For more on the story, see: Coaches still baffled by GHSA rim mistake
The championship games of the state basketball tournament at the Macon Centreplex were played on goals that were not regulation, Georgia High School Association executive director Gary Phillips confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday night.
The stanchions that support the baskets were positioned a foot farther back off the baseline, meaning free throws were attempted from 16 feet, compared than the normal 15 feet. There was also less room for players to navigate under the basket along the baseline.
The Marietta Daily Journal first reported the issue.
Phillips said the GHSA was made aware of the issue Saturday afternoon, but elected not make the adjustment after Centreplex officials informed him it would take more than an hour to re-position the goals.
“The goals were the same distance into the court at both ends of the floor,” Phillips said in a statement posted on the GHSA's website. “The playing conditions were exactly the same for both teams on the court and for all of the 14 championship games that were played. So I can’t see any reason we would consider changing the outcomes.
“Only one coach even mentioned a possible problem, and my basketball staff watched the games closely and did not notice any appreciable effect on the shooting or the play of any of the teams. Some of the teams even shot extremely well from both the floor and the free throw line. But, overall, it looked like typical championship play.
“While this certainly was not an ideal situation or one that we wanted to happen, we think the conditions were fair for all the teams. And, more importantly, it was the same for all the teams. We have plans to make sure this never happens again, but we have no plans to change anything that happened this week in Macon.”
Westlake boys coach Darron Rogers said before the Class AAAAAA championship game that his team had not been made aware of the baskets' position before warmups. Pebblebrook coach George Washington was aware.
Only one team that played in the first four games Saturday--Greenforest Christian boys--shot better than 40 percent from the floor. The eight teams in the first four games shot 129 of 232 (55.6 percent) from the free-throw line.
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