Cliff Alexander of Curie (Chicago), Shaqquan Aaron of Rainier Beach (Seattle) and Stanley Johnson of Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) play for teams that are a combined 77-0 with them in the lineup. Now that Aaron’s high school team, Rainier Beach (Seattle), is allowed to play in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National High School Tournament, which team has the best shot to finish No. 1 nationally should Curie (Chicago), Alexander’s team, be allowed to play in its state tournament?
On Wednesday the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) waived regulations that restricted member school Rainier Beach (Seattle) from potentially participating in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National High School Tournament in April. This decision could have long-term ramifications towards the goal of crowning a true national high school basketball championship on the court.
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Rainier Beach (Seattle) potentially has a team good enough to capture the mythical Student Sports FAB 50 national championship in boys basketball.
On Wednesday, that opportunity just grew bigger with the decision by the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association, Washington’s governing body for high school athletics, to allow Rainier Beach to participate in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National High School Tournament, scheduled for April 3-5 in New York City.
The ruling reversed an earlier decision that restricted WIAA member schools such as Rainier Beach from participating in out-of-season events.
The end-of-season event, previously called the National High School Invitational, has been won exclusively by independent, academy-type programs since it began at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 season.
“The Board realizes this will take the Association down a new path,” WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese said in a statement released on the governing body’s website. “A special committee has been formed to discuss the parameters for teams participating in events similar to this.”
Since 2010, some public schools have played in the event. That year, the FHSAA (Florida’s governing body) allowed state champion Winter Park (Winter Park, Fla.) to participate in the event held at Coppin State in Baltimore, Md. In 2011, New York Public Schools Athletic League champion Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.) participated in the event and with this year’s tournament taking place in New York, the discussions are continuing to allow this year’s PSAL champion to participate in the event. The favorite to win this year’s PSAL title is FAB 50 No. 7 Brooklyn (Lincoln).
“As far as the Rainier Beach situation, the impact of the decision shows the event is growing,” said event organizer Rashid Ghazi of Paragon Marketing. “It’s a great athletic and educational opportunity. A lot of schools that have participated in the event have given positive feedback to other schools about playing. Teams from around the country are interested in playing because of the unique opportunity.”
Rainier Beach, currently ranked No. 3 in the Student Sports FAB 50 with a 25-0 record, will have to capture Washington’s Class 3A state title in order to participate in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National High School Tournament. The two-time defending state champions will face Mercer Island (Mercer Island, Wash.) in a regional playoff match up Friday night. The Class 3A state title game is scheduled for March 8.
“It feels great to be the Pioneers that open the door for fellow Northwest student-athletes,” Rainier Beach head coach Mike Bethea said. “It’s more than opportunities in basketball, it’s opportunities in education. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
What Does It Mean If Rainier Beach Participates?
Rainier Beach is heavily favored to win the Class 3A state title once again. It they don’t win the state title, they will fall in polls with no realistic shot at finishing ranked No. 1 in the Student Sports FAB 50.
Had Rainier Beach been denied the opportunity to play in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National High School Tournament, it would have been hopped in the Student Sports FAB 50 in the next two weeks by current No. 4 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). The Monarchs have to defeat two potential FAB 50-ranked clubs in the semifinals and title game of the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs in order to win a section title. That’s before potentially having to face those same teams again, and potentially FAB 50 No. 23 Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), in order to win a fourth consecutive CIF State title.
With the gauntlet of teams Mater Dei would have to defeat in order to win a state title, the Monarchs hopping Rainier Beach would be justified and it is something we’ve alluded to for weeks. Strength of schedule is a big factor in a team’s final FAB 50 rating.
Mater Dei is No. 1 in the USA Today Super 25 and the highest-ranked team in a composite conducted by Maxpreps’ Jason Hickman of the nation’s polls. It will be interesting to see if the Monarchs drop in some of these polls without losing a game.
Now that Rainer Beach has the ability to participate in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National High School Tournament, the switch really isn’t necessary. If the Vikings go on to capture the event’s title, they would at some point have to defeat No. 2 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), or the team that defeated the Eagles at some point in the event’s bracket. In essence, the Vikings’ strength of schedule would improve dramatically by participating.
Montverde Academy is the defending FAB 50 and event champion. Because they don’t play for a Florida state title as an independent program, Montverde’s regular season is now complete. The Eagles should earn the top seed in the upcoming event in New York which potentially could have its best field of teams ever.
Today’s news about Rainier Beach makes the eligibility issue surrounding Student Sports FAB 50 No. 1 Curie (Chicago) more important. Curie won the Chicago Public League title on the court last Friday, but may not participate in the Illinois Class 4A state tournament slated to begin Monday pending the outcome of the CPL’s investigation.
Should Curie, which owns a win over Montverde Academy, not participate in the state tournament, its chances of holding on to the top spot in the FAB 50 is weakened.