3 more Division II tourneys proposed

Advertiser Staff

The classification wave has swept up two more Hawai'i high school sports, as athletic directors yesterday approved a proposal to add Division II state tournaments for boys and girls volleyball and boys basketball in 2004-05.

The recommendation, which won a majority vote of 89 member schools at the Hawai'i Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association's annual conference in Kamuela, Hawai'i, still must gain approval from the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association's executive board on June 24 before becoming official.

The HHSAA board is made up of principals from each of the state's five leagues.

Hawai'i held Division II state tournaments in football, softball and girls basketball for the first time this past school year, and each drew positive response from the public.

But unlike in football, small schools have had great success in state tournaments for girls volleyball and boys basketball. In 2002, tiny St. Joseph was the state runner-up in girls volleyball, as was St. Francis in 2000. University High has won three state championships in boys basketball, and Maryknoll won one in 1984.

Next year's Division II tournaments, if approved by the HHSAA board, may come with a caveat if another proposal is implemented. That one requires schools to declare before the season whether they are Division I or Division II.

For Hawai'i Baptist Academy, which has about 400 boys and girls in grades 9 to 12, the decision won't be as easy for girls volleyball.

"Last year our girls volleyball team effectively finished third (in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu), and the year before we beat Punahou," HBA athletic director Deren Oshiro said. "For boys (volleyball), we'll probably be in Division II but for the girls it'll be a tough decision."

This past year, Roosevelt was classified as a Division II team in girls basketball but had the option of moving up to Division I if it qualified for the O'ahu Interscholastic Association playoffs, which almost happened. There would be no such option under a recommendation approved at HIADA yesterday.

Oshiro, Iolani athletic director Carl Schroers and University High AD Jim Bukes argued for an amendment that would allow a team that qualifies for the Division I tournament an option to move up, but the amendment failed by a 35-32 vote, with the entire Maui Interscholastic League abstaining.

"We were hoping that if a team qualifies on merit (by winning its league), why not allow it to compete at the higher level?" Oshiro said. "But I guess others looked at it as having two shots at a state tournament."

Oshiro said that issue, and others, might be raised again at the HHSAA board meeting.

"I think this conference was confusing for a lot of ADs because there were some overlapping proposals," he said. "I think over the next two weeks, there may be some changes."

HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya acknowledged that Hawai'i is still learning about classification and its ramifications. Amemiya said he and the league executives will spend the next two weeks closely examining the approved recommendations.

In other conference news:

• A proposal to standardize state tournament sizes according to proportional statewide participation was tabled, but Amemiya said he will follow through with the athletic directors' request to form a committee to come up with tournament guidelines addressing the issue.
• The distance for the girls cross country state championship race will increase from 2 miles to 2.5 miles.