Tramel's ScissorTales: How to fix Oklahoma high school basketball playoff format
Mark Rodgers is a long-time follower of Oklahoma high school athletics.
The Blackwell native, a WWLS radio show host for almost a quarter century, is former sports director of KOCO-TV (Channel 5). Rodgers also founded Oklahoma Pigskin Preview and now is co-publisher of Vype, a magazine dedicated to Oklahoma high school athletics.
Rodgers has been the radio voice for a variety of high school broadcasts and the television for many state basketball tournaments.
And Rodgers is not pleased with the current system for bracketing Oklahoma’s high school basketball playoffs.
I’m turning over the lead item in my Monday ScissorTales to Rodgers’ ideas for improving the high school hoops postseason:
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WWLS radio host Mark Rodgers details his plan to improve high school basketball
The Oklahoma high school basketball playoffs have arrived. It's the most exciting time of the year for the sport. For three weeks, teams crisscross the state in hopes of making it to Oklahoma City to play in the venerable Big House at the state tournament.
The Big House was built in 1965 and will give way soon to a sparkling new state-of-the-art arena, potentially as soon as 2024. Progress being made.
Progress, however, is a forgotten aspiration when it comes to how the pairings are drawn for the playoffs. The system is old. The system is broken and immediate change is needed.
Teams are being unfairly bracketed by playing meaningless regular-season games, travel concerns and, worst of all, coaches’ bias and ambivalence.
Here are three things that need to change for the betterment of the sport.
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● Announce pairings at the end of the season
The bracket for the state tournament is set for each class 14 days prior to the start of the playoffs.
Wait, what? Yes, that's right. Teams can play games for potentially 12 of those days leading up to the start of the playoffs. The results of those games? Meaningless. Instead of picking on teams that were given high seeds and went on losing streaks during that stretch, let's look at just one example of a team that showed improvement at the end of the season.
The Bishop McGuinness Fighting Irish boys had a record of 8-10 on Feb. 3, when the Class 4A pairings were released. McGuinness then began to play its best basketball of the season, at precisely the time it didn't count. The Irish went 4-1 down the stretch and won on the road against a top-five team in Class 5A. More on McGuinness in a minute.
There's always a million reasons to counter an argument. None of them are good enough to not finish the season before seeding the playoffs.
● Split the boys and girls or eliminate district tournaments
In Class 4A and below, Oklahoma has district tournaments. They’re really not tournaments. It's a boys and girls doubleheader that propel teams either to the regional winners bracket or losers bracket.
One huge problem, it's hard to evenly match competition when trying to pair teams with consideration to both the girls and the boys. Scratch that, it's an impossibility.
If the district tournaments exist only for profit, allow teams to play one more week of regular season games. District tournaments need to go.
Eliminate the week of the district and pair teams in a double-elimination format at the regional tournament level with boys and girls separated. Nothing changes. Don't tie a successful boys or girls team to a less successful team based on travel.
In Class 4A boys region 4, Cleveland (9-14) hosts Oologah (7-15), while in another district, North Rock Creek (18-4), travels to Mannford (14-9).
And again, note the McGuinness boys. They were sent to play at Bethany for the district tournament. Perhaps because the Bethany girls finished with a record of 22-1 and the McGuinness girls finished 8-14. The Bethany boys finished 14-9 with the McGuinness boys at 12-11. Two teams that shouldn't be forced to play an opening-round game.
Oh, and by the way, both teams in the district that is paired in regionals with the Bethany-McGuinness winner, had losing records.
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● Rankings
Oh brother, this one is tough. The current playoff seedings are determined by rankings of the coaches. This seems great! It absolutely isn't.
First issue, rankings are determined by the scores that coaches submit for their games on the website www.ossaarankings.com. It is mandatory that coaches record their scores. But it's not enforced.
Several scores are missing. One anonymous team in Class 3A underreported their record by not posting three losses. That's absurd. It's 2023. The world is connected in every way. Fans and coaches can score games on their phone.
Apps like Skordle geofence results and can vet accurate scores. There is no excuse for not showing an accurate record. If a coach doesn't report scores in time for the final rankings, he shouldn't be allowed to coach in the playoffs. That would put some teeth into mandatory. Bias and geography also play a major part in skewing the rankings. Those things have existed forever and aren't going away. The highest and lowest rankings for coaches are thrown out in an attempt to mitigate bias, but just ask your high school coach if his team was slighted.
Many teams like McGuinness play up a couple of classes resulting in records less than teams that schedule down. All coaches should pay as much attention to the nuances in the rankings as they do preparing gameplans. They would want it that way if it affected them.
Taking bias out of high school sports is impossible. We are all rightly biased when it comes to our children. There will always be bias, but high school basketball can greatly benefit by getting away from the way it's always been.
We have the technology to build a better playoffs. And just like moving into the new Big House, it's time to move away from the olden days in seeding the playoffs.
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Josh Giddey a microphone all-star
TNT attempted to spice its NBA All-Star Weekend coverage by equipping some players with microphones and earpieces, to conduct in-game interviews.
