Besides draining the area of one of its sharpest basketball minds, the announced departure of Randallstown boys coach Kim Rivers for an Atlanta-area school raises interesting questions going forward about the ability of state public schools to compete at the highest levels athletically.

Rivers, who will serve as boys coach at Shiloh High, as well as working in the school's athletic administration, said last month that while he wanted to remain at Randallstown, where he won five state titles in 14 years, he wanted also to coach at the highest levels of the sport.

Almost by definition, that precludes the public schools here, where the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association's rules on travel and transfers, among other subjects, send many top-flight athletes to private schools, where regulations aren't as strict. Oddly enough, Rivers is leaving just before the MPSSAA's Board of Control votes Friday on a proposal that would give high school coaches a bit more control over their players who participate in outside teams by essentially eliminating restrictions on the numbers of kids who can play on summer league teams.

But that may not be enough to keep good public school coaches, like Rivers, from looking for greener pastures, even if they have to go to the Deep South to find them.