Local coaches weigh in on IHSA basketball decision
By FRED KRONER
High school basketball in Illinois doesn’t have a green light, full-speed-ahead option, but there was more optimism in the state on Wednesday than there was on Tuesday.
A second consecutive day of surprises greeted coaches, players, parents, school administrators and fans on Wednesday (Oct. 28).
One day after Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker switched basketball from a low-risk to a high-risk sport as COVID-19 cases statewide continue to grow – which essentially meant that games or even intrasquad scrimmages could not be contested – the Illinois High School Association said on Wednesday it will defy the state edict.
Instead, the IHSA will follow the guidance of the IHSA Sport Medicine Advisory Committee and permit high school basketball teams to start practicing on Nov. 16 – as had been previously announced – with games set to begin for both boys’ and girls’ teams the week of Nov. 30.
Before any celebrations could take place, however, Pritzker followed up with an ominous announcement, saying, “We’ve told school districts what the rules are, and I think they all know. So, IHSA may have their own views of it, but school districts know what the rules are and I think that, it’s unfortunate, but they would be probably taking on legal liability if they went ahead and moved beyond what the state has set as the mitigation standard.”
Whether high school basketball becomes a reality sooner – or later – remains to be determined. Area administrators and coaches are in agreement that the IHSA decision is a step in the right direction.
Heritage principal Corey White, who coaches the cooperative Villa Grove/Heritage boys’ basketball team, had a contact day on Tuesday with his squad members.
“It looked pretty bleak,” White said, in reference to the possibility of a winter season.
He saw the despair in his players eyes before they left the gym.
“They had a dejected look,” White said, “and it really hit home how it’s taking a toll on these kids.”
Twenty-four hours later, White had more reason for optimism.
“Yesterday (Tuesday) there wasn’t a chance,” he said. “Today (Wednesday), they flipped the script a little bit. It was a possible step forward to actually having a season.
“They are excited there is at least some hope there.”
At St. Joseph-Ogden, superintendent Brian Brooks knows it’s important to temper the optimism with a dose of reality. Nothing has yet been finalized.
“There are still a lot more questions than answers,” Brooks said. “Liability is at the very top (of the list).
“On the surface, people will think today’s (IHSA) announcement will make it easier, but it did not.”
White said the road ahead is not predictable.
“There are things people will have to think about and discuss with lawyers that will play into the decisions,” White said.
And yet, Brooks believes it’s important for the teen-agers to have hope.
“We see kids every day and they are mentally drained,” Brooks said. “They need different things to do.
“They have sacrificed so much since March. So many experiences have been taken away from them. The psyche of the kids is really tough.
“We see these kids losing interest. Idle time is usually not good time.”
If basketball takes place on the timetable that is currently listed – and that is a big if – certain criteria must be met.
Everyone involved in the games – players, coaches and referees – will be mandated to wear masks even during the competition.
The IHSA will implement a mandatory timeout at the middle of each quarter, executive director Craig Anderson said so players and officials can “catch their breath.”
Additionally, not more than 50 persons will be allowed in the gymnasium. That total will include not only the players, coaches and referees, but also the trainers, scorekeepers and other personnel at the official table.
If teams each had 14-player rosters, one manager and three coaches apiece, that would total 36 people. Add on three game officials, one scorebook keeper per school, one person shooting video of the game for each school, a scoreboard operator, a trainer, a bus driver from the out-of-town school and a supervisory home school administrator, that would leave room for – at most – three spectators.
Anderson said he expects the Board of Directors to review spectator options in November.
Anderson acknowledged that it wasn’t easy to buck state officials.
“It is a big deal to say to the governor or officials at the department of public health that we are going a different direction than what you are advising,” Anderson said.
The limited number of spectators in the stands also lessens the likelihood that college coaches will be in attendance. Anderson said though they may not “come and watch, at least film will be created and they can play and have statistics.”
Not to be overlooked is the fact that there would be no space for a junior varsity team, according to the current protocol.
It’s not an ideal situation, but coaches wouldn’t balk.
“I have been of the belief that protocols could be put in place – mask wearing, limited number of people in the gym, sanitization and so on – that would make it possible to play,” Oakwood boys’ basketball coach Jeff Mandrell said. “I think making some of these sacrifices and adjustments are worth it compared to not playing at all.
