Schools want more info on Arena's proposal

No vote taken on moving 13th Region tournament to the Arena

By Denis House

After almost an hour-and-a-half of sometimes heated discussion Tuesday morning, there’s still no decision on whether or not the Arena would become the new home of the 13th Region basketball tournament.

Representatives from almost every school in the 13th Region, along with the Arena, members of the 13th Region Policy Board, and KHSAA assistant commissioner Julian Tackett, met at Forcht Bank in Barbourville initially to vote on whether or not to allow the Arena to host the tournament.

But that vote never came. Instead, it was decided to hold another meeting on Nov. 30, where schools can look at any other proposals that might be presented, along with the Arena’s.

“A representative from each school will meet with Mr. (Cliff) Clinger (general manager of the Arena) to fine tune their proposal,” said Larry Warren, chairman of the policy board. “Then we will have another meeting.”

Several schools, including Clay County and Harlan County, voiced their displeasure of having the tournament moved to the facility in Corbin.“We have a rotation of order that goes into 2013,” Harlan Co. principal Bob Howard said. “All principals have signed off on that, and I feel we are bound to that. As far as we are concerned, we finally have an arena where we can host (the tournament), and someone else decides to move it to the other end of the region. That’s not fair.” The new Harlan Co. gym seats 3,500. “Our school only gets to host every 12 years. You think we would get to share profits one time.”

Howard was also concerned about travel time for some schools and fans, especially those in Harlan County, where the drive could be over two hours.

“How fair is it to our fans?” Howard said. “How fair is it to our businesses. How fair is it that we are never going to get the home court advantage, while someone close (to the Arena) will be?”

Howard said that he has talked with several principals whose schools have hosted the region recently, at how much money was brought in, and that his school would love to have a chance at that. Last year, Bell County brought in almost $37,000 with both the boys’ and girls’ tournaments. The Arena is proposing a $50,000 payout, with all schools receiving $1,500.

“I have nothing against the Arena,” Howard said. “I don’t think we should have a note to say what my school is entitled to. Don’t pass a resolution that takes it away from the larger schools. That’s not fair.”

Clay Co. principal Mike White said having the tournament at the Arena is not, like some claim, a neutral site.

“When you have to travel two hours back home, only the floor is neutral,” White said. “If you want to play it in a barn in Clay County, it’s not going to be neutral. Clay would have more people there. We need to vote on what’s right for the students and the fans; they are what makes the tournament. Those are the most important people involved.”

The price of admission, plus the cost of concessions, was a topic on several of the administrators minds.

“Clinger has presented a proposal because he has a facility, that’s it,” White said. “He’s promising a nice amount of money, that may or may not appear. He doesn’t have the only facility in the 13th Region that can host the tournament. Several others do. If I charge $8-9 a ticket, I can guarantee you money. I don’t bemoan him to do right and promote his facility. I’ve heard of a lot of calls being made to people here from politicians who want the tournament moved. I think they have more important things to worry about than high school athletics. I don’t need anybody to tell me how to vote for Clay Co. High School. If the vote passes, we’d be paying $3-4 more a ticket, double concession prices. I say let’s play it when high school administrators determine where’s the best place to play it.”

Corbin athletics director Gerald Foley said when he hosted the region, ticket prices were $5 per game, and when you have a split session, that’s $10 for the night. “Ticket prices are going to be overall cheaper,” Foley said.

Jeff Saylor, principal of Bell County, said he has issues with the proposal that’s on the table, even though he would be for moving the tournament.

“If we are voting to accept the proposal as written, I have a problem,” Saylor said. “I’ve got issues in terms of what students will have to pay, the bands, distribution of tickets, ticket prices, a lot of things.”

Clinger was next to present his case for moving the tournament to his facility.

“We are excited about the opportunity to host the tournament,” Clinger said. “Since we first opened, that has been a question that’s been presented to me. We’re not trying to replace the policy board or the schools. There are some details that still need to be worked out, and we want to grow the tournament. You wouldn’t have to clear the gym after each game. We’ve met with officials from the 15th Region (their tournament is played at the East Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville), and taken some of their proposals to come up with the best possible scenario and plan that we can. If the best plan is a one-year commitment, to see how it goes, we’re flexible. We are interested in hosting it.” The current proposal is for four years.

“You need to do this for the kids,” Saylor said. “Was it fair in the 1980s that Bell Co. hosted it every year. Heck no. We’ve got to look at what is fair. Right now, there are nine schools that has a gym big enough to host it. The way it’s set up right now, Clay and North both get to host it three times, Knox Central, six times. There’s no equity in the current system. I would take it to Corbin, but I’m not satisfied with the proposal that’s on the table. I’m going to retire soon, so I won’t be here when it’s Bell’s turn to host it next time.”

South Laurel principal Regina Bishop questioned who came up with the Arena’s proposal.

“I’ve heard conflicting reports (as to who prepared the plan),” Bishop said.

“The policy board did not develop the plan,” Warren said. “Mr. Clinger came up with the plan.”

A second proposal was presented, but many of the schools present hadn’t seen it before the meeting. It proposed rotating the tournament between the nine schools (Bell Co., Clay Co., Corbin, Harlan Co., Knox Central, Middlesboro, North Laurel, South Laurel and Whitley Co.), dividing them into two divisions (a north and south), with the tournament being in one division one year, the next the following year, and so on. The host school would receive 15 percent allowance as allowed by the KHSAA, and schools that do not have gyms large enough to host the tournament would share in the profits each of the nine years.

A motion was then made to rescind the first motion, and table voting on the matter. That motion was seconded and approved.

Denis House can be reached at sports@sentinel-echo.com

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