Coaches Pleased by New Plan to Select CIF Playoff Teams : Prep Basketball: The Southern Section’s power-rating formula for post-season play isn’t perfect, coaches agree. But they like it a lot better than the old system.

When CIF Southern Section administrators approved a power-rating formula earlier this month to select at-large teams for the boys and girls basketball playoffs, they didn’t expect every coach to be happy with the system.

As it turns out, not everyone is ecstatic with the new formula. But it seems most coaches are happier with this system than the one that was in place last season.

“The system is supposed to get the best teams into the playoffs,” said El Segundo boys Coach Rick Sabosky. “I don’t know if this is the only way to do it, but it seems like a good way. There are still some bugs to be worked out.”

When the Southern Section decided last season to align with the other CIF sections in the state in divisions based on enrollments, it was stepping into uncharted territory in determining playoff brackets.

Before last season, schools competed in traditional leagues, with the top three teams in the each league advancing to the playoffs in the same division.

Now, there are 10 divisions based on enrollment, and the composition of a league is often a mix of teams that will compete in different divisions in the playoffs.

Last season, the top three teams from each league made the playoffs in their respective divisions. At-large berths were granted only to teams with records of .500 or better.

The flaws with this system were obvious. It encouraged coaches to pad their non-league schedules with lower-division teams to try to ensure a winning overall record. And because many teams were unable to qualify because of sub-.500 marks, playoff positions were left unfilled, creating a glut of first-round byes.

Serra, which finished 9-13 overall last season while competing in the tough Camino Real League, found itself locked out of the playoffs even though the Cavaliers had been ranked in the 2-A Division’s top 10 most of the year.

“We were a lot better team last year than our record showed,” Serra Coach Dwan Hurt said. “We really started to play well, to really gel as a team in the second half of league (play). But by then it was too late.”

This season, each of the Southern Section’s 10 divisions are expected to have a full 32-team playoff bracket. The top three teams in each league will receive automatic berths.

The Southern Section office will use the following power-rating point formula to fill out the remaining berths:

* A team receives one point for playing any team in a higher division. For example, Serra (2-A) will receive 12 points this season simply for playing two Camino Real League games each against St. Anthony and St. Monica (5-AA), Bosco Tech (4-A), St. Bernard (3-A), and Verbum Dei and Pius X (2-AA).

* A team receives one point for defeating any team in a higher division.

* A team receives one point for defeating any team in the same division.

* A team receives one point for defeating an eventual league champion or co-champion in the same or higher division.

* A team receives one point for winning the championship of a non-league, Southern Section-sanctioned tournament.

The teams compiling the most points at season’s end will be rewarded with at-large berths. Tie-breakers for teams with the same number of points will be based on head-to-head competition, results against common opponents and a blind draw.

The Basketball Coaches’ Advisory Committee began drawing up the new system last year. The recently adopted system will be included in the Southern Section’s playoff handbook, which is scheduled to be mailed to coaches by next week.

“It allows good teams to get into the playoffs, and that’s what it’s all about,” said Irvine Woodbridge Coach Bill Shannon, a member of the advisory committee and the person credited with devising the power-rating system.

Palos Verdes, a 3-AA school, competes in the Bay League against six schools in higher divisions. There are 34 teams in the 3-AA Division, 32 of which will make the playoffs this year.

So it’s no surprise that Palos Verdes Coach John Mihaljevich likes the new formula.

“The playoffs are a one-shot deal,” Mihaljevich said. “A team that gets hot and starts playing good ball at the right time can go quite a ways.”

Mihaljevich pointed to Saugus, which gained an at-large berth in the 1987 3-A playoffs and went on to beat Palos Verdes in the semifinals and then defeat Rolling Hills for the championship.

Palos Verdes, which entered Thursday’s Bay League game against Santa Monica with a 10-9 overall record and four league victories, almost undeniably stands to make the playoffs.

“The league we’re in has a broad diversity in its classifications (of divisions),” Mihaljevich said. “The whole darn league could end up going to the playoffs.”

Some coaches expressed concern that having 32 teams in each divisional playoff bracket might dilute the overall talent of the tournament.

Mihaljevich, however, pointed to the nationally respected post-season basketball tournament in Indiana, which includes every team in the state.

Having more teams in the tournament, Mihaljevich said, protects schools that have suffered declining enrollment but have remained in traditional leagues without much chance of making the playoffs.

“The key to the new system is that it encourages a strong preseason schedule,” Mihaljevich said. “That, in the long run, will prepare teams for the rigors of league games. In the past, some coaches took advantage of easy preseason tournaments to build a cushion on their record.”

The advantages of the power-rating formula to the Southern Section are obvious. Not only will it help the section financially by adding more teams to the tournament, but the section will be better represented in the state tournament.

And, coaches said, it takes away the doubt of determining playoff brackets.