Not sideline interviews. In-game, on-court interviews.
The TNT crew of Brian Anderson, Reggie Miller and Candace Parker interviewed Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic during the All-Star Game on Sunday night, and it was rather bland. A pregame interview with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, during shooting warmups, was a total technical disaster.
But during the Rising Stars Game on Friday night, Josh Giddey was mic’d up, and the back-and-forth was tremendous.
He literally answered questions while on the court with the clock running, often with Giddey in control of the ball.
Do you know the level of multi-tasking that requires? The level of concentration on two fronts?
Here was the conversation between the TNT crew and Giddey.
TNT: “Josh, that was a heck of a jacket” (Giddey wore a blue fur coat to the arena).
Giddey: “Glad you guys liked that. Had that custom-made before the game.”
TNT: No pressure, but 11 straight points for Giddey’s team.
Giddey: “I got ya. I got ya.”
TNT: With Jalen Williams on the court, do teammates look for each other?
Giddey: “Definitely does. It’s fun to play with guys who make others better around them. Something I need to do and what my teammates are doing tonight.”
TNT: Nice no-look pass from Jabari Smith.
Giddey: “Loved that. Very nice.”
TNT: Beautiful pass to Quentin Grimes for a backdoor dunk.
Giddey: “We had that play down out of a timeout.”
TNT: You guys are really competing.
Giddey: “We are. I’m breathing heavy. The altitude up there isn’t good for us.”
TNT: Did you know Evan Mobley was this good?
Giddey: “Absolutely. He does it to us every time we play against him.”
TNT: What are you looking for?
Giddey: “Back up to Tari Eason,” he said while literally dribbling and looking for the play.
TNT: Thoughts on G League sensation Scoot Henderson?
Giddey: “Very talented, man. He’s a big-bodied guard. Very strong, athletic. Goes downhill. Score from all three levels. Very talented kid. Going to have a very bright future in the NBA.”
TNT: How cool is it to have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's support (SGA was sitting courtside)?
Giddey: “He’s one of the best players in the league.” Then Giddey seemed to stop his train of thought for the only time in the six-minute interview, to make a nifty pass.
TNT: Growing up, who did you try to emulate as a passer?
Giddey: “I loved to watch LeBron. As I started to get older, I started to love watching Luka and the way he got guys the ball. I’ve always loved passing the ball. Watching those guys made me want to take my passing to another level.”
TNT: Getting older? You’re only 20.
Giddey: “I know.”
TNT: You don’t seem to take many physical risks. Are you trying to avoid risks, try to play 15-20 years?
Giddey: “Absolutely. Definitely, I mean, as I said, I’m still very young. Long way to go, but hopefully, I mean, every kid wants to have a 15, 20-year NBA career. That’s what I’m trying to do. Still a long way to go.”
TNT: How about your wardrobe the rest of the week?
Giddey: “Tomorrow night, it’s going to be pink. Give you a little hint. Having a teammate like Shai, who dresses up, guys follow that lead, so I’ve gotten into a bit more this year.”
TNT: Did SGA’s wardrobe initially take you by surprise?
Giddey: “It did. Some of the things he wore, I could never ever picture myself trying that stuff on, as the years have gone. I’ve started getting bolder and bolder, trying to out their game. It’s definitely had an influence on that, I’d say. Have you seen him courtside now?”
The conversation was remarkable, considering Giddey was running up and down the court playing a quasi-competitive basketball game.
Shows a little insight into Giddey’s vision, intellect and his ability to process the sport.
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Big 12 rankings: Another Bedlam in Kansas City?
The Bedlam basketball series will change the season after next.
In 2023-24, the Cowboys and Sooners figure to play home-and-home, same as they’ve done for almost a century. OU and OSU have played at least twice every season since 1927-28.
That almost surely will change once the Sooners jump to the Southeastern Conference in summer 2024.
But as a balm for that bummer of a development, it looks quite possible that we will get an extra Bedlam this season.
OSU’s sudden slump — two straight losses, 87-76 at home to Kansas and 100-75 at Texas Christian — means the Cowboys likely will finish in seventh place. And in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, the No. 7 seed is matched against the last-place team.
Hello, OU. The Sooners are playing better; they beat Kansas State 79-65 last Tuesday, then took sixth-ranked Texas to overtime on Saturday before losing 85-83.
But OU is in last place, at 3-11. The Sooners have a shot to win the tiebreaker with either Texas Tech or West Virginia, which are tied for eighth at 4-10.
Still, the Sooners must play their way out of last place. If not, they could find OSU waiting in Kansas City.
The Cowboys swept Bedlam this season, winning 72-56 in Stillwater on Jan. 18 and 71-61 on Feb. 1.
Since the Big Eight established its post-season conference tournament in 1977, the Bedlam rivals have met six times, with OSU winning five.
OU’s only victory came in 2015, 64-49, in the quarterfinals. OSU won in 2018, 2010, 2009, 1999 and 1995.
