EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MSHAA) continues to allow basketball games to proceed, despite the COVID-19 pandemic still presenting issues. However, there are some major differences between how the 2021 spring season began and how it proceeded, compared to the 2022 spring season.
It took a rally at the State capitol and some serious convincing for the MHSAA to start the 2021 season, and ultimately constructing an 11-game spring schedule for boys and girls basketball. Now, with vaccinations and new guidelines in place, the 2022 season has proceeded as normal.
Bill Flannery, the head coach of DeWitt High School’s boys varsity basketball team, was thankful for the MHSAA handling of a tough situation last year.
“We appreciate the MHSAA and their leadership for trying to get a season in, and delaying it for as long as we had to was still ultimately worth it, because the kids got to play,” he said. “I think for all the coaches that are in this, they’re all about the kids, and getting them a chance to have a high school experience. So, even though there was a delay, it was great to get a season in.”
Michael Brya, the athletic director at DeWitt High School, says that the MHSAA had an arduous task in trying to start a season in 2021, and spoke highly of executive director Mark Uyl.
“I don’t envy his position at all,” he said. “When you run an organization that encompasses all of the state of Michigan, you’re trying to make decisions that are going to be best for everybody, and that is nearly impossible. They really have an unenviable and thankless job.”
Ji’Ri Ash-Shakoor, a senior guard at Holt High School, feels that this season has gone more smoothly than the previous year.
“We were able to start this season on time, and be scheduled for our twenty-game regular season with playoffs,” he said. “Considering last year, there was a lot of uncertainty among us athletes and coaches as to if we were even going to have a season. Thankfully, we’ve been able to return to somewhat normal and have had a great start to the season.”
The MHSAA follows the guidelines of local county health departments, so the rules are set on a county-to-county basis. There are no statewide guidelines. If a school in one county requires players to wear masks during the game, the visiting team must do so. There is also no longer any statewide requirement to test players for COVID-19.
Ash-Shakoor said the Rams are still being careful with following the MHSAA guidelines.
“My team and I have been pretty flexible when it comes to operating under the new guidelines,” he says. “Now that the MHSAA does not require athletes to mask up in games, our team has been more cautious in ensuring that we are doing the essentials like masking up, sanitizing, and isolating to prevent the spread of COVID on and off the court.”
Ji’Ri’s father, Aqeel Ash-Shakoor, also agreed with his son in regards to the MHSAA’s guidelines, but mentioned that he had reservations before seeing how their plan unfolded.
“I had concerns as the season commenced as to how vaccinated and unvaccinated players were being tracked, but the administration acted to institute guidelines to assist in making a safe place for our team players,” he said. “For the most part, we do see players wearing their masks in and out of their immediate areas of play whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated.”
As the basketball season is running a bit more smoothly due to more available treatments for COVID-19, Flannery believes that having the opportunity to play basketball safely shows that we have come a long way since the beginning of the pandemic, and even since the beginning of the shortened 2021 season.
“I think just the fact that we’re having games while there are still COVID positive cases out there, while there still is contact tracing being done to a certain degree, we’re still able to get through that and still be able to have games and create experiences for these kids,” he said. “We’ve certainly come that far, at least.”
As the 2022 spring basketball season continues on in a more normal fashion, players, parents, and coaches reflect differently on the strange 2021 season. Ash-Shakoor said he will remember the successes.
“In the midst of the short season of wearing masks, COVID outbreaks, and uncertainty, I will forever be able to remember last year’s season by the accolade of winning the District Championship with my team against Everett,” he said.
Flannery will remember the relationships he built with his players in the trying time.
“You can talk about wins and losses, but I think it’s the memories that those kids got to have that they almost didn’t,” he said. “I think that made me be more appreciative of the season and what those kids went through to earn that.”