We saved the spiciest section of our MIAA coaches survey for last.
Throughout the fall, we've revealed results from our first MIAA girls basketball coaches survey. Part 1 revealed coaches' picks for the top players currently in MIAA schools. Part 2 focused on the teams to watch this winter season, and Part 3 began venturing into discussion points and possible rule changes that would benefit the state.
But you can't talk about MIAA hot topics without bringing up two relentless talking points: Ongoing recruiting battles with NEPSAC, and the age-old argument of public vs. Catholic schools within the state association.
More than 30 coaches were granted anonymity so they could freely voice opinions — especially relevant for this section. So let's unpack!
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Is there more that MIAA schools can do to retain talent in the face of prep school/NEPSAC recruiting? Why or why not?
NEPSAC continues to gain increasing power over the basketball talent in MIAA and New England at large. Some MIAA coaches, like Medfield's Mark Nickerson, have been public about their battle to retain star players.
There seems to be a growing feeling of hopelessness. Multiple coaches responded with some degree of "no" or "I don't know," or mentioned that it comes down to a family's decision. Others exhibited frustration that NEPSAC coaches can initiate contact and recruit at will — but as frustrating as that may be, the MIAA has no power over NEPSAC.
So given all the momentum rides with NEPSAC, what can MIAA schools do at this point?
By far, the most common suggestion was more high school showcases. Right now, Nickerson's Eastern New England Showcase is the best option available for MIAA coaches, but it occurs during the college basketball season and two days before Thanksgiving. Unlike NEPSAC or even CIAC (Connecticut) basketball, the MIAA holds no summer showcase during a live recruiting period.
"The MIAA needs to make us relevant to our student-athletes," one coach said. "Kids and parents think that they have to do everything in terms of recruiting via their AAU club (which is often aligned with prep schools). We should be able to invite coaches to open gyms, work with our student-athletes once a week in the fall/spring, have showcase events, etc."
Open gyms were also brought up frequently; they've become a popular way for NEPSAC players to get college looks during the fall's looser recruiting window. These almost never happen in MIAA — though from my understanding, they're technically allowed, and a head coach just cannot be present. One coach brought up the idea of combining open gyms across various conferences to bring more talent together.
As we covered in Part 3, many MIAA coaches would like to lift restrictions on coaching out of season in an effort to compete with NEPSAC's ability for near-year-round player development.
"Right now, I feel like MIAA coaches have their hands tied behind their backs in terms of retaining talent. Players are being offered access to year-round coaching and development at prep school, something no MIAA coach is allowed to offer," said a coach. "If the MIAA allowed us to work with our players in some capacity in the offseason (coach in summer leagues, structured training opportunities) players would have less reason to leave for prep school/NEPSAC. Allowing MIAA coaches to engage fully with their teams and invest in player development could at least increase the possibility of keeping talent in our programs."
Lastly, a few coaches want to better reflect the selling points for staying at an MIAA school. Community pride, playing with longtime friends, and town legacy are often brought up in the pitch to stay local. There's still a strong track record for MIAA players who are currently succeeding in Division 1, and at least one coach wants to see those success stories marketed more.
"I think that having showcases for public school players and continuous recognition of them would help tremendously," one coach said. "I think highlighting those players who went on to play basketball at a high level who stayed public would help retain talent. I think AAU programs have really steered girls to go prep/ NEPSAC route, and it really is unfortunate."
Is there a significant competitive difference between being a public or private/Catholic school in MIAA? Why or why not?
I've been waiting to ask this question to coaches.
If you're regularly on Twitter/X — or (shudders) the comments sections of major local news outlets — you will find the public vs. private or Catholic school debate within MIAA pops up every few months across most sports. But I don't care what random fan accounts online think. Do the coaches themselves believe Catholic private schools have a competitive advantage?
The answer in girls basketball, according to about 68 percent of our respondents, is yes.
