MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – First, it was the professional sports cutting regular seasons short. Then, the college tournaments were canceled. And now, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the West Virginia state basketball tournaments.
The suspensions, though a step deemed necessary by the WVSSAC and other agencies working in tandem, sent University High teams into a whirlwind of uncertainty, especially the top-ranked Hawks boys’ team that was the favorite to win its second straight triple-A title and the No. 5 girls’ team who just upset No. 4 Cabell Midland Thursday morning.
“Unbelievable,” UHS boys’ coach Joe Schmidle said. “My heart breaks for the kids. They’ve worked their whole lives to accomplish something, and now we don’t know if they’ll have an opportunity to fulfill their dream. They can say it was postponed, but what does that mean? How can you postpone something with high school sports when there are timelines? Some of these kids play different sports. Are we going to be able to practice, and how long? I think everybody’s overreacting.”
The announcement was made Thursday afternoon during Gov. Jim Justice’s briefing on COVID-19, as Justice cited President Donald Trump’s Wednesday night oval office address to the nation concerning actions being taken to halt the spread of the virus. Justice is more than just the governor calling the shots concerning the suspension of the tournaments, he’s also the coach of the third-ranked Greenbrier East girls’ team, which was scheduled to play No. 2 Woodrow Wilson at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.
“I surely know what our state basketball tournament means to us,” Justice said. “It’s my job to protect all of us, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Justice is exploring alternative routes to canceling the tournament, such as hosting the games without non-essential attendees, but at the moment, he instructed WVSSAC commissioner Bernie Dolan that at the end of the [morning] session to suspend play until further notice.
In his opening statement addressing the media at the girls’ state tournament, Dolan noted that there are still no confirmed cases in West Virginia, but “as things begin to unravel around us, we certainly want to play it safe.”
“It looked like we were going to be OK through the girls’ tournament, and as more cases ended up around us in border states, you know at some point we’re probably going to have a case,” Dolan said. “We certainly felt like this was the prudent thing to do at this point, to go ahead and suspend the tournament. It’s an awkward time to do it, but this was not going at a normal pace. This virus situation and the reactions to it were quick and mighty, and you certainly didn’t want ot be on the wrong side of that.
“I think big question is ‘When will we get back? When will we do it? Where will we do it?’ I think all those questions have to be answered, but we can’t ansewr them today. We don’t know where this virus situation is going to take us. … We certainly have been watching and working with people trying to figure it out. We’ll go back to the office tomorrow and make sure that we still consult with the health director and Department of Education.”
Should the tournaments resume, Dolan said that the location will not change. Teams have been instructed to return home for the weekend, as the WVSSAC will be working next week to give an update on the situation.
Back in Morgantown, Schmidle is shaken by the news. His team has been in the top-3 of the Associated Press poll this entire season, resting in the No. 1 spot for the majority of the season.
“I don’t know why they can’t let them play without fans,” he said. “It’s almost too early for me to comment right now. I’ve got so many emotions going through my mind, and it just makes me sick. I think it’s inevitable that this is going to spread. I think everybody is prolonging the inevitable.”
Yet even with his brain cycling a wide range of emotions, Schmidle knows that precautionary calls need to be left to experts to make. His concern about whether or not his team will be able to practice, was answered by Dolan in Thursday’s press conference. Dolan noted that practicing isn’t currently a health risk and “certainly for safety, we don’t want them to be off for a period of time and then come back full speed.”
Schmidle was unable to contact his team when the news broke, which was at the girls’ No. 4-No. 5 game against Cabell Midland Thursday morning. The Hawks defeated the Knights on Thursday with a strong fourth-quarter push, 56-43.
After pulling out that win, the Hawks were given the news they were to pack up and leave Charleston. Needless to say, it was an emotional ride for the girls who were slated to play No. 1 Parkersburg who defeated them in the 2019 state championship.
“You win, have that emotion and then you’re going home,” UHS girls’ coach David Price said. “That is a rough place. It’s hard for the kids. It was a tough-fought game, two very competitive teams and we pulled that out definitively in the fourth. They were happy and then [got the news].”
Emotions ranged among the team: Sadness, mainly, but also optimism that this wasn’t the end of the season.
“I saw a couple in tears and some others who were chin up and optimistic about it,” Price said. “I know Ashten [Boggs] was that way [thinking], ‘Hey, we’re still planning on playing this thing.’ I think they have that ambition in them to move forward with it.”
But even still, from a coach’s persepctive Price is concerned about the long break his team will have. Even with practices still allowed, he wonders if the lack of playing time will have a negative effect on the group.
“We’re going to lose a little something with a big space,” he said. “How long can you make that interest last [in practices], and plus spring sports. A lot of things are going to get pushed and moved around.
And of course, with that comes another set of questions entirely.
“The most amazing thing is, we’re still going to school. Your maximum exposure has already happened – what would have been two more days?” Price said. “I’m really surprsied they did that, but I obviously have nothing to do with the powers that be.”
The suspension didn’t just affect the events in Charleston. Around the state Class AA regional boys’ games have also been postponed.
“You just feel so bad for so many kids that have put in an incredible amount of time. Not just in this season, but in their career and life,” Price said. “I’m sure Ashten wants to go out wherever these games would take her. She’s hunting down a state title. And I know she has teammates that are feeling the same way.
“It just hurts. You hate to see it for those kids. People don’t realize how much these kids work.”
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