The formula that sends high school teams to the state playoffs became less complicated this off-season, but the criticism has not entirely ended.
The Arizona Interscholastic Association and four of its five member conferences implemented a new power points system that will determine which teams make the postseason during the 2007-08 season.
The 4A and 5A conferences used a power points system for several sports in recent years, but the formula — devised and operated by a California-based Web company — often drew the ire of coaches because no one really knew how it worked.
Now, coaches and athletic directors say the new method is easy to comprehend, but some say it still has its shortcomings.
"I think most people are cautiously optimistic, but we don't really know yet if we'll like it," said Doug Meyer, athletic director at Arizona Lutheran in Phoenix and the head of the 2A power points committee.
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The 2A and 3A conferences will join the big-school classes and use power ratings for the first time this school year. The 1A Conference did not adopt the AIA's guidelines.
Each conference has its own variations to the formula, but many of the basics apply to all:
● Eight sports will use power points: football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball, softball and tennis.
● A team's power rating is based solely on points gained from victories and bonus points from opponents' wins.
● There is a maximum and minimum number of games a team can apply toward its power rating. The number varies by sport.
● No invitational or tournament games will count toward a team's power rating.
The last two items are the ones creating the most chatter.
Some teams played in regular-season tournaments where they racked up power points by playing a handful of games against multiple opponents in a few days.
It gave teams valuable experience — but it didn't give everyone an equal opportunity.
"It used to be that a coach played everyone on the roster in a tournament," said Sheila Baize, TUSD's head of interscholastics. "Once the games started counting for power points, the philosophy became, 'You play to win.' The focus went away from the kids."
Ironwood Ridge girls volleyball coach Bill Lang praised the rule for its promotion of fairness, but said the inclusion of tournament games made the power ratings system nearly flawless.
In the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the previous method was used to seed eight state tournaments for girls volleyball (4A-I, 4A-II, 5A-I, 5A-II). The top four seeds advanced to the final four in all but two of those tournaments.
"It was extremely accurate," Lang said, "because you had 30 or 40 matches to sample from for each team. Now, we're only allowed to count 17 matches.
"The new formula will still seed the state tournament fairly, but not as accurately."
The limited number of games each team is permitted largely eliminates the importance of nonregion contests, some say.
A team can choose at the beginning of the year which nonregion games will count toward its rating, but all region games automatically go toward the maximum total.
That puts the folks in the eight-team 5A Southern Region in a peculiar situation, especially in tennis.
Each 5A Southern tennis team will play 14 region matches next spring. That is the maximum number of matches allowed for a team's power points, giving it no room to benefit from a quality nonregion foe.
"It really limits us. I can see why some people are reluctant to embrace it," said Salpointe boys tennis coach John Condes.
Salpointe's No. 1 power rating last season was aided nicely by its tough, five-match nonregion schedule.
"We'll have to wait and see how it works out, though." Condes said. "They are trying to make sure we still get the best state tournaments."
playoff Changes
The power points system underwent a makeover this off-season. Below are some main aspects of the new format:
1. The 5A and 4A conferences will again use power points, and Class 3A and 2A teams will use the system for the first time.
2. A team's strength-of-schedule rating has no bearing in the new formula.
3. Games from invitationals and tournaments do not count toward a team's power rating.
4. Teams may only apply a certain number of games toward their rating, whereas every game was counted in previous years.
5. A team's rating is based on points gained for a victory and bonus points for opponents' wins. The number of victory points and bonus points will vary based on the classification (2A, 4A-I, etc.) of the winner and the opponent. A matrix determines point levels. (4A and 5A football are an exception.)
For more details, visit the high school sports online blog at: go.azstarnet.com/highschoolhotshots
