Those associated with, and fans of, high school basketball and wrestling were hoping for good news this week on whether they were going to be able hold any kind of a season this winter. Using new information from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the IHSA was scheduled to hold a special board meeting on Wednesday to hopefully give some clarity on the situation. Similar to the fall sports announcement by the IHSA in August, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker threw another curve ball before the IHSA was able to announce their intentions. Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health yesterday labeled high school basketball a ‘high risk’ sport, meaning schools can only practice, not hold intra-squad scrimmages or play interscholastic games or matches. The governor says new limits on winter sports are necessary to control the coronavirus.
Basketball was originally labeled a medium-risk sport by the IDPH in August. That label gave coaches, fans and players hope that they would be able to hold a season, with necessary safety precautions. Schools in Illinois have already lost high school football, volleyball, and soccer in the fall. The loss of high school basketball could devastate the IHSA, financially. The IHSA recently shared they were most likely only going to have enough financial resources to get through the current school year if state tournaments were not held or fans not allowed to attend contests.
In his daily COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, Governer Pritzker emphasized that winter sports haven’t been canceled, merely put on hold. The Governor made the decision in August to move football and several other fall sports to the spring. Officials from the IHSA have scheduled a special board meeting on Wednesday but were taken by surprise by Pritzker’s statements. IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson quickly released the following statement shortly after the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced it had changed the risk level for the sport of basketball from medium to high.
“About 15 minutes prior to Governor Pritzker’s press conference today, we were alerted that the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has elevated the sport of basketball from a medium risk level to a high risk level. We remain considerate of the recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases in our state. However, in our meeting with IDPH on Friday (October 23), we felt that we presented multiple options that would allow for basketball to be conducted safely by IHSA schools this winter, many of which are being utilized in neighboring states who plan to play high school basketball. Despite that setback, there is some positive news, as IDPH accepted the IHSA’s mitigations related to other sports, including cheerleading and dance, allowing them to move from a medium risk level to a low risk level. We will hold our special Board of Directors meeting on October 28 as scheduled, where our Board will provide direction on the other winter sports, as well as discuss the IHSA sports schedule for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.”
We’ll continue to update the situation as information becomes available on the sport report and our website, radiomonmouth.com.
