Spring 2003 - tssaa

BOB BALDRIDGE
Miscellany
As the past 37 years have flown by, I can well remember
a debate between public schools and non-public
schools as a part of the TSSAA. In following the
NCAA basketball tournaments, I got to wondering what it
would be like if non-public schools were not playing in the
NCAA tournaments. A quick look at the women’s 64 teams
concluded that approximately 19 were not public, including
Duke who was a Final Four participant, along with such other
schools such as Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Harvard, or
approximately 30% of the women’s field. In men’s basketball,
again one of the Final Four was not public (Marquette) while
14 of the 64 were private or church-related, or 22%. It would
seem strange to me not to see Duke, Notre Dame, Wake
Forest, Georgetown, and others not involved in the total
collegiate athletic program!
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As TSSAA moves forward to Memphis for the 10th Annual
Spring Fling, the first ever in Memphis, I think back to the old
roads and the many different sites TSSAA has had over the
years for various tournaments. For many years baseball
rotated all over the state, having had state championship
games in Tri-Cities, Memphis, Chattanooga, West Tennessee,
Middle Tennessee, Knoxville... you name it and we just about
played there. Track virtually rotated between Nashville,
Memphis, and Knoxville for many, many years. Girls’ softball
was also on the road at home sites across the state of
Tennessee. All this before interstates and major highways!
The Spring Fling has had nine great years in Chattanooga and
11
now moves to a new venue with Memphis and Shelby County
playing host. It will be very interesting to hear the outcome
and feelings of participants because of so many wonderful
hotel opportunities and restaurants in the Mississippi river
town.
The Boys’ State Basketball Tournament has mainly been
played in Middle Tennessee for most years. However, other
places that have hosted the Boys’ State Basketball Tournament
have been Milan, Kingsport, Jackson, Maryville, Johnson City,
as well as Murfreesboro. Starting in 1965, the Boys’ State
Basketball Tournament started on a rotation between
Nashville, Knoxville, and Memphis until 1975 when it moved
to Murfreesboro. Girls’ State Basketball Tournaments have
been played almost entirely in Murfreesboro, but in the earlier
years it was played in Jackson, Nashville, and Sparta.
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One of my favorite coaches in the state of Tennessee is Pat
Head Summit. Not just because she wins, but also because her
girls are disciplined, respectful, and conduct themselves like
ladies. They are required to attend class, sit in the first rows of
seats, maintain academic eligibility, and are required to study
each and every day.
Let me see now... the winningest coach in the state of
Tennessee requires her kids to be disciplined, to act
respectfully, to attend class, to maintain certain averages, and
they win. Repeatedly they win. There seems to be a message
in there.