Richmond Heights wants the best competition… but won’t opt up?

NEWS RELEASE – Ohio High School Athletic Association
Executive Director Doug Ute

www.OHSAA.org | twitter.com/OHSAASports | facebook.com/OHSAAsports | instagam.com/ohsaasports

For Immediate Release – June 12, 2024
Contact – Tim Stried, Director of Media Relations, tstried@ohsaa.org

OHSAA Approves 14 Fall and Winter Sports Requests from 11 Schools to Move up Division I
Approvals are sport-specific for the 2024-25 school year; deadline for wrestling requests is June 25; deadline for spring sports requests is Sept. 13

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors has approved 14 requests from 11 schools to move up to Division I in specific fall and winter sports for the 2024-25 school year. The requests were made possible by the passage of Referendum Item 1B that OHSAA member schools passed earlier this spring, which permits schools to request to move up to Division I on a sport-by-sport basis for one school year.

The movement results in a total of 24 adjustments in divisional placements across seven fall and winter sports, which includes several Division I schools moving down to Division II in specific sports.

No requests were denied. Schools have until June 25 to request to move up to Division I in wrestling, as those preliminary divisional breakdowns were just approved on June 9 by the OHSAA Board of Directors and are posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/sports/wrestling

Preliminary spring sport divisional assignments will be presented to the Board of Directors in August and schools will have until September 13 to request to move up to Division I in 2025 spring sports.

The referendum issue results were announced on May 16 and schools had until June 3 to request to move up to Division I. The OHSAA Board of Directors reviewed and approved the list during meetings this past weekend in Akron at the baseball state tournament that wrapped up the 2024-25 school year.

WINTER SPORTS
Boys Basketball
Cincinnati Elder moves to D1
Thomas Worthington moves to D2
Regional Tournament Representation:
No Change to D1
D2: Central – 5; Northwest – 2; Northeast – 7; Southwest – 2

Girls Basketball:
Cincinnati Seton moves to D1
Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame moves to D1
Rocky River Magnificat moves to D1
Cleveland St. Joseph Academy moves to D1
Euclid moves to D2
Grove City Central Crossing moves to D2
Westerville North moves to D2
Cleveland John Marshall moves to D2
 
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Not too surprised by this. Basketball is their way of bringing in students through open enrollment and creating exposure. They have to win titles in order to make that viable. Taking the short cut is the most efficient way for them to do this. Guaranteed state title in division 4 or 5, not so much in division 1.
Now the education model, well that is a different discussion for another day…
 
I just find it interesting that all the RH supporters were saying that RH wants the competition and talked as if it was a sure thing they’d opt to D1….. yet most people knew they wouldn’t because then they’d have to compete for a state championship instead of being basically handed one in the smaller divisions.

As I said back during the season, the coach of RH would never even consider moving up. It’s an ego thing. He can stroke his ego with a Cleveland AAU team beating up on the small schools, but wants no part of competing in a tournament with rosters anywhere near his in terms of talent.

Long story short, if RH wanted to get the haters off their back and push their players —- they would have opted for the hard route. But they didn’t, and that speaks volumes as to what the coach really is about.
 
Why is anybody shocked ? I told you people after the season ended that it was all lip service. Heights will not move up - why should they. They will have a great team again this year - then they lose a ton. Sure the JV and Freshman teams were good - but they are unproven at the varsity level. Much easier to stay competitive and relative in the lower divisions. People forget how small Heights actually is.
 
Bball216 said:
Why is anybody shocked ? I told you people after the season ended that it was all lip service. Heights will not move up - why should they. They will have a great team again this year - then they lose a ton. Sure the JV and Freshman teams were good - but they are unproven at the varsity level. Much easier to stay competitive and relative in the lower divisions. People forget how small Heights actually is.
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This is a one year at a time decision so what they lose is irrelevant. They wanted no part of division 1. I have no issue with them getting all the players but they got their state titles, they should have moved up.
 
It's like playing a pick up game on Tuesday in your driveway when you are 12 years old, against your dad. You take the beating and tell yourself it was all about getting better. BUT, when the weekend rolls around and the whole neighborhood is at your house to play driveway hoops, you make sure you get matched up against your little brother.
 
westa-k-ron1 said:
Good for them. They are in the Division they naturally should be in.
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I would like to see an increase in the Competitive Balance figures. If you are a public school and your CB number is double digits, it screams of possible abuse. Now remember if a kid doesn't live in the district but attended school since 7th grade he counts as 1. And they one count varsity players. So if your school has a number of 10 or more, you have kids not living inside the district and playing varsity for a year or two.
 
Bball216 said:
Why is anybody shocked ? I told you people after the season ended that it was all lip service. Heights will not move up - why should they. They will have a great team again this year - then they lose a ton. Sure the JV and Freshman teams were good - but they are unproven at the varsity level. Much easier to stay competitive and relative in the lower divisions. People forget how small Heights actually is.
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The JV and frosh players in the program will not all see varsity. Rodger’s will entice more than a few high level transfers to “move to Richmond Hts”. He has access to the premier AAU teams in Ohio and some of the top players will suddenly end up at Richmond Hts for their junior or senior years.
 
spirit454 said:
I would like to see an increase in the Competitive Balance figures. If you are a public school and your CB number is double digits, it screams of possible abuse. Now remember if a kid doesn't live in the district but attended school since 7th grade he counts as 1. And they one count varsity players. So if your school has a number of 10 or more, you have kids not living inside the district and playing varsity for a year or two.
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Abuse of what? This is America. Parents can send their children where they want to without fear of being penalized for it. If a school is open enrollment, they can accept any student they want to, whether they live in their district or not.
 
fbrox said:
The JV and frosh players in the program will not all see varsity. Rodger’s will entice more than a few high level transfers to “move to Richmond Hts”. He has access to the premier AAU teams in Ohio and some of the top players will suddenly end up at Richmond Hts for their junior or senior years.
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Probably the correct answer. When they need dudes again, then suddenly they’ll get dudes again that have varsity experience at other schools and high end AAU experience.

