IHSA WIPES OUT HOOPS FINALS
Plans change after decision to play earlier in the day
Illinois has awarded a state championship in boys high school basketball every year since 1908. That streak will come to an end this year because of concerns about the coronavirus.
The Illinois High School Association on Thursday evening canceled the entire boys state tournament.
‘‘I am devastated for our whole team,’’ Mundelein’s Conor Enright said. ‘‘This is arguably the best season in Mundelein history. Not seeing that out sucks. But I understand why they had to do it. No one is mad, but it just hurts.’’
Enright and most of his teammates are juniors and will get another chance at the state title. That isn’t the case for a lot of the top teams.
‘‘The unfortunate reality is that for all of us disappointed about the season ending, based on all the things happening around the country, they really had no other choice,’’ Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said. ‘‘So many young people have done so much work. It is just tough.’’
Earlier in the day, the IHSA announced it would limit attendance at all remaining playoff games, including the Class 1A and 2A state tournament, to 60 fans per team. It changed course and shut everything down several hours later after many major sporting events were canceled, including the NCAA Tournament.
‘‘We appreciate the patience and understanding that we have received from everyone involved in this process over the past 72 hours,’’ IHSA executive director Craig Anderson. ‘‘We have stressed the fluidity of this situation and have been transparent about the possibility that a suspension or cancellation could occur.
‘‘While we had support from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Peoria City/County Health Department to continue our events with limited spectators, it has become untenable to continue the events among our member schools. Multiple schools who are participating or hosting these sports and activities have been forced to withdraw from those roles, clarifying the need for the IHSA to take definitive action.
‘‘The board considered suspending the events but after deliberate discussion did not believe that was a realistic option within the timeline. We feel for everyone who has been impacted, but [we] must put the health and safety of all involved ahead of these events.’’
Players and coaches around the state were shocked at the news, even though major sporting events around the country had been canceled in the last few days.
‘‘My kids weren’t worried about it,’’ Thornton coach Tai Streets said. ‘‘They just wanted to play. I’m speechless.’’
It was a day of waiting for all the teams and players involved.
‘‘We actually had morning practice today, and the whole day I was checking Twitter updates,’’ Enright said. ‘‘I could feel it coming, I guess. Now we are trying to organize a rec-league game against Stevenson just to play it out.’’
The IHSA said it hasn’t made any decisions about spring sports tournaments.
As the rest of the sports world shuttered stadiums and postponed games over concern about the spread of the coronavirus, the Bears announced their own precautions Thursday. The team is suspending business air travel for its employees, postponing visits by draft prospects to Halas Hall and is closing its Lake Forest and downtown offices. Employees will work from home Friday.
The Bears’ draft-night party April 24 at Soldier Field was canceled as a result of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s ban, issued Thursday, on gatherings of more than 1,000 people until May 1.
“Further staffing and travel decisions will be made as we continue to monitor the fluid situation,” the team said in a statement. “The health and safety of our players, coaches and all staff is our utmost priority.”
Earlier Thursday, the NFL made its first major decision in the wake of the global pandemic, canceling the annual meetings scheduled for March 29-April 1 in Palm Beach, Florida. League business scheduled for those days — playing rules, bylaws and resolutions — will instead be conducted at the league’s spring meetings May 19-20 in
Marina del Rey, California.
The next major event on the league’s calendar is the NFL Draft in Las Vegas from April 23-25. It would seem reckless to hold the draft as it’s currently constructed — with thousands of fans in attendance — though the league has yet to decide whether the location or circumstances will change.
Conducting it remotely wouldn’t be a significant logistical change for teams, who don’t send their decision-makers to the draft location anyway.
For now, at least, offseason business remains on track. The league does not intend to push back Monday’s start of the legal tampering period, when most of the big names agree to free-agent deals. The league year, when the salary cap is set and free agents can officially sign, is still expected to begin Wednesday.
That marks the first day free agents are allowed to visit team facilities, be it to take a physical or meet their potential bosses. Doing so may prove to be complicated, if not dangerous — it would require free agents to take commercial airplane flights.
Then there’s the issue of optics: Does the NFL want teams announcing multimilliondollar deals next week, during a worldwide medical scare? The answer thus far is yes — though, in a shifting landscape, it could change.
The Vikings and Lions were among the NFL teams that took steps Thursday to keep their buildings safe. The Vikings suspended travel for coaches and scouts — who were
on the road for pro days and other pre-draft work — until further notice and said they were “preparing for remote work protocols, if necessary.” The Lions said they were taking coaches and scouts off the road and will have employees work from home starting Friday.
The Bears cannot gather as a team in March because of the collective bargaining agreement and do not begin OTAs until May. The franchise is scheduled to honor Allen Robinson at the Ed Block Courage Award banquet April 7, hold
the Brian Piccolo Award ceremony April 21 and throw the annual Bears Care Gala on May 16.
It’s unclear if — or when — the Bears and other NFL teams eventually will resume hosting draft prospects. Teams typically invite 30 potential draftees to their facility and also hold a local pro day for nearby collegians.
Chicago-based agent Mike McCartney is advising his clients to skip team visits.
“With 12 or more games played, an all-star game and combine for
most, teams have enough information to make an informed draft decision,” McCartney tweeted.
The sports world moved quickly to suspend or cancel its seasons in the wake of the virus. On Thursday, the NCAA canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and all championship events for spring sports, including the College World Series. Major League Baseball is delaying Opening Day by at least two weeks and suspending spring-training games. The NBA and NHL paused their seasons.