Highland boys, girls basketball seasons in limbo due to new COVID-19 restrictions
Wednesday, Nov. 18, ended up being a dark day for Highland High School winter sports — especially boys and girls basketball.
After Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office announced basketball and all other winter sports were officially postponed until further notice due to the state’s recent rise of COVID-19 cases, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs basketball teams are forced to take a break neither team wanted at what was supposed to be the start of the 2020-21 season.
The news was a tough blow for Highland boys coach Deryl Cunningham’s club, which just started practices under IHSA winter covid guidelines Monday, Nov. 16, doing drills and non-scrimmage work.
“My first reaction (to the news) was I was kind of disappointed and disappointed for our kids and the kids in the state of Illinois — disappointed, but I certainly understand the circumstances,” he said.
The limited work Cunningham put in with the Bulldogs was fairly productive.
“The kids had three very good days of practice,” Cunningham said. “We could only have no contact (work), but they did good drill work and we did quite a few drills with offense and defense. I was very impressed by what the kids were doing and they’ve definitely grown and they’ve definitely gotten better.
“I was excited for them and I was excited for our program and we were excited to play We’ve been at it since summer.”
Cunningham and the team now have to wait things out with no timetable set in stone.
“I’ve heard rumors that they may start in January and I’ve also heard rumors they may start as late as April so I don’t think it’s anything concrete,” Cunningham said. “I told our kids, I don’t have any information to give you, so it’s hard to plan and see what we’re going to do because I don’t have the information.
“And I’m nervous, too, because with it being pushed back, our numbers were low for basketball and we just don’t need to run into football and baseball (seasons) and I’m wondering how all that’s going to work out.”
Highland girls coach not surprised by decision
Having the season pushed back also presents unwanted challenges for girls coach Clint Hamilton and the Lady Bulldogs.
Hamilton, while not thrilled with the postponement news, figured a glitch might occur with the campaign starting on time.
“We’re not really surprised and we kind of saw it coming so we didn’t have our hopes too high into it, knowing how everything was kind of trending. But whenever you officially heard it, it’s kind of deflating,” Hamilton said. “I guess the one thing you can hold on to is they just postponed it and didn’t cancel it so that’s where you kind of tell your athletes to hang in there.”
Unlike the boys, the Lady Bulldogs did not start practices as they waited on the state and IHSA announcements.
“We were doing (offseason) workouts along with speed and agility drills and things like that, but other than that, we were kind of in that wait and see mode with things out of our control (with the start of the season),” Hamilton said.
IHSA has hands tied
Hamilton said he feels the IHSA has their hands tied since the Illinois Department of Health did not back the IHSA’s initial plan to start the season. He is hopeful the IDPH, Pritzker’s office and the IHSA can come to a consensus on a plan that will allow winter sports to be played this winter.
“What I would like to see more than anything is just for the governor’s office, the department of public health, and the IHSA to all be on the same page and present the same solution,” Hamilton said. “Whatever it is.”
The IHSA is expected to revisit the current winter sports situation Wednesday, Dec. 2, and Monday, Dec. 14.