Memo To NJSIAA On Group Classification–Get A Map!!!

Good morning, and Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed your New Year’s Eve Celebrations. This morning, I took a look at the classifications at the NJSIAA web site to put up a post in the blog on some of the realignment that has occurred for this season. Once again, I’m confounded. Here is an example. In Central Jersey Group II, you have Roselle (Union County), Hillside (Union County), and Weequahic (Essex County) while in North Jersey Section 2 Group III you have Carteret (Middlesex County), J.F. Kennedy (Middlesex County), and South Plainfield (Middlesex County).

The last time I looked, both Union County and Essex County were both North of Middlesex County. I guess we don’t have any Geography majors at the NJSIAA. Another thing that I noticed in the classifications is that Create Charter, located in Jersey City, is now in North Jersey Section 2 Group I rather than Central Jersey Group I, where it has been for the past several seasons. What a coincidence! Newark Science is in North Jersey Section 2 Group II, and Bloomfield Tech, which lost to Rutgers Prep the other day in the 2008 Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge is now 0-3, and appears to be down this year.

Point here is that, it seems that these realignments, or reclassifications are done to give stronger or traditional basketball programs that are down an opportunity to still win a sectional title, and perhaps drive up attendance at state tourney games. If it is not, then they are surely not based on geographic alignment, or enrollment. Perhaps the NJSIAA should classify these brackets a different way then?