Poll Discussion

[ballernd]

I think your top 15 list is okay but more accurate list now would be out the 8 regions who do think will win each region. Many of the teams on your top 15 will never reach the state tournament because of other teams in their regions.
Region 1. Kindred vs Central Cass my guess is KIndred.
Region 2. Grafton vs. Thompson my guess is Grafton.
Region 3. Kidder County, Linton HMB, Oaks, and Carrington tough call here but i think Linton HMB
Region 4. Langdon/Edmore/Munich vs Fourwinds my call early was Langdon staying with it but not by much
Region 5. Wilton Wing, Center Stanton, and Shiloh toss up but picking Shiloh.
Region 6. Glenburn vs Rugby my pick going against odds Rugby to win it based on past history.
Region 7. Hettinger/ Scranton vs Beulah my guess is Hettinger/Scranton
Region 8. Kenmare vs Trenton Kenmare wins is my guess but Trenton may have one last run to state.

Now my ranking would go as follows Grafton, Kindred, Linton HMB, Rugby, Shiloh, Langdon, Kenmare, and Hettinger/Scranton . I think top two are solid picks but how they come out after that depends on seating and luck of the draw. I just think Grafton and Kindred are destined for state tournament championship game and Grafton just has the size and experience to win it all.

I wouldn't stick my neck out to make a pick from Region 1 since in a way that will be the State B title game. I'm pulling for Grafton also but it's due to the seniors and the way Grafton plays the game. I would like to see Grafton get revenge on CC for bumping them the first game of the year. After you pick your 8 teams it would be interesting to place their finish in the State B.

Would be nice to see a small town like Grafton finally break through and win it

Agreed! I would really rather cheer for someone else, I'm just picking one out of the top three. I would love to see an upset and some little school get in there but I just don't see it happening this year.

Common fans are always more inclined to cheer for an underdog or small school. Grafton has been running up the score and humiliating their opponents all year. Everyone knows that they're good, and they should be. Enrollment, facilities, good coaching at every level. Of course they're good. Plenty of the teams they've been running up the score on have nowhere close to that kind of infrastructure in their program. Grafton's complete lack of self-awareness or "deal with it" attitude isn't sitting well among the rest of the Region. What goes around comes around and people won't forget about this if Grafton ever finds themselves in a "down year".

As a fan of one of those teams Grafton beat pretty good, I have no problem with it. Region 2 has 3 teams that are good, 3 teams middle of the road and lower, and 6 teams that are probably some of the worst in the state.
Why do people expect good teams to play down to their competition? Who does that help? So, when Grafton plays a top team in State they don't know how to play at a high level? Is it fair to those seniors to play only 1 or maybe 2 quarters a night? And when their JV comes in and plays and is still better then those varsity teams, they shouldn't play hard?

People complain about facilities, but everyone has the same chance to work on their game. Don't blame a team that has worked hard for years to get to that level.

After getting blown out by Grafton, I told people that I guess we know that we need to get better and work harder. Hopefully that will drive the girls to get in the gym and work!!

[Flip]

Who complains about facilities?
And the kid that grows up Daisy, ND doesn't have the same chance to work on their game as a kid that grows up in Grafton or Thompson.

[BasketballMind]

Common fans are always more inclined to cheer for an underdog or small school. Grafton has been running up the score and humiliating their opponents all year. Everyone knows that they're good, and they should be. Enrollment, facilities, good coaching at every level. Of course they're good. Plenty of the teams they've been running up the score on have nowhere close to that kind of infrastructure in their program. Grafton's complete lack of self-awareness or "deal with it" attitude isn't sitting well among the rest of the Region. What goes around comes around and people won't forget about this if Grafton ever finds themselves in a "down year".