“I think we need to make every attempt to live life and not hide from the virus.”
Anderson said he and the Board of Directors were encouraged to move forward with basketball based on feedback they had received the past two months.
“We’ve been conducting fall contact days, within guidelines of the IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) and didn’t have any indication that things went poorly,” Anderson said.
Additionally, various Board members had heard from residents in their respective districts.
“In the areas they represent, they had heard from schools that this (no-play policy for many traditional fall sports) is hurting kids,” Anderson said. “We need to do something that is student-centered and, in their opinion, we can do it safely.”
Anderson is confident that safety won’t be sacrificed for the sake of having a competitive season.
“With players in masks, and limiting the gatherings, while we don’t have the testing (of colleges and professional teams), the self-monitoring lends itself to us conducting basketball safely,” Anderson said.
Brooks doesn’t believe safety would be an issue.
“School districts have taken so many steps to make that environment safe,” he said. “I have two of my own kids (a senior and a seventh-grader). The safest place they are every day is at school or at home.”
If approval is ultimately gained for basketball to be played during its traditional winter season, individual school districts will have the option to opt out as will individual families who might not want to take the risk.
Before that point is reached, however, school districts will likely need to see where they stand legally as well as what their insurance carriers say as far as liability.
“I haven’t liked the way some of the things have played out,” Brooks said, “but at the same time, it’s not often that schools go against the governor’s and IDPH guidance.
“It puts us all in a tough spot. I’ll present it to our Board at the next meeting. We want their opinion and, if it’s recommended, we want their approval.”
Currently, the next Board of Education meeting in St. Joseph is set for Nov. 18, or two days after practices would be allowed to start, according to the IHSA.
Brooks said it’s too early to speculate what that might mean.
“We’ll let the dust settle and see what transpires,” he said.
Brooks is concerned what affect it would have on the students should basketball not be an option after all.
“It’s completely unfair to the kids,” Brooks said. “They heard this announcement and think they’ve finally got a positive.
“Now they’re probably hearing from their coaches, ‘Hold on. It’s not definite yet.’ It’s playing with their heartstrings.”
Brooks had his beliefs reinforced last weekend on what it would mean to the teen-aged students to have the extracurriculars back in their everyday life.
During a two-day period, SJ-O presented its fall play in front of a limited audience for each of the three performances.
“Even though it was for 15 people in the audience, watching their smiles through the masks was tremendous,” Brooks said. “I’d like to see that for all of the kids.”
Brooks said the high school play was “the first student activity on our campus since the boys’ basketball regional at the end of February (almost eight months ago).”
In one respect, a potential basketball season for the 2020-21 school year would resemble the structure of fall sports that were allowed to participate.
“I don’t anticipate it culminating with state championships in many of our winter sports,” Anderson said.
In the fall, golf and cross-country conducted regional and sectional events. Tennis and swimming had one postseason competition, a sectional.
Another issue that will eventually need to be addressed – if basketball resumes – is the cost factor.
Gate receipts help defray some of the expenses, such as for the game officials and the costs associated with busing teams out of town.
Without spectators, the revenue will be missing for districts which have already set their budgets.
That thought is not foremost in Brooks’ mind.
“At the very least, there’s a window cracked open for kids,” he said. “We hope we can find a way to make it work.
“If we have to play in an empty gym and live-stream it, we will do that.”
Whatever decisions are made in the upcoming weeks, will be tough ones.
“It’s not an easy call,” Brooks said. “The virus is real and it does spread.
“As educators, we all want to see if we can make it work for the kids. Everybody has different opinions, including the health experts.
“I don’t feel anybody is working together, outside of the schools, in the best interest of the kids. I think they think the only people who care are the people at the school and their parents.
“There are a lot of people in positions (of authority) who unfortunately don’t listen to those of us in the trenches. It’s a really tough spot for schools.”
The IHSA is expected to release its full guidelines for basketball and all winter sports (including boys’ swimming, competitive cheerleading and competitive dance) on Thursday (Oct. 29).
In a separate – but expected – announcement, the IHSA on Wednesday officially moved high school wrestling from the winter to its newly created summer season.
Wrestling can start practicing on April 19 for a season that will conclude on June 26.
