MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Monday would’ve been the first official practice for West Virginia high school basketball teams, but late last week Gov. Jim Justice unilaterally put a hold on all winter sports. Reactions hit the airwaves – disappointment, anger, sadness, confusion – and among all the voices was one of reason, Morgantown High coach Dave Tallman.
In a tweet directed at Justice that picked up traction following the governor’s announcement, some took Tallman’s words out of context. But his point was clear: High schools are the only facilities being shut down, which puts student-athletes who need to remain conditioned in a position where they would come in contact with more people at public gyms versus pods at their respective schools. This would heighten their chance of contracting the virus.
“Our athletes are the only ones being shut down right now,” he said Tuesday morning, days after the initial tweet. “Nobody else is. We’re not asking for anyone else to be shut down, but I don’t know why they’re being singled out. These athletes have proven they’ll follow the guidelines and they’re the only ones being penalized right now which isn’t fair.”
Still, Tallman made clear he knows how deadly COVID-19 is and the effect it would have on his season. He further explained how meticulous he and other members of the MHS athletics staff have been sanitizing equipment and following the state health guidelines to prevent the spread of the novel virus.
“I’m not a hoax guy,” he said. “I don’t think this is a hoax. I know there are going to be adjustments to the schedule. We as a group are not totally against delaying games and getting through the holidays – things are spiking right now – but we’ve been doing these return-to-play protocols for the last 23 weeks, since June 8, and it doesn’t make sense to us that our kids are on a total shut down. They can’t come in and lift weights in pods, they can’t come to the gym and shoot 1-2 to a basket with a mask on, they can’t condition, so all the work they’ve been putting in is going to go by the wayside.
“We’ve been talking about this all along, that this is a possibility that your season will be interrupted. We didn’t know if it would be a whole shutdown as a team or players here and there who got contract traced, but we were open-minded to something like this happening. They’re disappointed they can’t use our facilities. At Morgantown High we have six baskets, we can put one or two per basket with masks on, they can continue to get shots up and work on ball handling, keep their conditioning up, come into the weight room in groups of eight [so] they can get their lifts in. We’re very confident they can do that safely, we’ve proven they can. They’re just disappointed that they have to go to public gyms and be exposed to the virus. We all know going out into a public gym is probably less safe than coming into our school gym.”
While he didn’t share many details, Tallman noted he’s part of a group of coaches that has been working behind the scenes to get in contact with the WVSSAC and submit a proposal. They hope this will be addressed at a future commission board meeting. He did share, however, that should the shutdown continue, he is concerned about student-athletes’ mental and physical health.
“I think anyone in their right mind would agree that it’s not safe for our athletes to totally have a shut down where they can’t do any training and expect them to come back eight weeks from now and go full throttle,” Tallman said. “The only thing we’re asking for is an opportunity to go back to the pods, [condition] in a safe manner. We have strict guidelines that our athletes have been following to a T. We haven’t had any issues with anything COVID-related, so we’re asking for a chance to continue with the training while we patiently wait for our season to begin.
One thing that confused Tallman was that, when Justice decided to shut down winter sports and training until at least Jan. 11, the WVSSAC wasn’t part of the initial decision-making process.
“I can’t predict what the governor is going to say in his next press conference, but I have faith in the WVSSAC. We’re putting our faith in the WVSSAC that they’re fighting for these kids so they can still come in and continue to maintain the offseason gains they’ve made. I don’t think anybody thinks it’s healthy for them, mentally or physically, to be totally shut down and away from their coaches and teammates at this time.”
At the end of the day, Tallman is worried about his players.
“I think some of our student-athletes lean on their coaches for guidance during tough times, and it’s hard when we can’t be around them,” Tallman said. “Honestly, basketball is my outlet, that’s what I like to do, – go in and be around these young men. And it’s their outlet. They’re struggling with distance learning, being in front of a computer all day, it’s healthy for them to come in and lift weights, or run and get shots up in a safe manner.
“That’s all we’re pulling for. We’re not asking for games or anything like that. We’re going to be patient. Just the ability for them to come in and not be on a total shutdown.”
Schmidle: We’ve got the rug pulled from underneath us again
Nine months ago, the pandemic was in its early stages. As it swept across the United States, state after state began canceling winter postseasons. That eventually came to West Virginia, and, in the middle of the girls’ state tournament, teams were told to go home and await further instruction.
