It’s easy for an Eastern Maine sportswriter to bring out the passions of high school basketball fans these days — just discuss the Lee Academy boys basketball program.
The Pandas’ roster has evolved in recent years just as the independent school has evolved in the interest of its financial survival, with boarding students from near and far now accounting for a significant percentage of both the overall student body and key players on the team.
That influx of talent has helped the boys basketball program emerge from the shadow of a locally produced girls team that won three state championships and four Eastern Maine titles between 2004 and 2008.
While this year’s Lee girls team is 0-9, the boys are not only the reigning Class C state champions, but with several new key players the Pandas are 8-1 this winter and poised to challenge for another gold ball.
And if that’s not enough, this evolution of the boys team has coincided with the development of a postgraduate basketball program at the school, adding a recruiting conspiracy theory to the matter.
Some fans of rival schools argue their community-based teams should not have to compete against schools with a global base from which to draw students — particularly in Class C, where the towns are invariably getting smaller and high school teams generally evolve not from the need to attract students and their tuition dollars from afar, but from local youth programs where kids learn the sport from their first dribble.
Ask fans of the Sumner of East Sullivan basketball team, which had its best season in decades last winter only to fall to Lee in the Eastern C final, or the Pandas’ other 2011 tourney victims, and complaints of a less-than-equal playing field can be heard without straining the ears.
A glimpse at the current edition of High School Today, a magazine published by the National Federation of State High School Associations, indicates such issues are not confined to Maine.
The cover story, “Public vs. Private Schools — Leveling the Playing Field,” outlines various concerns, including the percentage of state championships won by private schools versus public schools, the recruiting of student-athletes, and where to classify private schools within a public-private school sports hierarchy.
Maine and 45 other states include private schools as members of their interscholastic associations, with only Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and the District of Columbia having separate public and nonpublic entities.
For many associations, it’s partly a matter of their own financial well-being, as membership dues help subsidize the activities they sponsor.
But as more schools — both public and private — recruit students to help subsidize their academic offerings and as more dormitories are built to house the growing number of boarding students, organizations such as the Maine Principals’ Association are beginning to address this new school order.
According to the High School Today article, since 2009 eight of the 51 state interscholastic associations have adopted a multiplier formula for classification in which private schools multiply their student enrollments by a given number and are reclassified based on that revised total.
Some state associations have formed public/non-public committees to address issues of competitive balance, and there have been some more unique moves — such as the Texas Senate voting to allow private schools to join its interscholastic association in all sports except for football and basketball.
Maine has not yet adopted a multiplier formula or established a specific public/non-public panel, but conversations about the issues involved in this debate are ongoing as more and more school systems look beyond their immediate borders to boost enrollments, according to MPA executive director Dick Durost.
That change won’t happen overnight probably will not satisfy the basketball fans who cast a wary eye at Lee Academy, but the mere acknowledgement that challenges exist nationally is one step toward determining just what changes might be applicable locally.
I like the multiplier idea.
I never minded when Lee or any other school got an out of State player to come to their school in the past.
When they started the Prep School Program for basketball players, my way of thinking changed. Players get recruited and some come with the hopes of making that Prep Team and some fall to the Varsity High School Team each year, it seems. There is no question that when this happens it tips the balance in Class C towards Lee
I don’t know the magic answer. MCI has had a prep team for years, but the players who don’t make their Prep team, ususally don’t fall to the High School team.
I know it is a double edge sword when it comes to scheduling Lee now too. Teams want to test themselves against Lee’s team, but at the same time the almost certain pair of regular season losses they will recieve, may cost them a chance at a post season berth, that they have worked YEARS to attain.
All I know is that PERSONALLY, I wish that Lee didn’t have the Prep Team and that would eliminate my concerns about the “recruits” on the High School team. That probably isn’t going to happen anytime in the near future.
Perhaps playing up a Class like Cheverus does in Western Maine would be a little more fair to other communities? I don’t know?
My other question is what is happening to the kids from Lee who would have taken those spots in other seasons, now being taken by the newcomers?
I watched Lee recently and while I didn’t count them all, I know that there were at least 5 or 6 players on the team who PROBABLY wouldn’t have found Lee in their plans if it wasn’t for their dreams of playing Prep ball.
I don’t have any issue one way or the other with Lee Academy. I am just a fan of High School Basketball. I just don’t like the way this appears to an outsider like me.
