KDunbar wrote:So, if I am to restate this, it appears that the evening when the regionals are completed the "Coaches Committee" members will conference call and will initially use the regional seeding criteria, and then any other input that they choose to utilize, and then determine the 1st and 2nd ranked wrestler in each weight class (AAA & AA/A separately of course). This will not be directly associated with any other ranking up to that point (although those prior rankings over the course of the season and especially leading up to the regionals might have some effect in the court of public opinion and thus in helping the Coaches Committee in doing their job). Then if the "primary pill" drawn pairs any of the 1st and 2nd ranked wrestlers in a weight class, the "alternate pill" will be used to rearrange the bracket in that particular weight class, thus "unpairing" the 1st and 2nd ranked wrestlers.
I'm sure this won't make everyone happy, but it comes closer in pleasing those wanting seedings while somewhat limiting the human factor from the equation. I'm also going to put forth a guess that the Coaches Committee may be comprised of more individuals than the number of coaches that routinely vote in the rankings or polls. Also, these individuals hopefully are aware of the job awaiting them well in advance so that they will stay abreast of the top individuals throughout the state in order to make the decisions required of them the evening of the regionals. I for one think this sounds logical and reasonable to address the situation regarding the main and primary concern that most people have had.
Wrestling Committee Members
Mark Delligatti, Fairmont Sr.
Bill Whittington, Hedgesville HS
Sterling Beane, Braxton County HS
Rob Archer, Huntington HS
Chad Sarrett, Woodrow Wilson
Jeremy Tincher, Greenbrier W.
Ken Maisel, University
Pat McGillan, Oak Glen
Jeff Givens, Williamstown
Wrestling
Some members of the coaches committee will simply lack the needed knowledge to know who is #1 and #2 because their school's schedule never puts them around any of the #1, #2 or #3 ranked wrestlers. They will need to rely on the WVMat ranking information to know who is who.
Lets use Huntington's Lanham and John Marshall's Carmen as examples. I am almost certain that Fairmont Senior, Hedgesville, Braxton County, Williamstown were never under the same roofs as John Marshall and Huntington last season. Whereas most schools wrestle predominantly the same schedule each season, we will be looking at more of the same.
Oak Glen never ventures down south further than Parkersburg.
Huntington and University get around pretty good.
I am sure all of the committee members are very knowledgeable about wrestling and will be future Hall of Famers. But a coach up in the end of a panhandle is simply not going to have the knowledge of who is who other than what he reads in a ranking somewhere on WVMat.
The coaches need to post their scores! There are plenty of parents that would do the data entry for them if the coach would ask! I know!!!
The coaches need to do a better job in the weekly rankings. Once a school has a wrestler in the top 3-4, that school's coach REALLY needs to communicate and perpetuate his wrestler's ranking.
WVMat has a system in place for rankings. Where it loses its effectiveness is due to the lack of effectiveness of the people needed to support it (coaches).
If the rankings were voted on by more coaches, then #1 and #2 would be clearly known from January until regional weekend. The coaches' committee along with coaches of the #1, #2 and others could all sort out any mess that develops after regional upsets.
I support the change. I would like to see it as a success. However, Bill Archer's memo referenced how few coaches participate in voting on the weekly rankings. Rankings and scores are a way where a coach can get some recognition for their team. The school's administration doesn't make much of an effort to do it. No wonder participation is down. Wrestling is more work than any other sport and it gets less attention.
I have a friend who has a daughter at a given WV high school. I asked her about certain returning STQ wrestlers at her school. She didn't know half of the wrestlers. The ones she knew were in her grade. +