Few if any of the kids on their JV and freshman teams will ever play varsity for the current staff.
 
westa-k-ron1 said:
Abuse of what? This is America. Parents can send their children where they want to without fear of being penalized for it. If a school is open enrollment, they can accept any student they want to, whether they live in their district or not.
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We are not talking about being a student. Send your kid where ever you want. The abuse comes when teams, coaches, administrations use open enrollments to stack up wins in HS sports. I think kids/parents should be able to get the best education they can and I support open enrollment for a better education. When you do it to win a basketball game, let's deal with it. That's why the competitive balance was made and OHSAA has rules for transferring without moving. It only involves the sport, not restricting the education.
 
This definitely wasnt the right fix but my lord they beat the d1 champ wire to wire I dont see why they wouldnt go for it with this nucleus. Rogers also said it was about "challenges" after last year championship. Well, this is the challenge and he said no. Thats disappointing.

Richmond Heights had the best JV team Ive ever seen if they dont play varsity there they will be players elsewhere. We not talking regular JV basketball man they had a literally man child playing C. I dont think there will be another influx of tranfers especially if they not playing D1
 
bbjunky81 said:
I just find it interesting that all the RH supporters were saying that RH wants the competition and talked as if it was a sure thing they’d opt to D1….. yet most people knew they wouldn’t because then they’d have to compete for a state championship instead of being basically handed one in the smaller divisions.

As I said back during the season, the coach of RH would never even consider moving up. It’s an ego thing. He can stroke his ego with a Cleveland AAU team beating up on the small schools, but wants no part of competing in a tournament with rosters anywhere near his in terms of talent.

Long story short, if RH wanted to get the haters off their back and push their players —- they would have opted for the hard route. But they didn’t, and that speaks volumes as to what the coach really is about.
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It speaks volumes that they don’t care about haters on their back? You think they aren’t pushing their players? Sure they could push them further and opt to move to D1 but to say they haven’t and aren’t pushing them is crazy. They have a well experienced staff who knows what it takes to “push” players and get them to the next level which is what this is really all about. The problem people have is with OHSAA not RH. They’ve abided by and broken rules and have payed for it. Think it’s time to let this whole thing run its course lol.
 
spirit454 said:
I would like to see an increase in the Competitive Balance figures. If you are a public school and your CB number is double digits, it screams of possible abuse. Now remember if a kid doesn't live in the district but attended school since 7th grade he counts as 1. And they one count varsity players. So if your school has a number of 10 or more, you have kids not living inside the district and playing varsity for a year or two.
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There are 158 publics with a boys basketball CB of at least 10. That really screams of possible abuse.
 
D1nwobb said:
There are 158 publics with a boys basketball CB of at least 10. That really screams of possible abuse.
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158 public schools out of how many total?
How many public schools do not have open enrollment?

158 of them but yet many across the entire state are complaining about only 1.

All I'm saying is most teams only 15 or less kids playing varsity so if a school has a CB number of 10 or more, it's a lot to not be living inside the school district.
 
NEOfan said:
This definitely wasnt the right fix but my lord they beat the d1 champ wire to wire I dont see why they wouldnt go for it with this nucleus. Rogers also said it was about "challenges" after last year championship. Well, this is the challenge and he said no. Thats disappointing.

Richmond Heights had the best JV team Ive ever seen if they dont play varsity there they will be players elsewhere. We not talking regular JV basketball man they had a literally man child playing C. I dont think there will be another influx of tranfers especially if they not playing D1
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That JV team was pretty damn good - loaded with studs.
 
nwwarrior09 said:
Probably the correct answer. When they need dudes again, then suddenly they’ll get dudes again that have varsity experience at other schools and high end AAU experience.

Few if any of the kids on their JV and freshman teams will ever play varsity for the current staff.
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Isn’t that what most of the private schools been doing for years
 
Teams in Div 5 this coming season when tournament starts should boycott and not play them ,, just forfeit there games against them,so they can't play a tournament game and just hand the state trophy at the end
 
buckcc said:
Teams in Div 5 this coming season when tournament starts should boycott and not play them ,, just forfeit there games against them,so they can't play a tournament game and just hand the state trophy at the end
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I’m sure their supporters would run with the narrative that teams are too scared to play them. Or pull the whole “ you’re only made because we are an urban school” card.
 
catscatscats said:
Isn’t that what most of the private schools been doing for years
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Yes lmao. Also Richmond actually developed 4 out of 5 starters last year plus Irby been there since his freshman year I think. I dont like that they didnt opt up but they arent even comparable to a private school to be honest
 
I wish Richmond could enroll in all 7 divisions and win every state title.

But, I also want the old Indiana style one championship. If everyone is a champion, no one is. Open up free transfers to anywhere, anytime. It is Americain. Trying to get a level playing field for all use cases is communist.
 
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