MAC makes plans with January start hope
MAC makes plans amid hope that the season starts in January
When the history of Macomb Area Conference basketball is written, the face mask will be part of the story — even if for only a moment.
“Everyone will be wearing a face covering, including those who are in the game,” Lake Shore athletic director John Hartley said during a conversation about the boys and girls seasons that are due to begin soon.
Pending permission from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan High School Athletic Association, teams could begin practicing Dec. 9 and start playing games Jan. 4.
To that end, the MAC is planning for how games will be conducted in a season when a shutdown over COVID-19 has already wiped out contests scheduled for December. “If we’re allowed to return to practice (next) Wednesday and play games when we return in the New Year, we’re going to resume our schedules as is,” Hartley said. “We’re going to start our divisional schedules for boys and girls that first week.”
Teams typically play four or five non-league games in December to prepare for league campaigns.
All of those were cancelled subsequent to the MDHHS emergency order in mid-November that led to a three-week pause in prep sports.
“For any games that were missed in December, it’s up to the schools to decide whether they
can make them up or not,” Hartley said.
Hartley said the MAC plans to hold its threeround boys tournament and single crossover games for girls teams when division games are complete.
The MAC carried six, six- team divisions last season, so a full schedule called for each team to play 10 division games.
Girls district tournaments are slated to begin March 1, and boys districts
commence a week later.
“We’re not like the NBA, who can stretch their season out,” Hartley said. “We’ve got a time frame where we’ve got to play these games. If you miss games, you just miss them. That’s the hard part.
“If we get shut down further, then quite a few more serious adjustments to the schedule will have to be made.”
The MAC, Hartley said, does not plan to play girls and boys games on the same evenings. One reason, he added, is that there’s a shortage of referees.
“The plan right now is to go with three (referees per game) and use two if an emergency arises,” he said.
Girls teams started practice Nov. 9, a week before the current shutdown.
Boys teams haven’t yet had their first practices, so many still have to hold tryouts.
Hartley said he expects teams to have more than the typical number of practices during the holiday break.
“It’s going to be a fast turnaround,” he said. “You can’t take a ton of time off
during the holiday break. You’ve got to get in condition to play.”
Hartley said bench areas will cover more area than before. Chairs will be spread out like they were during volleyball matches to promote distancing.
“The gym is going to look a lot different,” Hartley said. “We’re going to try to reduce risk as much as possible.”
MAC regulations currently allow for two adult guests per player per game, Hartley said.
The MHSAA is expected to announce late this week or early next whether teams can resume
activities.
Three fall sports — football, girls swimming and volleyball — are part of the shutdown.
“I’m sure everyone is watching the (coronavirus infection) numbers,” Hartley said. “We’ll wait it out.
“We’ve gotten pretty good at adjusting on the fly. We’ll continue to do that.”
The 2019-20 season wasn’t completed because of a COVID-19 shutdown. The girls season ended after regional semifinals were played. The boys campaign ended after district semifinals.