Old School Coaches- How Would You Change Your Sport

This Week’s Question

The IHSA (or IHSAA), has come to you and appointed you as the commissioner of the sport you coached. They have empowered you to make any change to the rules of your sport or the organization of the sport. What are changes that you would make?

Mike Cooper- Ottawa

My High School Basketball change would be for officials to call more fouls and not allow so much holding and contact when a player is trying to make a cut. The game has gotten way too physical. We also need to clean up post defense.  

I would also like to see some of the celebrations after players make a big play curtailed. Just play the game, we watch too much pro basketball and think it is ok to do what pro players do. 

Greg King, Sterling

As for football, the playoffs come to mind.  With being an AD for a number of years, it seems like there was a proposal every year to change the system.  Football is the only sport in which a team has to qualify for the post-season.  Without getting into things like public vs. private or should everyone be in, I will focus on a couple simpler changes that could be implemented rather easily.  The first would be a true seeding process.  The seeding system now is based on combined wins of all your opponents.  So all 9-0 teams in each class are ranked by the combined wins.  They will then do this all the way until you have all 32 in each class.  This in reality is not a true seed.  There may be a team with less wins that is better than the 9-0 team.  I totally understand why it is this way.  The turnaround to get a true seed would have to be quick.  You may not know your matchup right away.  

If the true seed is implemented, then I believe the other change would be to seed each class 1-32.  This would increase travel, but at the same time I think you would have some better 1st round matchups.  The last thing you want to see in a championship game is a running clock.  I believe this past year there were 3-4 running clock games.  This could have been prevented with true seeding and a 1-32 matchup system.  

In reality this comes down to a philosophy.  The IHSA philosophy is to find a state champion.  They are not necessarily looking for the best teams to play for a state championship.  

Greg Bennett- Lewistown

If the IHSA had the good sense to choose me as a commissioner/ dictator, I would definitely make numerous changes. In looking at my two primary sports, the following changes would be implemented on day one of my regime:

Football: Although this affects other sports as well, based upon the results of the recent state series, in which the seven private schools to win titles outscored their opponents 312-103, football is at the forefront of the issue of non-boundaried schools and their playoff enrollment classification. Being able to recruit provides a definite competitive advantage that is inherently unfair. My first move to address this issue, I would require all non-boundaried schools to play at a classification set two times higher than their actual enrollments. In addition, no non-boundaried schools would be allowed to play in the  lowest three playoff divisions. (I would implement similar changes to many other IHSA sports as well.)

Basketball: I despise the free throw rule that was implemented after my retirement. As this is the case, I would go back to having seven common fouls in a half before the shooting of “one and a bonus,” instead of the five fouls per quarter system currently utilized. I always enjoyed the strategy of “when and who to foul,” and feel that the new rule has eroded some of that strategy. (I would not “bring back” the double bonus after ten common fouls in a half = I never liked that rule much either.)

Evan Massey- Galesburg

I would divide the State tourney series into a tourney for boundary schools and another tourney for non-boundary schools. I would consider non-boundary schools to be private schools, university or lab schools, and any urban school districts that allows students to move from one school to another for magnet programs or has open enrollement. Each tourney would be divided into a large school and small school division. Boundary girls in Normal, Boundary boys in Champaign, Non-boundary Boys at Peoria Civic Center, and Non-boundary girls at gym at Bradley. 8 teams in small side of each division play on Wednesday, 8 team in large side play on Thursday, semis for all on Friday, and championships on Saturday.

All coaches in a Sectional complex meet face to face for seeding (no hiding on internet). No matter location- 1 hosts 16, 2 hosts 15, and so forth with the team with the best seed always hosting in the Regional level. 

On the day before Regional championship, the IHSA will announce the Sectional site. The Sectional will be assigned to a school that does not have a team in a Regional final so no team will have home court advantage in the Sectionals. Super-Sectional will be assigned to a college or civic center so no school could ever have home court advantage. 

