October 29, 2020 – The Illinois high school basketball season is currently moving forward. A day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker elevated the sport to the “high risk” level, effectively postponing the season, the Illinois High School Association held a special meeting yesterday to give the green light to move forward despite the governor’s order. The Illinois High School Association governs high school sports in Illinois.
The IHSA will allow boys and girls basketball to begin practices on November 16, and games can begin on November 30. The IHSA said masks will be worn by all players, coaches, and officials during play.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson was quoted saying it is important to have basketball during the winter months. “Without basketball in the winter, we were going to have a really big hole in our winter season with limited activities for kids,” he said. The IHSA now puts the final decision on basketball to school districts. “It will become a local school decision to determine if a school will allow their basketball teams to participate following the guidelines developed by the SMAC,” said the IHSA.
Pritzker said school districts would be taking a legal risk by allowing basketball. “It is unfortunate but they would probably be taking on legal liability if they went ahead and moved beyond what the state has set as the mitigation standard,” said Pritzker.
The IHSA said basketball can be played safely with changes to safety, such as requiring masks on the court. “The IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) offered additional mitigations, such as masks during play and social distancing on benches, that the SMAC believed would allow basketball to be played safely,” the IHSA said in a statement.
School district officials will be meeting with athletic directors and coaches in the coming days to formulate a plan for the season.
The IHSA board also approved the winter sport guidance for all low-risk sports, including boys swimming and diving, cheerleading, bowling, and gymnastics. Wrestling will be moved to the summer season and will begin in April.
