Carson High will be the host site for the 4A regional basketball semifinals and finals for boys and girls this year.
All I can say is it's about time.
I know Spanish Springs has a bigger facility, but it's not spectator friendly. There are too many seats at the end of the floor that are too far away from the action. At Morse Burley Gym, fans are right on top of the action, and the bleachers above the one basket are great for bands and fans alike.
The last time Carson hosted the event was I believe the 2003-04 season, and the crowd were outstanding throughout, and that's when higher-seeded teams didn't host a game. The entire tournament was played at Carson.
I just hope that the Carson boys and girls' teams are able to get past their first-round games.
I'm tired of hearing the NIAA say that Damonte and Spanish Springs were built to host regional games.
The football/soccer facility at Damonte is no better than McQueen, Carson or Douglas. I think playoff sites should be rotated around, but I also think that because of inclimate weather that schools with field turf be given priority when determining a neutral site.
Basketball is a little different because many of the gyms aren't very big. Several years ago, Reno was selected to host the basketball regionals, and there were many fans who couldn't get in because the gym didn't have the capacity. That should never happen.
There are two places that would be completely neutral - Lawlor Events Center and the Reno Events Center. It's too bad that the powers at the various offices/institutions can't get together and do something nice for the student-athletes. They deserve to play somewhere nicer than a high school gymnasium. The regionals are special and should be treated as such.
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This is another knock on people making out schedules. Dayton's younger teams had to go to Winnemucca on Friday, and then turn around and come back for a Saturday afternoon game at Truckee.
Seems kind of ridiculous to me. I think it would be easier on everybody concerned if you played Spring Creek, Elko and Lowry on a Friday and Saturday.
Playing two games in a day isn't very easy, but teams do it quite often in tournaments, and you could do it with a one-night stay in a local hotel.
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This story has been out there for a few days about the approximately 20 TCU billboards that appear near the Ohio State campus.
It was either the OSU president or chancellor that made a comment earlier during the football season that essentially said that schools like Boise State and TCU shouldn't have a chance to play for a national championship.
Talk about bulletin board material. Educators need to leave the football to qualified people. You'd never hear a coach at any level say something like that on the record. They might think it, but they won't say it for print. Coaches are smart in that respect.
TCU's unbeaten season again shows the need for a playoff in college football. I just wish the college presidents and other educators would see that a four-week college football playoff would be even bigger than March Madness. Why? Because football is America's game.
The bowl game folks are just protecting their turf, and I understand that. However, bowl games can be part of a football playoff.
People don't like change, and I think that's a big part of the argument to have or not to have a playoff.
They do it in all the other NCAA sports. Why is the Division I football championship the only one NOT decided by a playoff?