Basketball Finals Times are Set(No Snow Delays)

[Quite Frankly]

Summit Arena
Hot Springs Convention Center
Thursday, March 6
3:30 pm Class 4A Boys Hamburg vs Lonoke
5:15 pm Class 4A Girls Huntsville vs Lonoke
7:00 pm Class 2A Boys Stephens vs Earle
8:45 pm Class 5A Girls Morrilton vs Camden Fairview
Friday, March
3:30 pm Class 3A Girls Marshall vs East Poinsett County
5:15 pm Class 1A Boys Izard County vs Nevada
7:00 pm Class 1A Girls Guy‐Perkins vs Kingston
8:45 pm Class 6A Boys Little Rock Hall vs Benton
Saturday, March 8
11:00 am Class 7A Boys Little Rock Catholic vs Conway
12:45 pm Class 7A Girls Fayetteville vs Conway
2:30 pm Class 5A Boys Greene County Tech vs Siloam Springs
4:15 pm Class 2A Girls Augusta vs Carlisle
6:00 pm Class 3A Boys Prescott vs Rose Bud
7:45 pm Class 6A Girls Watson Chapel vs West Memphis

[centerlefttackle]

it's at the same exact stadium as it was last year right?

[Quite Frankly]

Yes

[HighHoofer]

Thanks for posting.

The Triple A made a bad decision in moving the games from Alltel to Hot Springs.  An arena with half of the capacity.  A city with half of the hotel rooms and few attractions.  Mind you, a state championship game could be played in a country barn and no teams or coaches would complain.  However, the atmosphere and environment of Alltel far exceeds anything Hot Springs could offer.

I know the economics.  This event is for sale to the city that makes the highest bid.  However, more should be taken into consideration when making the decision.  These kids are being robbed a of a great experience and provided with one that is okay at best.

[Quite Frankly]

Good post.

Funny thing is the AAA claims that the games are done as a 'blind draw'.  The make everyone wait until after the final teams are set before they announce the times for the 14 games.

It makes for awkward planning for teams that want to do so in advance.  But to show they are not really blind draws all you have to do is see that there are a couple of teams that have both girls and boys there and they will in fact play back to back.  Of course, that's great.  But it also proves it wasn't really a blind draw.

I fail to see why the times can't be assigned in advance with both games from a classification built it.

And I agree, Hot Springs?  It's just not our best choice.

[OlGuyWicker]

Football playoffs are done over the course of two weeks,  Why couldn't basketball be done that way.  Since 5A, 6A, and 7A do not have regionals, they could be done the first week.  The 1-4A done the next week. 

[Ridge Rat]

Last year the Summit was over crowded. You drive all the way across the state,you're gonna want to watch some of the other games going on.Makes for a mess.Alltel would be a much better venue for the kinds of crowds they will have.

[philgoodallday]

Hot Springs has a lot of hotels in and around the area.  I wouldn't imagine finding a place to stay or eat would be a problem.

[bmiller]

Having them spread out wouldnt be a bad idea.  THis would allow more revenue as well.

[philgoodallday]

You'd lose money spreading them out.  A lot of people, not necessarily vested in a particular team, will come in to watch multiple games.  Spread them out, and you'll lose a lot of those people.

Plus, I'd rather spend a day or two surrounding the games in Hot Springs rather than in Little Rock.  There's not much family-fun in LR.

[No Name]

This wasn't a problem until they watered down the AAAAA and made it 6 and 7 A.  Seven classifications???  There is not enough schools in Arkansas to do this.

[HighHoofer]

The whole issue with classification is another topic.

However, you cannot compare the opportunity to play in Alltel Arena with the opportunity to play in the Summitt Arena.  The numbers at Alltel set records for attendance and provided a great venue for these teams to play.  It is just a shame that the AAA sold out for a few thousand dollars.

Crowded at Summit Arena?  Not when I was there.  Plenty of seats to be had at all games.  And, it was very quiet compared to Alltel.  I think a lot of people stayed away because they did not want to travel that far and not get in.  As long as you play in Hot Springs that will always be a problem.

Maybe next time the city of NLR will couph up a few more dollars to get the games back to Alltel.  Maybe Mayor Hayes could charge an extra dollar on the tour of his naval shipyard.

[MikeDiesel™]

Those that have been to both.  How does the size of Summitt Arena compare to the size of the Pine Bluff Convention Center? 

[phoenix0923]

Those that have been to both.  How does the size of Summitt Arena compare to the size of the Pine Bluff Convention Center? 

Pine Bluff has been the best site for the Finals weekend... I have watched State Championships in all four central-ish sites (Barton, PB, Alltel, and The Summit).  The atmosphere is spacious enough for large crowds, but the setup allows for close proximity to the teams.  I thought it was great!   The Summit seems smaller to me.

[phoenix0923]

Good post.

Funny thing is the AAA claims that the games are done as a 'blind draw'.  The make everyone wait until after the final teams are set before they announce the times for the 14 games.

It makes for awkward planning for teams that want to do so in advance.  But to show they are not really blind draws all you have to do is see that there are a couple of teams that have both girls and boys there and they will in fact play back to back.  Of course, that's great.  But it also proves it wasn't really a blind draw.

I fail to see why the times can't be assigned in advance with both games from a classification built it.

And I agree, Hot Springs?  It's just not our best choice.

the coaches met at 2 on Sunday... and I guarantee "how can the AAA make the most money?" came up in the meeting...

[HighHoofer]

From a game perspective, Pine Bluff is better.  For the amenities before/after the game and places to stay, Hot Springs.  However, neither venue compares with Alltel Arena.

With all of their focus on revenue generation, somebody should be able to tell us what they are going to do with the money?  Anybody know?  I will admit I have no idea.

[phoenix0923]

Paying for salaries... they have about 25 employees or so, I believe

[phoenix0923]

From a game perspective, Pine Bluff is better.  For the amenities before/after the game and places to stay, Hot Springs.  However, neither venue compares with Alltel Arena.

I'll admit, the way Alltel Arena could do things like playback, in slo-mo even, was pretty cool to see

[herws]

The whole state tourney set-up is bunk. Every state around Arkansas plays the entire state tourney on a neutral court. Since the state tourney and finals take two weeks, why not take every class, boys and girls and play at one location like everybody else does. It will take two weeks and the finals will still be played at the same time they always are. And no teams have to play on back to back or in some cases, back to back to back nights the first week.

[Rulesman]

Those that have been to both.  How does the size of Summitt Arena compare to the size of the Pine Bluff Convention Center? 

I believe Summit seats about 5500 and PB Convention Center seats about 8500. But for anyone who has been to PB lately, the condition of that facility has gone straight south since the finals were last held there. It almost reminds me of the dump in Jackson, MS called Mississippi Memorial Coliseum. That place should have been bulldozed the last time the Pearl River flooded and put 20 feet of water in the arena. PB could be a nice facility if they would take care of it.