2 Teams Step Up in Basketball

The radically revised structure of the Southern Section basketball playoffs has crossed its first hurdle and little has changed since the start of the season: Few schools opted for upward mobility and confusion continues to reign.

Among Valley-area teams, only Bell-Jeff and Crespi exercised their option last week to move to a higher division should either team qualify for the playoffs. Bell-Jeff, of the San Fernando Valley League, has moved from the 2-A to 2-AA. Crespi, of the Del Rey League, has moved from the 3-A to the 4-AA.

The Southern Section has grouped playoff brackets this season by enrollment in order to align the section with the state playoff structure. Teams must either finish among the top 3 in their respective leagues or have a winning percentage of at least .500 to qualify for the playoffs. But when postseason play begins, league teams will head in various directions. (Please see accompanying chart.)

The Southern Section will crown 9 champions, 3 more than last season, but officials admit the plan to form 9 32-team brackets was misguided. After grouping teams that automatically qualify for the playoffs, officials planned to fill out brackets with teams that played at least .500 ball.

The 2-AA, for example, includes only 32 teams, and only 12 had .500 records or better through Friday’s games. The 2-A has only 7 teams with records of .500 or better.

Southern Section official Dean Crowley insisted that the 2-AA would remain separate from the 2-A. He admitted, however, that some brackets could shrink to as few as 16 or even 8 teams.

Crespi Coach Paul Muff and Bell-Jeff Coach Joe Dunn said that they moved up because their schools traditionally play at higher levels. But Muff suggested that most teams opted for the status quo because of uncertainty surrounding the new system.

“A lot of people are still confused and figure they might as well stay where they’re at,” Muff said. “Before, you always knew who you were going to compete against. Now everybody is spread around. I don’t know if I like the system. I just want to see what happens.”

Despite shortcomings, Crowley sees signs that the new structure is meeting its goal by raising coaches’ awareness of the state tournament.

“We still feel it’s very important to win a Southern Section championship, but we want to give our best teams a shot at a state tournament,” he said. “If the state dropped the championship tournament, we’d go back to our old division concept. But as long as the state conducts its tournaments by enrollment, we want to follow to get our best schools in the tournament.”

PLAYOFF GROUPINGS DIVISION I Southern Section Division 5-AA Enrollment: More than 2,400

TEAM LEAGUE Channel Islands Marmonte Glendale Pacific Hoover Pacific Royal Marmonte Simi Valley Marmonte

Southern Section Division 5-A Enrollment: 2,000-2,399

TEAM LEAGUE Canyon Golden Hart Foothill Thousand Oaks Marmonte

DIVISION II Southern Section Division 4-AA Enrollment: 1,750-1,999

TEAM LEAGUE Agoura Frontier Burbank Foothill Camarillo Marmonte Saugus Golden Westlake Marmonte

Southern Section Division 4-A Enrollment: 1,500-1,749

TEAM LEAGUE Burroughs Foothill Crespi Del Rey Crescenta Valley Pacific Newbury Park Marmonte Rio Mesa Channel St. Francis Del Rey

DIVISION III Southern Section Division 3-A Enrollment: 1,000-1,499

TEAM LEAGUE Alemany Del Rey Calabasas Frontier Harvard S.F. Valley Notre Dame S.F. Valley

DIVISION IV Southern Section Division 2-AA Enrollment: 750-999

TEAM LEAGUE Bell-Jeff S.F. Valley Chaminade S.F. Valley Moorpark Tri-Valley St. Genevieve S.F. Valley

Southern Section Division 2-A Enrollment: 400-749

TEAM LEAGUE Village Christian Alpha

DIVISION V Southern Section Division 1-A Enrollment: 150-399

TEAM LEAGUE Buckley Delphic Campbell Hall Delphic Faith Baptist Delphic Holy Martyrs Liberty L.A. Baptist Alpha Montclair Prep Alpha Oak Park Tri-Valley Oakwood Liberty Providence Delphic

Southern Section Small Schools Enrollment: Fewer than 149

TEAM LEAGUE Einstein Academy Free Lance First Lutheran Heritage Grace Community Westside Highland Hall Westside Simi Lutheran Heritage Oak Hill Westside Valley Torah Free Lance Viewpoint Heritage West Valley Chrs. Westside

Boys groupings only