[ DIVISION II VOLLEYBALL ]
D-II volleyball discussion
will wait a dayThe HIADA conference’s general
assembly will discuss adding
volleyball, basketball tourneys
SOUTH KOHALA, Hawaii » Division II is here to stay in Hawaii high school athletics, but don't expect too much growth right away.
The subject of more sports adding D-II state tournaments was discussed yesterday at the annual Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island.
A proposal to create D-II tournaments in boys and girls volleyball and boys basketball received some support in committee, but was shot down 16-12. The motion, however, isn't completely dead. Due to the close vote, it will still be heard -- and possibly voted on -- by HIADA's general assembly tomorrow.
In 2003-04, D-II tournaments were held for the first time in three sports -- football, softball and girls basketball -- and all three will continue next year.
Yesterday, two other D-II proposals were put on the table -- one to classify all team sports and the other to classify baseball -- but no motions were made to move forward in those areas.
Due to financial and gender equity concerns that come with creating more events, the committee voted 28-0 in favor of putting the Hawaii High School Athletic Association in charge of forming a group to evaluate which sports are worthy of adding D-II tournaments and at what time they will be implemented.
McKinley athletic director Neal Takamori suggested creating a five- or 10-year plan in which they can phase in the tournaments.
The volleyball and boys basketball discussions were lively and that probably won't change tomorrow when the full body hears the issue.
The volleyball and boys basketball discussions were lively and that probably won't change tomorrow when the full body hears the issue.
Some, including Seabury Hall AD Steve Colflesh, think it's a mistake not to act on those two sports now.
"We have the model (the same one used by softball and girls basketball), so we should move forward with it while we have the chance," he said.
A similar proposal barely missed getting an HIADA general assembly majority last year when the final vote turned out 36-36 with one abstention.
Kailua AD Melvin Imai and Castle AD Richard Haru favor the addition of D-II tournaments, but brought up the financial risks.
"It doesn't look like airfares are going to go down anytime soon," Haru said. "It costs a tremendous amount of money, and we might not be able to handle it."
But Baldwin AD Jon Garcia and Colflesh disagreed.
"The risk is small," Garcia said. "These tournaments would most likely be on Oahu, and neighbor island schools are already used to having to travel there a lot. I'm sure they will easily be able to add a few more trips."
"We'll find a way," Colflesh added.
Other items passing through committee yesterday included motions to:
» Have all leagues set which teams are D-I and which teams are D-II before the season starts. Many committee members said they want to avoid what happened in girls basketball last season when the Oahu Interscholastic Association set Roosevelt as a D-II team, but gave the Rough Riders an option of playing in D-I if they placed in the top four of their division.Also yesterday, a motion that would entitle the Interscholastic League of Honolulu to have two state tournament representatives (regardless of the state's formula to determine how many teams from a league qualify) didn't make it through committee.» Have D-II football gate receipts continue to subsidize travel for softball and girls basketball tournaments.
» Have the number of state tournament teams more accurately reflect the number of teams participating statewide. Some committee members questioned the guidelines in place now. For instance, there were 29 D-I girls basketball teams last season and 12 made the tournament, but only four of the 28 D-II teams qualified for the states.
Through the years, many ILH teams proved on the fields and courts that they were among the best in the state, but were unable to qualify for states because of a limited amount of league teams, which in turn, led to a limited amount of berths.
"If that passed, it wouldn't have been fair to the other leagues," Kaiser AD Ricky Shimokawa said after the vote.
All of the motions that passed at committee yesterday need a majority at tomorrow's general assembly. Items that pass tomorrow must also go through the HHSAA executive board, which meets later this month on Oahu.