Good Tuesday morning. As we discussed yesterday, we have some hardwood to talk about this morning as we continue our coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on high school and youth sports in Washington. This past weekend in Idaho, many of Washington’s top high school girls’ basketball players and their Amateur Athletic Union club teams had a successful weekend competing in the End of the Trail’s Gem State Classic, held in Middleton, outside of Boise. But back home in Washington, a decision by this state’s largest school district is likely to heavily influence how their high school season might look this coming winter, and if it’s any guide, it’s likely not going to be good.
Incase you have not heard, the Seattle School District late last Friday announced it had decided to delay the return of in-person student instruction in the district, as it, and other school districts around the state look to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, to at least the end of the first semester, which is scheduled to end in January of 2021, a month after Washington high school sports leaders had scheduled the state’s high school sports restart with the hoops season. So what does this all mean?
Before we continue, we want to stress here we’re going to be dealing in a lot of speculation here, and that official decisions are likely not going to be made for several more weeks. But Seattle’s decision is expected to be a guide for how other districts, especially if Washington’s COVID case counts continue to rise and be problematic, will address their return to in-person instruction, which in many districts has been delayed due to the rising caseloads. With that, and past practice of there not being allowed any games or other sports events with no on-campus instruction, it is likely the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, Washington’s high school sports governing body, will have a choice to make: whether to cancel the upcoming high school hoops season or shift it, and other sports in their winter “Season 2”, to either the “fall-spring” Season 3 or “spring” Season 4.
Based on two factors – one, gym conflicts at schools, and more importantly, two, the concern about potential loss of turnouts as kids are forced to choose sports, which will especially be a problem in smaller classification schools such as 2A’s Cedarcrest High School in Duvall – we would look for the WIAA to eventually announce the cancellation of the high school basketball season in Washington. It’s not going to happen today, or perhaps in the near term, but if the case counts continue to be a problem, which is expected, and other districts do follow Seattle’s lead, which they will, the association will be forced to cancel it.
So, if that does happen, what is a player and their family to do? Many top players are already hooked up with local Amateur Athletic Union teams, but for those who aren’t, what the girls’ basketball program at Renton’s Liberty High School did at this Idaho tournament could be a sign of things to come if the high school season is ultimately canceled.
Liberty at this tournament sent both a “varsity” and “junior varsity” level squad to compete, and other schools could look at forming those kind of teams to compete within the AAU on a local or even regional level this winter. Such teams, if that were to come to pass, for both boys and girls would allow players who for whatever reason – cost, skill level, time commitment, etc. – aren’t currently hooked up with a local AAU organization such as Preston-based Team LaVine, Bothell-based Way to Win or Seattle-based Friends of Hoop, programs which had teams at this Idaho girls’ event but at least in LaVine’s and FoH’s cases also have boys programs, to access opportunities to play this winter. Whether Mount Si or Cedarcrest High School’s programs will do this will be determined later, and again, this only happens if the WIAA cancels the high school basketball season.
But, there is also the possibility that athletes and their families may choose to leave the state temporarily to go play in other states, such as Utah, Arizona, Idaho or Colorado, all of which are open and are expected to have normal basketball seasons this winter. As you know, several top players did leave Washington over the summer, including one of Kingco 4A’s top players in then-Eastlake star Haley Huard and her sister Macey. It is likely that with the decision by Seattle, depending on how this ends up impacting the WIAA’s decision-making with respect to canceling the season, other athletes and families may now begin the process of exploring the viability of leaving the state to play this winter. It is our suggestion that if you or your family want to explore this possibility, you need to begin doing so now.
But there is a wild card in all of this, and that is the election. If Republican challenger Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, is able to pull off an upset and unseat incumbent Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee in Washington’s governor’s race, to be decided one week from today on Election Day although many of you – including your editor – have already cast your votes, the state’s handling of the outbreak is likely to change, including the aspect of in-person student instruction in our schools. So all of this could be moot if that happens, which, while not likely, is always possible. 2020 has thrown all of us curveball after curveball, and a Culp victory for a lot of you will be another curveball.
So there is a lot to think about here as we move into the next few weeks, but as things stand now, if everything continues to trend the way it is trending, it’s likely you will see a cancellation of high school hoops in Washington. But a lot could change between now and when those decisions will have to be made, so do continue to monitor things and if you have sons or daughters who play high school basketball, begin now to establish alternate season options for your kids incase those will need to take place this winter.
That is our discussion piece for this morning. Actual action last night and it was on the diamond, with the scores and highlights from Gamechanger and the Gamechanger app, available on Apple IPhones and IPads in their app store.
Softball
Harrison, KB roll to doubleheader sweep: The Kenmore-based KB Fastpitch 18U select squad had a good night with the bats, as they rolled to a sweep of a twinbill up in Everett over the Edmonds-based Pacific Fury, winning the two games 12-2 and 11-3 respectively.
In the opener, Mount Si’s Vera Harrison was 1-2 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI for KB while teammate Abbie Dill doubled as part of a two-hit effort, driving in three runs. The nightcap continued to be dominant for KB with Harrison going 0-2 but walking once and scoring a run. Teammate Sofia Chamorro homered and drove in three runs and fellow teammate Maddie Brown had two doubles and an RBI.
KB’s season will continue this weekend.
