All State Selection Process

MHSTeCA's All-State Selection Process

The coaches on the Board of Directors select the All State teams. The Board is made up of coaches throughout the state and from all divisions. Any coach can give input to any member of the Board before the meeting. Player record forms for players that qualified to the state tournament, as well as state tournament results are on hand and referred to. A coach of a player that did not qualify for the state tournament can get player record forms to any member of the Board so that that player can be considered by the committee.

The Board divides up into subcommittees (by division) made up of coaches from that division.

There is no set number of player/teams for All State or Honorable Mention. The number varies from year to year depending on the overall quality in the given year. No one is guaranteed a spot on All State based on his/her finish at the state tournament, however, there is criteria for consideration. Sportsmanship issues can be a cause for a player to be excluded from All State or Honorable Mention.

Strong consideration is given to the following singles players:

State quarter finalists at #1 Singles
State semifinalist at #2 Singles
State finalist at #3 Singles
A player with an outstanding record who did not qualify to the state tournament

Strong consideration is given to the following doubles teams:

State semifinalists at #1 doubles
State finalists at #2 doubles
A doubles team with an outstanding record who did not qualify to the state tournament

The goal is to give recognition to the strongest players in each division in the state. The above does not guarantee that a player is selected All State, but is a starting point for discussion. Other things that factor into the decision:

Who the player defeated and lost to in the state tournament. In other words, the committee looks at the players a quarter finalist defeated in getting to the quarters. Some players can reach the quarters without playing a seeded player, so may not have established himself/herself as All State. His/her season record and score in the match at state in which he/she lost would come into play here. If someone reaches the quarters without playing a seed, then gets beat decisively by the first seed he/she faces, they may not end up being All State.
Strong scores in losses against a top player; e.g., a three set loss to a top seed (along with a good season record)
A players total record for the season - who they defeated (All-Staters) and who they lost to (along with the scores in losing matches)
Before #2 singles players are considered, the #1 player on the team must be selected All State. If the team's line-up is in the correct (legal) order, the #1S must be better than the #2S. Thus, if the #1S is not All State, the #2S, which is a weaker player (according to the line-up submitted by the coach) would not be able to be All State. The same is true for #3S and #2D.
Before #2 singles players are considered, it must be established that he/she is stronger than other #1 singles players who have not been selected. This can be a bit subjective, but every effort is made to make sure the decision is accurate.

During the division meetings, members will consult with coaches in the other divisions to help establish the relative quality of players.

When the divisions are finished, the Board meets as a group (generally there are 35-40 coaches in attendance) and lists each individual so that coaches in other divisions can give additional input before the selections are final.

Tip of the hat to Gary Ellis for this explanation of the All-State selection process.