[bball_fan]

I believe our understanding, as well as everyone else is the exact same except for the minor detail of whether or not this is a state tournament. Given the Sweet Sixteen is the one that is remember and comes with all of the glory. And yes the All A does not have near the competition that the Sweet Sixteen will have, but the All A State Tournament is still a state champion. Yes the field is reduced due to enrollment numbers and yes given a choice between this one and the Sweet Sixteen, anyone will pick the Sweet Sixteen. But this is still a state tournament and there will still be a record book that shows Betsy Layne was the 2011 All A State Champion. Just because a tournament offers limitations to who can or cannot be part of it, does not strip it of the fact it is or is not a state tournament. It does however limit to whom you can say qualified to be part of this "class" of teams. The question at hand here is the prestige of the All A compared to the Sweet Sixteen in which there is no comparison. The Sweet Sixteen is by far the one that is more prestigious but that does not take away the fact that the All A is still a state tournament with a state champion.