With the recent announcement of the Chicago Catholic League and East Suburban Catholic Conference merger, it’s imperative the two leagues get it right when it comes to scheduling and aligning into divisions.
With an inordinate amount of teams now combined into one league — there are 27 schools in basketball with Providence St. Mel as an associate member — it would be easy to mess up. That’s a large number of schools to mix and match in the vast, wide-ranging Chicago-area geographical footprint.
You are potentially dealing with excessive travel while trying to continue some key, long-lasting rivalries and maintaining competitive balance.
It’s also imperative the newly formed league finds substance and sustainability. The never-ending changes in the old Chicago Catholic League rarely provided consistency over the years and often lacked a true, definitive Catholic League champ.
Planners should avoid one super conference and steer clear of three or four divisions.
While a dog-eat-dog basketball world might sound pretty cool, forming a “super conference” this large would only turn into a negative for the league.
The top teams would face a ruthless schedule, forcing teams to scale back on the creativity and caliber of the non-conference foes they face. Ultimately, the league’s top teams will suffer come sectional seeding time.
Plus, travel and logistics become much more problematic if it’s based on success only.
Splitting the 27 teams into three or four different divisions leads to other headaches. Plus, it’s very challenging to establish a true league champ.
But when you really dive into the league, the mix of schools and what might work best, it actually comes together nicely, both geographically and athletically.
Here is how a best-case scenario could look, followed by the reasons why it would be best.
Catholic League North: Benet, Carmel, DePaul Prep, Fenwick, Immaculate Conception, Loyola, Montini, Nazareth, Notre Dame, St. Francis, St. Ignatius, St. Mel, St. Patrick and St. Viator.
Catholic League South: Aurora Central, Brother Rice, De La Salle, St. Francis de Sales, Joliet Catholic, Leo, Marian Catholic, Marmion, Marist, Mount Carmel, Providence, St. Laurence and St. Rita.
Breaking down the 27 teams into these divisions resembles the current college mega-conference look. This would also offer competitive balance and schedule flexibility, with teams playing each division team one time.
When analyzing all these programs, based on both history and recent success, there is a definite basketball hierarchy among them.
Without categorizing too much or getting specific with the pecking order of the programs, you easily could argue that there are six very good, higher-level winning programs in each division. There are also what you would call three to four solid, second-tier programs in each division.
Plus, the biggest positive of two divisions is the fact you can have a true champion. The top team from each division would play a championship game to end the regular season. This would offer a chance to build tradition and generate a headline-grabbing moment for the league.
It’s undeniable there are going to be some travel issues in a league this big. But the breakdown into these two divisions does prevent excessive travel. There are definitive schools in the north and south that are clearly defined by location. They are staying put, while the schools in the near and far western suburbs are pushed into the nearest north or south geographical area.
A huge plus is that the biggest rivalries within the league remain intact, including Notre Dame vs. St. Patrick, Loyola vs. St. Ignatius, Marist vs. Brother Rice and Aurora Central vs. Marmion, while new geographical ones can be formed.
The hope here is the new Catholic League can follow a similar road map as it prepares for the 2026-27 school year.
