KHSAA Commissioner decides 13th Region basketball tournaments to be held in Harlan next year

After three straight years of being held at The Arena in Corbin, the girls and boys 13th Region basketball tournaments will, tentatively, change venue in 2013.

Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commissioner Julian Tackett confirmed Thursday that he has decided the tournaments would be played at Harlan County High School this upcoming season.

“It’s a conditional decision. They have some work to do,” Tackett said of his ruling. “For the first time in that region, they have a gymnasium funded with school district dollars that is big enough to handle the tournament in the same format that it has been held at The Arena.”

The 13th Region is comprised of four smaller districts — 49th, 50th, 51st and 52nd. The right to host the tournaments rotates between the districts and among member schools in each of the districts.

For the 2012-13 season, the 52nd has the right to host the tournament. Harlan County High School is in the 52nd District.

Officials in Corbin said they were notified of the decision Thursday by Larry Warren, Chairman of the Region 13 Policy Committee. The committee had voted in 2009 to hold the tournament at The Arena by an overwhelming 13-4 majority. Members expressed a desire to make the decision a four-year deal. Tackett said the decision was actually made on a year-to-year basis.
Under KHSAA member rules, the commissioner has final authority over the decision on sites for post-season tournaments.

“There’s no smoking gun here. There’s nobody behind the scenes pulling the strings,” Tackett said. “I had committed to go down there and look at their [Harlan’s] facility once it was complete to see if they had a big enough facility … They’ve had some other tournaments there with success. There is no question, they have the facility to do it.”

Tackett said Harlan County High School’s gymnasium has many of the features The Arena offers — ample parking, comfortable seating, etc. He said in the school’s gym, there would be no need for “split sessions,” a move often reviled and spurned by fans. With split sessions, the gym is usually cleared after each game to make room for more fans.

Tackett noted that his decision could change if Harlan County High School, and the 52nd District, proved unable to match the financial incentives offered since the tournaments have been moved to The Arena.

Currently, all Region 13 schools receive at least $1,500 from the tournament, even if teams from that school do not participate. Participant schools get a percentage of profits based on the number of games played in the tournament.

“What’s happened at The Arena has worked well. They built a model to be followed,” Tackett said. “They have been given the opportunity now to go out and hit the corporate sponsors and see if they can match those financial incentives. If they can’t, all this very well could change.”

Tackett said he plans to review his decision in the fall to see if adequate progress is being made.