arguing with each other, and jockeying for votes is really interesting anyway) really politicizes the process, but the "Power Ratings" that other sections (like San Diego and the Central Section) don't seem much better. . .

But the real problems surfaced this past falll in connection with the football playoffs (which follows the same method as in basketball). In football, four league races ended in ties, including three-way ties in the Valley Mission League and West Valley League, which sent an extra four teams from the Valley, who might not have otherwise made the tournament as "at large" selections based on strength of teams, schedules, overall won-loss records, and the like. As a result, the Marine League runner-up San Pedro and Coliseum League runner-up Dorsey received the only at-large berths in the City Championship playoffs, and instead, undermanned Sunset Six co-champions North Hollywood and Canoga Park made the tournament. Evidently there were a lot of complaints at how the berths were determined, but we're willing to bet that no Valley coaches were complaining, especially those Valley area coaches who feel like they've gotten the short end of the stick for so many years in basketball playoff seeding. . .