North Dakota Preps

Would be interested in everyone's thoughts about playing 4 qtrs or 2 halves. Class A has been halves for a while now while Class B stays at qtrs. (College women have gone back to qtrs). As a former Class B coach I always enjoyed the halves at Team Camps in the summer. I think halves give the game a better flow, but you also need a little deeper bench, not getting that 1 minute break can be a big thing to teams with a shallow bench. Thoughts?

I've coached in both. When I moved from halves to quarters I felt like I never needed to call a timeout because you were close to a quarter break or you just got out of one. I agree with you that the flow is probably better with halves. If we ever get a middle class they may go to halves, but I don't think you ever see it in the smallest class. You mentioned you probably need a deeper bench, and many coaches will play a kid 3 quarters in a JV game and 3 in a varsity game. That option is stripped from you in halves.

I'm not sure many of the class B schools (the real class b small schools, not the privates and massive Bs, and Fargo/GF suburb schools) have enough capable guys to play halves. Many are playing 5, 6, or 7 guys tops and it gets to be a lot to ask them to play that much time without those quarter breaks. It also almost eliminates the possibility of someone playing the entire game, which actually happens fairly often in those smaller schools with the best players. I prefer quarters because I think it helps with coaching opportunities and offers more chances for adjustments. I agree though that moving to halves drives up scores, increases pace of play, and "has a better flow." I guess it depends on what you like and value. I would prefer to keep quarters.

I hadn't thought about the number of qtrs allowed per night (6). How does this work for halves? (3 halves per night?) At the college level, the women playing qtrs plus getting a media timeout once a qtr seems to really slow the game down.

Sportsrube wrote:I hadn't thought about the number of qtrs allowed per night (6). How does this work for halves? (3 halves per night?) At the college level, the women playing qtrs plus getting a media timeout once a qtr seems to really slow the game down.

Yes, 3 halves a night. The first year 05-06 MN went to halves you could play 3 halves, but they couldn't be consecutive. They changed that after one year.

defensewinsgames wrote:I'm not sure many of the class B schools (the real class b small schools, not the privates and massive Bs, and Fargo/GF suburb schools) have enough capable guys to play halves. Many are playing 5, 6, or 7 guys tops and it gets to be a lot to ask them to play that much time without those quarter breaks. It also almost eliminates the possibility of someone playing the entire game, which actually happens fairly often in those smaller schools with the best players. I prefer quarters because I think it helps with coaching opportunities and offers more chances for adjustments. I agree though that moving to halves drives up scores, increases pace of play, and "has a better flow." I guess it depends on what you like and value. I would prefer to keep quarters.

I see "Fargo/GF suburb schools" constantly talked about on here. Aren't they just "massive B's"? I don't know there is a distinction between "suburb" school as used on here and Big B school. Or is it just a dig on eastern ND?

WFHS to Central Cass HS: 18 miles
Sheyenne HS to Kindred HS: 18 miles
FNHS to Northern Cass: 28 miles

If these are suburbs (assuming meaning being close to a bigger city with more opportunities for lessons, camps, off-season tourneys, club/travel, workout facilities) what about...

Minot HS to Velva HS: 23 miles
Minot HS to Surrey HS: 11 miles
Minot HS to DLS HS: 13 miles
Minot HS to Nedrose HS: 8 miles
Minot HS to South Prairie HS: 13 miles
Century HS to Wilton: 23 miles
Mandan HS to New Salem: 27 miles
DHS to South Heart: 11 miles
DHS to Belfield: 20 miles
Williston HS to Trenton HS: 14 miles

Shouldn't these be suburbs too?

bingobangobongo wrote:

defensewinsgames wrote:I'm not sure many of the class B schools (the real class b small schools, not the privates and massive Bs, and Fargo/GF suburb schools) have enough capable guys to play halves. Many are playing 5, 6, or 7 guys tops and it gets to be a lot to ask them to play that much time without those quarter breaks. It also almost eliminates the possibility of someone playing the entire game, which actually happens fairly often in those smaller schools with the best players. I prefer quarters because I think it helps with coaching opportunities and offers more chances for adjustments. I agree though that moving to halves drives up scores, increases pace of play, and "has a better flow." I guess it depends on what you like and value. I would prefer to keep quarters.

I see "Fargo/GF suburb schools" constantly talked about on here. Aren't they just "massive B's"? I don't know there is a distinction between "suburb" school as used on here and Big B school. Or is it just a dig on eastern ND?

WFHS to Central Cass HS: 18 miles
Sheyenne HS to Kindred HS: 18 miles
FNHS to Northern Cass: 28 miles

If these are suburbs (assuming meaning being close to a bigger city with more opportunities for lessons, camps, off-season tourneys, club/travel, workout facilities) what about...

Minot HS to Velva HS: 23 miles
Minot HS to Surrey HS: 11 miles
Minot HS to DLS HS: 13 miles
Minot HS to Nedrose HS: 8 miles
Minot HS to South Prairie HS: 13 miles
Century HS to Wilton: 23 miles
Mandan HS to New Salem: 27 miles
DHS to South Heart: 11 miles
DHS to Belfield: 20 miles
Williston HS to Trenton HS: 14 miles

Shouldn't these be suburbs too?

