Score a win before season begins
IHSA’s decision to go forward with basketball seasons as planned is a win for local high school athletes, Pat Disabato writes.
In the hours leading up to the Illinois High School Association’s announcement Wednesday regarding the start of the winter sports season, most observers expected the news to produce the excitement of a layup.
The theory going in? The IHSA would remain in lockstep with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health, which decided Tuesday to shift basketball from medium to high risk.
That meant a delay to the Nov. 16 start date— or so itwas believed.
Not. So. Fast.
In response, the IHSA threw down a tomahawk dunk, one that shook the rim and gymnasium.
No one saw this coming. Think Scottie Pippen posterizing Patrick Ewing back in 1994 and then proceeding to tell Spike Lee, the New York Knicks superfan and Hollywood director, to sit down. Standing up to support student-athletes, the IHSA announced the basketball season would start on time.
That thunderous sound heard moments after ward was either Pritzker’s jawdropping to the floor or hundreds of basketballs bouncing feverishly inside high school gyms.
Or a combination of both. “Our schools and students needed a shot in the arm,” said Craig Anderson, the executive director of the IHSA. “It’s been a tough time, to say the least.”
If anything else, itwas time the IHSA delivered a rejection of its own to Pritzker, who twice undercut IHSA announcements with dictator-like precision regarding the football and basketball seasons.
Brother Rice basketball coach Bobby Frasor was nearly at a loss for words when he heard the news.
“Iwas stunned they went against the governor,” Frasor said. “I thought theywere going to punt this. They gave us hope.” Hope is good. Pritzker, however, seemed to throw another wrench in the IHSA’s plan Thursday when he announced the basketball sea----son would bemoved to the spring.
So let me get this straight. Pritzker intends for football and basketball to be played in the same season?
Is that fair to the many student-athletes who play both sports?
Many schools, particularly with smaller enrollments, rely on multisport athletes. It will decimate those programs. It would also produce a nightmare in scheduling events for athletic directors.
The IHSA’s response to the governor’s latest salvo? Think again.
“We plan on moving forward with practices on Nov. 16 and games on Nov. 30,” Anderson said.
And it will be done with players, coaches and official swearing masks inside largely empty gyms.
The IHSA’s released a statement maintaining a strong belief it is making the rightmove.
“The board remains considerate of rising COVID-19 cases in Illinois and understands the importance of adhering to safety guidelines for the good of all citizens. However, the board has not been presented any causal evidence that rising COVID-19 cases make basketball more dangerous to play by the IDPH or any other health organization nationally or internationally.
“On the contrary, the IHSA has been looking to bordering states who have sponsored both medium-risk and high-risk sports in the fall that have noted a lowi ncident rate of COVID-19 spread.”
Not everyone is convinced. Chicago Public Schools announced Thursday itwould followthe guidelines set forth by Pritzker and the IDPH and not followthe IHSA.
I’m certain other suburban school districts will followsuit. But not all.
I expect the Catholic League and East Suburban Catholic Conference to play. Maybe more.
For many families, the reward of playing sports in high school is greater than the risk. There are student-athletes suffering from severe mental health issues due to this pandemic.
The stress of earning a college scholarship and providing a better future is real, and playing high school sports will help lift
kids out of that dark hole.
The IHSA said as much in its press release.
“Mounting challenges, from increased mental health issues among our students to a shrinking calendar that limits our ability to move sport seasons this school year, were instrumental in this decision tomove forward with basketball as scheduled. We see our students regularly leaving the state to play sports or covertly continuing to play locally. Students can be better protected in the high school setting, and the board remains steadfast that playing under IHSA rules and mitigation is the safest way to conduct athletics at this juncture.”
I'll be situated somewhere in the bleachers covering games. And, yes, I'll be a little apprehensive. But I'll be there, mask on, interviewing players and coaches 10 feet apart.
The IHSA, which has done its homework, is ready to move forward.
“We understand that this decision will impact each high school and district differently,” the IHSA statement said. “Some schools who remain in remote learning may not be able to start winter sports on time, andwe feel for those in that situation. However, we have also learned thatwe cannot continue to look down the road to a season that may never come.” Precisely.
It's time to play— safely.