Teams looking forward to getting back in the gym

The sound of basketballs bouncing on the polished wood floors and swishing through the nets will ring out through the Sauk Valley soon.

The Illinois High School Association on Friday announced that high-risk sports, which includes basketball, can start playing games within the region once the region reaches Phase 4 of governor J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan. Region 1, which includes Whiteside, Lee, Carroll and Ogle counties, is not quite there yet, but getting close, and is in Tier 1 mitigations, which allows basketball teams to practice.

“That’s pretty exciting stuff,” Dixon boys basketball coach Chris Harmann said. “I think it’s a good opportunity. I’m glad the health department has deemed it safe enough to play. Our guys have been champing at the bit to get back to doing anything, so I think this is really exciting, not just for basketball, but for all sports across the state.”

In August, the IHSA revamped the schedule for sports for the 2020-21 school year, moving football, volleyball and boys soccer to the spring. Basketball was slated to open practice in November, but when November came around, the COVID-19 numbers started to rise and everything had to be put on hold.

Games in the area can’t quite tip off just yet. The region needs to be below 6.5% positivity rate for three days. Region 1 was below that rate Wednesday and Thursday before ducking just above the rate with 6.6% positivity on Friday.

But still, with the region close to the mark, games could be happening soon and practices are already underway.

“I’m excited that we’re one step closer to getting boys on the floor,” Rock Falls boys basketball coach Zach Sandrock said. “The guys are dying to get out there. The first initial reaction is excitement and hope for the boys. I know those seniors are really hoping to have some sports season, whatever that may be.”

There would have to be some delay even if the region were in Phase 4 right now, with IHSA requiring 12 days of practice before games can begin.

Some teams have been practicing already. Rock Falls got back in the gym when the region moved into Tier 1. Sterling has been in the gym all week on a split schedule, holding practice for the Warrior freshmen and sophomores Friday.

“They’re excited,” Sterling boys basketball coach Ryan Vasquez said. “They’re well aware of what’s on the table, and Monday we’ll be back at it with everybody.”

Newman will be back in the gym starting Monday.

“Obviously, we’ve got to get them in shape, so conditioning is going to be a big part of it,” Newman coach Ray Sharp said. “A lot of skill work, then we’ve got to work on playing together as a team. We’ve got to get in shape to play basketball so we don’t get hurt, then we’ve got to get our skills back, dribbling, shooting, passing, playing defense, then we’ve got to work on playing together as a team.”

“It’s going to be baby steps,” Vasquez said. “We were fortunate enough to be in the weight room, to get some things in still, but just the athletic part of it, the conditioning part of it is going to take a while to get there, but the kids are excited just to be able to be back in the gym.”

The Amboy girls, having to put on hold what could have been a very promising season after returning most of the key players from a team which lost on a last-second shot to the eventual state champion a year ago, got back in the gym Monday when the region entered Tier 1.

“Monday we had an open gym and it was kind of flat for us, for as many good basketball players as we have,” Clippers coach Mike McCracken said. “I asked them about it and they were like, ‘Well, we’ve got our hopes up so many times.’ I told them, ‘You know, we don’t know what this means, but at least it means we can go back to playing some.’

“We did that, and we actually played some five-on-five. The next night, it was good. They were more into it. It’s kind of a culture shock; nobody knows what’s going to happen next.”

The IHSA will be meeting on Wednesday to go over what exactly the schedule will look like. Time is dwindling and the state still has to find a way to squeeze the winter and spring sports into what’s left of the school year, along with the displaced fall sports. Sharp is hoping that once games do tip off, they will be allowed five or six weeks of games with three games each week in order to get 15 or 18 games in. McCracken said he has lobbied Amboy athletic director George Schwamberger for a three-games-per-week slate for the Clippers.

The removal of the hurdles also affects wrestling, where wrestlers have not been able to touch each other since last summer due to safety protocols.

“Now, not only can they get back and have wrestling practice, but the wrestlers can get back out on the mat if you’re in Tier 1, and they can wrestle each other now,” Oregon athletic director Mike Lawton said. “That’s huge. With us, we’ll resume wrestling practices next week, and the wrestlers will be able to wrestle each other, even though we can’t have actual meets yet, and might not until summer.”

Brian Weidman

Brian Weidman

Brian Weidman was a sports reporter for Sauk Valley News