Section Adopts Basketball Playoff Divisions Based on School Enrollment

Members of the Southern Section’s general council voted Thursday to adopt a proposal that would group boys’ and girls’ basketball teams by school enrollment in the playoffs, beginning next season.

The proposal is considered a radical alternative to the traditional six playoff divisions--ranging from Small Schools to 5-A--in which schools had been grouped. The divisions were based on strength of leagues, past playoff success of leagues, and enrollment.

The council voted, 31-26, in favor of grouping teams into nine playoff divisions--ranging from Small Schools to 5-AA--based solely on enrollment.

The proposal will increase the number of playoff participants by 96 teams, with the top three teams from each league guaranteed berths. The Southern Section also will be guaranteed entry of each divisional champion (nine teams) into the state playoffs.

The plan puts the Southern Section playoffs in accordance with the state tournament. Previously, the Southern Section was the only one that did not conduct its playoffs according to state guidelines.

“I’m very excited this proposal has passed, since this is the greatest departure from the traditional playoff format since we moved to football conferences in 1978,” Dean Crowley, the Southern Section’s associate commissioner, said.

“You have to give our council credit for being so quick to approve this change,” he said. “The council has traditionally been very slow and very cautious approving changes.”

Support for the proposal, known as Proposal B, came from two factions.

Small, private schools in leagues such as the Christian, Delphic and Liberty, whose schools average 75 to 200 students, favored Proposal B. So did leagues such as the Channel, Marmonte and Pacific, which would have moved from the 4-A to 5-A division under Proposal A.

Support for Proposal A, the traditional divisional grouping, came from leagues that would not be elevated to a higher division under the proposal.

Council members were first asked Thursday to vote in favor of Proposal A. The representatives rejected the plan, 31-26. Next, members were asked for vote for Proposal B, and they accepted the plan by the same vote. A simple majority vote was necessary to carry the measure.

Both plans were submitted by playoff grouping chairman William Brand, principal of Trabuco Hills. Enrollment figures filed by schools to the state board of education in October will be used to determine classification.

Southern Section administrators would double the enrollment of private all-boys schools such as Servite and all-girls schools such as Connelly to determine classification. A three-year school would double the count of its sophomore class for grouping.

Crowley said member schools could petition the Southern Section office by the first Friday in January to play in a higher division.

Officials from the Angelus and Camino Real Leagues, in which schools such as Verbum Dei, St. Bernard, St. Monica, Mater Dei and Servite have traditionally been strong, indicated that they would play in the top divisions.

“Our players have traditionally been very, very competitive and have always wanted to play the best teams,” Father Charles Motsko, principal at Servite, said. “I’m sure we’ll want to play on the highest level.”

Proponents of the new playoff grouping plan also pointed to a need to ensure that the section advance its most qualified teams to the state playoffs.

Last year, several teams were left out of the state tournament because the section considered only champions and runners-up of six divisions. Under the new plan, nine teams are guaranteed berths in the state tournament, and runner-up teams will be considered for at-large berths.

“We had too many teams who didn’t go to the state playoffs last year,” Crowley said. “Under this proposal, the state title will be the ultimate goal, but it will still be important to win the Southern Section championship.”

In other council action:

* Empire League officials lost an appeal to remain in the 3-A division for water polo playoffs for 1988. The league will compete in the 4-A division next season after two members, El Dorado and Los Alamitos, qualified for the 3-A championship game in 1987.

* Tri-Valley League officials won an appeal to move from Division VIII to Division IX for the football playoffs in 1988. Council members voted to increase Division IX from six to seven leagues and to decrease Division VIII from six to five teams.

* South Coast League president Tom Anthony of Capistrano Valley failed in his measure to have surfing sanctioned as an interscholastic sport. Anthony’s action died for lack of a motion.

* Desert-Inyo League officials lost a request to have the fall sports of cross-country, water polo, girls’ volleyball and girls’ tennis begin practice on the same date as football practice.

* Commissioner Stan Thomas introduced a waiver form that provides due process for students, parents and administrative staffs of member schools. All parties would be required to sign the form before athletic competition. The council will be asked to accept the form in its fall meeting in September.

PLAYOFF GROUPINGS FOR BASKETBALL STATE DIVISION I 5-AA . . . More than 2,400 5-A . . . 2,000-2,399 STATE DIVISION II 4-AA . . . 1,750-1,999 4-A . . . 1,500-1,749 STATE DIVISION III 3-A . . . 1,000-1,499 STATE DIVISION IV 2-AA . . . 750-999 2-A . . . 400-749 STATE DIVISION V 1-A . . . 150-399 Small . . . Fewer than 150 Note: There will be 32-team brackets in each of the Southern Section divisions, except for the 2-AA and 2-A, which will have 16-team brackets.