Regional format a blessing
By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
When the Alabama High School Athletic Association announced that regional basketball tournaments would be held at four sites around the state, there were some that opposed the plan.
Now 17 years later, it would be hard to imagine prep basketball in the state without the regional tournament plan.
It’s a format that has proved beneficial in so many areas, including of course, financially for the state’s athletic group.
Money is certainly a good thing. But ticket sales aren’t necessarily what makes the regional format so successful.
Success in the four regionals can be measured by the interest it brings to high school basketball.
Before the state went to the format of four regionals on college campuses across the state, teams didn’t get the opportunity to play on the biggest stage unless they reached the state tournament - held at the University of Alabama and Auburn University.
Giving more prep basketball players a chance to play on a college campus in a big-time setting became the result of taking 48 teams to each regional each year.
Most schools allow their students to attend the regional tournaments, making the four sites a destination for teams that might not have legitimate state championship hopes.
Certainly, though, the regional is another step on the road to the state tournament. Ask any basketball player in the state about their goals for the season and they will tell you it is to win the area tournament, win a sub-regional game, get to the regionals and earn a trip to the state tournament to play in the largest facility in Alabama.
Teams playing this week in Hanceville, Mobile, Montgomery and Jacksonville are within reach of two final goals: playing in the Final 48 Championships and coming home with a title.
When regional play opened this week, teams needed just four wins to bring home that state championship trophy.
The stakes are higher now. But the excitement eclipses any of the championship pressures.
For many, a trip to the regional tournament - a format started almost two decades ago - is a dream-come-true.
Sports editor Todd Thompson can be reached at 773-6566 or at todd.thompson@hartselleenquirer.com
