NILES — More changes await boys and girls basketball coaches.

After one year of switching the start of the girls and boys basketball season, the Michigan High School Athletic Association has announced that beginning this winter, the state will seed the top two teams in each district.

The state will also do so with boys and girls soccer beginning this fall.

According to the MHSAA, the top seeds will be determined using a Michigan Power Rating computer formula based on regular-season results against other MHSAA tournament-eligible teams and opponent’s strength of schedule.

The state will then reveal the brackets two weeks before the start of district play.

According to the state, after the top two seeds are placed in opposite sides of the bracket, the remaining teams will be added, based on a randomly-selected order determined earlier in the season.

Area girls basketball coaches had mixed feelings on the new rules.

Brandywine coach Josh Hood, whose teams are perennial state powerhouse, feels that no matter what the format, you still have to beat everyone in the tournament, why does it matter what night you do it on.

“One of the things that makes March Madness special is the upsets,” he said. “There will still be upsets, but this makes it hard for teams who aren’t as talented to win the district. In the past, the three top teams in the district could be on one side, meaning they beat up on each other Monday and Wednesday. The other side of the bracket could have three teams with losing records and whoever comes out would only have to play one magical game to advance.”

No matter the changes, Hood said his team will be prepared.

“We will be ready and prepared for whoever our draw ends up being and never take anyone lightly in March.”

Niles coach Jessica Johnson likes that the MHSAA is looking at ways to improve the tournament.

“The seeding process will give an opportunity for the best two teams to play in the championship game, which is appealing for the fans,” she said. “As a coach, it’s another incentive for our team to play well in the regular season. I’m highly in favor of the change.”

Buchanan’s Gabe Miller, like the other coaches, will be keeping an eye on the formula that the MHSAA plans on using.

“To me, it will be interesting to see what formula the MHSAA utilizes to configure the rankings,” he said. “I know they utilize a formula for football, and I believe they currently use one for lacrosse, so I am sure they have a reasonable plan going forward. One aspect I am curious to see would be how the MHSAA will compare teams from different conferences with regards to wins and losses and strength of schedule. For instance, in years past we have played in a district where you have schools from four different conferences — BCS (Berrien Springs), Wolverine (Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, South Haven), SMAC (Niles, Lakeshore), SAC (Coloma) and an independent Benton Harbor.”

Miller is hoping that the change will be positive.

“In the end though, I feel this is in the best interest of the student-athletes and will ultimately create a more exciting tournament if all things work according to plan,” he said. “However, once you are playing in March, anything can happen.”