Lower Mainland high school basketball has long been seen as an old boys club but I have to ask: is this changing?
Gone but not forgotten and still not far from the fray are the likes of Vancouver coaching legends Tom Tagami, Ted Cusick and Klaus Heck. These retired gentlemen could surely regale us all with stories of local high school basketball politics that have not changed through much of the century they have collectively directed their teams from the sidelines. Even venerable Richmond Colt guru Bill Disbrow, who has resurfaced in a helping role at Vancouver College, is keeping to the backroom.
On Wednesday evening, the Lower Mainland High School Boys Basketball Association organizational meeting gave us the first opportunity of the 2011-12 season to throw up shots regarding ongoing issues. Those include a contentious question from last season: whether the second-place Lower Mainland independent school can qualify for a berth to the Lower Mainland tournament.
Last year, there was general dissatisfaction from all sides when St. George's was given the onerous opportunity to qualify for the B.C. high school boys AAA championships. They skipped the Lower Mainland draw but then needed to consecutively defeat the seventh- and sixth-place Lower Mainland teams. Then they had to play the fifth-place team and beat them twice.
As a reminder, the Saints shot their way through the first three games but could not march past West Side rival Kitsilano in the second back-to-back game to reach the supreme court: the AAA boys championships.
Surely, I thought, in an era where there is an elevated clamour for greater democracy and transparency, the regional boys basketball meeting this week would provide the venue for a clash. If the Occupy Lower Mainland High School Boys Basketball movement was about to unfold, I didn't see it on the surface.
Business tipped-off in a congenial and largely uncontentious manner. Eighteen Lower Mainland coaches attended and outgoing president (and defending AAA boys champion coach with Richmond's RC Palmer high school) Paul Eberhardt presided.
After the few customary reports (scholarship, financial, zone rep, and president's report), it was time for the first great opportunity for conflict: nominations and elections of the executive.
Eberhardt started by toasting the well-regarded Notre Damers, John Brassington and George Oswald, for their 20-plus years of service on the executive.
With the long-standing contention between public, private, and independent schools, surely this assembly of men would step up to get their people in power. A raucous and rabble-rousing debate would surely be required.
Nope. All executive positions were accepted by acclamation with one notable exception.
President, Guy daSilva of St. George's; Richmond zone rep, Paul Eberhardt of RC Palmer; Burnaby zone rep, Dave Smith of Burnaby South; Vancouver zone rep, Rick Lopez of Winston Churchill; and secretary, Jon Acob of the Richmond school district.
The one exception for contention: treasurer.
Known for breaking down barriers with sharp elbows on the court and in the boardroom, Denise Coutts (yes, the wife of Kitsilano teacher and coach, Randy Coutts) was elected in absentia to defeat the incumbent treasurer.
Notably, Coutts becomes the first female executive in the Lower Mainland boys basketball association after recently losing her pursuit to become treasurer of the B.C. boys basketball association.
Coutts brings a wealth of professional experience to this role and is known for her incisive ability to tear into minutiae, a valuable characteristic when building budgets.
For those seeking drama, all was not lost.
James Johnston, president of the B.C. boys basketball association, attended the meeting to say he was hopeful the Lower Mainland association could work out its differences regarding berthing.
Johnston said an appeals committee of impartial observers would resolve disagreements.
A tall order when vertical prosperity and vertical ambitions collide, in my opinion.
While there have been numerous recent changes to the rules and language regarding this question, it seems the formula, democratically determined formula in 2005, will return.
To win a berth to provincials, the second-place independent school following the independent league playoffs, will need to rank in the zone's top 3.
How will this be determined? What was suggested was a distillation of provincial rankings, head-to-head competition, records against common opponents, and so on.
Who will calculate this composite rank? Well, that remains to be seen.
The independent schools have put forward four names for the appeals committee but will they be seen as impartial?
The decision of the appeals committee will still need to be confirmed by the executive members of the Lower Mainland boys basketball association, who were so cooperatively crowned.
How does it play out?
There will be many shots taken on and off the court before we have our answer.
Steve Anderson is a community sports organizer. He is the recreation supervisor at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Supervisor and has served on the Basketball B.C. board of directors. He coaches the senior boys basketball team at Gladstone secondary school. Reach him at [email protected].