As a fan of one of those teams Grafton beat pretty good, I have no problem with it. Region 2 has 3 teams that are good, 3 teams middle of the road and lower, and 6 teams that are probably some of the worst in the state.
Why do people expect good teams to play down to their competition? Who does that help? So, when Grafton plays a top team in State they don't know how to play at a high level? Is it fair to those seniors to play only 1 or maybe 2 quarters a night? And when their JV comes in and plays and is still better then those varsity teams, they shouldn't play hard?

People complain about facilities, but everyone has the same chance to work on their game. Don't blame a team that has worked hard for years to get to that level.

After getting blown out by Grafton, I told people that I guess we know that we need to get better and work harder. Hopefully that will drive the girls to get in the gym and work!!

This is the response every time to this topic. #1, to say that everyone has the same chance to work on their game is probably the most preposterous statement I've ever read on this board. #2 and to the point I'm really responding to,

"Why do people expect good teams to play down to their competition?"

They don't. Nobody thinks that Grafton should pull their starters after the first half. I don't have a problem with them playing into the 4th quarter. What I don't like is when a team as good as Grafton is playing one of those "bottom 6" you described, leaves their press on into the second half and keeps feeding the ball to their "stars" to jack up their stats. How does that help them beat Central Cass or Kindred? They haven't had to play meaningful half-court offense or defense for 80% of the season. When Grafton has played the top teams in the state this year, they've gotten beat. Here's a spoiler for everyone. Grafton will get to the state tournament without so much as a hiccup. They will not win the state championship because won't be able to rely on their "press" against Central Cass or Kindred.

[BasketballMind]

Who complains about facilities?
And the kid that grows up Daisy, ND doesn't have the same chance to work on their game as a kid that grows up in Grafton or Thompson.

Exactly. Obviously there are examples of teams who have opportunities for their players to get better and the town either A) isn't a basketball town or B) is going through a run of kids not into basketball enough to work in the off-season. It's a community effort and Grafton should be commended for that. They should also have some self-awareness that every night they step on the floor, the goal shouldn't be to humiliate their opponent. They played Park River twice this year and beat them by 150 points. I'd love to hear ballernd tell me how that gets them ready to play the top teams in the state.

[Sportsrube]

Who complains about facilities?
And the kid that grows up Daisy, ND doesn't have the same chance to work on their game as a kid that grows up in Grafton or Thompson.

Exactly. Obviously there are examples of teams who have opportunities for their players to get better and the town either A) isn't a basketball town or B) is going through a run of kids not into basketball enough to work in the off-season. It's a community effort and Grafton should be commended for that. They should also have some self-awareness that every night they step on the floor, the goal shouldn't be to humiliate their opponent. They played Park River twice this year and beat them by 150 points. I'd love to hear ballernd tell me how that gets them ready to play the top teams in the state.

There is a fine line between preparing your team to play a full game and sportsmanship. Unfortunately by beating a team by 40-50 points it will probably encourage more girls to quit than to get in the gym and work harder. (By product of today''s parenting.)

[BasketballMind]

Who complains about facilities?
And the kid that grows up Daisy, ND doesn't have the same chance to work on their game as a kid that grows up in Grafton or Thompson.

Exactly. Obviously there are examples of teams who have opportunities for their players to get better and the town either A) isn't a basketball town or B) is going through a run of kids not into basketball enough to work in the off-season. It's a community effort and Grafton should be commended for that. They should also have some self-awareness that every night they step on the floor, the goal shouldn't be to humiliate their opponent. They played Park River twice this year and beat them by 150 points. I'd love to hear ballernd tell me how that gets them ready to play the top teams in the state.

There is a fine line between preparing your team to play a full game and sportsmanship. Unfortunately by beating a team by 40-50 points it will probably encourage more girls to quit than to get in the gym and work harder. (By product of today''s parenting.)