What one school district’s decision could, and will likely mean, for high school hoops in Washington this winter, and a diamond cut on the side, on this Tuesday…..
Good Tuesday morning. As we discussed yesterday, we have some hardwood to talk about this morning as we continue our coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on high school and youth sports in Washington. This past weekend in Idaho, many of Washington’s top high school girls’ basketball players and their Amateur Athletic Union club teams had a successful weekend competing in the End of the Trail’s Gem State Classic, held in Middleton, outside of Boise. But back home in Washington, a decision by this state’s largest school district is likely to heavily influence how their high school season might look this coming winter, and if it’s any guide, it’s likely not going to be good.
Incase you have not heard, the Seattle School District late last Friday announced it had decided to delay the return of in-person student instruction in the district, as it, and other school districts around the state look to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, to at least the end of the first semester, which is scheduled to end in January of 2021, a month after Washington high school sports leaders had scheduled the state’s high school sports restart with the hoops season. So what does this all mean?
Before we continue, we want to stress here we’re going to be dealing in a lot of speculation here, and that official decisions are likely not going to be made for several more weeks. But Seattle’s decision is expected to be a guide for how other districts, especially if Washington’s COVID case counts continue to rise and be problematic, will address their return to in-person instruction, which in many districts has been delayed due to the rising caseloads. With that, and past practice of there not being allowed any games or other sports events with no on-campus instruction, it is likely the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, Washington’s high school sports governing body, will have a choice to make: whether to cancel the upcoming high school hoops season or shift it, and other sports in their winter “Season 2”, to either the “fall-spring” Season 3 or “spring” Season 4.
Based on two factors – one, gym conflicts at schools, and more importantly, two, the concern about potential loss of turnouts as kids are forced to choose sports, which will especially be a problem in smaller classification schools such as 2A’s Cedarcrest High School in Duvall – we would look for the WIAA to eventually announce the cancellation of the high school basketball season in Washington. It’s not going to happen today, or perhaps in the near term, but if the case counts continue to be a problem, which is expected, and other districts do follow Seattle’s lead, which they will, the association will be forced to cancel it.
So, if that does happen, what is a player and their family to do? Many top players are already hooked up with local Amateur Athletic Union teams, but for those who aren’t, what the girls’ basketball program at Renton’s Liberty High School did at this Idaho tournament could be a sign of things to come if the high school season is ultimately canceled.
Liberty at this tournament sent both a “varsity” and “junior varsity” level squad to compete, and other schools could look at forming those kind of teams to compete within the AAU on a local or even regional level this winter. Such teams, if that were to come to pass, for both boys and girls would allow players who for whatever reason – cost, skill level, time commitment, etc. – aren’t currently hooked up with a local AAU organization such as Preston-based Team LaVine, Bothell-based Way to Win or Seattle-based Friends of Hoop, programs which had teams at this Idaho girls’ event but at least in LaVine’s and FoH’s cases also have boys programs, to access opportunities to play this winter. Whether Mount Si or Cedarcrest High School’s programs will do this will be determined later, and again, this only happens if the WIAA cancels the high school basketball season.
But, there is also the possibility that athletes and their families may choose to leave the state temporarily to go play in other states, such as Utah, Arizona, Idaho or Colorado, all of which are open and are expected to have normal basketball seasons this winter. As you know, several top players did leave Washington over the summer, including one of Kingco 4A’s top players in then-Eastlake star Haley Huard and her sister Macey. It is likely that with the decision by Seattle, depending on how this ends up impacting the WIAA’s decision-making with respect to canceling the season, other athletes and families may now begin the process of exploring the viability of leaving the state to play this winter. It is our suggestion that if you or your family want to explore this possibility, you need to begin doing so now.
But there is a wild card in all of this, and that is the election. If Republican challenger Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, is able to pull off an upset and unseat incumbent Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee in Washington’s governor’s race, to be decided one week from today on Election Day although many of you – including your editor – have already cast your votes, the state’s handling of the outbreak is likely to change, including the aspect of in-person student instruction in our schools. So all of this could be moot if that happens, which, while not likely, is always possible. 2020 has thrown all of us curveball after curveball, and a Culp victory for a lot of you will be another curveball.
So there is a lot to think about here as we move into the next few weeks, but as things stand now, if everything continues to trend the way it is trending, it’s likely you will see a cancellation of high school hoops in Washington. But a lot could change between now and when those decisions will have to be made, so do continue to monitor things and if you have sons or daughters who play high school basketball, begin now to establish alternate season options for your kids incase those will need to take place this winter.
That is our discussion piece for this morning. Actual action last night and it was on the diamond, with the scores and highlights from Gamechanger and the Gamechanger app, available on Apple IPhones and IPads in their app store.
Softball
Harrison, KB roll to doubleheader sweep: The Kenmore-based KB Fastpitch 18U select squad had a good night with the bats, as they rolled to a sweep of a twinbill up in Everett over the Edmonds-based Pacific Fury, winning the two games 12-2 and 11-3 respectively.
In the opener, Mount Si’s Vera Harrison was 1-2 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI for KB while teammate Abbie Dill doubled as part of a two-hit effort, driving in three runs. The nightcap continued to be dominant for KB with Harrison going 0-2 but walking once and scoring a run. Teammate Sofia Chamorro homered and drove in three runs and fellow teammate Maddie Brown had two doubles and an RBI.
KB’s season will continue this weekend.