Now compare enrollments.

The Schwab wrote:

bingobangobongo wrote:

defensewinsgames wrote:I'm not sure many of the class B schools (the real class b small schools, not the privates and massive Bs, and Fargo/GF suburb schools) have enough capable guys to play halves. Many are playing 5, 6, or 7 guys tops and it gets to be a lot to ask them to play that much time without those quarter breaks. It also almost eliminates the possibility of someone playing the entire game, which actually happens fairly often in those smaller schools with the best players. I prefer quarters because I think it helps with coaching opportunities and offers more chances for adjustments. I agree though that moving to halves drives up scores, increases pace of play, and "has a better flow." I guess it depends on what you like and value. I would prefer to keep quarters.

I see "Fargo/GF suburb schools" constantly talked about on here. Aren't they just "massive B's"? I don't know there is a distinction between "suburb" school as used on here and Big B school. Or is it just a dig on eastern ND?

WFHS to Central Cass HS: 18 miles
Sheyenne HS to Kindred HS: 18 miles
FNHS to Northern Cass: 28 miles

If these are suburbs (assuming meaning being close to a bigger city with more opportunities for lessons, camps, off-season tourneys, club/travel, workout facilities) what about...

Minot HS to Velva HS: 23 miles
Minot HS to Surrey HS: 11 miles
Minot HS to DLS HS: 13 miles
Minot HS to Nedrose HS: 8 miles
Minot HS to South Prairie HS: 13 miles
Century HS to Wilton: 23 miles
Mandan HS to New Salem: 27 miles
DHS to South Heart: 11 miles
DHS to Belfield: 20 miles
Williston HS to Trenton HS: 14 miles

Shouldn't these be suburbs too?

Now compare enrollments.

That is the whole point of my post. It doesn't make sense to refer to some small towns within 30 miles of class A towns as suburbs, while other towns within 30 miles are not. Just call these so-called "suburbs" what they are...Big B's.

Trenton isn't a Big B...Surrey isn't a Big B, New Salem isn't a Big B, Wilton isn't a Big B. Heart River, Nedrose, DL-B, SP would at least fall into the middle class...Velva is borderline.

Enrollment-speaking.

WalkingStick wrote:Trenton isn't a Big B...Surrey isn't a Big B, New Salem isn't a Big B, Wilton isn't a Big B. Heart River, Nedrose, DL-B, SP would at least fall into the middle class...Velva is borderline.

Enrollment-speaking.

Yep, and again that was the point of my post. Thompson, Kindred, NC and CC (and Heart River, Nedrose, DL-B, SP) are Big B's, plain and simple. It's dumb to refer to the towns nearby GF and Fargo as suburbs, but not the towns nearby Bismarck, Minot, Dickinson and Williston, whether those towns are a Big B or not.

Spoken like someone who isn't from a small school...Trying to compare HCV, Kindred, Thompson, CC to Wilton and New Salem is a winning argument....Call them what you want: Big B or suburbs or whatever, the situation and result is still the same.

defensewinsgames wrote:Spoken like someone who isn't from a small school...Trying to compare HCV, Kindred, Thompson, CC to Wilton and New Salem is a winning argument....Call them what you want: Big B or suburbs or whatever, the situation and result is still the same.

Adding in HCV now? OK, got it. Better throw Grafton in there too, then. A Big B, within 40 miles of Fargo and Grand Forks, is a suburb. A small B, within 40 miles of Bismarck, Minot, Fargo, Dickinson, Grand Forks, Williston, is not a suburb.

For the record, I am very aware of the advantages the bigger class B schools have over smaller class B schools, hate what has happened to Class B the last 20 years and am 100% on board with 3 classes.

I don't necessarily think suburbs is the right term for the schools mentioned on the east side of the state. I think they're more like "bedroom communities". Maybe I'm wrong, but I would guess that there are quite a few people in those towns that work in the larger communities surrounding them.

Suburbs: an outlying district of a city, usually attached to that city, more likely residential.

Bedroom Community: a town or city inhabited largely by people who commute to a nearby city for work.

Bedroom Communities - I think that is moreso what many of these 'B' towns are.

Back to Qtrs or Halves talk...I prefer Halves (18 minutes) with the shot clock. If mercy rule is used that starts at 9 minutes left.

WalkingStick wrote:Suburbs: an outlying district of a city, usually attached to that city, more likely residential.

Bedroom Community: a town or city inhabited largely by people who commute to a nearby city for work.

Bedroom Communities - I think that is moreso what many of these 'B' towns are.

Back to Qtrs or Halves talk...I prefer Halves (18 minutes) with the shot clock. If mercy rule is used that starts at 9 minutes left.

From a strategy standpoint, quarters are better because you have more times to talk to your team. Game flow wise halves are better. I've always been against the mercy rule, so I would be against it in this situation too.

I don't mind the mercy rule as long as those running the clock do it correctly. In MN they run the clock during FTs...in ND they don't and I like that they don't...gives more playing & development time.