It's also not easy for the Grafton kids to stay motivated. Those girls work year-round to play, at most, 5-6 competitive games the whole year? And the games that aren't competitive aren't games that you need to be locked in for 2-3 quarters and you'll eventually put someone away by 20. It's a game that's over in the first 3 minutes. So this isn't meant to be anti-Grafton for being good. There is a way to approach these games that gets your team better and doesn't rub someone else's nose in it that they're in a down year. As stated before, I think taking off the press when it's not getting you better is a start. If you execute in the half-court and demolish someone, there's nothing much anyone can say about that. Pressing a team that has no chance to break it for 3-4 quarters does your team no good and humiliates your opponent. That isn't what high school athletics is supposed to be about.

[GOPACKGO!!!]

Who complains about facilities?
And the kid that grows up Daisy, ND doesn't have the same chance to work on their game as a kid that grows up in Grafton or Thompson.

Exactly. Obviously there are examples of teams who have opportunities for their players to get better and the town either A) isn't a basketball town or B) is going through a run of kids not into basketball enough to work in the off-season. It's a community effort and Grafton should be commended for that. They should also have some self-awareness that every night they step on the floor, the goal shouldn't be to humiliate their opponent. They played Park River twice this year and beat them by 150 points. I'd love to hear ballernd tell me how that gets them ready to play the top teams in the state.

Well numbers is a key to having a good team. You can have 48 girls in the entire High School (9-12) of which 30% work their butts off in the off season and that doesn't mean your going to be competitive. Everyone needs to admit that players in larger schools are cut for a reason. After reading all these comments one thing comes to my mind, we need a 3 class system.

[Flip]

Well numbers is a key to having a good team. You can have 48 girls in the entire High School (9-12) of which 30% work their butts off in the off season and that doesn't mean your going to be competitive. Everyone needs to admit that players in larger schools are cut for a reason. After reading all these comments one thing comes to my mind, we need a 3 class system.

I feel like I could turn any thread into a 3 class thread.

[leroybla]

From R1
#1 seed Central Cass (19-0) 68, #4 seed Lisbon (13-7) 20.
#2 seed Kindred (17-3) 74, #3 seed Northern Cass (14-5) 41.

[maddog1971]

I love this debate. Let's have a 3 class system because my team is not winning this year? Or is it because Kindred, Grafton, CC have better gyms? Or is it just a numbers game of how many girls you have in your program?
I don't have the answers but I will tell you that even these 3 schools have down years over time.
CC had a group of kids that were sick of getting beat by Kindred so they went all in as a group of kids, got in the weight room and played alot of Basketball. Not only did the kids go all in but so did the parents.
Kindred has been blessed with the best athlete this state(and they will have her for 6 years) has seen in a long time and a very good basketball player in Johnson since they were in 7th grade. They have key role players that make an impact but with out Abby.... they would be a middle of the road team. When those two are gone....
Grafton has had an all out effort by the parents and the kids to get stronger and faster.
Now can any team in the state do the same.... yes but to a degree.
Yes these kids can get in the weight room at 6 AM all year and then get some shooting in after...
These teams put in the time and effort. It is not just handed to them on a silver platter.

[packers21]

I love this debate. Let's have a 3 class system because my team is not winning this year? Or is it because Kindred, Grafton, CC have better gyms? Or is it just a numbers game of how many girls you have in your program?
I don't have the answers but I will tell you that even these 3 schools have down years over time.
CC had a group of kids that were sick of getting beat by Kindred so they went all in as a group of kids, got in the weight room and played alot of Basketball. Not only did the kids go all in but so did the parents.
Kindred has been blessed with the best athlete this state(and they will have her for 6 years) has seen in a long time and a very good basketball player in Johnson since they were in 7th grade. They have key role players that make an impact but with out Abby.... they would be a middle of the road team. When those two are gone....
Grafton has had an all out effort by the parents and the kids to get stronger and faster.
Now can any team in the state do the same.... yes but to a degree.
Yes these kids can get in the weight room at 6 AM all year and then get some shooting in after...
These teams put in the time and effort. It is not just handed to them on a silver platter.

