Aside from the fact that it's very likely Clovis West (from the Central Section) will be moved into the NorCal Open bracket come March, there's another big change in the process.
In the past, the section commissioners, in both Northern California and Southern California, would gather together and determine a) which teams would be moved into the Open, b) which teams would fill the other brackets, and then c) do the actual seeding.
This put quite a load on the section commissioners, especially when it came to girls' basketball, as few new really knew that much about the teams involved. This year, though, that will change…
Instead, a statewide committee will do the seeding for all girls' basketball after the section playoffs have concluded. They will seed both the North and South, and will determine who goes into the Open, and who gets placed in what divisions. The committee members will remain anonymous, unfortunately, but presumably they will have more knowledge of girls' basketball than the section commissioners, who couldn't really be blamed for not being up-to-date on every aspect of their sections.
A couple of things might fall out from this new arrangement:
1) Tradition and reputation may not matter as much to committee members who are following this season as opposed to section commissioners who just have a more general idea of what's going on. A program that has traditionally been strong may not get quite the same respect or seeding as in the past if more knowledge about their situation this season is commonplace.
2) Who knows what criteria the committee will use for putting teams in particular divisions, aside from the Open? For example, on the boys' side last year, Long Beach Poly, with 4500 students, was placed in Division II. This year, the Southern Section can designate Long Beach poly is a Division II team throughout its playoffs, but once it gets beyond the section, then this committee can put teams in whatever division it decides. Maybe it will be determined by enrollment, as many sections do; maybe by "competitive equity," whatever that may mean; or maybe by the MaxPreps mathematical formula.
Whatever the result, whatever the process, the one thing for sure is that it will be different than it has been in the past – and there could be major impacts on what teams wind up in the Open, what teams wind up in which divisions.
In the past, the section commissioners, in both Northern California and Southern California, would gather together and determine a) which teams would be moved into the Open, b) which teams would fill the other brackets, and then c) do the actual seeding.
This put quite a load on the section commissioners, especially when it came to girls' basketball, as few new really knew that much about the teams involved. This year, though, that will change…
Instead, a statewide committee will do the seeding for all girls' basketball after the section playoffs have concluded. They will seed both the North and South, and will determine who goes into the Open, and who gets placed in what divisions. The committee members will remain anonymous, unfortunately, but presumably they will have more knowledge of girls' basketball than the section commissioners, who couldn't really be blamed for not being up-to-date on every aspect of their sections.
A couple of things might fall out from this new arrangement:
1) Tradition and reputation may not matter as much to committee members who are following this season as opposed to section commissioners who just have a more general idea of what's going on. A program that has traditionally been strong may not get quite the same respect or seeding as in the past if more knowledge about their situation this season is commonplace.
2) Who knows what criteria the committee will use for putting teams in particular divisions, aside from the Open? For example, on the boys' side last year, Long Beach Poly, with 4500 students, was placed in Division II. This year, the Southern Section can designate Long Beach poly is a Division II team throughout its playoffs, but once it gets beyond the section, then this committee can put teams in whatever division it decides. Maybe it will be determined by enrollment, as many sections do; maybe by "competitive equity," whatever that may mean; or maybe by the MaxPreps mathematical formula.
Whatever the result, whatever the process, the one thing for sure is that it will be different than it has been in the past – and there could be major impacts on what teams wind up in the Open, what teams wind up in which divisions.