Since Maine High School Basketball shifted from 4 classes to 5 prior to the 2015-’16 season, I have been a strong advocate for the return to 4 classes. Here is a letter I have sent to the Maine Principals’ Association stating my rationale:
TO: MPA Committee Members
RE: 2025-26 Basketball Classification Proposal
April 6, 2024
Dear MPA Committee Members:
I write to you from the perspective of a longtime observer of Maine High School Basketball. I started attending tournament games at the venerable Bangor Auditorium in 1986 and have taken in games in person for the past 38 tournaments. Since the move to the Cross Insurance Center in 2014, I have not missed a game.
Over that time, I have worn many hats during February vacation week and into March. I served as a student manager at Bangor High School during the late 80’s, graduating in 1990. From there I served as a statistician and a color commentator for local radio stations. I had the incredible opportunity to be on the broadcast crew for the unforgettable Bangor-Deering boys state championship game in 2001 on WABI Radio. I have been on the bench as an assistant coach. Currently, since 2019, I have served as a public address announcer at the Bangor venue. Over the past two tournaments, I have coordinated our crew of PA announcers for the Northern Maine B-C-D tournament.
I think we all agree that high school basketball holds a special place in our communities throughout the great state of Maine. It has a way of binding people together throughout what can often be harsh, cruel winters in the Pine Tree State. As years have passed, the tournament continues to endure as the premier sporting event in our state. Nothing else really comes close.
As I prepared to write to you today, I’ve been reminded of this quote uttered by the late UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden: “Progress cannot happen without change, but not all change is progress.”
So, I ponder the sage wisdom from the legendary UCLA coach. Have the changes, which were implemented in 2015-16, namely expanding basketball from four classes to five, as well as adjusting the Heal Point class differential from five to two, ushered in progress? Have those changes perhaps been detrimental to the game and diminished in some respects the greatness of the tournament?
In January 2023, I also brought forth a proposal to return Maine high school basketball to four classes. Since that letter, an additional two tournaments have been played, bringing a total of eight tournaments under the five-class system. Eight full seasons complete with tournaments gives opportunity for stark comparisons and contrasts. My conviction that four classes is most appropriate for Maine High School Basketball is even more entrenched, considering the data I’m about to share with you.
While I disagreed with the decision at the time to expand Maine’s high school basketball landscape from four classes to five, a reasonable case could have been made for adding an additional class at that time. Over the final two years of four classes, twenty-four schools competed in Northern Maine Class D basketball. There was also concern from the perspective of smaller class ‘A’ schools regarding the growing enrollment gap between those schools and the largest schools in that class.
I believe the strength of argument for maintaining five classes has been diminished since the initial decision prior to the 2015-’16 season. Since the move to five classes for the 2015-16 season, there are fewer class ‘D’ schools competing in basketball. Limestone has closed and Greater Houlton Christian Academy now combines with Houlton. In addition, there have been years in which some schools have been unable to field teams. As far as Class A/AA is concerned, there are fewer schools at the upper echelon of the enrollment figures. While I do not have the classification numbers for the 2025-26 school year, at present there are only seven schools in the state of Maine with enrollments of over 1,000 students. Amongst the large schools, there are only two extreme outliers, Thornton Academy with upwards of 1,300 students, and Lewiston at approximately 1.500 students, neither of which dominate the basketball landscape.
So, has progress been made over the eight tournaments under the five class format? If by progress you mean that your school has a better chance to compete for a championship than before, then yes, you may reason the change to five classes represents progress. I think if we all step back and view the larger picture, we might come to a different conclusion. I believe there are a number of significant flaws with the current five class format and while there is no perfect formula, going back to four classes would address some of these issues.
Yes, regardless of what decisions are made, the tournament will always hold a special place for myself and many other lovers of Maine High School Basketball. The tournament is about so much more than the games themselves. It is about communities coming together to support their own. It’s about seeing people each February, not seeing them again until next February, then picking up right where you left off the year before. But, part of what has made the tournament special over the years was its exclusivity. Not every team that made the tournament under the four-class system was great, but the teams almost universally did something of merit to make them worthy of being there. Unfortunately, since the expansion to five classes, that is no longer a given.
In Class ‘A’ North, there are currently only ten schools competing in the region. Eight of the ten teams play at the tournament site in Augusta. So, to play in the Class ‘A’ North tournament, teams only have to beat out the two bottom teams in the class to qualify. Under this scenario it is virtually guaranteed that teams will qualify for the tournament with subpar records. This year the two #8 seeds had records of 5-13. The #6 seed in boys had a record of 7-11 and the #7 seed a record of 8-10. The #6 seed in girls Class ‘A’ was 6-12 and the #7 ended the regular season at 8-10.
