For the "can't leave well enough alone" file, we have two stories about basketball. First:
The Indiana High School Athletic Administration and state Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, on Wednesday detailed a series of town hall meetings in which residents can express their opinions about single-class and multiple-class basketball.
Eleven high schools all over the state will host the forums over the next several weeks, with the first set for April 10 at Northrop High School in Fort Wayne. Participants will be given two minutes each to voice an opinion, with a straw poll taken at each meetting.
Please forgive Indiana fans if they get a little misty-eyed this weekend.
It's the 25th anniversary of the Hoosiers' NCAA title that they won in the Superdome on Keith Smart's jumper to beat Syracuse. Also key for Indiana: Steve Alford's seven three-pointers.
With the Final Four back in New Orleans, please forgive me for getting not misty-eyed, but a little wistful. It's also the 25th anniversary of the three-pointer's addition to the NCAA Tournament.
I'm wistful because I remember how much better the game was without the arc - and know how much better it again could be without it.
I don't think we're ever going back to one-class basketball. There are a lot more winners in the multiple-class system, and the small and medium schools aren't going to want to go back to the once-in-a-blue-moon giant-killing wins. But I'd love to hear a lively debate on getting rid of the three-point shot. The story makes a good case that teams have come to rely on it too much and that without it, they would have to run better (and more interesting to watch) offensive plays.
As a matter of curiosity, if I advocate dumping the three-pointer, does that make me a progressive since I'm obviously not afraid of change, or a conservative because I want to go back to the way things were?
