The end of the basketball season in Illinois on the high school level came Saturday night with the conclusion of the Class 4A title game at Carver Arena, won by Simeon of Chicago over Whitney Young of Chicago. On the college level, the Fighting Illini is the only team left in the state still hitting the hardwood. And as for the Bulls...well, do you want to call that basketball?
But this post isn't about how the Illini could make it to Madison Square Garden, or if the Bulls will putter into the playoffs. This is about the current four-class system in Illinois for high school basketball, boys and girls.
The current system was implemented in 2008 by the Illinois High School Association, expanding from two classes to four. Instead of a quarterfinal day on Friday, with semis and finals on Saturday, the system sets up semis for two classes on Friday, and title and third place games on Saturday. People in favor of the increase in classes stated that it would give more schools an opportunity to go to and win a state championship. People against it stated that it would water-down the state tournament system, citing Indiana as an example.
The first team to experience the joy of winning a state title in the four-class system was the Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland girls basketball co-op in 2008, by defeating Newark in an overtime thriller in the Class 1A game. FCW's record that year was 27-9, the most losses ever for a state champion on the girls side. That record added to the argument for people saying the state tournament would be watered down. That same year, a 26-7 Chicago Marshall defeated Freeport in the 3A game. On the boys side, Whitney Young won the 4A title last year with a 26-9 record, only topping a 25-8 St. Anne team that won the 1A title the year before for most losses by a boys state champion.
Arguments could be made against that though. On the girls side, the most losses by a state champion in the two-class system was Rock Island Alleman in 2005 in Class A, with a 31-7 record (though their opponent was vacated from the records). Boys side, the first Class A champion in 1972, Lawrenceville at 25-8. And numerous teams have made it to state with so-so records, most notably a 15-15 Bloomington Central Catholic team who made the Class A finals in 2002, but lost to eventual champion Pleasant Plains.
Another argument that could be made for a watering down of the basketball state tournament is attendance. A post on the Peoria Journal Star's Preps Plus says attendance for this year's 3A semi-final was pretty bad, even with hometown Richwoods competing for a state championship. The 3A games, though, are played on a Friday and Saturday afternoon, with each team getting a guaranteed two games at Redbird or Carver and on television.
Some people will also say the enthusiasm for the state finals has faded as well. In 2008, I was able to experience both the boys and girls state finals, one covering it and the other as a fan. If I cite my experiences from both, then this argument point does not have much consistency. The excitement at the 2008 Class 2A boys final between Chicago North Lawndale and Peoria Manual rivaled that of a chess match. But the Class 1A girls final between Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland was louder than an airplane runaway.
Now who would be in favor of the four-class system? Hickney Big Rock, Bloomington Central Catholic, Lombard Montini, Bolingbrook, Catlin Salt Fork, Robinson, Country Club Hills Hillcrest, and Chicago Simeon. These are the schools that won state titles this year in basketball on either the boys or girls side. If the two-class system were still in place, only half of these teams would have won state titles. Could Salt Fork have beaten Robinson, or Montini beaten Bolingbrook? We may never know. But we do know that they're state champions.
I will always prefer the two-class system because I believe it means more to win a state title in that system than a four-class system. You can say you went further than more teams in a two-class system. But whether it's one, two, or four classes, it will always mean something to go to state.
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