Those games would never be finished, the tournaments would never be played and no one would be crowned state champions in any classification.
UHS boys’ basketball coach Joe Schmidle hadn’t even stepped on the court with his No. 1 Hawks who were vying for repeat titles when the news came down. Rightfully upset, he and his team moved on and when given the green light began preparing for the 2020-21 season.
“They’ve been working really hard this fall to make up for lost time,” Schmidle said. “We kind of got the rug pulled from underneath us again.”
The veteran coach has mixed feelings about the situation. He breaks it down in an analogy many will understand.
“If I have a parent call me about their kid and wants to know why they’re not playing more – maybe they’re worrying about me doing what’s in the best interest of their kid,” he said. “My response to that is, ‘Well, I’ve got to worry about the whole team. I can’t worry about one kid. I have to do what’s best for the whole team.’ That’s kind of the whole approach Jim Justice is probably taking. He’s got to worry about all the people in the state of West Virginia, not just winter sports teams. Obviously, it’s on a much larger scale.
“Then there’s another part of me that says, ‘OK, I understand. We can’t practice, we can’t play, we can’t condition. Then why in the Hell is football allowed to practice and play and lift, and why are kids allowed to come to school. That doesn’t make sense and, in my eyes, is not fair.”
And when it comes to football playoffs, Schmidle takes us back to that point in March when he was told, right before his team took the court, he had to go home.
“Don’t tell me, of all people, we’re going to let football finish their season because they’re so far into it. I’m the wrong person to have that conversation with because that sure didn’t happen in March. I know there were a lot more unknowns, but things were a lot better off in March than they are right now.”
Like his crosstown counterpart, Schmidle also doesn’t see sports as the problem behind the continually rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the state, and when they’re the only ones to be put on hold sees it as unfair.
“Again, I know we’re here to do what’s in the best interest of our student-athletes, but I don’t think we’re the problem,” he said. “There’s been no proof that our student-athletes, as good as we follow the rules and do what we’ve been told to do, are contributing to the spread of COVID.”
The physical implications are real, too. Going from no WVSSAC sanctioned practices or conditioning to playing three games a week after just 14 days of practices once the postponement is lifted. This would be especially hard on athletes if the WVSSAC allows Sunday practices and some coaches use every available day to get their respective teams on the right path.
“You’re looking at two weeks without a day off because that’s what people are going to do, then you’re going to start playing three games a week. It’s not good,” Schmidle said. “I wish Gov. Justice would have consulted with some people. It’s hard when people are telling you what to do and you don’t have any say in the process, and people who know what they’re doing should be part of the process. The WVSSAC knows high school athletics and what’s in the best interest of the kids. It’s scary. It’s disappointing. I feel for our kids. But I’m not getting paid to make those decisions, that’s his [Justice’s] job, and I sure as heck wouldn’t want his job because you’re not going to make everybody happy.”
Further, like Tallman, Schmidle is concerned about his players’ mental health, especially when he knows the work-ethic of Morgantown-area athletes have will put them in public facilities to get in the workouts they need.
“The mental health aspect of it, especially our seniors, I can’t imagine what that would be like. I try not to think about it because I’d have been devastated,” he said. “A lot of them, this is their life. They’ve poured their heart and soul into this for as long as they can remember, and it’s a very tough situation.”
It’s also taking a toll on Schmidle and his coaching staff like it is with other coaches around the state.
“I’ve got two coaches that help me. One of them’s been coaching for almost 50 years and the other has been coaching for 43. It’s part of our life. We’re all wondering what we’re going to do – we’re going to go stir crazy, probably,” Schmidle said. “I learned a long time ago that life isn’t fair. The sooner you learn to accept that the better off you’ll be. There are some things you can’t control and this is one of them. I’ve had a whole lot of that in my lifetime.”
There’s also a logistical issue with all of this, especially since the order came before tryouts.
“In the back of my mind, I was prepared for this to happen. I thought they might wait for football season to be over and then pull the plug, and that’s why I had such a hard time with them allowing football to [continue]. I would have at least liked to have tryouts so at least the 30-some kids who were playing basketball for University High knew who they were. There may be some kids who could be focusing on another sport or doing other things if they weren’t playing basketball, and they aren’t going to know that.
“I can’t order travel gear. Are we going to have a season? Should I even order that stuff? There are so many questions out there that you can’t answer.”
For now, every basketball coach in the state will play the waiting game, hoping this isn’t a repeat of March.
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