My View/Your View: IHSAA was left with no other choice

In an earlier column, I stated that the Indiana High School Athletic Association dropped the ball in allowing the girls basketball State Finals to leave Indianapolis.

Based on recent information, I stand corrected.

The biggest problem was simply lack of information: certainly on my part.

IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille said that the governing body of Indiana high school sports didn’t have a choice in keeping the girls basketball State Finals in Indianapolis for the 2009-10 season.

“Geographically, it’s obviously the best place to have it,’’ he said.

And that’s exactly what the IHSAA would have done had it not been dealt a last-moment blow by the folks at Lucas Oil Stadium.

By now, of course, we know that the 2010 girls State Finals will be played at Fort Wayne’s Allen County War Coliseum. At least, it will be for one year.

What exactly took place just wasn’t explained very well. I think everyone concern – especially schools, athletes and parents – need an explanation when changes are made. I don’t think it was as much a fault as it was possibly just an oversight. Still, hopefully, better communication on events of such magnitude will follow in the days to come.

Here’s what transpired.

A trade show was in; the girls State Finals was out. That means the girls State Finals became homeless in Indianapolis for the first time since they played their championship(s) in Indianapolis dating back to the 1979-80 season.

Regarding the trade show, Wille said that no one at the IHSAA was aware of this until the week of the State Finals.

Said Wille, “It was either the morning of the actual games when the subject came up about next year’s event or Monday before the IHSAA hosted the state finalist coaches and administrators meeting in the facility. Regardless, we weren’t aware until then that they wouldn’t be able to host us in 2010, and we already had concerns about the stadium being cost-prohibitive for our events anyway.’’

During the summer of 2007, the IHSAA reportedly was ready to announce a multi-year agreement at another venue, but Lucas Oil Stadium and the City of Indianapolis stepped up at the last minute to make it affordable to host the event there for one year.

“Keep in mind that the stadium was hosting the NCAA Regional three weeks later, so I’m guessing there may have been some interest on their part to see how that new basketball configuration worked’’ Wille said.

Wille, who is very detail oriented and (based on what I’ve witnessed from my dealings with him) approaches every task in a very conscientious manner, discussed the conflict of dates issue prior to this year’s girls State Finals.

As I mentioned in a column prior to the postseason this past season, the subject was in regards to using Conseco Fieldhouse, not Lucas Oil Stadium. Conseco Fieldhouse, which has served as host to the State Finals since the 2000-01 season, has a contract to host the Big Ten women’s Tournament through 2012.

The dates are below.
• March 5-8, 2009 (girls State Finals were played March 7)
• March 4-7, 2010 (March 6)
• March 3-6, 2011 (March 5)
• March 1-4, 2012 (March 3)

So, we’ll see you at The Coliseum on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

Hey, that’s not a bad venue. Of all the available places, I think The Coliseum is the best choice. It’s a great basketball venue, has a great atmosphere and plenty of great memories. I’m sure a lot of you have some fond memories you might want to share, too.

Still, it’s not Indianapolis. Hopefully, the girls will be back in Indy in the very near future. That’s where they belong. For reasons that should be obvious.

Mark Morrow is an online columnist for VYPE High School Sports Magazine, Central Indiana. He can be reached at mediamarko@sbcglobal.net or by leaving a comment.