You just complained all fall about Kindred having to play St. Marys in football.

[3on3]

IMO you first need a coach that is a program builder from elementary on up. Then you need the student athletes to buy into that program/philosophy. Parents are also a big factor in supporting the program and pushing their kids to practice. I see it way to often where kids are "working" on their game but all is see is them bumbling around the court shooting and walking around with no motivation to get better. No 3 class system for me. By the way on a side note where has Run been?

[airmail]

By the way on a side note where has Run been?

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=14471

[The Schwab]

I've given my opinion so many times on the 3 class system, but what the heck one more time it is.

1. There is no reason in the world to beat a team by a score of 80+ to under 20 year after year. I don't have as much of a problem if a team is beating another team 110-70, that tells me it's a fast pace game and a team isn't getting completely physically dominated.

2. I will never feel sorry for a team for only getting 5-6 close games a year. To fix this, schedule tougher out of district/region competition. I know this year is a different year with the global pandemic, but in a normal year go play class A teams, MN teams, SD teams, MT teams etc...

3. A down time for the larger class B schools is 9 times out of 10 a .350-.500 winning percentage year. A down time for a smaller class B school is 0-2 wins for multiple years in a row.

4. It is easier for a school of 200 to compete with a school of 1000 than it is for a school of 40 to compete with a school of 200

5. Basketball isn't about the X's and O's, it's about the Billy's and the Joe's. Coaching helps, facilities help, talent helps.

[packers21]

I've given my opinion so many times on the 3 class system, but what the heck one more time it is.

1. There is no reason in the world to beat a team by a score of 80+ to under 20 year after year. I don't have as much of a problem if a team is beating another team 110-70, that tells me it's a fast pace game and a team isn't getting completely physically dominated.

2. I will never feel sorry for a team for only getting 5-6 close games a year. To fix this, schedule tougher out of district/region competition. I know this year is a different year with the global pandemic, but in a normal year go play class A teams, MN teams, SD teams, MT teams etc...

3. A down time for the larger class B schools is 9 times out of 10 a .350-.500 winning percentage year. A down time for a smaller class B school is 0-2 wins for multiple years in a row.

4. It is easier for a school of 200 to compete with a school of 1000 than it is for a school of 40 to compete with a school of 200

5. Basketball isn't about the X's and O's, it's about the Billy's and the Joe's. Coaching helps, facilities help, talent helps.

Very good points

[BasketballMind]

I love this debate. Let's have a 3 class system because my team is not winning this year? Or is it because Kindred, Grafton, CC have better gyms? Or is it just a numbers game of how many girls you have in your program?
I don't have the answers but I will tell you that even these 3 schools have down years over time.
CC had a group of kids that were sick of getting beat by Kindred so they went all in as a group of kids, got in the weight room and played alot of Basketball. Not only did the kids go all in but so did the parents.
Kindred has been blessed with the best athlete this state(and they will have her for 6 years) has seen in a long time and a very good basketball player in Johnson since they were in 7th grade. They have key role players that make an impact but with out Abby.... they would be a middle of the road team. When those two are gone....
Grafton has had an all out effort by the parents and the kids to get stronger and faster.
Now can any team in the state do the same.... yes but to a degree.
Yes these kids can get in the weight room at 6 AM all year and then get some shooting in after...
These teams put in the time and effort. It is not just handed to them on a silver platter.

The difference is when Central Cass does that and they have 30-40 kids out in Junior High every year, there are more good players playing against good to average players. When a smaller school like say, FSHP or Drayton/Valley-Edinburg does it, there's maybe 2-3 that turn into good players, and they only play good competition if they travel year-round all over the place. They don't get much better in practice compared to schools with 30+ girls out every year. Also, Kindred places like Kindred, CC, Thompson, and Grafton are close enough to GF and Fargo that they can get into leagues/training sessions with these big groups of players much easier.

