HOW ARE THE ALL-DISTRICT, ALL-REGION AND ALL-STATE TEAMS PICKED?
By David Harris, President - MHSVCA
One of the most noticeable things that the MHSVCA does is the sponsoring and selection of post-season teams. Many organizations make these types of selections all kinds of ways and there is no one method that will satisfy everybody.
ALL-DISTRICT teams are selected by the head coaches within that MSHSAA district for matches that occur only during the district tournament. After the district is over, then the coaches vote or meet to select a six-member first team and second team. Some districts had more than 6 members due to ties. The selection criteria is left up to the individual district coaches, but only the matches played in districts count. Coaches do not have to be members of the MHSVCA to participate in the process.
ALL-REGION teams are selected by MHSVCA member coaches. This award recognizes season-long play in one of five regions of the state established by the MHSVCA. During the last week of the regular season, each member coach can vote for as many as 8 players per class in their own region only. The votes are tallied and the top 8 vote getters (and ties) in each region are named to the first team, the next 8 (and ties) are named second team and the next 8 (and ties) are named honorable mention. A player must have a minimum of two votes to be considered All-Region. For a player to be honored, their coach must be a member of MHSVCA. If a region does not have enough players to complete a team, then a region may not have a second team or honorable mention team.
ALL-STATE teams are determined by a committee that meets on Saturday afternoon of the state tournament. Any All-Region player is eligible for All-State because (depending on regional strength), a second team player from one part of the state may be better than a first teamer from another part of the state. Coaches of All-Region players send in a profile that lists season stats, honors and other information to assist the committee. For a player to be honored, their coach must be a member of MHSVCA. The committee then selects between 8-10 players to be on each class's first team, second team and honorable mention teams.
There is no doubt that no matter how this is done, there are always going to be ways to improve the process. Any head coach is welcome to contact the president with suggestions on how to make the process better and more equitable at each level.