"Yes, 100 percent, and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong," one opinionated coach said. "Private/Catholic schools draw from upwards of 50-60 different towns and communities. Whether you want to call it, those schools have to actively try to enroll students at their schools. Public schools do not have that same ability outside of trying to make their building and school an attractive one for the kids that live in the town. Schools that can draw from that many towns and communities should be good at every sport every year."
This was a common sentiment among many of the "yes" answers. Private/Catholic schools are not restricted to specific towns or districts like most public schools, so they can draw on a larger pool of prospective student-athletes. Several coaches believe this allows top private/Catholic schools to maintain a more consistent talent pipeline. Some Catholic schools can even pull up middle-school-age players to their varsity team if they are a 7th-12th-grade school, for example.
"Yes, the smaller public schools have not had a chance to win the big one when they finally have their best teams," said one coach. "Those teams for them come few and far between and it's always so discouraging."
However, other participants (from outright "no's" to a range of "not sure" and mixed responses) brought up their own points for public schools' collective advantages. They don't charge tuition like private and Catholic schools. School choice can also allow students to enroll outside of their town, and as one coach claimed, "there are a lot more regional schools and school choice teams than people realize." And public high schools do have the benefit of building feeder programs and building relationships with their players earlier than many MIAA private schools.
"Yes and no. Public school coaches can start teaching their systems and philosophies to their youth coaches and when those girls get to high school, they can be extremely prepared in addition to having played with the same girls for awhile," one coach said. "At Catholic schools, we get good/great athletes, but they've never played together before, so it takes longer to implement systems."
Then we get to the magic word: recruit.
There are countless unsupported claims of recruiting by private schools — which is not allowed in MIAA basketball — scattered throughout public discourse. I was particularly interested if coaches believed it to actually be true, and quite a few brought this up.
Some threw around "recruiting" lightly, but others pointedly believe this is common practice.
"While recruiting is obviously not allowed, we all know it happens," said a coach. "Things even out a bit due to school choice. I wish the MIAA would look into recruiting more than it does, though."
"Yes - the 'poaching' done from public schools is unfair," said another. "This recruiting is done at the middle school level and intensifies as the players get older and show their abilities. Until the playing field is leveled, I believe there will always be a competitive advantage for private schools."
A third claimed: "Absolutely. Public schools can’t (choose the word) recruit, entice, wink/wink, kids to go to our school. If there is no school choice then you get who lives in your town. Private/catholic schools have their pick. They will deny it but I have the receipts from several of them that tell otherwise."
To be clear: We were not provided any evidence of an MIAA private school directly recruiting a girls basketball player. I am not claiming they do. But I do think it's relevant that so many coaches at least believe it happens.
It's also worth reiterating that this topic of recruiting within MIAA is very different from NEPSAC and prep school recruiting, which is widely understood and accepted.
Are there any other key discussion topics affecting the MIAA basketball landscape right now?
This was an open-ended final question to see what else is on coaches' minds. It led to a wide range of topics I'll do my best to summarize.
Some coaches continued to note the coaching restrictions and struggles against NEPSAC as we covered above. Others brought up parental and administrative influences on the program, or concerns with the MIAA's Competitive Equity Tool used to create divisional alignments.
Quite a few coaches expressed displeasure with officiating — both the quality of officiating today and the lack of referees, particularly during the regular season. Good news: I just wrote a whole story on that!
One story I have not written (yet) surrounds continued frustration with the MIAA's power rankings formula. Like in Part 3, coaches want to see change in the maximum margin of victory component — it's now at six points for this winter season.
Lastly, and most notable to me: Multiple coaches brought up declining participation numbers in their programs. This is a trend I dove into at a macro level in fall 2024. Clearly, coaches are feeling the effects.
"In our area it's worth noting the dropping numbers in girls basketball and the need for many schools to get eighth grade waivers to increase participation. Why are less girls playing?" one wondered.
