Hoops coaches: ‘It’ll look different, but we’re going to take what we can get’

Not all of the squeaks heard in gymnasiums around The Times area were from sneakers on hardwood. Some were verbal.

From sheer joy.

“These kids only get four years to play high school basketball, so to find out today that my players are going to get at least some kind of season is a great feeling.”

—  Woodland boys basketball coach Connor Kaminke

The IHSA’s announcement Wednesday afternoon that schools will be allowed to start their basketball seasons as soon as they have a required seven practice days completed has been met with both relief and excitement around the Illinois Valley.

Woodland boys basketball coach Connor Kaminke got the news halfway through Wednesday’s practice and noted more smiles, energy and toughness from his Warriors in the latter half.

“This is the best news we have gotten in a long time, probably since last March,” he said. “I’d been hearing some chatter the last week on how things were going to go, but I have just tried to proceed optimistically and with caution. I mean, Monday was the first time in the gym we’ve had together in over two months.

“We talked after practice today about every season before this one has been a marathon, but this one is going to be hopefully the only one that is ever going to be a sprint. We’ll have to check a lot of boxes in a short amount of time, but I think we are all OK with that. ...

“I’m just so happy for the kids, especially the seniors, and selfishly speaking, as a coach. These kids only get four years to play high school basketball, so to find out today that my players are going to get at least some kind of season is a great feeling.”

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Ottawa's Brooke Waddell looks to shoot a basket during practice on Wednesday Jan. 27, 2021. (Scott Anderson)

Marquette Academy boys coach Todd Hopkins said the Tri-County Conference will be meeting Thursday to set its schedule that should take up most of the 15-18 games expected to fit in before the March 13 ending date.

“The first thing will be to get that hammered out, then we’ll look around to see who has an open date and maybe get a couple of extra games,” said Hopkins. “But the main thing is that the kids are going to get an opportunity to play, and that’s great, for the boys and for the girls.

“We’re going to have to take this like summer ball. Everyone will be pretty vanilla, and I imagine it won’t be very good basketball to start, but you never know. The kids may surprise you. We’ll see.”

At Seneca, girls coach Ted O’Boyle was disappointed to see there will be no postseason, but glad spring sports will get a near-full schedule after missing out of the entire season last spring.

“It’s just nice to finally have something put in place,” said O’Boyle. “It’s exciting, and I know from the reaction when they got the news at practice that the kids are excited, too, excited to get some competition in. … We have some good girls returning, and while it might take a week or two to work out the eight or nine months of not doing much, we’re happy to have a season and maybe have some normalcy for these kids.”

“In terms of where my mindset is, No. 1 is safety – to not take from granted the situation we’ve been finally given. ... One mishap happens, that could shut down the team for half the season.”

—  Ottawa girls basketball coach Brent Moore

As speculation turned into rumors, the rumors into leaks, the leaks into Wednesday’s IHSA announcement that a hoops season was indeed on the way – and sooner rather than later – a shot of adrenaline rivaling a buzzer-beating 3-pointer was injected into gyms across Illinois.

“We’re thrilled,” said Streator boys basketball coach Beau Doty. “We told the guys before practice today and even yesterday about the rumors going around about the start date, and I think there was a real good vibe and energy to practice because of that. They were really excited, and rightfully so.

“It’s been a turbulent however many months it’s been – meeting on Zoom, sending stuff they can work on in their driveway, off again/on again practices, no-contact practices, a three-month shutdown and then individual practices. It’s been such a gambit of emotions, of high and lows, of trying to understand [the state’s COVID] levels and tiers.

“I’m just so happy they’re going to get something. There was a while there it didn’t look good at all. … It’ll look different, but we’re going to take what we can get.”

Part of that different look will be the COVID-19 restrictions, but those mitigations – masks, social-distancing, mostly empty gyms – didn’t take the joy out of Wednesday’s news.

“Now it’s the real deal,” Ottawa Lady Pirates coach Brent Moore said. “We’ve got about a week or so to prepare. Once the girls know they’ll actually get to put the uniform on this season and play against real competition, their antennas go up and their intensity level rises. …

“In terms of where my mindset is, No. 1 is safety – to not take from granted the situation we’ve been finally given. It’s hard because [COVID protocol such as social distancing and no high-fives] is not routine, but we have to change our routine to be safe.

“One mishap happens, that could shut down the team for half the season.”

“We are all going to have to think and adjust very quickly.”

—  Newark girls basketball coach Barb Scott

Newark girls coach Barb Scott was pleasantly surprised by the announcement and is anxious to start practices, which didn’t begin when other schools in the area started due to concerns about wearing masks while playing.

“That was before the announcement today, so I’m not sure where that will go from here,” Scott said, “but I do know people will be excited for our kids to have the opportunity to have something.

“Honestly, I’m surprised. I had kind of come to the realization that basketball probably wasn’t going to happen this season due to having to wear the masks and the shrinking calendar of when we could play. I think our administration here at Newark is scheduled to have a meeting on Friday to decipher it all and figure where we go from there. ...

“We are all going to have to think and adjust very quickly.”