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2024 OHSAA State Boys Basketball Attendance...End Of The Four Class Era
https://statelinesportsnetwork.net/2024 ... -class-era

It was fine. Probably never getting the Lebron type crowds, especially if the games are not in Columbus. Crowds in general are lower, especially with the prices going up and going cashless, which limits some of the population.

Mr. Basketball had the best crowd, Maysville/Alter was very good as well. Maysville and Glandorf had the two best crowds for sure.

Obviously it's multi factorial for why attendance is down.

I think not having games in Columbus turned people off, but I believe Dayton is a much better venue than the Schott ever was. Much more of a basketball environment, amazing parking, every seat is great.

I think having games on Sunday has been nothing short of a disaster. Whether it's work the next day, having church on Sunday, or all the teams from NEO having to come down and back (St Iggy won at 10 pm and all those students in the student section have to drive back and go to school the next day), all have caused Sunday declines.

Can't forget the non competitive games either..

The OHSAA took the laziest option to "fix" the issue with teams just blowing out their competition.

Competitive balance has never worked from the start and it showed that competitive balance needed bolstered. Instead the OHSAA used it to get 7 divisions that changes nothing. Richmond Heights still in d6. Lutheran East still in d5.

I know no one cares about my opinion, but it's just sad to see how the state tourney has died.

The semifinals have brought the best basketball so hopefully I will get to watch a couple even if they are at neutral sites.

allOhiotraveler wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:33 am Obviously it's multi factorial for why attendance is down.

I think not having games in Columbus turned people off, but I believe Dayton is a much better venue than the Schott ever was. Much more of a basketball environment, amazing parking, every seat is great.

I think having games on Sunday has been nothing short of a disaster. Whether it's work the next day, having church on Sunday, or all the teams from NEO having to come down and back (St Iggy won at 10 pm and all those students in the student section have to drive back and go to school the next day), all have caused Sunday declines.

Can't forget the non competitive games either..

The OHSAA took the laziest option to "fix" the issue with teams just blowing out their competition.

Competitive balance has never worked from the start and it showed that competitive balance needed bolstered. Instead the OHSAA used it to get 7 divisions that changes nothing. Richmond Heights still in d6. Lutheran East still in d5.

I know no one cares about my opinion, but it's just sad to see how the state tourney has died.

The semifinals have brought the best basketball so hopefully I will get to watch a couple even if they are at neutral sites.

Good post, especially the last couple of sentences.

My worry about the state semi’s in the future is that they are going to be all on the same night in 28 different sites. It would be great if they could do two semi’s a night over two nights at 8 sites, but I doubt that happens whether logistically or otherwise.

I went to the boys state tournament for 35 straight years until 2015, and now enjoy watching the semifinals and finals on Spectrum. I did enjoy going to my 1st girls state tournament with Portsmouth making the Final 4 this year. UD Arena is a really nice facility.

I just wonder how the logistics of a 7 division state tournament is going to play out in 2024-25.

This season was also the 1st that I can remember that all 3 Regional Winners at the Convo won their state semifinal game.

The championship game of the Sweet Sixteen in Kentucky between state champion Lyon County and runnerup Harlan County drew over 13,000. Tyler Perry of Lyon County became the all time leading scorer in Kentucky HS history with over 5,400 points. He was the 2024 Mr.Basketball for the Bluegrass.

How many schools who played in championship game were public schools

allOhiotraveler wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:33 am Obviously it's multi factorial for why attendance is down.

I think not having games in Columbus turned people off, but I believe Dayton is a much better venue than the Schott ever was. Much more of a basketball environment, amazing parking, every seat is great.

I think having games on Sunday has been nothing short of a disaster. Whether it's work the next day, having church on Sunday, or all the teams from NEO having to come down and back (St Iggy won at 10 pm and all those students in the student section have to drive back and go to school the next day), all have caused Sunday declines.

Can't forget the non competitive games either..

The OHSAA took the laziest option to "fix" the issue with teams just blowing out their competition.

