FOCUSING ON PLAYOFFS
Some coaches shift mindset as COVID, snow postpone games
Indian Creek girls basketball coach Casey Corkin knows he has to stay positive around his players. He knows how quickly a negative comment can spiral, especially when this season starts to feel a lot like the last one. That is, the one that got canceled because of coronavirus concerns.
It’s easy to see the similarities: as the omicron variant spreads, resulting in numerous team shutdowns and game cancellations, it has started to alter the outlook of Anne Arundel County athletics. Many teams shut down before winter break and remain so, either by choice, tournament cancellations or because of positive cases after the holiday. Then, weather forced games to be postponed on Monday and Tuesday, as Anne Arundel received its first snowfall of the season. Likely, there would have been some postponements regardless.
Unlike some of its counterparts, Anne Arundel County Public Schools athletics haven’t issued a system-wide shutdown, nor plan to, despite a growing number of cases.
Anne Arundel County’s case rate is up to 176 positive tests per 100,000 residents per day, county Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said — an increase from 109 per 100,000 per day last week and from 20 per 100,000 per day at the beginning of December. As of Tuesday, there were 252 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, according to Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman.
Maryland health officials reported 3,057 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning, an increase of about 500 from Sunday.
“Our focus remains on in-person instruction and athletics at this time,” AACPS spokesperson Bob Mosier said Tuesday.
Private schools make their own decisions. Key School opted to wait a week and will resume play Monday. St. Mary’s, Indian Creek, Annapolis Area Christian School and Archbishop Spalding, which suspended athletics on Dec. 20, all intend to compete as scheduled, though AACS athletic director Josiah Wolf noted the Eagles suffered a few cancellations this week due to other schools’ shutdowns.
“Which is probably going to happen more here the next couple weeks,” Wolf said, “but hopefully it won’t be us hitting pause.”
“I think everyone’s goals should be just trying to gain momentum, some chemistry for the playoffs in as many games as possible as well as whatever we can do to keep everybody safe — whether it be minimizing fans or games.”
Will Maynard, Southern boys basketball coach
Indian Creek girls basketball practiced in person the Wednesday before the winter break but has been virtual ever since. Corkin’s players do group workouts and talk, just as they did last winter when it was the only option.
“I think they go the rabbit hole; immediately, they say, ‘the season’s over,’ ” Corkin said. “... I want to keep them in the mindset of like, if we have a game Friday, they’re still going to be [mentally] good Friday.”
Even that’s no guarantee. Snow aside, positive coronavirus tests or close contact instances make scheduling contests a frustrating experience for teams. Southern boys basketball coach Will Maynard expressed his gratitude to athletic directors for having to navigate testing and shutdowns for every sport. Still, he has to experience the difficulty of prepping game by game just to get the dreaded call from his athletic director at 9 p.m. the night before.
“It’s unfortunate because COVID is serious, but it is rough,” Maynard said. “One day I have to prepare for one team and then boom, I have to prepare for another team.”
Even though it postponed yet another game, Maynard considers the snow a blessing. Had it not closed school on Tuesday as well, many teams would’ve played without having practiced in at least a week.
“I’m less worried about the games aspect and more worried about the injuries,” Maynard said.
The Eagles expected to return to in-person practice Wednesday. Corkin is glad for it.
“We’re doing it but there’s a total drain on virtual learning, even doing practices. I’m trying to keep it on the perspective of I’m hoping to get in whatever we can this season,” Corkin said. “But it’s one of those things that are hard.”
The week between Christmas and New Year’s usually gives teams a moment to check in with themselves after a month of play, as well as keep the muscles warm with a few holiday games.
Not everyone missed the chance to play over the last week. Archbishop Spalding’s boys basketball team competed in a tournament in North Carolina, and St. Mary’s’ boys were in Florida. Most holiday tournaments in Maryland were canceled last week, but a few weren’t, allowing boys basketball teams such as Broadneck, South River, North County, Glen Burnie and Chesapeake to play, as well as South River, Chesapeake and Arundel wrestling.
The teams that didn’t have the chance could only talk about it.
“The break would have been a perfect time to make adjustments,” Corkin said. “Coming in as a new coach, I have a few offenses and defenses I think we can run but after you play a few games, you realize you need to make adjustments. We kind of lost that.”
With such uncertainly swirling around if and when games will be played at any given time, coaches’ philosophies on the season depart the norm.
Corkin focuses on pillars: empathy, respect, community and excellence, and season players with that culture for the future, more so than the now. At the South River Duals last Thursday, wrestling coach John Klessinger said balancing training with illness is difficult. “In 20-some years of coaching, this is probably the most challenging in terms of accountability and discipline,” he said.
Jim Grim recognizes how fortunate his program has been. Old Mill varsity wrestling hasn’t shut down once, nor have its opponents. The Patriots accumulated 22 matches before winter break and then practiced last week. He said he almost feels a little sheepish responding when fellow coaches ask him about whether he’s had any COVID issues.
As such, coronavirus hasn’t impacted his team in the sense that it has countless programs around Anne Arundel with long layoffs and missing key players leading to losses. It has, however, reshaped the way Grim deploys wrestlers.
With fortunately popular tryouts, Grim kept more wrestlers on his roster than he normally would. That way, when athletes have sat out for COVID-related reasons, he’s had backups to send out.
“I’ve had a lot of kids with a lot of mat time and that’s something different than the past,” Grim said. “Normally, your starters get all your mat time for regional points.”
It hasn’t affected the Patriots’ record, as they still stand undefeated. But even the wins themselves aren’t every coach’s priority. Maynard’s looking ahead to March.
How many games occur between now and then matters a little less.
“I think everyone’s goals should be just trying to gain momentum, some chemistry for the playoffs in as many games as possible,” he said, “as well as whatever we can do to keep everybody safe — whether it be minimizing fans or games.”