Utah Pump N Run Basketball

The Class 5A basketball boys' and girls' state tournaments will have a new look for the next four years.

In a move that was confirmed Thursday by The Tribune , the tournament will expand from 16 to 20 teams starting next year. As a result, the tournament format will be altered.

The top three teams in regions 1, 2 and 4 will advance automatically to the second round, according to Jordan coach Rob Geertsen.

In 2010-11, when Herriman High School opens, all four regions will advance their first three teams to the second round.

As a result, along with the format, the logistics will change as well. The first two rounds will be played on the home court of the higher seed. The tournament will then shift to a neutral site for the quarterfinals.

That's different from what's traditionally held true, when the entire tournament would be played at a single site, historically either at Weber State or the E Center.

The changes are only effective in Class 5A and will be in effect for the next four years. The other classes will hold their tournaments as they have in past years.

"We wanted more inclusion, and playing that extra game means that more good teams get into the tournament," said Geertsen, who was the driving force behind the change, along with Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis. "We feel this is the best way to have the state tournament."

It's been a source of contention in past years that good teams have been left out of the tournament because of the number of teams from a single region that can qualify. The expansion is designed to prevent that.

"Two years ago, we were 12-9 and we were the fourth-place team in the league where the fourth-place team had to sit home," Geertsen said. "We watched as a team that we beat by 25 points and another team that we had beaten went to the tournament. I thought that we deserved a chance to play."

This is the year when the massive realignments will take place. Moving up to Class 5A are teams such as Cottonwood, West, Murray, Granger, Cyprus and Roy. Teams like Timpanogos and Spanish Fork will drop down to Class 4A.