Coaches and student athletes remain in a position of uncertainty as an impasse between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) continues. At Rockford Auburn High School, Boys Basketball head coach, Bryan Ott, states he was initially surprised that the IHSA conflicted with Pritzker.
The IHSA Board of Directors is seeking to extend an olive branch after an initial vote of defiance following Pritzker’s reclassification of high school sports, including basketball, from medium-risk to high-risk, effectively delaying the start of the season, according to coverage by the Chicago Tribune. The board will meet agian this Thurs., Nov. 19, and has invited Pritzker to send representatives from his office to attend the meeting and discuss a way forward.
“I’ve had my own disagreements and issues with the IHSA over the years related to four-class basketball instead of two, and some other things, but I was pleasantly surprised, I guess, by the fact that they were going to stand up and say that we should still have our season as scheduled,” Ott told Rockford Sun.
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Yet, Ott states the IHSA's decision could come across as a much more gutsy move for the IHSA than it actually is.
“It really just then, at that point, puts the onus on the governor for whether we have a season or not,” Ott told the Rockford Sun.
For the time being, Rockford and their conference have decided to follow Pristker’s guidelines, stated Ott.
“They’re going to be postponing our season,” said Ott.
Yet, Ott states he also doesn’t want people to forget the important, positive impact that sports have.
“For a school like ours, basketball is a lifeline for these guys... I think that throughout this whole period we’ve been doing whatever they said we could do, within the limitations that were given to us, in good faith,” Ott told the Rockford Sun.
“We haven’t had a single case, so I am, and my guys are, very disappointed that we’re not going to be able to do something that we think we actually can safely do,” said Ott.
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