UIL to recognize state tournament teams
Schools unable to complete play to receive award in virtual fashion
The University Interscholastic League is not awarding state boys basketball championships for the first time in its history but is officially honoring teams that qualified for the state tournament canceled over the COVID-19 outbreak.
The UIL sent a letter to teams offering a virtual awards presentation conducted through Zoom in which players, coaches and the school will be officially honored. A link will be provided for families and supporters to view the presentation. No dates have been set for the virtual ceremonies.
Teams will also receive a “UIL State Championships” trophy, medals for the players and some additional items to commemorate the season, the UIL said.
There was some confusion from some coaches of state-qualifying teams on whether or not this designation was an official costate championship. The letter does not state so one way or another. Coaches have reached out to the UIL for a clarification but have not been told yet.
Four Houston-area teams — Dickinson, Hightower,
Yates and Stafford — made the state tournament in their respective brackets but were unable to play a semifinal game when the event was postponed on March 12 and eventually canceled in April.
Two Class A and two Class 3A semifinal games were played before the tournament was officially suspended. The virtual presentations includes the winners of those semifinal games La Poynor and Slidell in A and Dallas Madison and San Antonio Cole in3A.
The losers of those semifinals — Nazareth and Jayton in A and Coldspring and Peaster in 3A — are not expected to be part of the virtual presentations because they were already awarded semifinalist trophies after the games.
Coldspring coach Greg Devers said his team was not aware the tournament would be suspended until halftime of the semifinal against Madison. The La Poynor-Nazareth and Jayton-Slidell games were played before the Coldspring-Madison meeting. Peaster and Cole’s meeting was the last of the day, being played after the announcement of the event’s suspension.
In total, eight semifinal and six championship games across six classifications were left unplayed in the UIL boys tournament.
The UIL’s move falls in line with what is happening across the country. The Colorado High School Activities Association’s state baseball tournament was underway when it was canceled. The CHSAA did not award state championships but participants still received medals to commemorate the season.
The Arkansas Activities Association awarded costate championships to four boys and four girls basketball teams in four classifications after its tournament was canceled. Two boys and two girls championship games were played in Arkansas before the event ended. The winners of those games remained state champions and the losers remained runnersup.