By Gary Lloyd
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama High School Athletic Association Central Board of Control earlier this week approved a change in basketball championship play for the coming school year.
The board voted to change the current regional basketball playoff schedule from a one-week tournament to one that would be played in parts of two weeks beginning with the 2014-15 season.
The new format became necessary after the seven-classification format was approved earlier this year, requiring more days to complete the regional tournament. Clay-Chalkville and Pinson Valley will be Class 6A schools. Hewitt-Trussville will be a Class 7A school.
Pinson Valley senior guard Zach Jackson
file photo by Ron Burkett
“The current schedule didn’t allow enough time between rounds of the basketball playoffs,” said AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese. “The new schedule provides for our schools some much needed space between the completion of the region tournament and the start of the state tournament.”
The change will also allow schools more flexibility with area tournament play. Schools can elect to play girls’ area tournaments between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6 and boys’ area tournaments any time between Jan. 31 and Feb. 7. If areas can’t agree on the dates, the girls’ default dates will be Feb. 2, 4 and 6, and boys’ default dates will be Feb. 3, 5 and 7.
Sub-regional play for Class 1A-6A will be Monday, Feb. 9 for girls and Tuesday, Feb. 10 for boys. Class 7A will not have a sub-regional round.
Regional tournaments will be played between Wednesday, Feb. 11 and Thursday, Feb. 19, allowing scheduling flexibility with host sites. The state tournament coaches’ meeting will be held on Saturday, Feb. 21 and the state tournament will be played as previously scheduled Monday-Saturday, Feb. 23-28 at the BJCC in Birmingham.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
