The Aroma in Tacoma-Washington State Boys 4A Basketball Tournament

Attending the WIAA state boys 4A double elimination basketball tournament held in Tacoma, WA March 3-6, 2010 has been insightful especially as compared to the unified State B tournament of yesteryear, held in Spokane before the WIAA got ahold of that winning concept and destroyed it by splitting the B's into two parts-one B in Yakima one B in Spokane.

Well, Tacoma the city has been a delightful surprise. The aroma from pulp mills of the past is gone. However, in its place is the unmistakable smell of middle- aged tournament officials and a less than enthusiastic host facility, the Tacoma Dome. This is a Dome that can't be bothered to fully illuminate the scoreboard for the daytime games so spectators do not have to keep their own stats to track player fouls. And, what about large reader boards listing tournament brackets and game pairings scattered throughout the venue? I had a hard time locating the two 8-1/2 by 11 sheets of paper taped to the exit door. Maybe I forgot my reader glasses.

When the boys of Wilson High School of Tacoma or the girls from Garfield High School from Seattle enter the arena, suddenly the scoreboard is fully lit. Never mind some of us drove across the state of Washington to cheer for our boys, the polite, well-mannered scholar athletes of Gonzaga Prep High School from Spokane.

We didn't really need to know the foul breakdown in our 1 point overtime game against Federal Way. We could get a hearing aid to assist us in interpreting what the announcer was saying or offer to contribute towards the cost of another speaker to be pointed towards our side of the arena.

We also enjoyed the verbal abuse the Gonzaga Prep boys took from the "homies" from Federal Way and the refs. I hate to call it what it was. I think the word starts with an "R" and to hear the chatter on the court was ugly.

And why do teams from Eastern Washington tolerate this tournament set-up? I maintain that we shouldn't. Let the Westside have their own state crown and let us have ours. Let the Cascade mountains provide the natural boundary.

Winning at State isn't what it used to be. So we should vote with our feet and tell the WIAA to stuff it. They can sanction a tournament in our area, east of the Cascades in Spokane or the Tri-Cities, both cities demonstrating that they are able to be genial, gracious hosts and appreciate the hard work and impact a tournament has on our local ecomony. People come from great distances for Hoopfest in Spokane. Why? Because it is fun!

Let the big city boys come to our house-- the Spokane Arena or Gonzaga's Kennel. It would be a fine education in how the other half lives and behaves on and off the court. This could possibly reduce the crime rate and increase college admissions.

Before you chalk my opinion up as that of a parent of one of the senior basketball playerw, please be advised that my child was not one of the Gonzaga Prep players on the floor at the Tacoma Dome. The dollars I spent going to this tournament were pure economic stimulus dollars. Quite frankly, I'd prefer to spend my money locally than to support the WIAA in this poorly attended, poorly executed display of a state basketball tournament. It is a blight on all the the kids, teams and the WIAA to continue to tolerate this half-baked attempt to honor the best basketball teams in the State.

Even the parents from several of the local Westside high schools could not be bothered to attend to watch their kids play basketball. Interesting problem to have in the tournament's backyard.

Here is a viable solution. Move this yearly tournament to a smaller venue on the Westside and rotate the location of the tournament throughout the state on a yearly basis. Then allow more teams across the state to participate. There are more cities in state of Washington than solely on the I-5 corridor running north and south.

Otherwise, call it the current state chamionship tournament what it is, the SeaTac State Championship Tournament so we can all save gas, reduce our carbon footprint, stay home, cheer for our own kids, and our favorite local and regional teams. We can bypass the 5 to 6 hour drive to Tacoma, the display of poor sportsmanship on the part of so many associated with the current tournament set-up and create an event that has more value and certainly will provide a more satisfying way to cap off a high school basketball career.