It's not discrediting those kids for living where they live and taking advantage of the situations they have, but to act like anyone could do it because they do it is ridiculous. Especially prior to kids being able to drive themselves. If your Junior High kids don't live "in town" it can be tough to get them into the gym without a parent working as a teacher or being able to figure out a way for them to be at these things. That is far more common among smaller schools/co-ops as many live on farm or their town isn't where the HS gym is. I don't understand how anyone can argue that it's the same opportunity for the kids in a K-12 of 840 vs a K-12 of 120.

[maddog1971]

I love this debate. Let's have a 3 class system because my team is not winning this year? Or is it because Kindred, Grafton, CC have better gyms? Or is it just a numbers game of how many girls you have in your program?
I don't have the answers but I will tell you that even these 3 schools have down years over time.
CC had a group of kids that were sick of getting beat by Kindred so they went all in as a group of kids, got in the weight room and played alot of Basketball. Not only did the kids go all in but so did the parents.
Kindred has been blessed with the best athlete this state(and they will have her for 6 years) has seen in a long time and a very good basketball player in Johnson since they were in 7th grade. They have key role players that make an impact but with out Abby.... they would be a middle of the road team. When those two are gone....
Grafton has had an all out effort by the parents and the kids to get stronger and faster.
Now can any team in the state do the same.... yes but to a degree.
Yes these kids can get in the weight room at 6 AM all year and then get some shooting in after...
These teams put in the time and effort. It is not just handed to them on a silver platter.

The difference is when Central Cass does that and they have 30-40 kids out in Junior High every year, there are more good players playing against good to average players. When a smaller school like say, FSHP or Drayton/Valley-Edinburg does it, there's maybe 2-3 that turn into good players, and they only play good competition if they travel year-round all over the place. They don't get much better in practice compared to schools with 30+ girls out every year. Also, Kindred places like Kindred, CC, Thompson, and Grafton are close enough to GF and Fargo that they can get into leagues/training sessions with these big groups of players much easier.

It's not discrediting those kids for living where they live and taking advantage of the situations they have, but to act like anyone could do it because they do it is ridiculous. Especially prior to kids being able to drive themselves. If your Junior High kids don't live "in town" it can be tough to get them into the gym without a parent working as a teacher or being able to figure out a way for them to be at these things. That is far more common among smaller schools/co-ops as many live on farm or their town isn't where the HS gym is. I don't understand how anyone can argue that it's the same opportunity for the kids in a K-12 of 840 vs a K-12 of 120.

CC does not have 30 to 40 girls out of basketball in every class... Those class are cut down to 10 girls that will see the court in 8th grade and by the time they are Sophomores maybe 4 or 5 will play. The one thing with small schools is everyone who wants to play can play.. they need the numbers. In bigger schools... you fight everyday for a spot on the court. Which again makes for a better product.
I am very poor at getting my points across .... Yes bigger schools have an advantage. No doubts about it. BUT you can not take away from their kids (parents who put the time in traveling every weekend, getting up at 5:30 each morning to get them in the weight room or practice, spend hours each day playing catch or rebounding)
I have a family member that complains all the time about their school program when the only time their kids get any training is when I visit. Parents don't pick up a ball and work with their kids. Never take them to the weight room... So yes... I don't feel sorry for them.

[vikingman]

I wonder if music-lovers ever complain that the kids in their school never spend time after school practicing their instrument day-after-day? Believe it or not, sports is not the most important thing in every person's life. If students only participated in one extra-curricular event, life could get pretty dull. Someone should be allowed to play basketball without having to make it the most important part of their life.

