Only In The Public League!!

February 4, 2010

10:00 A.M. CST

Make no mistake about it--the average outsider has always had a negative perception of high school basketball in the Chicago Public League and the manner in which "business" is conducted.  That perception has always existed and probably always will.  We have always been quick to praise positive efforts that are made with respect to anything involving Chicago Public League basketball (and will continue to be).  Unfortunately, there continue to be far too many instances which in our opinion only reinforce the criticisms that many have. 

The two latest examples of what we are talking about involve the joke that has become the Chicago Public League playoffs and to an even greater degree the wave of players who recently decided to transfer schools.  While some local media pundits choose to defend and excuse everything that the Public League does because they think that their reputation depends on it, we choose instead to speak the truth.  In doing so, we can only hope that a light bulb finally goes on in someone's head regarding what needs to be done.

The Public League Playoffs

Let us begin with our thoughts on the Chicago Public League playoffs.  Despite what others will try to tell you, they have become completely meaningless and anti-climatic.  Therefore, anyone who tries to say otherwise needs to have their credibility called into question.  First of all, the Public League tournament no longer carries any true significance.  Gone are the days when the winner of the Public League championship received an automatic birth in the state finals.  Because of that, the Public League championship game always meant something--there was something on the line and the winner could truly lay claim to being the best in the state.  This is no longer the case now.

In 2003 the Public League decided to do away with the automatic bid to the state finals and chose instead to have every Public League team seeded into the regional rounds of the state tournament, meaning of course that every team would get to participate.  Once this decision was made, for all practical purposes it made the Public League playoffs irrelevant.  In effect, there was no longer anything to play for because every team would have "new life" come state tournament time.  We don't want to hear the argument that teams in the Public League playoffs are now playing for pride because that is hogwash.  There is no such thing as playing for pride during the regular season--the bottom line is that you play to win!

But even if you disagree with us on the overall significance (or should we say insignificance?) of the Public League playoffs, our argument can be defended simply by taking a look at the ridiculous manner in which this year's tournament is bracketed.  Rather than seeding the entire 32 team field as a whole based on overall won-loss record, the Public League administrators seed teams solely according to how they finish within their respective section (conference).  As a result, they refuse to take into account the fact that some sections are undoubtedly stronger than others.  What that means is that you can have a strong fourth place team from one section receive a low seed while a first or second place team from a weaker section ends up getting an undeserved higher seed.

Because of the Public League's ineptitude in seeding the tournament, three things end up happening.  The first is that you end up getting a rash of first round blowouts.  The second is that your best games end up occurring in the second round (the sweet 16 round).  Therefore each and every game beyond the second recound becomes less meaningful and less entertaining because the reality is that you don't have the best possible matchups.  The third is that both the semifinal and championship contests end up being rematches of games that already took place during the regular season.  And with nothing really at stake, we have to ask ourselves if those matchups are really worth seeing again.

Just to offer some specific examples, how many people got excited when they found out that Simeon beat Mather by 30 points in first round action yesterday?  Or that Marshall smoked Clark by 45 points, Foreman blew out Best Practice by 22, and Whitney Young beat Chicago Richards by 16?  Furthermore, how many people even knew that Clark, Best Practice and Chicago Richards existed?  That's what we thought! 

It is our opinion that the Public League playoffs need to be eliminated altogether.  However, the problem then becomes how to handle the long layoff that most all Public League teams would suffer between the end of their conference seasons and the start of the state tournament.  In lieu of the city playoffs, we believe that Public League teams should consider finding a way to schedule a consistent number of games during February against teams outside Chicago, whether it be opponents from the suburbs or even from downstate.  It seems to us that would give them better preparation for the state tournament than playing in the Public League playoffs.  Perhaps that is easier said than done, but in our minds it could be a win-win for everyone involved.

Looking at how the bracket currently stands, the two best games of the entire tournament could occur in the second round when Whitney Young faces Morgan Park and Hyde Park takes on Orr.  Other than that, most everything is a crapshoot.  Therefore, when it comes to any further analysis of any high school basketball action concerning the Public League, wake us up when the state tournament begins. 

The Transfer Glut

The never-ending wave of transfers that continues to permeate the Chicago Public League just continues to sicken us.  The bottom line is that it has got to stop.  We say this because there is no question that the transfers are being made solely for basketball purposes in order to give certain schools an advantage.  And the fact that a number of them are occurring during the middle of the school year is even more disturbing. 

For the second year in a row the Public League school that has been most affected is Curie.  Last season, Wayne Blackshear transferred from Curie to Morgan Park at the semester break.  This year, 5'10 class of 2011 guard Asante Smiter and 6'4 class of 2011 forward Aaron Arrington have decided to leave Curie in order to transfer to Foreman.  We really feel for Curie head coach Mike Oliver, a good man and a coach who does things the right way.

There is no question that there was some serious tampering involved at Foreman's end and you don't need any inside knowledge of the situation to figure out that both Smiter and Arrington were recruited to play at Foreman next season.  Look no further than the fact that each player competed this past spring and summer for the Illinois Heat traveling team, which just so happens to be coached by the same person who is the varsity head coach at Foreman.  Does anyone actually think that this is a mere coincidence?  We don't!  Not only that, but we find it fascinating that both Smiter and Arrington changed residences, moving from Chicago's south side to the north side in order to make the transfers look legitimate.  Again, who really believes that they did this on their own accord?  Look no further than the fact that each player chose to move at exactly the same time, which should send an immediate red flag.

What is especially unfortunate is that we really like Calvin Davis, the Director Of Sports Administration for the Chicago Public League.  We believe that Davis has done an admirable job when it comes to ruling on and enforcing decisions regarding transfers.  However, it is obvious that he has another serious case on his hands and it is imperative that he does what is right.  Unfortunately, Davis is only one person and in many instances his hands are tied, which in our minds gets to the most important issue--ending this problem once and for all.

There is no question that Smiter and Arrington should be ruled permanently ineligible at Foreman.  But even if they are, that would only be the beginning.  As far as we are concerned, all athletic transfers need to be outlawed under any circumstance.  In our minds the best way to make sure that happens is for the Public League to conduct thorough investigations of all coaches who are even suspected to be recruiting players from other schools.  Those who are found guilty of wrong-doing should be fired on the spot.  Of course, that would probably mean that several schools would be playing without a coach.  But then again, the NBA is widely regarded as being a player's league.  Why not make the Chicago Public League the same way?  In fact, some would argue that it already is.   

Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to high school basketball and recruiting  in Illinois.