Area basketball leagues on pause due to COVID-19

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the fate of the state’s high school basketball tournaments are still up in the air. So too is the rest of the area’s hoops scene — be it a community league or AAU play.

Tracy Spencer, the president of the Souderton Harleysville

Youth Basketball Association (SHYBA), said they had postponed its intramural league playoffs along with its “Championship Saturday” on March 21, an all-day event where the intramural leagues play their title games.

“We are aligning with the Governor’s orders,” Porter said. “It is hard to predict when we would be able to resume the season when this situation is changing day to day. We hope to try to find a way to honor the SHYBA tradition of a competitive playoff season, recognizing our league sponsors and finishing our 31st year of operation with our championship celebrations.”

Towamencin Youth Association (TYA) postponed its Boys and Girls Basketball All-Star

Day, which was also to be the start of its 50th anniversary celebration. TYA is having its basketball committee look into holding the All-Star Day at a later date this year.

Fencor, an AAU girls basketball program, are also in a holding pattern but for them the issue is getting their season started.

“Health is the most important thing,” Fencor director Stuart London said. “It certainly is a body shot to local sports and not just in the school.”

Fencor already had tryouts for its teams in grades 4-11 but with schools and other facilities the AAU program rents for courts closed, there has not been

no chance to practice let alone play for the squads.

The Fencor Invitational, which was scheduled for March 28-29 and which London said is usually Fencor’s biggest tournament in terms of teams participating, was cancelled.

“Wrote a letter to 100 players’ families just telling them basically let’s not consider the season lost, consider it’s starting later than usual,” London said.

For Fencor’s older players,

the question becomes if they will have a chance to attend college showcase tournaments during NCAA Evaluation Periods.

“This is the opportunity for a lot of kids to seen and colleges to go look at players,” London said.

With everything still up in the air for the area hardwood scene, Porter says SHYBA is staying up to date of everything and is staying hopeful that can complete their year.

“Our SHYBA board has been closely monitoring the situation and would love nothing more than to finish out our season.” Porter said. “We know that this is a difficult time for everyone and we hope that our families stay strong, healthy and safe. Hopefully, we will be back on the courts soon. But, in the meantime, I really enjoy seeing all of the pictures on Facebook of the driveway basketball games happening.”