[BasketballMind]

I love this debate. Let's have a 3 class system because my team is not winning this year? Or is it because Kindred, Grafton, CC have better gyms? Or is it just a numbers game of how many girls you have in your program?
I don't have the answers but I will tell you that even these 3 schools have down years over time.
CC had a group of kids that were sick of getting beat by Kindred so they went all in as a group of kids, got in the weight room and played alot of Basketball. Not only did the kids go all in but so did the parents.
Kindred has been blessed with the best athlete this state(and they will have her for 6 years) has seen in a long time and a very good basketball player in Johnson since they were in 7th grade. They have key role players that make an impact but with out Abby.... they would be a middle of the road team. When those two are gone....
Grafton has had an all out effort by the parents and the kids to get stronger and faster.
Now can any team in the state do the same.... yes but to a degree.
Yes these kids can get in the weight room at 6 AM all year and then get some shooting in after...
These teams put in the time and effort. It is not just handed to them on a silver platter.

The difference is when Central Cass does that and they have 30-40 kids out in Junior High every year, there are more good players playing against good to average players. When a smaller school like say, FSHP or Drayton/Valley-Edinburg does it, there's maybe 2-3 that turn into good players, and they only play good competition if they travel year-round all over the place. They don't get much better in practice compared to schools with 30+ girls out every year. Also, Kindred places like Kindred, CC, Thompson, and Grafton are close enough to GF and Fargo that they can get into leagues/training sessions with these big groups of players much easier.

It's not discrediting those kids for living where they live and taking advantage of the situations they have, but to act like anyone could do it because they do it is ridiculous. Especially prior to kids being able to drive themselves. If your Junior High kids don't live "in town" it can be tough to get them into the gym without a parent working as a teacher or being able to figure out a way for them to be at these things. That is far more common among smaller schools/co-ops as many live on farm or their town isn't where the HS gym is. I don't understand how anyone can argue that it's the same opportunity for the kids in a K-12 of 840 vs a K-12 of 120.

CC does not have 30 to 40 girls out of basketball in every class... Those class are cut down to 10 girls that will see the court in 8th grade and by the time they are Sophomores maybe 4 or 5 will play. The one thing with small schools is everyone who wants to play can play.. they need the numbers. In bigger schools... you fight everyday for a spot on the court. Which again makes for a better product.
I am very poor at getting my points across .... Yes bigger schools have an advantage. No doubts about it. BUT you can not take away from their kids (parents who put the time in traveling every weekend, getting up at 5:30 each morning to get them in the weight room or practice, spend hours each day playing catch or rebounding)
I have a family member that complains all the time about their school program when the only time their kids get any training is when I visit. Parents don't pick up a ball and work with their kids. Never take them to the weight room... So yes... I don't feel sorry for them.

Who said you need to feel sorry for them? I went out of my way to say this isn't a knock on players willing to work hard in the off-season to get better. A school like Central Cass, Kindred, or Grafton can't be compared apples to apples with schools like FSHP, D/VE, and smaller communities with 3-4 towns in a co-op. The generic "well our kids work harder" response as the sole reason for the success is laughable.

FSHP didn't have enough players for a JV this year. How good do you think their practices are preparing them for Grafton, Thompson, Midway-Minto etc? Grafton, Thompson, Central Cass, and Kindred have JV teams good enough to make it to regionals in every region in the state year in and year out. There are years where they could take their 8th grade team and have a winning varsity record without it being looked at as a miracle. And again, good on them for the work they've put in, but don't sit there and compare it to schools with <50% of their enrollment.

The key to a good program is good coaches at every level. Believe it or not there are plenty of parents who like their kids to be in sports, but have no desire or ability to coach it. Grafton and Thompson are loaded with good coaches from the top-down, and I'd imagine it's the same in CC and Kindred. With higher numbers out due to higher enrollment, you've got a better chance at some of those parents being equipped to coach and develop everyone. I'll take Hatton-Northwood as an example. To my knowledge, Keenan Konshack (boys varsity coach) coaches the elementary boys and girls teams almost every year. Not many head coaches around the state are able to or would do that for the program. Some have jobs that don't allow it or coach something else in the fall. It's not even close to comparable.

