MANCHESTER — For the first time since the 2018–19 high school basketball season, the 49th District Boys’ Basketball Tournament will return to a blind-draw format.
The change comes after Jackson County, Oneida Baptist Institute, and Red Bird Christian School voted to reinstate the blind draw beginning with the 2026–27 season. Clay County and North Laurel both voted to continue seeding the tournament, but the 3–2 vote was enough to approve the format change under KHSAA guidelines.
The district has used a seeding format since the 2019–20 season, allowing teams to be placed in the tournament bracket based on regular-season performance.
Oneida Baptist Institute released a statement following the vote, addressing anticipated reaction to its stance while defending the decision.
“Past experience would indicate OBI will likely be unfairly criticized, if not defamed, by certain individuals and/or media outlets over today’s vote by the membership of the KHSAA’s 49th Basketball District to utilize a draw format, as permitted by the KHSAA, for the 2027 Boys’ Basketball Tournament. However, OBI will never apologize for doing what we believe to be best for our young people. We completely understand and don’t begrudge the desire of larger schools to seed the tournament, and would like to think someone thinking objectively would have the ability to understand why smaller schools like Jackson County, Red Bird, and OBI might prefer a draw. We look forward to competing in this year’s tournament in which the bracket was determined by seed and also next year’s tournament to be determined by blind draw per vote of the five schools.”
North Laurel boys’ basketball coach Nate Valentine said the decision caught him by surprise and expressed disappointment in the move away from seeding.
“We were completely blindsided by the decision to move to a blind draw in the 49th District Tournament after this season,” he said. “In fact, I received a call from one of the district AD’s last week ensuring me they were going to vote to seed because they appreciated competition and wanted their program to improve by playing good competition. Clay County and North Laurel voted to continue seeding, but unfortunately the other three schools decided a draw was in their best interest.”
Valentine said he understands the challenges faced by smaller programs but believes seeding rewards sustained effort and accountability.
“I’ve coached at a small school before in the 43rd District that had never made it to the region tournament in school history,” Valentine added. “I understand that perspective — I’ve been there. But we worked as hard as we could to build our program into a championship contender. It didn’t happen overnight, but we kept working.
“Our teams compete all season to earn their ranking, and abandoning that system sends the wrong message about accountability and competitive spirit,” he continued. “We look forward to continuing our series with Clay County, and moving forward, we’ll leave our seeding up to the luck of the draw.”
Jackson County’s boys’ basketball coach and athletic director Parker Stewart also addressed the decision, emphasizing that the vote was based on what the school believed was best for its programs.
“We voted for the draw because we felt like that was the best decision for our team and our program at the time of the decision. It’s also important to note that we made the decision that was best for both of our programs. Our girls felt strongly about staying with seeding, and we supported that. Our boys believed the draw was the right choice for us, and that’s how we voted. Each program made the decision that best fit its situation.
“If that changes in the future and we believe seeding is what’s best for our kids, then we’ll support that. Our vote will always come down to what is in the best interest of our players.
“We are an All-A school competing in a district with schools that are significantly larger than us, along with two private schools. Until there is ever a time when classification is introduced at the district level, that reality creates challenges for programs like ours. We understand that, and we embrace the work that comes with it.
“We are also realistic about the landscape. As a smaller school, we not only compete against programs with larger enrollment numbers, but we also face the ongoing challenge of other schools recruiting players from our area. That makes development even more important for us. We have to build from within and invest in the players who choose to represent our school.
“At the end of the day, every decision we make is about giving our kids the best opportunity possible. Our responsibility is to them and to our community, and that will always guide how we lead our program.”
Red Bird Christian School also issued a statement explaining its support for the blind-draw format and how it aligns with the school’s goals.
“The beauty of high school basketball in KY is that every school, regardless of class or size has a chance at a state title; even little bitty Red Bird. In order for Red Bird to be able to have the best chance to make some noise in the 13th Region, we felt it was best to vote for having a draw in the district tournament.”
Meanwhile, a representative within the Clay County School System said the decision was also unexpected and confirmed the school will not schedule boys’ basketball games next season against Jackson County, Oneida Baptist Institute, or Red Bird Christian School.
The blind-draw format will take effect beginning with the 2026–27 49th District Boys’ Basketball Tournament, while the upcoming tournament will still be played under the seeding format already in place.
