Chicago City Wire

A day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared that he would permit no one in Illinois to play basketball this season out of fear of COVID-19, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors countered with a vote to continue with the coming season.

Pritzker had moved basketball from the “medium risk” category to the “high risk” category of classification under his directives, according to coverage by Patch.

Karl Frixen, Education Case Manager at UCAN in Chicago, told Chicago City Wire that he did not expect IHSA to take such a strong stance regarding the start of the basketball season.

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“I was very surprised to see the IHSA decision to go against the Governor, but I also believe that the IHSA has been very frustrated with the Governor and his office with the lack of communication,” Frixen told Chicago City Wire. 

“The IHSA believes that they have a safe plan moving forward for the student athletes and everyone else involved so now they will let the school decide what they want to do,” said Frixen.

In a statement released regarding the IHSA decision, the board state that they are proceeding under the best guidance provided by the IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, according to Patch.

Though he did not name specific agency or organization, Pritzker responded to the decision by claiming that he was following “the guidance from national orgs, physicians that treat kids, the experts in sports medicine” in issuing the guidance that contradicts the named experts in sports medicine the IHSA based its decision on.

Ultimately, though, Frixen said that the IHSA board decision will only have as much effect as the local school boards decide.

“I am waiting to hear from my school board’s decision about playing basketball,” Frixen told the Chicago City Wire. “They vote this month and we will see what they say.”