I'd be willing to bet a few years playing up in Class A would drastically change your tune when your team would be the one with less kids out and you wouldn't be winning conference games by 40-50 points on a regular basis.

[muley14]

Any news on Kenmare? I see they lost pretty hard against Divide County on Saturday, a team they had previously beaten easily.

Edit: Nevermind, I think the score on the other site is backwards.

[maddog1971]

I've given my opinion so many times on the 3 class system, but what the heck one more time it is.

1. There is no reason in the world to beat a team by a score of 80+ to under 20 year after year. I don't have as much of a problem if a team is beating another team 110-70, that tells me it's a fast pace game and a team isn't getting completely physically dominated.

2. I will never feel sorry for a team for only getting 5-6 close games a year. To fix this, schedule tougher out of district/region competition. I know this year is a different year with the global pandemic, but in a normal year go play class A teams, MN teams, SD teams, MT teams etc...

3. A down time for the larger class B schools is 9 times out of 10 a .350-.500 winning percentage year. A down time for a smaller class B school is 0-2 wins for multiple years in a row.

4. It is easier for a school of 200 to compete with a school of 1000 than it is for a school of 40 to compete with a school of 200

5. Basketball isn't about the X's and O's, it's about the Billy's and the Joe's. Coaching helps, facilities help, talent helps.

Just for the record... this idea is really growing on me. I just hate the idea of the death of the Class B.
So basically put on the privates, enrollment of 150 kids and more in 9-12 to class B and everyone else in Class C??

[The Schwab]

I've given my opinion so many times on the 3 class system, but what the heck one more time it is.

1. There is no reason in the world to beat a team by a score of 80+ to under 20 year after year. I don't have as much of a problem if a team is beating another team 110-70, that tells me it's a fast pace game and a team isn't getting completely physically dominated.

2. I will never feel sorry for a team for only getting 5-6 close games a year. To fix this, schedule tougher out of district/region competition. I know this year is a different year with the global pandemic, but in a normal year go play class A teams, MN teams, SD teams, MT teams etc...

3. A down time for the larger class B schools is 9 times out of 10 a .350-.500 winning percentage year. A down time for a smaller class B school is 0-2 wins for multiple years in a row.

4. It is easier for a school of 200 to compete with a school of 1000 than it is for a school of 40 to compete with a school of 200

5. Basketball isn't about the X's and O's, it's about the Billy's and the Joe's. Coaching helps, facilities help, talent helps.

Just for the record... this idea is really growing on me. I just hate the idea of the death of the Class B.
So basically put on the privates, enrollment of 150 kids and more in 9-12 to class B and everyone else in Class C??

I view it personally as a AA, A and B set up:
AA- Current class A schools
A- Any school that is above 175 (number could be flexible) or no defined district borders
B- The rest

[ND Sports Fan]

I've given my opinion so many times on the 3 class system, but what the heck one more time it is.

1. There is no reason in the world to beat a team by a score of 80+ to under 20 year after year. I don't have as much of a problem if a team is beating another team 110-70, that tells me it's a fast pace game and a team isn't getting completely physically dominated.

2. I will never feel sorry for a team for only getting 5-6 close games a year. To fix this, schedule tougher out of district/region competition. I know this year is a different year with the global pandemic, but in a normal year go play class A teams, MN teams, SD teams, MT teams etc...

3. A down time for the larger class B schools is 9 times out of 10 a .350-.500 winning percentage year. A down time for a smaller class B school is 0-2 wins for multiple years in a row.

4. It is easier for a school of 200 to compete with a school of 1000 than it is for a school of 40 to compete with a school of 200

5. Basketball isn't about the X's and O's, it's about the Billy's and the Joe's. Coaching helps, facilities help, talent helps.

Schwab has some good points, as always, however, I completely disagree with a 3 class system, and DO NOT talk to me about Football, it is apples and elephants, not even 2 fruits.

