Save our season, coaches plead
Uncertainty reigns over practice rules
One day after the PIAA postponed the boys and girls basketball tournaments for two weeks because of COVID-19, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the shutdown of all schools in the state. The PIAA, however, is not ready to cancel the basketball championships — and that gives coaches hope.
“We’ll do anything to avoid cancellation,” said Bishop Canvein boys coach Gino Palmosina, whose team has advanced to the Class 1A quarterfinals. “I’m no health expert, but maybe if the virus slows down and the Governor says it’s OK, then we’ll play with or without fans. My team would love to play, even if it’s May. We’ll play in July if we have to.”
The PIAA had planned to start the boys and girls tournaments again with quarterfinals March 27-28. The PIAA also postponed the Class 2A swimming diving championships for two weeks.
Late Friday afternoon, after Gov. Wolf’s ordered shutdown of schools, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said the league wouldn’t be making a decision yet on the future of the basketball tournaments or swimming championships.
“With schools closed, we’ll gather information from the Governor’s office, and their plans, and we’ll have a decision at a later date,” Lombardi said in an e-mail.
The closing of schools left coaches in limbo because coaches have been told they can’t practice or use school facilities. Basketball players can’t use the gym and swimmers can’t enter the pool.
So, coaches are saying, ‘now what?’ They believe there is no way the PIAA can start the playoffs March 27 if teams can’t practice.
“More answers are needed — and in a timely fashion,” Bethel Park girls basketball coach Jonna Burke said. “I don’t think a two-week postponement is going to do it. To me, they either cancel it or push the start date out into April, where they say, ‘This is potentially when we’re going to play it.’ Just so if people get back to school, they begin practicing a little prior to having a state tournament again.”
While some coaches have been told they are not permitted to have any practice at a site away from school, others aren’t sure.
The Rochester girls are in the PIAA quarterfinals, and coach C.J. Iannini said, “Maybe all the players show up at a YMCA Monday night, I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s anything wrong with that.”
Schools also have canceled practices for all spring sports.
Palmosina said, “I saw three of my players getting shots up on their own at a park Thursday night. That was great.”
Across the country, some states canceled their basketball championships, including Illinois, Kansas, Virginia and Oregon. But like the PIAA, some state associations only postponed the rest of their tournament, including Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Ohio.
Some states actually continued their tournaments, but with restrictions. Louisiana decided Friday to continue its tournament, but with no fans allowed at games. Not even family members. But Iowa held state championship games Friday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines and will have more Saturday. But each school in the games were only given 100 tickets.
A sampling of WPIAL basketball coaches shows they are holding out hope that the PIAA tournament will be picked up at some point, even if it is in April. They are willing to play two games in a day, if needed. Indiana has regional playoffs where teams play two games in a day. Why couldn’t Pennsylvania?
“You’re going to run in some issues with athletes in spring sports, but I think we could somehow make it work for a state tournament,” Iannini said. “You’d rather get a winner somehow, just for some closure. You feel for the seniors. and that’s for every team still alive. You understand it’s a health situation and health scare, but maybe it can be pulled off.”
Palmosina said, “I give credit to the PIAA for postponing. That was the right move. But, if we can play it at some point, let’s do it. If they start spring sports at some point, I would have a hard time understanding how they could do that but not finish three games in basketball?”