ROBINSON, Ill. (WTWO/WAWV) — In case you missed it, March 12 and 13 were the last two days for the basketball season in the Land of Lincoln. It was a multiple weeks long event many believed wouldn’t happen.
Hear below from Marshall senior players Ben Ross, Daniel Tingley, and Robinson High School Head Coach Mack Thompson about how they awaited for the news on whether there would or wouldn’t be a season.
Members from the state of Illinois and IHSA stated that all sports would resume in 2021 under modified schedules and guidelines. Before being able to play basketball, teams had to complete a full week of practice.
“I think there was one time where we played six games in nine days. It gets pretty exhausting both physically and mentally,” Ross said.
Thompson said he closely monitored the stress put on his athletes bodies throughout the week.
Below, here how all three awaited the state’s long awaited decision regarding a regular season.
Among new guidelines passed, games were often played with little to no fans. Masks had to be worn by players during games, teams could only spend limited time in the locker room, and after the game, opposing teams could not shake hands.
These guidelines also impacted gameplay. During timeouts or the newly introduced “COVID-19 timeout”, game balls were swapped out with others to be sanitized and there were no jump balls.
According to Tingley, Ross, and Thompson, one big change that impacted their teams was the cancellation of statewide postseason tournaments. Their respective conference, the Little Illini Conference still did crown a regular season champion. The recipients were the Casey Westfield Warriors, their fourth straight title.
Hear how the players and coach reacted when it was announced there would be no post season.
This week, football in Illinois is slated to start. Marshall and Robinson will meet April 23 at Marshall.
