The Mid-Suburban League has been one of the few positive constants during this era of continuous revamped and realigned conferences.
While conferences around the Chicago area change names and teams from year to year, the MSL in the northwest suburbs has remained the same.
There hasn’t been division realignment in over a quarter century. While Arlington and Forest View high schools closed their doors in the 1980s, Barrington was the last of the current 12 schools to join the league in 1977. Since then the 12 schools have remained the same for the last 48 years.
That’s been a big plus and attraction as it specifically relates to MSL basketball, with the highlight being the champion of the two six-team divisions squaring off in a title game to end the regular season in what has become a MSL coronation.
But the Mid-Suburban League, which was formed in 1963, is blowing it all up.
The first significant shift will begin next season. That’s when the two current divisions, the MSL East and MSL West, based on the geographic locations of the schools, will be scrapped. In its place will be a success-driven divide of divisions, revamped each year based on results.
“The conference will schedule games in every sport based on a team’s MSL conference finish over the past three years,” said a statement provided by school districts 211, 214 and 220.
The district statement goes on to say, “This scheduling process change intends to ensure the most competitive environment for all MSL schools in all sports, and is about creating a system that uses metrics to establish the highest-quality opportunity for all, just as we do in academics.”
When it comes specifically to basketball, it certainly can’t be used as an example of unbalanced MSL competition. In the last 10 years alone there have been five different champions on the MSL East side and five different champions on the MSL West side.
Every single MSL program has played in the championship game at least once in the last 25 years with 10 of the 12 schools having won a championship.
What this significant change means is this: There will undoubtedly be new teams in each division every single year. That’s head-scratching.
And the boys basketball schedule and conference won’t match the girls basketball schedule and conference in the same year. Literally every sport, every year, will have a different look to it than other sports. That makes a lot of sense.
The Mid-Suburban League had it right. For decades.
There is tradition and rivalries, stability and familiarity, easy scheduling and proximity. Plus, there has been a healthy competitive balance. As far as the brand of MSL basketball is concerned, the new format will be a big blow while the continuity and consistency will be sorely missed.
While there doesn’t appear to be any need for a season-ending championship game anymore, the district states the championship games will not go away. Huh? So the best team from the successful division will play the best team from the less successful division in a title game?
“The details [of the championship game] will be announced before the season starts next year,” the district statement says.
The only good news from the districts? The statement says it’s only a “two-year trial realignment.”