I can understand that being unfair. When I was at Lee there was no prep team but still a mix of dorm kids and local kids. The “dorm kids” weren’t a lot of foreign exchange students or anything, just kids from the reservations or farther away towns. I like the idea of maybe playing up a class or trying to find another way to make it fair if there is really ever a way to do that. Doesn’t seem like there should be recruiting in high school!
See this is what is wrong…misinformation….a student can’t try out for the prep team and then decide to play for the high school team.
You are absolutely correct.
This same situation cost Orono High School the state high school Ice Hockey championship in 2004 when Fryeburg Academy used recruits/ringers from Canada on their team. The Fryeburg Academy team was found at fault for this, but it was too late they had already won the championship.
i dont understand why its a big deal that we have dorm students playing on our team. basketball is basketball no matter where you are from. everyone learns how to play the same way, not all have the same dedication. its almost like people want the dorm kids to come here and not be allowed to play basketball, this is there home for the school years they attend lee. they have just as much right to play as the locals.
Having dorm kids is different than bringing kids specifically to play basketball and get kids ready for the prep team. Lots of private school have students from away, but they don’t have prep teams to bring kids in to play for like Lee does. Lee should take the step on their own and show some class and move up a class in Boys basketball. The MPA has let it slide the last 3 or 4 years but now it’s getting to the point that many high school basketball fans don’t even want to watch Class C anymore. Lee should be embarassed.
Lee Academy has NEVER recruited students from another country or, for that matter, another state to strengthen its basketball program! The vast majority of these students don’t even play basketball. They are sent here by their parents to prepare them for acceptance into American colleges. One Chinese player in recent years, who was extremely tall, had never even picked up a basketball until he arrived in Lee. Furthermore, NO player from the Prep, or Post-Graduate, team has ever played on the varsity team. As a matter of fact, the Prep team doesn’t even scrimmage with the varsity. If anything, the playing field has been manipulated to limit the Lee Academy team’s success. The Lee girls’ team a few years ago was exceptional and won the state title. As a result, they were forced to move from Class D to Class C the following year. It didn’t matter because they won the state title in Class C, as well. “Lee should be embarassed”???? People posting here, with absolutely no accurate information to support the vitriole, should be embarassed. Incidentally, I don’t live in Lee and never went to Lee Academy but I am very familiar with their programs and the truth surrounding this issue.
Lee Academy has NEVER recruited students from another country or, for that matter, another state to strengthen its basketball program! The vast majority of these students don’t even play basketball. They are sent here by their parents to prepare them for acceptance into American colleges. One Chinese player in recent years, who was extremely tall, had never even picked up a basketball until he arrived in Lee. Furthermore, NO player from the Prep, or Post-Graduate, team has ever played on the varsity team. As a matter of fact, the Prep team doesn’t even scrimmage with the varsity. If anything, the playing field has been manipulated to limit the Lee Academy team’s success. The Lee girls’ team a few years ago was exceptional and won the state title. As a result, they were forced to move from Class D to Class C the following year. It didn’t matter because they won the state title in Class C, as well. “Lee should be embarassed”???? People posting here, with absolutely no accurate information to support the vitriole, should be embarassed. Incidentally, I don’t live in Lee and never went to Lee Academy but I am very familiar with their programs and the truth surrounding this issue.
Lee Academy has NEVER recruited students from another country or, for that matter, another state to strengthen its basketball program! The vast majority of these students don’t even play basketball. They are sent here by their parents to prepare them for acceptance into American colleges. One Chinese player in recent years, who was extremely tall, had never even picked up a basketball until he arrived in Lee. Furthermore, NO player from the Prep, or Post-Graduate, team has ever played on the varsity team. As a matter of fact, the Prep team doesn’t even scrimmage with the varsity. If anything, the playing field has been manipulated to limit the Lee Academy team’s success. The Lee girls’ team a few years ago was exceptional and won the state title. As a result, they were forced to move from Class D to Class C the following year. It didn’t matter because they won the state title in Class C, as well. “Lee should be embarassed”???? People posting here, with absolutely no accurate information to support the vitriole, should be embarassed. Incidentally, I don’t live in Lee and never went to Lee Academy but I am very familiar with their programs and the truth surrounding this issue.
of course Lee Academy recruits basketball players. This is the most ridiculous thing I have read. Do you think DJ Johnson went to Lee for the English program?No. he was told he could play for the prep BASKETBALL team.
Years ago, where there was not very many “private” schools, I didn’t mind when they played in the tournaments. However, now there are many private schools that could legitimately hold their own, viable tournament. It is inherently unfair for high school teams with only local kids from which to draw, playing against recruited youngsters from anywhere. Separate tourneys, please.