For 40 years I have been an avid follower of high school basketball. So avid that my year doesn’t tick by based on a birthday, but on another year of the games that I love.

In recent years, however, basketball is losing its luster for me. Some academies have broadened their player base by recruiting non-Mainers, while the typical high school is relegated to drawing on local talent.

Superb coaching and playing have countered this inequality to some degree. Unfortunately, those attributes are failing to surmount a wider player base, which often includes a drastic advantage in height.

Certain academies should play only peer academies in Maine and other states.

Until the present unfairness is remedied, my years, once again, tick by on my birthday.

Frank Hutchinson, Carthage