Sheldon drops out of CIF playoffs
Concerns over the coronavirus are altering the sports landscape across the world. Add the California state high school basketball playoffs to the list.
On a day the women’s world hockey championships in Canada was canceled and NBA, NHL, Ml and MLS officials weighed plans to restrict media access to locker rooms as a precaution to protect players from exposure, a second team withdrew from the California Interscholastic Federation state basketball playoffs over coronavirus concerns.
Sheldon of Sacramento, the boys’ top seed and twotime defending Northern California Open Division champion, won’t defend its title after its school district shut down for the next week and canceled all athletic events involving its schools. Menlo School withdrew from the girls tournament Friday.
The news Saturday came hours before Sheldon was to play No. 4 seed Dublin in the Open Division semifinals. Dublin will now advance to the final.
With Menlo, a defending state champion, and Sheldon now done without having lost on the court, at what point is the integrity of the tournament compromised?
“That’s a great question,” CIF spokesperson Rebecca Brutlag said. “That’s something I can’t answer at this time. This is all unfolding as we all go along. I am sure there will be discussions as we move forward. Right now, we are moving forward with the tournament as is.”
Whether the tournament even makes it to Tuesday is another question, given the
widespread concern about the virus and caution flags being waved by health leaders.
Asked if he thinks his team will play another game, Dublin coach Tom Costello said, “I have no idea. I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. I am just trying to sort it all out and control what you can control.
“We tell our kids all the time, ‘Control what you can control.’ I am just kind of in shock right now. We’re all fired up, ready to go. The phone call kind of changed everything. We’re still having our shootaround, meeting with the guys right now.”
CIF Director William Chavarin directed media inquiries to Brutlag, but, he added, “We haven’t heard anything from other school districts that are saying they are anticipating closing or closing. As you can imagine, right now it’s more making sure that people are safe.”
The Elk Grove School District, of which Sheldon is part of, notified its families Saturday.
“The public’s health and safety is paramount to Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) and all of our community and educational partners,” the district wrote. “Friday evening, the Sacramento County Public Health Department (SCPH) confirmed that an EGUSD family was put on quarantine because of testing positive for COVID-19.
“After careful consideration and in light of the new information, effective immediately, the District will close its schools, cancel classes and any student-related activities from today, March 7-March 13, 2020.”
Women’s hockey officials on Saturday pulled the plug on the two-week tournament, which was set to open March 31 with venues in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia.
René Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said in a statement there has been “not enough of an improvement to the coronavirus situation to allow us to safely host a 10-team international tournament within this time frame.”
Fasel said concerns over the health of players and fans attending the tournament as well as the difficulties in making travel plans for some nations, in particular, Japan, where almost all sports events and large gatherings have been canceled.
“It’s scary,” he said. Hockey Canada said holding the event in empty arenas with no fans was not an option the IIHF considered. Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney said abandoning the tournament was determined to be “the best course of action,” and made under the recommendation of Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer and the IIHF.
The escalating virus outbreak has played havoc with numerous sports events across Europe and Asia with games being canceled or played without spectators. The virus has led to major North American leagues considering taking precautionary measures.
On Friday, the NHL issued a memo to its teams urging players to limit contact with fans. The move followed a similar directive this month by the NBA, which has told its players to stop high-fiving fans and strangers, and avoid taking items for autographs.
The NBA told its teams that it wants them to be prepared to play games without fans. Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers quickly reacted by saying he won’t play basketball in an empty arena.
Ushers at some NBA and NHL games have been wearing gloves at recent games to protect themselves while they interact with fans. Tennis officials have said that upcoming events at Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston will be played with ball kids wearing gloves on the court and that they will not handle towels or drinks for players during matches.