Rankings Comparison
The 2018 State Tournament Ranking Comparison has seven rankers and a composite ranking this year. WIAA RPI is looking for improvement with changes made since last year’s last place finish. Of the first 96 games (regional round), 57 games are unanimous picks of the 7 rankers (the composite agrees to but then it has to by definition). Note that last year unanimous picks were wrong 20% of the time. So don’t be discouraged if you’re feeling dissed! And many those unanimous picks are just a ranking spot or two difference by various rankers.
If you propose a ranking, or use a ranking, you should be willing to have that ranking actually checked. You will likely find it isn’t ‘scary accurate’ after all. Every ranking will have notable successes and failures. The hubris of rankers will be tested. It is a reminder that games still need to be played. OK. Maybe not all games. Some of these are just flat out mismatches.
District Tournament notes
Hard work. I saw the first three girls winner-to-state games at Mount Tahoma on Saturday, February 10. Union played Bellarmine Prep in one of those. BP won by 32. But it was still a heckova game. Union fought throughout. After a tight (nearly) first half, they fell behind—but never ever stopped working. Sitting at Mount Tahoma that afternoon, knowing that the losers had more chances: who would be the ones that made it to state? Beamer. Rogers. Union? Yeah, Union. Hard work pays off. Congratulations to you! Next time I see you play, I’ll remember to bring my pickup truck to take home a load of bricks put up by your harassed opponent.
Boxing used to be a ‘State Championship’ sport. A banner in the Mount Vernon gymnasium proclaims the Bulldogs as 1952 State Champion in Boxing. I generally scan the banners in gymnasiums. What is the athletic tradition here? Sitting on the wooden built-in seats, ‘200-level’. Excellent sight lines to the floor. It is a beautiful old gym. You can totally imagine a boxing match here in 1952, floodlights on a ring at center court, like a 1950’s movie. The gym is the same. Glad I met its acquaintance, finally.
Sammamish has a new gym. A beautiful gym part of an athletic complex. It means the demise of the last ‘character’ gym in Kingco. Sammamish administrators won’t miss it, but I will. I only went there once a year, so didn’t notice the rats.