Basketball playoffs justify Bonine’s ‘dumpster fire’

I don’t blame Eddie Bonine for showing interest in joining another state’s high school athletic association as its executive director.
 
He once described his current employer, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, as a “dumpster fire,” which it is.
 
Bonine was on target with his description. And the arsonists are the LHSAA’s public school principals.
 
They deposited in that flaming dumpster reason, compassion and the spirit of fair play for their fellow principals whose schools are unlike their own.
 
The public school principals, who think of their schools as “non-select,” have fashioned a dual playoff system that separates their schools from the minority of private and parochial schools they call “select.”
 
While awaiting the announcement of the boys’ basketball playoff field on Monday (which was put on hold until the LHSAA executive committee holds an emergency sportsmanship hearing for one of its members who is appealing a forfeit), I perused the latest power ratings.
 
In their zeal to win a participation trophy as easily as possible, here is what you may expect from the playoff pairings:
 
There are more than enough non-select schools to fill 32-team brackets in the top five classes (5A through 1A).

Classes B and C have 27 schools entered in the non-select playoff brackets. But 52 percent of those playoff-bound teams in the lower classes have losing records.

Stanley, a Class B team hidden away in Logansport, is a playoff contender despite an 0-25 record.

At least two principals from Louisiana School for the Deaf (1-10 record) and Central of Jonesville (0-13) wisely chose not to waste money traveling to some location to be humiliated on the basketball court.

Class 1A is loaded with losing records. Of the bottom 18 seeds, 16 have more L’s on their ledgers than W’s. The standard-bearer is No. 32 seed Oberlin, which is winless in 26 trips to the court.

But, hurrah! The Terrible Tigers made the playoffs.

Selects’ dilemma
The story is similar among the minority select schools. The playoff pairings reflect 82 teams split among five divisions. Thirty-five (43 percent) have lost more games than they have won.

Playoff brackets for Divisions III and IV (schools comparable to classes 3A and 2A) reflect 24 teams with losing records among the 45 entrants.

It was never the intent for the LHSAA’s founding fathers in 1920, who were all public school principals by the way, to have a playoff system that is so inclusive it allows schools who have no business wasting time and travel money to prolong a season of anguish.

But here we are, nearly a century later, with select brackets that look like this:

➤ Division V – Five of 12 schools with losing records.

Vision Academy of Monroe is the No. 9 seed with a 1-20 record.

The No. 12 and final seed, St. Joseph of Plaucheville has a 3-30 record.

Principals and headmasters at Lutheran (3-18), First Baptist (3-17) and Patrick Taylor (3-25) were smart enough to take a post-season pass.

➤ Division IV – There are 22 playoff entries. More than half (12) have sub-.500 records. The runts of this litter are No. 22 seed St. Edmund in Eunice (2-24) and Highland Baptist in New Iberia (0-17).

St. Ed’s hasn’t won a game since Dec. 3, 2016. That’s 30 games ago for the Blue Jays.

Highland Baptist has been outscored by a per-game average of 71.8 points to 20.

Apparently, a glimmer of hope to win a trophy is more paramount than saving travel expenses.

More aware of their ill fate were the headmasters of Ridgewood Prep (0-19), University Academy of Central Louisiana (5-20) who would rather save their athletic programs from the red ink. They are wise enough to know this playoff system is futile.

Stronger fan base
To make the tournament in Lake Charles attractive to the fans, the LHSAA will hold select and non-select games during the same session.

That makes sense because the select schools have a more solid fan base. So it stands to reason to schedule a Scotlandville-St. Augustine game before or after an East Ascension-Ouachita game.

Burton Coliseum will have more visitors from New Orleans and Baton Rouge than from Monroe and Gonzales.

The same holds true with Dunham of Baton Rouge facing either Country Day or Riverside Academy on the same day as Madison Prep would play Rayville, despite their combined 53-6 records.

Outside their habitats, non-select schools hardly ever outdrew their select counterparts.

And if De La Salle (27-4) should make it to the Division II finals, the Maroon faithful will show up in droves.

Making the best out of sorry playoff scenarios is all the fans of the schools and sports can do.

The only way things could get back to normal with the LHSAA mess is if two-thirds of the principals say so. That won’t happen. They will just pour more fuel on the dumpster fire.

What umps will look for
Now that prep baseball has started, local members of the Crescent City Umpires Association will be taking note of a few protocols they expect coaches and players to follow.

CCUA Assignment Secretary and umpire Shane Rigden pointed out the following in a memo to his staff:

“No wearing of jewelry will be allowed that is not addressed in the NFHS rule book.

“All coaches and players must stay in dugouts when not actively taking part in the game at that time. When pitchers are in the pen warming up, there should also be a personal protector sent with them wearing a helmet.

“The use of profanity will be monitored and enforced as per the LHSAA guidelines.

“During pregame infield, the opposing team should remain in the dugout.”

Ron Brocato can be reached at [email protected].