State hoops tournament eyes May 18 return date
The Tennessee high school basketball state tournaments could resume as early as May 18 if schools are allowed to reopen after April 24, the recent end date requested by Gov. Bill Lee.
Executive director Bernard Childress told The Tennessean on Friday that the TSSAA is developing a plan to hold the basketball and spring state tournaments if it is safe to return to school this spring.
Childress said schools would need to be reopened and local health officials would need to OK the return to hold state tournaments. But if Lee announces an end to the school year because of the coronavirus, Childress said that would end plans to hold the basketball or spring state tournaments.
Alabama recently had school called off for the rest of the year.
"We haven't seen any evidence that it is going to happen, but if that stays the same on April 24 and they are able to go back to school on the 27th, when you look on our calendar we are looking to move everything," Childress said. "If we move everything three weeks, spring sports would have a chance to have an abbreviated season and still have their postseason."
For basketball, Childress said coaches with teams remaining in the state tournaments would be able to hold three weeks of practice before the championships resume. Spring sports could resume when coaches feel comfortable returning to play.
The TSSAA would tentatively hold the girls and boys basketball state tournaments May 18-23. The girls semifinals and finals would likely be held Monday and Tuesday and the boys tournament Wednesday-saturday.
The spring sports postseason would begin the week after that. The spring regular season would be April 27-May 23.
Athletes are permitted to play basketball and in spring sports at the same time under TSSAA rules, Childress said.
Spring Fling, the Olympic-style festival featuring all five sanctioned spring sports, would be June 9-12, three weeks later than currently scheduled. Facilities and hotels would also need to be available to hold it at that time, Childress said.
"We are already working with MTSU and what we can and cannot do," Childress said. "We haven't gotten an answer to that yet. We are talking with the Rutherford County Chamber about facilities for Spring Fling.
"We have not given up."
Childress said he believes basketball must be played in May. He doesn't want it pushed back into June.
"There are a whole lot of factors in play," Childress said. "It doesn't matter if schools have graduated because we always have kids competing that have already graduated in Spring Fling.
"You have to look at kids going on to college. In our mind is how far into June can we go for this to be a realistic goal of ours?"
Childress also was asked if there will be a discussion regarding not having a dead period in 2020.
"The TSSAA staff has discussed it and it may depend if school returns after April 24," Childress said. "The dead period is scheduled for June 21-July 4. During the dead period, facilities are closed and coaches cannot meet or coach their players."
Childress said it would be a Board of Control decision. The board meets June 2-4.
When asked about any concerns for fall sports, Childress said:
"Right now we are following the lead of scientists and medical doctors that specialize in infectious disease. It depends when we get back into a sense of normalcy. Is it a concern? Of course it is."
Childress said the TSSAA could develop a plan to push back the start of fall sports, including football, if needed.