ATLANTA — Whatever the future holds for the state high school basketball championships, it certainly looks bright.
The Georgia High School Association just completed the 2016-17 basketball season on Saturday with arguably its most successful championship slate, if not in its history, then certainly over the past 25 years.
Thanks to adding a seventh and largest classification for the 2016-17 school year, the GHSA switched from its traditional three-day championship setup to a four-day event. It also moved the title games from Macon, their home for over 60 years, to the University of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum and at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion for two days each.
If sellouts and positive comments and vibes were polled as for the future of the tournament after the four days, it was a landslide.
“Unbelievable atmosphere,” said a pair of Upson-Lee fans after being part of a 8,800-seat sellout on Friday at McCamish Pavilion. “They should be coming here every year. It’s great for the players and the fans.”
Which is exactly what GHSA Director of Basketball Operations Ernie Yarbrough, and the GHSA as a whole, were hoping for.
“It’s been a great (three days),” Yarbrough said while standing on Bobby Cremins Court before Saturday’s final-day action. “I don’t think it could have gone any better. We had high expectations coming in but it has more than exceeded those.”
Which is what had both Yarbrough and soon-to-be-retiring GHSA Executive Director Gary Phillips smiling from ear-to-ear.
“We have been (at Georgia Tech) before and had always wanted to get (the University of) Georgia involved somehow. Last year’s issues gave us that opportunity,” Phillips said. “Ernie has done a great job of getting this put together.”
“Last year’s issues,” were well-documented. The powers-that-be that hosted the traditional home of the state championship games -- the Macon Centreplex -- ran afoul of the GHSA, coaches, and fans when it was discovered that the goals did not meet regulation measurments about a third of the way through the 2016 finals. The organizers at the Macon Centreplex declined to fix the issues when it was brought to their attention, prompting the GHSA to look for alternative sites for 2017.
The GHSA negotiated with both the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech about bringing the finals to their campuses. Both agreed.
Yarbrough said after the success of the 2017 championships they are in the process of trying to lock down both sites for 2018 -- and maybe beyond.
“Initially when we talked to both schools we wanted to try and lock down something for at least two years,” Yarbrough said. “But open dates for both schools change from year-to-year so we accepted just the one year -- but everyone left open looking for at least a second year. That has been the plan all along. We talked to Georgia after the games on Thursday, and we looked at dates for next year and Stegeman would be available. We’re talking to Tech to see what their schedule looks like. I think we’re going to finalize that as well. Whether we can work anything longer than that, we’ll just have to see.”
However, both Yarbrough and Phillips, who will not take part in any long-term discussions due to his leaving after the current school year, said a return to Macon has not been completely ruled out either.
“Macon is in the center of the state and geographically it makes a lot of sense to have something where most people are within a two-to-three-hour drive,” Yarbrough said. “If everything were equal as far as facilities go, Macon would be the ideal choice.”
But that has been the contention of coaches, fans, and the GHSA concerning the Macon Centreplex. Just about everything from seating to concessions to locker rooms to bathrooms to parking has come under fire over recent years. Two years ago team buses were “inadvertently” charged to park and accommodating larger crowds has also been an issue.
This past wrestling season Centreplex officials did not lift the hockey rink ice used for their minor league team for the three-day Duals event. Fans were seen wearing large coats and wrestlers and coaches on the floor complained of cold-related issues. Some wrestlers even experienced muscle issues during the competition due to the conditions.
“There is no question those things have to be addressed before we can return there,” Phillips said. “We have talked the people that run the Centreplex about all of those things over the years but little had been done. It was just time to look at going somewhere else.”
Yarbrough, however, admitted it would have to be a strong package offered for the GHSA to contemplate not trying to lock up both Stegeman Coliseum and McCamish for the foreseeable future.
“The atmosphere has been amazing and is something we’ve never seen before, and I don’t think we could get that in Macon,” Yarbrough said. “The kids seemed very excited about having the chance to play on the top two college courts in the state. Our goal has always been to provide the best facilities to the kids that were available to us in the state. The past four days have been more than anything we could have imagined.”
Rabun County girls coach DeeDee Dillard offered her two cents worth after her Lady Wildcats dropped a nip-and-tuck battle with powerhouse Laney in the Class AA girls final at McCamish on Saturday:
"There is no comparison between playing at Stegeman and (McCamish) compared to the Macon Centerplex,” she said. “The football teams get to play in the Georgia Dome, and I'm excited for them and I think that's awesome, but I think our basketball teams need to have that same privilege of playing in the best facilities in the state when we have our championship games.
“The atmosphere was amazing and my girls, and I’m sure most of the other teams as well, were extremely excited to get to play at a place like this. This is where we need to be coming every year."
Yarbrough said they will make the announcement of where the 2018 finals will be played when, “things are finalized. We’re hoping to get things done as quickly as we can.”
