The MSHSL invited Minnesota’s private schools to join the MSHSL in 1975. The privates accepted. (The Catholic schools had petitioned to join the MSHSL in 1935 and were turned away.) Nobody really knew how well the private schools would or could compete against the public schools. There had always been plenty of games between the 2 camps, though in the 1960s, when I played high school ball, there was less of it than before. I played at a private school and in 3 years I never played a single game against a public school.
So it was something of a shock when Winona Cotter won the 1st state title for a private school as soon as 1977. Before the close of the 2-class era, DeLaSalle followed with titles in 1985 and 1988, Cretin in 1991 and 1993, Austin Pacelli in 1992 and St. Agnes in 1994. There were 7 private school runners-up. Private scjools, in other words, went 7-7 in championship finals, of which there were of course 46 over 23 years of 2-class ball. There were 92 state championship finalists and 46 champions. Private schools made up about 11% of Minnesota high schools and made a little more than 15% of championship game appearances and won a little more than 15% of championships.
(This is just the boys, by the way.)
In the 21st century, private schools as a class have become dominant, with significant success against the public schools. Whether that is good, bad or indifferent is in the eyes of the beholder. But it’s a fact. The only question is whether there is something that can or should be done about it. Some, of course, would just say, “Get better!”
The 21st Century
For the 21st century, we’ll add the girls into our analysis. Over the 2nd 25 years of private school play in the MSHSL tournament, the private schools have increased their level of success, as is shown in the table. Private schools still make up about 11% of schools. If all else was equal, if competitive success came equally to both public and private schools, well, then, private schools would have 11% of state tournament appearances, 11% of tournament finalists, and 11% of the state champions, and they would win half of their games. Let’s see what they’ve actually gotten.
| % of Schools | Tournament Appearances | Tournament Games W-L | Finalists | Championship Game W-L | Champions | |
| Boys | 11% | 116, or 4.6/year 14% | 173-109, .625 | 41, or 20.5% | 26-15, .634 | 26 of 100, or 26% |
| Girls | 11% | 131, or 5.2/year 16% | 167-120, .582 | 32, or 16% | 22-10, .687 | 22 of 100, or 22% |
So, quite obviously, competitive success does not come equally to public and private schools. Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I played ball at a private school. I’ve got nothing against private schools. Somebody asked me recently who my favorite basketball team was. I said that if any team could win the ultimate championship in its particular realm, I would wish not for the Minnesota Gophers to win an NCAA title or for the Timberwolves to win the NBA. I would wish for my Bethlehem Academy Cardinals to win a state title. So, no, I’ve got nothing against private schools. It’s just that it’s an undeniable fact that private schools have some kind of advantages over public schools nowadays.
And, again, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that anybody is cheating. When teams cheat, they get punished. We’ve seen the MSHSL punish certain teams in recent years, mostly for blatantly breaking rules concerning player eligibility, though not, as far as I can recall, not in basketball. The fact is that the landscape of youth sports has changed dramatically since I was a kid, when everybody had to attend the public school in the district in which they lived. If anything, private schools had a bigger advantage in those days, because kids could go to any private school, anywhere, that they wanted. And, if they didn’t want to go to their hometown or neighborhood school, the only option was to go private.
Well, now kids can go to school anywhere they want, period, public or private. If they don’t want to go to their hometown or neighborhood school, they can go to any public or private school that they want. The Minnesota legislature passed the “open enrollment” law in 1988, and it gave all students, including student-athletes, the right to transfer anywhere anytime. The MSHSL and some schools have tried to limit transfers by student athletes, but with very limited success. That effort was probably illegal anyway. The open enrollment law was for everybody. It didn’t say anything about restricting that right as it relates to student-athletes.
There are also no rules against recruiting, though there’s kind of a “gentlemen’s agreement” that you shouldn’t do it. But if a kid comes to a school and says, I want to attend your school, is the school supposed to say no? In theory, the law says that they can’t say no.
But enough of all of that. My point is that students have a right to go to school wherever they want, and shopping around for the right school is perfectly legal and moral and right. I am not saying that anyone is cheating.
What To Do?
What I’m saying is that in today’s world, for whatever reason, private schools have significant advantages in attracting talented athletes to their teams. It’s right there (above) in the numbers. Half again as many state tournament appearances as you would expect if all else were equal. Twice as many state championships as what would occur randomly. Take a look at the QRF. Right now, 7 boys and 6 girls teams are rated #1 in their sections. In the past 4 years there have been 14 private schools (out of 32 total entrants, or 44%, more than 4 times a “fair share”) in the boys and girls state tournament in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and 13 in 2023. These are the most ever. So the trend is accelerating.
It would be foolish to pretend that this trend has not upset a lot of people. You hear it every year. It’s not fair. As I said, I’ve got nothing against private schools. But I’m not crazy about unequal competition. I blogged a dozen years ago that St. Thomas should leave the MIAC. Their dominance wasn’t fair. Well, the dominance of the private schools in the MSHSL is now getting out of hand. It isn’t fair. Again, nobody’s cheating. But, private schools have advantages, and they are amply demonstrated in the numbers.
So what I’m going to say in my next post is that it’s time to bring back the old private school tournaments. Not only would that redress the current imbalance in athletic success, but the fact is that the old private school tournament was a great event, and it would be a great event again. Stay tuned.