Over the past few weeks, I have conducted a study of the quarterfinal contests from the last eight tournaments in Bangor for Classes B, C, and D versus the last eight years under the four-class format. The average margin of victory in the quarterfinal games rose in each class, for both girls and boys under the five-class format. There have been 192 quarterfinal games played so I think that represents a very strong sample size for comparison. Here are the results:
Class B Girls: Average margin of victory rose from 17.56 to 18.12
Class B Boys: Average margin of victory rose from 11.09 to 14.56
Class C Girls: Average margin of victory rose from 10.25 to 18.22
Class C Boys: Average margin of victory rose from 14.62 to 17.56
Class D Girls: Average Margin of Victory rose from 17.44 to 21.34
Class D Boys: Average Margin of Victory rose from 13.34 to 19.31
The total average margin of victory in the final eight years of four classes in the boys quarterfinals in Bangor was 13.02 ppg compared to 17.15 ppg in the eight years of five classes.
The average margin of victory for all girls quarterfinal games in Bangor went from 15.08 ppg to 19.23 ppg.
The average margin of victory for all quarterfinal games in Bangor rose from 14.05 ppg to 18.14 ppg.
To break it down even further, out of 192 quarterfinal games played in Bangor during the final years of the four-class format, 53 were decided by 20 points or more, with 19 decided by 30 or more. Since the move to five classes, those numbers jumped to 83 decided by 20 or more and 39 decided by 30 or more.
Furthermore, in the final eight years of 4 classes, only 3 quarterfinal games in Bangor were decided by 40 or more points compared with 17 under the five-class format.
In 1 versus 8 match-ups, in which there are teams competing that likely would not have been tournament teams under the four-class format, the number one seed has advanced to the semifinals 46 out of 48 times. The only year a number one seed didn’t advance to the semifinals in the Northern Maine B, C, and D tournament was in 2019 when the #1 girls and boys in Class ‘C’ lost their quarterfinal games
This, I believe, was a direct result of the decision to reduce the Heal Point differential between classes from five to two. The number one seeds in Class C in 2019 played primarily a Class ‘D’ schedule and were likely overvalued as a number one seed. Yes, this change was meant to encourage larger schools to play schools in a lower class but conversely it has provided smaller schools a disincentive for playing a school in a larger classification. Going back to the five-point differential also would give a truer indicator of where schools should be seeded in addition to giving smaller schools a more appropriate boost for defeating a school in a larger class. Seeding matters when it comes to tournaments.
Conversely, in 1 vs. 8 match-ups in the final eight years under the four-class format, the number one seed advanced 39 out of 48 times. Under the five-class format, the number one seed won by an average margin of 26.57 ppg compared with 22.4 ppg in the final eight years of four classes. Under five classes, the number one seed was victorious by margins of 20 or more 31 times, including 18 times by 30 or more, 12 times by 40 or more, and 4 times by 50 or more. In the final eight years under four classes, the number one seed came out on top by 20 or more 23 times, by 30 or more 11 times, by 40 or more twice, and by 50 or more once.
In 2 vs. 7 match-ups, the number two seed has advanced 40 times each both under the four and five class formats. The average margin of victory by the two seed under the four class format was 14.57 compared with 19.67 under the five class format. The number two seed won by 20 or more points 21 times compared with 13 times, 30 or more points 11 times compared with 5, and 40 or more points 4 times compared to once.
It is certainly laudable to try to have as equitable of a playing field as possible for all teams. However, this ideal needs to be balanced with having competitive tournaments. Right now, we simply do not have enough schools to warrant five classes in basketball. By going back to four classes, each class would have a similar tournament experience by getting to play quarterfinals through state championship games at tournament venues. This is not currently happening in Class ‘AA’.
The Class ‘A’ North schools would have to do more than merely beat out the bottom two schools in their class to earn their way to the tournament site.
I believe the numbers I have just shared illustrate that what going to five classes has really done is to water down the level of competition during tournament time. The programs that have been strong have fewer other good teams to go through to win the championship at the end of the week. Those teams likely would have competed for titles if there were four or five classes. Many schools are not any closer to contending for a championship now than they were under the four-class format.
For figures, I would go with approximately 680 and up for class ‘A’, 380-679 for Class ‘B’ 151-379 for ‘C’ and Class ‘D’ would be 150 and below. The ‘D’ cut off is still below that of soccer, baseball, and softball, sports which require more bodies than basketball. The ‘A’ cut-off would be comparable to the cut-off in those aforementioned sports.
I know eliminating a class would cause concern due to the potential loss of revenue by not having the class ‘AA’ games. I strongly believe this will be compensated for by having more competitive games across the board, hence better attendance numbers, during the quarterfinal round. People will still go to games as long as they have a chance to be competitive. All of the regional finals and state championship games in Bangor drew tremendous crowds. Unfortunately, too many of the quarterfinal games were not competitive and realistically had very little hope of being competitive. However, one the most competitive quarterfinal games in Bangor, the ‘B’ boys game between #4 Orono and #5 Caribou drew a very good crowd.
Based on what I have shared, I think it’s time to hit the reset button and revert back to four classes beginning with the 2025-26 basketball season, as well as restoring the Heal Point differential back to five between classes. Feel free to reach out to me by email at robert.beatham.jr@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to discuss this further. Thank you, and I look forward to having this discussion with those who share the same passion for Maine high school basketball.
Yours in Basketball
Robert Beatham Jr.
If you believe, as I do, that Maine High School basketball would be better served with the proposals I have laid out, please contact your local school’s principal and athletic administrator. Spread the word so that we can improve the state of the Maine High School Basketball Tournament.