Lets not forget, if you go back to 15-16, I believe CC was 5-13, 16-17 they were 7-16, 17-18, 13-13: proving that a down year for a school that size is .350-.500, however, it was BAD basketball. A certain amount of this is a numbers game, but some of it is the commitment level others have discussed. CC girls/parents put in the time to improve their individual skill and program. That said, this is a school that has still NEVER won a girls state title in Class B basketball. Now you want a 3-class system because the girls/parents at CC, Kindred, Grafton have commitment to improvement? Is ND now MIAC football, if you can't beat someone, kick them out so you can shine. Go back to those 5 win CC teams, there were nights they struggled to score 20 points; in a 3-class system back in 15-16, CC would not have won a game, is everyone okay with that because its a larger school and they should just figure it out?

The lure of Class B basketball in this state is Epping (boys side). That is what people want. This is not about large or small schools. Its about student interest, student/parent investment, and program development. Look at Fargo South girls basketball roughly 3-4 years ago, hardly enough girls to put a varsity roster together. This is one of the 5-6 largest high school enrollments in the state.

[The Schwab]

I've given my opinion so many times on the 3 class system, but what the heck one more time it is.

1. There is no reason in the world to beat a team by a score of 80+ to under 20 year after year. I don't have as much of a problem if a team is beating another team 110-70, that tells me it's a fast pace game and a team isn't getting completely physically dominated.

2. I will never feel sorry for a team for only getting 5-6 close games a year. To fix this, schedule tougher out of district/region competition. I know this year is a different year with the global pandemic, but in a normal year go play class A teams, MN teams, SD teams, MT teams etc...

3. A down time for the larger class B schools is 9 times out of 10 a .350-.500 winning percentage year. A down time for a smaller class B school is 0-2 wins for multiple years in a row.

4. It is easier for a school of 200 to compete with a school of 1000 than it is for a school of 40 to compete with a school of 200

5. Basketball isn't about the X's and O's, it's about the Billy's and the Joe's. Coaching helps, facilities help, talent helps.

Schwab has some good points, as always, however, I completely disagree with a 3 class system, and DO NOT talk to me about Football, it is apples and elephants, not even 2 fruits.

Lets not forget, if you go back to 15-16, I believe CC was 5-13, 16-17 they were 7-16, 17-18, 13-13: proving that a down year for a school that size is .350-.500, however, it was BAD basketball. A certain amount of this is a numbers game, but some of it is the commitment level others have discussed. CC girls/parents put in the time to improve their individual skill and program. That said, this is a school that has still NEVER won a girls state title in Class B basketball. Now you want a 3-class system because the girls/parents at CC, Kindred, Grafton have commitment to improvement? Is ND now MIAC football, if you can't beat someone, kick them out so you can shine. Go back to those 5 win CC teams, there were nights they struggled to score 20 points; in a 3-class system back in 15-16, CC would not have won a game, is everyone okay with that because its a larger school and they should just figure it out?

The lure of Class B basketball in this state is Epping (boys side). That is what people want. This is not about large or small schools. Its about student interest, student/parent investment, and program development. Look at Fargo South girls basketball roughly 3-4 years ago, hardly enough girls to put a varsity roster together. This is one of the 5-6 largest high school enrollments in the state.

I would also be in favor of the 3 class system because it gives more room for fluctuation, there could be more criteria looked at than just the size of your school. Lets say you're a current class A school (AA in my idea) and you've been winning less than 5 games for years, you could petition to move down to the middle class. You're a class B school with a winning tradition and you want to try your luck against the middle class? Petition up! Heck, you don't even have to move classes for tournaments, you schedule whoever you want. Power points would be used to seed all tournaments (if it was my idea/plan).

[vikingman]

most of the arguments against going to a 3-class system could also have been made against having a 2-class system -- Central Cass can't hope to compete against Davies on a regular basis? Make a commitment to work harder.