BASKETBALL: New CIF basketball playoff format

Here is a proposal by the CIF for basketball.

CIF SOUTHERN SECTION
DATE: January 4, 2008
TO: CIF Southern Section Council
FROM: Basketball Advisory Ad Hoc Committee
RE: Playoff Competition Equity
Over the course of the 93-year history of the CIF Southern Section, one of the fundamental objectives to its
post-season playoff process is the strong desire to provide for equitable competition amongst its member
schools.
Most often this effort has been defined along two lines, a Astrength of sport@ system attached to a school=s
league affiliation or an Aenrollment-based@ format tied to a school=s CBEDS count for all four grades.
Each process has its merits and corresponding drawbacks and has been debated thoroughly over the nine
decades of post-season play. One constant is that there has never been a strong consensus for either system.
Those in the non-supportive camp generally cite that the superior strength of a single school should not Apull
along@ four or five league members of significantly lesser strength, while enrollment as a single entity fails to
speak to competitive equity.
With this as a background, a special ad hoc committee of the CIF-SS Basketball Advisory Committee has
studied the two processes over the past eight months and its diligent commitment has resulted in a new format
C one that combines strength and enrollment into a pilot proposal for boys and girls basketball during the
2008-2010 playoff groupings cycle.
The uniqueness of the proposal is that its collective format speaks to each member school, even if it fails to
qualify for post-season basketball competition in a given year and extending through a preceding four-year
period.
Initially, schools will be assigned to one of twelve playoff divisions (IAA, IA, etc.) based on enrollment, with a
range of 40-49 schools encompassing each division. This in itself will provide a more balanced and leveling
step than that of the playoff format currently in place.
Secondly, each member school will then have a cumulative Afour-year point profile@ logged for the preceding
four seasons (2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08), these totals accumulated with points earned by a win
in rounds one through the finals of each season. At this stage, schools failing to qualify for the playoffs over a
preceding four-year span will then be moved down one-half division in an effort to address competitive equity.
Next, those Apower schools@ that have collected significant point totals of 15-24 will be moved up one-half
division (example: 2A to 2AA), 25-34 one full division, etc., to further respond to strength of sport and address
dominance in a particular division over the course of four seasons.
This overall leveling by strength and non-strength (not qualifying) will still maintain a grouping of 40-49 schools
in any one division, with each Anew division@ more balanced in terms of competitive equity than at any point in
recent decades of the organization.
Further, the proposal calls for the elimination of the current A12 win@ clause in order to qualify for the playoffs.
This will bring the sport of basketball in line with all others in terms of qualifying for post-season competition
and eliminate thoughts of manipulating one=s non-league schedule. Playoff brackets having bye spots in any
division will be filled with at-large teams meeting criteria as currently utilized in other sports and as selected by
a playoff committee.
It is the strong recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee, the CIF-SS Basketball Advisory Committee and the
SCIBCA Basketball Coaches Association Board to support this proposal during a two-year pilot period of 2008-
2010.
Question: Were all levels of schools and gender represented on the Ad Hoc Committee?
Answer: Yes. Small, medium and large schools, plus boys and girls coaches were represented. This was
further replicated with membership on the CIF-SS Basketball Advisory Committee and the SCIBCA Coaches
Board.
Question: Will schools still automatically qualify for the playoffs by finishing in the top half of their league, as is
the current practice?
Answer: Yes. There is no change in this qualifying procedure.
Question: By using this format, will the playoff divisions in basketball be adjusted each year?
Answer: Yes. They will be adjusted each year based on the school=s new CBEDS number and Afour-year
profile@ point totals.
Question: Will this system change qualifying procedures for the CIF State Playoffs?
Answer: No. Schools will still be selected for the State Playoffs based upon their enrollment range and as so
selected by a CIF-SS committee.
Question: By eliminating the 12-win rule, will all divisions have a full 32-team field and no byes?
Answer: Yes. Any byes will be filled by at-large selections.
Question: How are points accumulated in a given year?
Answer: One point for a win in the first round; two points for a second-round win; three points for a quarter
finals= win; four points for a semifinals= win; and five points for a CIF-SS championship. The maximum points a
school can earn in any one playoff season is 15. In the event of a wild-card win (based on more than 32 teams
automatically qualifying), there are no points earned.
Question: What is the Afour-year profile@ point range for moving up?
Answer: 15-24 points, move up one-half division; 25-34, up another one-half division; 35-44, up another onehalf
division; 45-plus , up a final one-half division. Thus, no school could move up more than two full divisions
and this would be based on virtually winning three CIF-SS titles in a four-year period.
Question: What happens to a school=s point total after the first year of the pilot program?
Answer: All schools would subtract points earned in the 2004-05 playoffs and add any points earned in the
2008-09 playoffs.
3200.1 Enrollment based divisions will be used in the sport(s) of track and field and boys and girls basketball.
By action of the Southern Section Council, once the divisions are established for the playoffs in the sport of
track and field, no school shall be allowed to move up to a larger enrollment division. Schools will participate
based upon their CBED enrollment figures. Consideration will be given to geography after league placement
has been recognized.
3200.10 In the sport of basketball, schools will be adjusted up or down in half or whole division
increments, based on competitive equity.
3200.2 By action taken at the September 30, 2005 Southern Section Council meeting, in the sports of boys and
girls basketball and of girls volleyball, playoff divisions will be determined by competitive equity of leagues.
3214.1 In basketball only, schools with 12 or more wins may submit a petition for an at-large berth should
there be openings in the brackets.
3214.2 Change to 3214.1

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