LETTERS: KEEP SMALL SCHOOLS IN U-HIGH TOURNEY

To the editor:

In his Dec. 24 sports column, Bob Miller argued that several small schools should be removed, or should remove themselves, from the University High Christmas Basketball Tournament. He said those schools are not competitive with the other generally larger schools that take part in the tournament. Mr. Miller's proposal was both ill-timed and shortsighted.

Miller ignores the history of this great tournament. It was sponsored originally by the College High "Preps" who represented the extremely small laboratory school then operated by what is now Southeast Missouri State University. I understand that those who originated the tournament thought it would produce a lot of fun as well as be of benefit to the participating communities and to the college. Those goals are still appropriate ones today.

The schools that took part in the recent tournament all represented communities that are clearly in the primary trade area for Cape Girardeau. They are all part of the same larger community. Sure, the larger schools win most of the games, but it is very exciting for the teams from the smaller schools to be able to get on the Show Me Center floor with those from the larger schools.

This year's tournament final between Class IA Advance and Class IIA Scott City shows that it is still possible for the smaller schools to dominate. What a shame it would have been for the Puxico teams of the early 1950s to have been ruled out because their school was too small or because the school had not previously had a reputation as a winner. Delta and Woodland have been tournament champions in the past. Other small schools have also made the finals. 1999 will not the last time this will happen.

Meadow Heights, Bob Miller's alma mater and one of the schools he wants to drop, has been building its basketball program for several years. Its showing in the tournament this year was much stronger than was the case last year. The fifth-through-eighth-grade teams from Meadow Heights have consistently beaten their peers from many other area schools in competitions held during the last two or three years. The Meadow Heights High School junior varsity squad has a winning record this year. It would be a shame to drop Meadow Heights from the tournament just as it is becoming more competitive.

I do think one change would improve the Christmas Tournament: Instead of the seeding procedure now used, why not put all the team names in a hat and draw out pairings for the first round? This would make the first two days of the tournament much more interesting. It would recognize also that early season seedings are highly speculative at best.

Whether or not this suggestion is adopted, those responsible for the tournament should not toss out any of the schools now included. That might improve the tournament's financial results, but it would seriously weaken it as a community event.

ROBERT FULTON

Patton