Net gain from no state tourney
Conference tournaments popular, could be back for some leagues
While there may have been no MIAA state tournaments this winter, there was still plenty of postseason excitement to go around.
Across Eastern Massachusetts, a number of leagues created conference tournaments for their member schools in an effort to give student-athletes and coaches a chance to compete for a championship in the absence of MIAA-sanctioned tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While a few leagues, including the Tri-Valley League, Bay State Conference and Hockomock League, elected to conclude the winter schedule once their respective teams’ regular seasons were done, the Catholic Conference, Merrimack Valley Conference, Dual County League, Patriot League and South Shore League all gave their teams an opportunity to compete for something greater. Those five conferences along with a handful of others attached a tournament to the end of their seasons which featured teams being seeded based on where they finished in the regular season. The tournaments brought plenty of memorable moments.
Nate Amado and Cole Levangie performed like the stars they are as WhitmanHanson’s boys program won the Patriot League Cup in an exciting victory over Hingham to stretch its winning streak to 35 games. For the first time in 24 seasons, Malden Catholic has a reason to celebrate as the Lancers took home the Catholic Conference championship in John Walsh’s first year at the helm with a road victory over Catholic Memorial. Central Catholic put an end to Andover’s spotless season as the Raiders put up a stellar defensive effort to claim the MVC Large crown.
Behind South Shore League Sullivan MVP Grace Oliver, Norwell proved it was one of the best girls teams around, completing a 16-1 season with wins over Rockland in the semifinals and Middleboro in the championship.
While there were no casual spectators allowed in the stands, a few leagues began to allow families from both home and road teams to attend come tournament time, providing noise to gymnasiums that had hosted games in silence for most of the winter. Student-athletes all around were invigorated and animated, clearly energized by the ability to compete for a championship, even if on a smaller scale.
“It was awesome,” said Newton South boys coach Steve Matthews, whose team won the DCL Large title. “It gave the kids something to play for and it got them excited in an otherwise strange year.”
Now, many are hopeful that league tournaments could become the norm even when MIAA statewide tournament play returns next season. Coaches and studentathletes alike see league tournaments as a way to boost excitement around rivalries, draw crowds and provide a championship opportunity for those teams that otherwise have had down years.
“I absolutely love the idea of league tournaments,” said Abington athletic director and boys basketball coach Peter Serino. “Our semifinal game against Rockland would have been in a packed gym in a normal season. It would be a phenomenal atmosphere, and it would give a postseason experience, too, to those teams that maybe are not going to the state tournament.”
Some coaches and administrators, however, believe the tournament could only work under strict parameters. There is disagreement over whether all or any of the league tournament games should count toward MIAA tournament qualification. If it did, that could force teams to cut into their non-conference schedule, already tough for schools in large leagues such as the Patriot League, where teams have 16 games already scheduled for them. The Boston City League — known for its widely acclaimed postseason tournament — used to count the quarters and semifinals before playing the championship after the MIAA Tournament cutoff date. Now all of its games count toward tournament qualification.
“What I would love to see happen is the rest of the state doing what the Boston City League used to do with regards to its format,” Bob Rodgers, athletic director and boys basketball coach at Whitman-Hanson, said. “I think if you were able to play them outside of your schedule limitations it would be awesome, but I would not want to sacrifice any league games or chances to schedule big time non-league opponents in exchange.”
While there is a chance multiple leagues could go through with a conference tournament, that is certainly not required. Individual leagues could choose to continue doing conference tournaments on their own prior to the state tournament. Regardless of what the format would look like and how it would fit into the season, athletic directors throughout agree that whether to keep conference tournaments in the future is likely going to be at the center of league meetings going forward.
“I certainly think they will come up for discussion,” Cambridge Ringe & Latin athletic director Tom Arria said. “Every league can do what they want and I certainly presume there will be an appetite to keep this going forward by some people. The question once you start talking about it is just what will it look like as it pertains to fitting in with your schedule.”