Bob Anderson- Williamsfield

i wasn't a big fan of the shoot on the 5th foul of the qt. rule. i liked the pressure that the bonus rule put on kids. if you missed the 1st shot it was no pts. 

i'm not in favor of the shot clock either. In 49 some years of coaching, i doubt if any coach took more time off the clock than i did. 

Also, i'm totally shocked that they haven't put in the charge arc in high school bkb. I don't think it is a great rule but i'm still shocked. 

I have been against the jump hop move that some kids use now days. If i could, I'd make that move an automatic travel every time. 

Lastly, I thought our best illinois high school post season play was when we had a 2-class system. Chuck Rolinski lobbied for that for years and I thought it was great. We had sell-out crowds for the 1A and great crowds for the 2A as long as we had some local teams in that elite-8. 

Jeff Parsons- Wethersfield, Fulton

I would focus on Basketball and the 4 class system. I would make every non boundary schools move up and class maybe two depending on the size of the communities around them. Non-Boundary schools would not be allowed in 1A. 2A would be the smallest class for a non-Boundary school. The larger the area around the non-boundary school the higher class they would be placed in. This would be done over the summer so the schools could plan for scheduling purposes. I would leave the 2 year cycle for enrollments and remove the multiplier and success factors with the organization. This would create a competitive balance within the organization.

Mark Massey- 

Clinton, Ia- Volleyball

Not sure exactly what I would suggest… In terms of the association and administration of the sport, perhaps a little more transparency in the seeding of teams for regionals? I don't know what sanctions would work or could be used, but become more stringent in getting coaches to report scores and statistics. There's no longer necessarily a local reporter. They're covering a game. It's up to coaches to get that information out to the public, and some don't do very good job. 

Rule wise, I'm not sure ? High school rules just tend to follow international collegiate rules in terms of volleyball. They're pretty permissive in terms of foot faults underneath the net, I would like to see that tightened up because that leads to some ankle injuries.

I think officials in a variety of sports, especially basketball and volleyball, need to enforce bench protocol. They wouldn't have to worry about being strict at the end of the season or in the tournament if they had enforced it early on. 

Bob Anderson- Williamsfield HS

Bob is retired as boys basketball coach at Williamsfield. At a school of only 89 students, in 45 years, his teams won 732 games along with numerous tourney and conference championships. His 1997 team made it to the Elite 8. 

Mike Cooper- Ottawa HS

Mike is the retired Athletic Director at Ottawa HS. He was varsity girls basketball coach for 22 years, as well as sophomore football coach for many years. He was inducted in the the IBCA HOF.

Tim Engebretson- United HS

He was varsity head football coach for many years at United HS. He also has coached basketball at different levels. His 2005 team won the Illinois State Title, and Tim is in the Illinois Football Coaches' HOF as well as the United HOF.

Greg King- Sterling HS

In his head coaching career at Sterling, his football teams went 78-28, and had 10 straight play-off appearances and 5 conference titles. In addition to his success as a football coach, he was inducted in the Illinois Athletic Director's Association HOF. 

Mark Massey- Clinton HS

Mark was the head volleyball coach at Clinton for 38 years. His teams won 818 games, and twice took second in State. He is in the Iowa Volleyball HOF and Clinton HS HOF.

Thom Sigel- Rock Falls/Rock Island HS

Thom coached basketball for 32 years. His teams won 502 games, and he has the distinction of winning the State Title at both Rock Falls and Rock Island. Thom is in the IBCA HOF.

Mike Tracey- Alleman, UTHS, Moline HS

Mike coached football at Alleman, UT, and Moline for over 20 years. He is considered the premier football coach in WB6 history. His teams won 140 games, and twice finished second in State. Mike is in the Alleman HS HOF and the Illinois Football HOF. He was also selected Illinois AD of the Year. 

Greg Bennett- Lewistown

Greg coached many sports at Lewistown. He had teams go to State in girls basketball and football. He is in the Illinois Football HOF as well as being in the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame. He is know for his commitment as a coach and his high energy level. 

Jeff Parsons- Wethersfeild, Fulton

Jeff was a highly successful baseball and basketball coach at Kewanee Wethersfield. He was inducted into the IBCA HOF. Presently he is the Athletic Director at Fulton.