Kankakee Times

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors recently voted to follow the advice of medical experts in continuing with longstanding plans for the coming basketball season, despite a decree from Gov. J.B. Pritzker that he is firmly against anyone in Illinois playing basketball this season out of fear of COVID-19.

Pritzker had moved basketball from the “medium risk” category to the “high risk” category of classification under his latest directives, according to coverage by Patch.

In a statement released regarding the IHSA decision, the board said they are proceeding under the best guidance provided by the IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, according to Patch.

Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School Girls Basketball Head Coach Liz Bart said that her only concern in these decisions is the safety of her players.

“Ultimately, I want what is best for my student athletes,” Bart told the Kankakee Times. 

“I know that playing the game of basketball is such an important part of my kids lives, both socially, and emotionally so of course I want them to be able to play. However, I also value their safety and health,” said Bart.

Though he did not name specific agency or organization, Pritzker responded to the IHSA decision by claiming that he was following “the guidance from national orgs, physicians that treat kids, the experts in sports medicine” in issuing his decree that contradicts the named experts in sports medicine the IHSA consulted in reaching its decision.

Bart noted how difficult open gyms with masks were for the players, and said that the decision over whether to play will be up to the decisions reached by the school’s administration and athletic department.

“If playing basketball is something that we can do safely, then I am on board with participating in this winter season,” Bart told the Kankakee Times.