'We have some light at the end of the tunnel' Area players, coaches react to IHSA's stunning announcement on basketball season

Glenbard West junior forward Braden Huff wasn’t ready for such a swift and dramatic change.

After Gov. JB Pritzker stunned the Chicagoland basketball community Tuesday by saying that the winter high school sports season would be put on hold, the Illinois High School Association added another shocker by going against the guidelines by Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday.

The IHSA Board of Directors voted to keep the current basketball season on schedule rather than abide by Pritzker’s preference to put the season on hold.

Huff, who has offers from Wisconsin, Creighton, Northwestern and Virginia Tech, was surprised by the IHSA's ruling. Boys and girls basketball practices are set to start on Nov 16, while games are scheduled to begin on Nov. 30.

“It’s been crazy, just trying to read into everything and try and understand the whole situation,” Huff said. “Right now, it looks like we might play. We’re excited for that. It’s been crazy with a lot of ups and downs, but it’s been like this since the summer. I’m used to it. Basketball has been a question mark since the summer. Everyone’s confused.

“Tuesday, our team was all talking about the decision. We feel like we have a really good group of guys put together for a special season. Hearing that news made us sad and upset, especially for the seniors. Now, it looks like we have some light at the end of the tunnel.”

The IHSA board also voted to move wrestling to the “new” summer season, which runs from April 19 to June 26. Rulings for boys and girls bowling, girls gymnastics, boys swimming and diving, cheerleading and dance –all deemed low risk – are scheduled for the near future.

"The Illinois High School Association Board of Directors made the decision today to continue with the IHSA basketball season as scheduled in 2020-21," the Board of Directors said in a statement."In August, the Board slated basketball to take place from November to February based on the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) assigning a medium risk level to the sport. 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."

Riverside-Brookfield boys basketball coach Mike Reingruber welcomed the news, especially since his program, unlike most other schools, is not participating in the 20 contact days of practice due to his district’s policy.

“I’m optimistic we have a season based on today’s information,” Reingruber said. “I’m more optimistic today than yesterday. We will have more details to follow. We want to make sure things are safe for the kids. I’m a planner by nature, but this unknown has been tough.”

Morton senior point guard Jesus Perez welcomed the positive news regarding the season starting on time. Perez is weighing his options to play basketball or soccer in college. He was a key starter for Morton’s Class 3A second-place team last season.

“All I’m trying to do is make my family happy, get a scholarship and create an even bigger path for my career in both sports,” Perez said.