East Texas owns 1A boys basketball, says TABC

As the playoffs for boys basketball get set to begin (or, already began I guess), the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches released its final polls Monday.

The prevailing result: East Texas dominates 1A, D-I basketball.

Three of the state's top-four teams hail from Region III, the UIL region that is predominantly East Texas. Clarksville is No. 1, Cayuga No. 3 and Tenaha No. 4.

Expanding further, Grapeland is No. 8, LaPoynor No. 12 and Lovelady is No. 15.

So, of the top 15 teams is Class 1A, D-I according to the coaches who obviously know the game, six are from East Texas. Not bad I'd say.

We can also expand even further with Broaddus (24). That's even leaving out Kerens (16), Big Sandy (19) and Evadale (20), three schools that could easily be considered part of East Texas but aren't in Region III.

So, it's not inconceivable that when four teams gather at Tyler Junior College's Wagstaff Gym next weekend for the regional tournament, all four could be in the top-10 and it's even more likely they'll all be in the top 15.

Not bad at all.

Inside the polls will return soon

Now that basketball is over, we will no longer be diving headlong into the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) state polls each week here at The Baseline.

But, that doesn't mean we don't have state polls to digest all the same.

The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association (THSBCA) handles things on the baseball side of things, while we'll rely on the Texas Girls' Coaches Association (TGCA) takes care of things on the softball side.

We'll start that adventure next week, so look for a new edition of Inside the Polls every Tuesday from now until playoff time.

Inside the TABC polls (Week of 2/7/11)

It's getting down to the nitty-gritty time for high school basketball teams around the state this week. Girls regular-season play wraps up tonight, while the boys will finish things up with games tonight, Friday and next Tuesday.

For local squads, there wasn't loads of movement in the polls this week, as has been the norm for most of the season. That being said, many local teams still find themselves considered some of the top 20 or so squads in their respective classes in the state.

Let's dive in.

Inside the TABC polls (Week of 1/31/10)

We're entering the final month of regular season basketball, and a lot of the local squads are beginning to heat up as the playoffs approach.

Granted, these rankings have no bearing on making the playoffs (like Arizona's rankings system does), but it is a somewhat accurate gauge of where team's stand against the rest of the state.

So, without further adieu, let's dive in to this week's polls.

Inside the TABC polls (Week of 1/24/10)

GIRLS (Full Rankings)
Class 3A
Only a slight change in the area 3A implications this week. After an undefeated week, Fairfield moved up two spots to No. 23.

Class 2A
Still no local squads or district rivals in the top-25 for Class 2A

Class 1A, Div. I
We saw some local movement in this poll after last week. Slocum jumped a spot from No. 13 to No. 12 after topping Grapeland on Tuesday then having Friday off. Slocum's district rival, Lovelady, made a big jump from No. 17 to No. 13, still one spot behind a Slocum squad they beat in district play. As far as District 20 goes, Martin's Mill held strong at No. 3, while LaPoynor moved up to No. 16 from No. 18 after beating Cayuga and Cross Roads during the week.

Class 1A, Div. II
Once again, Neches comes in at No. 2, a spot it should occupy until A) the Lady Tigers lose or 2) Saltillo suffers its first loss of the year.

Inside the TABC polls (Week of 1/17/10)

I've learned something about basketball here in the Dogwood Circle as we near the halfway mark for district play in the area: We've got some teams that can ball.

As it currently stands, there are seven local squads (four boys/three girls) that sit inside the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Top-25. Oddly enough, all of them are in the state's smallest two classifications, Class 1A, Div. I and Class 1A,  Div. II.

So, with that being said—and with squads from area districts also being ranked—from here on out during the basketball season we'll dive into the polls weekly to see where the movement, if any, has been for the local squads.