“It makes it very clear-cut and objective for the CIF office,” Redondo Coach Steve Shaw said. “They just have to total up the points, and boom, boom, boom, these guys are in.”

Some coaches were a bit dismayed at the timing of the adoption of the new system.

“I just heard about it,” said Serra’s Hurt. “If I knew this would be the case, I would have played the bigger teams in preseason.

“As it was, with some of my players still in the football playoffs, I wanted to get into the weaker tournaments, at least to get to the playoffs this year. And, honestly speaking, every coach wants to make the playoffs.”

Redondo’s Shaw is another coach who was caught unaware by the new system.

“I don’t ever recall seeing anything come across my desk about it,” he said. “Someone told me that all the coaches were notified about it in the springtime. But the majority of the coaches didn’t know until two weeks ago, and some still don’t know.”

Mira Costa Coach Glenn Marx said he knew before the season that the .500-record requirement would not be used in determining this year’s at-large bids. But he didn’t know what kind of system would end up in its place.

“It’s a little ex post facto,” Marx said. “I’ve heard that coaches were supposed to have heard about it from the rumor factory, but when we scheduled our preseason tournaments, we had no idea of what to schedule for.”

Marx ended up scheduling the Honolulu Roosevelt Tournament, one of the most challenging out-of-state tournaments he could find.

Mira Costa swept to the tournament championship in three games last month, defeating two Hawaiian teams, McKinley and Aiea, and David Douglas High of Portland.

But in light of the new power-rating system, the Mustangs may have done themselves more harm than good.

Since only Southern Section-sanctioned tournament championships count for points because the section cannot verify the quality of out-of-state competition, Mira Costa could have stayed at home, lost three games to higher-division teams and come away three points higher.

Palos Verdes’ Mihaljevich is another who feels the non-league tournament clause may need amending.

“I don’t understand why you can’t get any points for playing City Section teams,” Mihaljevich said. “The Carsons and Crenshaws of this world are very good teams, and their population figures are known, too.

“And in some of the out-of-state tournaments, particularly the ones in Las Vegas, those teams are just outstanding. If you get out of there with a 2-2 record, you’ve really done something.”

Other coaches said the point system might be equitable only if divisions were based on actual strength of basketball programs, rather than pure enrollment size.

“The strength of your program has nothing to do with your playoff division,” Shaw said. “We play teams higher than us that are not as good as Morningside, which is a division below us.

“If you put the very best 32 basketball teams in the 5-AA, then there’s some true value to playing them.”

El Segundo’s Sabosky agrees: “Two or three key players a year can really make a difference regardless of enrollment size,” he said. “If you have a center and a point guard that are really solid, then you’re there.

“But it does seem that the bigger schools are more apt to get better basketball players. It seems that the big schools always seem to have a 6-foot-8 or 6-9 guy. So maybe it evens out.”

Most coaches agreed that while the power-rating formula may have some bugs, the Southern Section and the coaches’ advisory committee have made an honest effort toward creating an equitable playoff system.

“I think it’s great that we’re trying to have more parity and more teams involved in the playoffs,” Mira Costa’s Marx said. “It’s still a trial thing, and the CIF is still feeling their way.

“And while I may question some points, I certainly don’t question the sincerity that went into the project.”

CIF BASKETBALL PLAYOFF GROUPINGS SOUTHERN SECTION--South Bay High Schools STATE DIVISION I 5-AA Division (Enrollment 2410-up) Hawthorne, Bay League Leuzinger, Bay League Morningside girls*, Ocean League 5-A Division (Enrollment 2000-2409) Inglewood, Bay League STATE DIVISION II 4-AA Division (Enrollment 1710-1999) Torrance, Bay League 4-A Division (Enrollment 1500-1709) Bishop Montgomery, Angelus League Mira Costa, Ocean League North Torrance, Ocean League Redondo, Ocean League West Torrance, Ocean League STATE DIVISION III 3-AA Division (Enrollment 1251-1499) Morningside boys, Ocean League Palos Verdes, Bay League Rolling Hills, Bay League South Torrance, Ocean League 3-A Division (Enrollment 1000-1250) St. Bernard, Camino Real League STATE DIVISION IV 2-AA Division (Enrollment 650-999) St. Mary’s Academy**, Camino Real League 2-A Division (Enrollment 400-649) El Segundo, Camino Real League Miraleste, Alpha League Serra***, Camino Real League STATE DIVISION V 1-A Division (Enrollment 140-399) Chadwick, Prep League Mary Star boys, Santa Fe League Mary Star girls, Camino Real League Small Schools Division (Enrollment 0-139) Coast Christian, Heritage League Harbor Christian, Express League Rolling Hills Prep, Express League South Bay Lutheran, Westside League * Requested move to higher division. ** Girls-only school. *** Boys-only school.