Competitive balance has never worked from the start and it showed that competitive balance needed bolstered. Instead the OHSAA used it to get 7 divisions that changes nothing. Richmond Heights still in d6. Lutheran East still in d5.

I know no one cares about my opinion, but it's just sad to see how the state tourney has died.

The semifinals have brought the best basketball so hopefully I will get to watch a couple even if they are at neutral sites.

Agree with all of this. Very good post.

There just isn’t the same appetite from the general population to watch high school basketball instead of March Madness, and the other problem is the tournament calendar is bleeding badly into baseball season (which erodes at the one demographic OHSAA has an opportunity to target for attendance purposes.) The tournament wasn’t even halfway through completion by the time “play ball!” was uttered for the majority of Ohio schools on Saturday.

Mc1196 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:26 am How many schools who played in championship game were public schools

BOYS

Richmond Heights - D4 is public ( 3 in a row ) - defeated a public school
Lutheran East - D3 is private ( 3rd title in the last four years ) - defeated a public school
Kettering Archbishop - D2 is private - defeated a public school
Cleveland St. Ignatius D1 is private - defeated a public school

GIRLS

Ft Loramie - D4 is public - defeated a public school
Africentric - D3 is public ( in name only ) - defeated a public school
Purcell Marian - D2 is private - defeated a public school
Olmstead Falls - D1 is public - defeated a public school

84Dragon wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:27 am

Mc1196 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:26 am How many schools who played in championship game were public schools

BOYS

Richmond Heights - D4 is public ( 3 in a row ) - defeated a public school
Lutheran East - D3 is private ( 3rd title in the last four years ) - defeated a public school
Kettering Archbishop - D2 is private - defeated a public school
Cleveland St. Ignatius D1 is private - defeated a public school

GIRLS

Ft Loramie - D4 is public - defeated a public school
Africentric - D3 is public ( in name only ) - defeated a public school
Purcell Marian - D2 is private - defeated a public school
Olmstead Falls - D1 is public - defeated a public school

Would add that Richmond Heights is public in name only as well. They have transfers all across Cleveland going there.

allOhiotraveler wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:41 am

84Dragon wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:27 am

Mc1196 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:26 am How many schools who played in championship game were public schools

BOYS

Richmond Heights - D4 is public ( 3 in a row ) - defeated a public school
Lutheran East - D3 is private ( 3rd title in the last four years ) - defeated a public school
Kettering Archbishop - D2 is private - defeated a public school
Cleveland St. Ignatius D1 is private - defeated a public school

GIRLS

Ft Loramie - D4 is public - defeated a public school
Africentric - D3 is public ( in name only ) - defeated a public school
Purcell Marian - D2 is private - defeated a public school
Olmstead Falls - D1 is public - defeated a public school

Would add that Richmond Heights is public in name only as well. They have transfers all across Cleveland going there.

Im not familiar enough with them to know that , Thank ya.

7 Divisions? Easy.

4 Public
3 Private

Make competitive balance add one number extra for each tier for the higher the grade a student transfers in to be added on their competitive balance number for the next even year calendar count.
Grades:
7=0
8=+1
9=+2
10=+3
11=+4
12=+5

You separate the private and public, that problem is solved easily.
For public schools that want their kids to transfer, adding an additional +1 is a great detractor to public schools that like adding kids for the benefit of one or two successful seasons. This is for one student athlete. Imagine a school that somehow gets 3 amazing athletes in their junior year. That would be a +12 on the next even year count. If they’re already teetering on bumping up a division, it’ll definitely bump them up by this unit of measurement.

However, I also think that these numbers should go in reverse in the sense that if a neighboring school district loses a kid to the next door school district, they should get the same deduction as the other school gets the addition number.

It would take some work and time from each school district but I also think that it would benefit the state athletics over time. Some people may argue that it’s not beneficial for private and public to be separated. However, this would also help the large schools that constantly have to battle the private schools of Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati area. Think about them as well. Imagine having to face Moeller or St. Edwards every time you got to the regional or state level.