Let’s get to the weekly Big 12 rankings:
1. Kansas (10-4, 22-5): The Jayhawks finish the regular season at Texas, but KU has home games against Texas Tech and West Virginia remaining.
2. Texas (10-4, 21-6): Longhorns have a rugged remaining schedule — Iowa State, at Baylor, at Texas Christian, Kansas.
3. Baylor (9-5, 20-7): KU plays at Texas, but Texas plays at Baylor, so the Bears have a good shot at first place if they win out. But winning out won’t be easy — Baylor plays at K-State and OSU, and also hosts Iowa State.
4. Kansas State (8-6, 20-7): Why KSU over Iowa State? The Wildcats have a significantly tougher schedule.
5. Iowa State (8-6, 17-9): The Cyclones seems slightly off in recent weeks.
6. Texas Christian (7-7, 18-9): With Mike Miles back, the Horned Frogs might be better than Iowa State.
7. Oklahoma State (7-7, 16-11): The Cowboys should be safely in the NCAA Tournament with one more Big 12 victory.
8. Texas Tech (4-10, 15-12): The Red Raiders have caught West Virginia and have the inside track on eighth place, since its remaining schedule is easier than the Mountaineers’.
9. West Virginia (4-10, 15-12): Sudden question. If Tech finishes ahead of WVU, the Red Raiders will have a better conference and overall record. The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings love West Virginia (32nd) and don’t love Tech (54th), but could the NCAA selection committee pick the Mountaineers at the Red Raiders’ expense?
10. OU (3-11, 13-14): If the Sooners lose Tuesday at home to Tech, they aren’t likely to win again. They finish with road games at Iowa State and Kansas State, then a home game against TCU.
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Mailbag: NBA load management
The NBA load management issue was a topic Friday on my Sports Animal segment, during which I said the answer was reducing the season to 72 regular-season games.
Season-ticket holders would be favorable, since 41 home games a year is as big a time commitment as financial commitment. And the league could keep the same amount of television windows, so that the national-media contracts wouldn’t lose value.
Bill: “Your comments were a breath of hopeful, fresh air on improving the NBA environment by playing fewer games. Less would certainly be more, in the view of this long-term Thunder season ticketholder! I especially appreciated you mentioning the benefits that would accrue to fans. Your suggestion is value-additive almost anyway one looks at it. As you said, reducing the number of regular season total games from 82 to 72, and home games from 41 to 36, should reduce legitimate need for load management by giving players more time to recover naturally. Thus, there’d be fewer disappointed fans who adjust their personal schedules and spend money to come watch world-class athletes in action, only to see them sitting in street clothes. Happier fans should equal more fans purchasing more stuff at the arena. More income from those revenue sources probably pales in comparison with new TV contract dollars, but I assume every little bit helps.”
Tramel: Bill said it well. The only thing I would add is that with the finish of the current national television contract in a couple of years, that would seem to be a good time to change.
The financial fallout would be lower-valued local television contracts, which would hurt big-market franchises like the Lakers, Knickerbockers and Warriors, and overall league revenue would not be as high as possible, which would impact the payroll cap. Tough to sell that to the players association, but the improved travel and game load might be worth it.
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The List: All-time NBA All-Star Game scorers
Jayson Tatum scored 55 points in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night. Tatum now has 90 points total in four All-Star Games. That doesn’t make the top 50 all-time, but give Tatum time. He’s still young (turns 25 next week).
Here are the top 20 All-Star Game scorers in NBA history, with their totals, games, scoring average and Most Valuable Player awards:
1. LeBron James 426: 19 games, 22.4 ppg, 3 MVPs.
2. Kobe Bryant 290: 15 games, 19.3, 4 MVPs.
3. Michael Jordan 262: 13 games, 20.2, 3 MPVs.
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 251: 18 games, 13.9, 0 MPVs.
5. Kevin Durant 250: 10 games, 25.0, 2 MVPs.
6. Oscar Robertson 246: 12 games, 20.5, 3 MPVs.
7. Bob Pettit 224: 11 games, 20.4, 4 MVPs.
8. Julius Erving 221: 11 games, 20.1, 2 MVPs.
9. Elgin Baylor 218: 11 games, 19.8, 1 MVP.
10. Shaquille O’Neal 202: 12 games, 16.8, 3 MVPs.
11. Russell Westbrook 194: 9 games, 21.6, 2 MVPs.
12. Wilt Chamberlain 191: 13 games, 14.7, 1 MVP.
13. Dwyane Wade 188: 12 games, 15.7, 1 MVP.
14. Carmelo Anthony 185: 10 games, 18.5, 0 MVPs.
14. Isiah Thomas 185: 11 games, 16.8, 2 MVPs.
16. Steph Curry 180: 8 games, 22.5, 1 MVP.
17. John Havlicek 179: 13 games, 13.8, 0 MVP.
18. Giannis Antetokounmpo 176: 7 games, 25.1, 1 MVP.
18. Magic Johnson 176: 11 games, 16.0, 2 MVPs.
20. Kyrie Irving 161: 8 games, 20.1, 1 MVP.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school basketball: How to fix the current playoff format
