Lots to unpack here ...
As I did the MaxPreps' national rankings for many years (not this year), I can say the reason East Coast schools got ranked more often is probably two-fold: Talent was more concentrated in a few schools as especially in the DMV, there were no rules about transfers. (True story: One elite player got benched for a quality team on Tuesday and suited up for another quality team on Friday.) The other reason is that Cali schools tended to beat each other, and so SoCal teams especially would wind up with two or three early losses.
Another issue is California's playoff system, that essentially punishes teams for losing, regardless of the level of competition. (A team that's 22-4 against horrid competition will almost always be seeded higher than a team that's 18-8 against strong competition.) In most states, postseason seeding is determined by league standings, and the brackets are predetermined, so there's no need to worry about preseason losses.
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It's certainly true that girls' basketball overall is much weaker now than in the past. Volleyball, soccer and other sports have steadily drained elite athletes from the basketball talent pool (for a variety of reasons), so the depth of talent is missing. But this year's TOC was more affected by finals' schedules than anything else. The TOC runs into this issue periodically when the calendar dictates that finals overlap with the TOC, and a lot of teams simply can't or won't go, opting to wait for a time when finals don't interfere.
That said, the top half of the top bracket was still very strong, and referring to last year's records doesn't tell much of the story. Transfers are everywhere and NIL is real, so teams can reload in a hurry. This was a topheavy TOC, but it was still a very good one. (The lower brackets were more hurt by the finals' schedule than the top bracket.)
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Mitty's win was impressive. McKenna Woliczcko hit midrange jumpers and more than held her own against LuHi's Kate Kowal. And Mitty made the plays that needed to be made down the stretch. Even if Mitty had lost this game, it was a clear statement that this is a powerhouse team that will be almost impossible for a NorCal team to beat this year. Could happen, of course, but if Woliczko and Morgan Cheli stay healthy, it's hard to see how.
Which means Mitty is on track for a national title if it can win out, and in Sue Phillips' Hall of Fame year -- and 800th win year -- it would be a very fitting time for it to happen.
As I did the MaxPreps' national rankings for many years (not this year), I can say the reason East Coast schools got ranked more often is probably two-fold: Talent was more concentrated in a few schools as especially in the DMV, there were no rules about transfers. (True story: One elite player got benched for a quality team on Tuesday and suited up for another quality team on Friday.) The other reason is that Cali schools tended to beat each other, and so SoCal teams especially would wind up with two or three early losses.
Another issue is California's playoff system, that essentially punishes teams for losing, regardless of the level of competition. (A team that's 22-4 against horrid competition will almost always be seeded higher than a team that's 18-8 against strong competition.) In most states, postseason seeding is determined by league standings, and the brackets are predetermined, so there's no need to worry about preseason losses.
------------
It's certainly true that girls' basketball overall is much weaker now than in the past. Volleyball, soccer and other sports have steadily drained elite athletes from the basketball talent pool (for a variety of reasons), so the depth of talent is missing. But this year's TOC was more affected by finals' schedules than anything else. The TOC runs into this issue periodically when the calendar dictates that finals overlap with the TOC, and a lot of teams simply can't or won't go, opting to wait for a time when finals don't interfere.
That said, the top half of the top bracket was still very strong, and referring to last year's records doesn't tell much of the story. Transfers are everywhere and NIL is real, so teams can reload in a hurry. This was a topheavy TOC, but it was still a very good one. (The lower brackets were more hurt by the finals' schedule than the top bracket.)
* * * * *
Mitty's win was impressive. McKenna Woliczcko hit midrange jumpers and more than held her own against LuHi's Kate Kowal. And Mitty made the plays that needed to be made down the stretch. Even if Mitty had lost this game, it was a clear statement that this is a powerhouse team that will be almost impossible for a NorCal team to beat this year. Could happen, of course, but if Woliczko and Morgan Cheli stay healthy, it's hard to see how.
Which means Mitty is on track for a national title if it can win out, and in Sue Phillips' Hall of Fame year -- and 800th win year -- it would be a very fitting time for it to happen.
