As the football world finds their footing and making their own judgment calls on to whether the season will start on time or to postpone, we can all acknowledge that the basketball season will be hit by some kind of postponement.
Nothing has been made official but as of this time of this being published, there is only one college conference that has made their move on the basketball season, albeit being the Lone Star Conference, moving their play in the spring.
The guidance we have received from the University Interscholastic League (UIL) so far is the change of the season structure with no tournaments, different dates in the playoffs and other scheduling changes that coaches have quickly and are continuing adapting to.
As more cancellations are being announced, know that not only the basketball season will be different, but do not expect the season to start on time.
As of today, the PAC-12 men’s & women’s season have been postponed and so far, the high school season in Texas has not changed dates with the first practice coming up on October 21.
We have learned over the course of the year that we are needing to adapt on the fly and to inevitably, expect the unexpected or for some, expecting what has been usually the trend of the year, canceling sports.
The pandemic has been affecting everyone, but taking a squint at different areas of the state, everyone has been impacted, affected or enduring this in a different way than others.
The worst case scenario
It is highly doubtful to see the high school basketball season come to an all-out cancellation but it is an option that we cannot rule out, as we have all learned in the dreaded year of 2020.
Prepare yourself for the season not starting on time, as this could be an indicator on what could potentially happen in the near future to basketball.
UIL 2020-21 Basketball Dates October 21: First day of practice October 31: First day of scrimmages (max: 2) November 6: First day of games February 9: District certification February 11-13: Bi-district round February 15-16: Area round February 18-20: Regional quarterfinals February 22-23: Regional semifinals February 26-27: Regional finals March 4-6: State tournament
Fans also want to support their children or favorite teams also. Each respective school district has been implementing their own gym capacity for the volleyball season and expect the basketball season to be no different.
Games in December – February have been rescheduled in the past with the spread of the common flu in spotty areas. Schools have been shutting down for their facility to undergo cleaning.
This will drive a red flag for many other school districts as the spread of COVID-19 can cause the numbers to spike in areas and can cause cancellations of events and of course, basketball games. All district that have seven to 10 teams will be undergoing district play. Obviously, district games cannot be canceled.
Scenarios that we could see
Bubbles do work, as we have seen in major sports leagues in the nation.
If the season were to be shortened to just the district season, we could see a bubble for each respective district and each district will choose one site for games to be held. Of course, this would require approval from each school in the district and the chance of seeing this in the high school ranks would be quite low.
As to what the PAC-12 is currently doing, starting play in January will be an inconvenience for many larger district, as some start traditionally in late November with at least eight teams being grouped in a district. Of course, the five and six team districts will go on as scheduled.
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This remains a fluid situation and we expect more guidance on how the basketball season will be played from the UIL as we cross our fingers and have high hopes for players, coaches, and fans returning to the gym safely.
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