Here is my one and only take on the Elite 8:
The Elite 8 will be made up of 8 teams including 6 Leagues Champs and 2 At Large Bids.
In my opinion, I wish the committee would of went away from inviting league champs and inviting the Top 8 teams. The top 8 teams in the state (in my opinion) are Yamhill-Carlton, Cascade Christian, Dayton, Amity, De La Salle, Westside Christian, PAA and Santiam Christian. In my opinion, these are the teams that should be playing in the Elite 8. If someone is being critical of any of these teams, then they are speaking out of emotions and not speaking about the real issue at hand.
The Eastern Oregon and Coastal League champs are #9 and #10 in state. They should be the teams on outside looking in. Nothing against those teams but they are not on the same level of play as Pac West #3, De La Salle and PAA.
With that being said, those two teams would have been #1 and #2 in the 3A NIT tournament. This is being put together right now as I write this story.
Instead, on Saturday at the committee meeting, either De La Salle or Pac West #3 will not be invited to the Elite 8. It’s not an easy decision to make but a really good team and fan base will be disappointed.
At the end of the day, let’s all be thankful we had a high school basketball season after all.
