2011 North Carolina All State Posted

So what process (or changes to the current process) would you recommend?

 

One would have to know what process they use now to suggest how to improve it.

But if I were to start from scratch I would suggest entering the data into a database and using some procedures agreed to by a committee and let the numbers speak for themselves.

There is no way that anyone can know all the players that are nominated so letting some predetermined formula decide seems to be a good approach.

I would hazard a guess that there is no procedure being followed that is used statewide. I would guess that each region probably comes up with its own method.

Unless there is a consistent method understood and used by all then there is no way to get fair results.

If there is a uniform system it certainly does not seem to be working.

 

link to the current process

http://www.ncfastpitch.org/listing/all_district,_state_selection_process.pdf

 

All State Process

There has been much discussion of the problems associated with the current process. We would love to hear suggestions as to how it can be improved. I really believe the first step is to get more coaches throuout the state to participate. It is very frustrating when I see girls during the summer that should have been recognized but were not because their coaches did not participate. It is the goal of the organization to get every coach in the state involved.

 

Open things up and shut them down

Personally, I think when a school has nominated NO ONE, responding coaches from that area/county should be asked if there are any players from x school deserving of this recognition and has been overlooked. I know of three stellar players at Triton, for example, that are well deserving if this honor (Kerri Roberts, Kelsey Lee and Kendall Tart - y'all are all-state in my books!). We seriously need to fix the situation that currently exists where true all-district and all-state players are not given their well earned recognition because of a failure to turn in paperwork.

In doing so, you may well limit how many from one team receive these recognitions... And also prevent players who can't play their way out of a paperbag from receiving undeserved recognition in abstensia (happens every year).

Additionally any team that plays in the final 4 should receive more selections than a team that didn't make it past round 1; same, though smaller numbers for each team that progressed further in playoffs than a team that lost out before them.

I know of at least 3, with my limited knOwledge on Holly Springs, who are all-state quality. Just as I know of multiple players from schools with numerous nods that are not.

At no point should a school who didn't make it past round 1 have 10 district and 8 state slots... And at no point should it be "because our coach is on the committee" be seen as an appropriate explanation.

 

Open things up and shut them down

Personally, I think when a school has nominated NO ONE, responding coaches from that area/county should be asked if there are any players from x school deserving of this recognition and has been overlooked. I know of three stellar players at Triton, for example, that are well deserving if this honor (Kerri Roberts, Kelsey Lee and Kendall Tart - y'all are all-state in my books!). We seriously need to fix the situation that currently exists where true all-district and all-state players are not given their well earned recognition because of a failure to turn in paperwork.

In doing so, you may well limit how many from one team receive these recognitions... And also prevent players who can't play their way out of a paperbag from receiving undeserved recognition in abstensia (happens every year).

Additionally any team that plays in the final 4 should receive more selections than a team that didn't make it past round 1; same, though smaller numbers for each team that progressed further in playlets than a team that lost out before them.

I know of at least 3, with my limited knOwledge on Holly Springs, who are all-state quality. Just as I know of multiple players from schools with numerous nods that are not.

At no point should a school who didn't make it past round 1 have 10 district and 8 state slots... And at no point should it be "because our coach is on the committee" be seen as an appropriate explanation.

 

OK. Seems like it may need some tweaking to address the current issue but it seems pretty good. Especially when one considers the nomination form. It looks like it has all the data you need to make a determination using numbers.

http://www.ncfastpitch.org/listing/2011_all-district,_all-state_nomination_form.pdf

I wonder what it might be like if you had to make All Conference to even be eligible for All District and then eligible for All State only if you made All District.

From what I interpreted from the link to the process was that they were encouraging as many nominations as possible. I don't believe it's that way when selecting All Conference. And I think they should all relate.

 

I agree 100% with you. I believe everyone who is aware knows that the association is doing everything it can to benefit the girls and the sport.

It might have to be done like the mandatory coaches' meeting in Greensboro. If you don't attend there's a pretty hefty fine. That needs to be done to get the attention of the coaches and their ADs.

There is no good excuse for not recognizing your players.

 

Just my thoughts

It seems that there is really no way to do it completely fairly and in a way that will satisfy all. There are definitely players out there that should be All State and are not on the list; there are players who made it to All District and are not All State while there are inferior players on that All State list. Some girls don't go far just because they happen to have the dumb luck of being in a weak softball area on a weak team, but their talent would, in another school, have them be recognized- My kid can hit the ball all day long, but will never compete with other players, or come close, to in RBI for example, because honestly nobody on her team can get on base much of the time. Nobody to bat in.
Complicating the matter are the coaches who don't participate and nominate deserving players. If other area coaches stepped in and made those nominations, it would help. But them some would cry politics, which undoubtedly would at times enter into the situation.
Then you have unreliable and misleading statistics (there is at least 1 player on that list who many of us know to be a product of her father's extremely creative stat reporting that the coach chooses to overlook)- and many people claim to know how to keep a book, but really have no idea, thus resulting in really high BA and really good fielding percentages.

It's hard to compare apples to apples between the conferences- some conferences are just plain weak and others are very strong and have top fielders and pitchers. How do you compare stats of players from those different regions? Stronger player in a stronger conference may have worse stats than a really average player in a weaker conference. But if stats are used then there's a good chance that that better player won't win the recognition over the average player.
Finally, the sheer number of nominees make it difficult to process, evaluate and select them all. We don't have a small state, and it is impossible for a committee to be well versed in the talents of each All District player that comes to their table for All State consideration. Impossible.
Certainly there can be some improvements, but it will never be perfect, or near perfect, and I'm glad I'm not the one "in charge", trying to please all these parents. Thanks to the ones who give it their best shot!

 

Aren't all-district and all-state already related?

And excellent point re all-conference. How would one be all-district or all- state....or all-anything of the year if they were not even recognized on a conference level? Only pitfall I see on that would be how highly political some conferences are with schools wxyz ganging up against schools ab. Same question then goes there.... How does the school that won their conference or came in 2nd get less nods than those coming in 3rd and 6th?