National's Announcement

I have enjoyed my relationship with the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Tournament since 1996. Since 2000 I have had the privilege of being the Executive Director, and during that time I have had a front seat view of what is taking place in homeschool sports. I have witnessed significant changes in the landscape of homeschooling in general, I have watched as other tournaments and programs have failed due to the lack of leadership and foresight, and I have watched as others have tried to build tournaments in other sports with limited success.

Each year I have met with our board and shared new ideas and concepts that I believe are key to staying on the cutting edge. I am thankful to the Nationals board for allowing me to continue to push the envelope and yet keep me in check.

It is time for me to share with you the most significant move that we have made during our nine years at the helm. First, let me say that I am sure that this is something that many will think is absolutely amazing and some will think it proof that I really am crazier than they thought. However, I would like you to read this all the way through and then I will welcome any and all comments.

Premise #1

Over the last decade three significant things have taken place that have had an influence on our decision:
1. Homeschooling has changed significantly; ten years ago there were virtually no co-ops and/or university model schools.
2. More players attend Nationals each year with questionable qualifications and without seeking hardship exemptions, because local programs have failed to police their teams.
3. Each year both opposing teams and parents from the program they are associated with, file complaints about teams not abiding by the rules.

We also have had to deal with players that:
1. Attend 15 hours of college classes each semester while claiming they are 51% homeschooled.
2. Are married and have a child.
3. Started homeschooling the day the National Tournament began.
4. Graduated high school and attended college.
5. Are foreign exchange students. (This is nothing against foreign exchange students but, it is impossible to have parent-directed education, which is the basis of homeschooling, if parents live in another country.)
6. Have been disciplined by other teams.
7. Have completed their high school education and work full time, but are age eligible.
8. Attend public or private school five days a week.
9. Live with friends in an apartment.
10. Have run away from home.

In conclusion, our premise is that there is a growing problem that threatens the integrity of homeschool sports.

Premise #2

Whatever model of Christian education a parent chooses for their family; traditional homeschool, co-op, university model, Christian school and anything in between, the fact is all these parents have a goal of raising children that will be able to stand alone and be salt and light in the world that they live.

Premise #3

The NCHBC and all homeschool teams would benefit from being part of a larger more inclusive association.

History

2005 - we were approached by an organization that had a goal of developing National Tournaments for Christian Schools, Prep Schools and Private Schools. They asked us to consider joining forces with them, but we declined.
2007 - we began to see a need for a Division 3 – a division for teams that had hardship exemptions.
2008 - the American High School Athletic Championships asked us to play a significant role in the development of their Association. The AHSAC was planning its inaugural tournaments during the 2009-2010 season.
Current Position

We have decided to become part of the AHSAC in order to promote and improve the NCHBC. This decision was made because it will help us better achieve our goals and it provides a viable solution for the ever changing homeschool community. Although we wanted to make this move, we decided on very strict criteria for becoming part of the AHSAC:
1. We required that we maintain complete autonomy of the NCHBC, and could cancel our membership at anytime, and that they would not start a competing tournament.
2. We required the bylaws guarantee that homeschoolers could not be removed from the AHSAC (many state organizations allow homeschool teams in and the remove them when they don’t feel the need them any longer).
3. We would have a majority of Homeschool positions on the board.
4. Kurt Talbot would be appointed Executive Director.
These requests were met and we have joined the AHSAC.

Nationals 2009

It was agreed the 2009 National Tournament would be the best place for the AHSAC to begin. Here is what this means:
1. There will be two tournaments running simultaneously in Springfield March 16-21, 2009. The National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships (NCHBC) and the National Christian Educated Basketball Championships (NCEBC).
2. We specifically wanted NCEBC instead of National Christian School Basketball Championships because this allows us to move what was Division 3 into the NCEBC and to provide a place for teams that have either too many hardship exemptions or hardship exemptions that are not eligible for the NCHBC.

Benefits for Homeschool Teams and Players

1. As mentioned above it helps the NCHBC to enforce eligibility rules and gives us the freedom to penalize those who do not follow guidelines.
2. It enabled us to negotiate a TV contract with Media Com for 14 games this year (double what we were initially hoping for). Ten of those games will include NCHBC.
3. It will allow for more homeschool players to be All-Americans – we project 50% of the NCEBC will be homeschool teams and many homeschool players will be NCEBC All-Americans. This will also leave more All-American slots open in the NCHBC (for example more than 15 players from Division 3 were All-Americans last year).
4. The NCHBC All-American will play the NCEBC All-Americans.
5. This should help homeschool teams forge better relationships and scheduling opportunities with other non-homeschool AHSAC teams.
6. In 2009, we will have a Fall Extravaganza that will include National Tournaments for Soccer, Volleyball, Softball and Cross Country, plus preseason basketballs tip off tournament and a cheerleading competition. It should be amazing: all this in one city on the same weekend.

Benefits for the Former Division 3 Teams

1. Compete National Championship (NCEBC) with gold ball trophy and right to get Championship Rings
2. Championship game is the 8500 seat Hammons Student Center.
3. Eligibility for First Team All-American and more All-American Awards.
4. All-American Game verses NCHBC All-Americans.
5. TV Coverage of All-American Games and Championship games.

Practical Outworking

There are different qualifying standards for the NCHBC and NCEBC. A program may have a girl’s varsity team that qualifies for NCHBC and the boy’s varsity qualifies for the NCEBC -- that is fine. A team may be NCEBC one year and NCHBC the next again that is fine. Qualification is solely based on individual player eligibility.

There will be more information in the next couple of days.