Like many schools across the state, Midwest Central High School is at an impasse between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois High School Association (IHSA); leaving the school in the position of having to field the decision over whether to permit fall sports.
The IHSA Board of Directors is seeking to extend an olive branch after an initial vote of defiance following Pritzker’s reclassification of high school sports, including basketball, from medium-risk to high-risk, delaying the start of the season, according to coverage by the Chicago Tribune.
The IHSA board will meet this Thurs., Nov. 19, and the board has invited Pritzker to send representatives from his office to attend the meeting and discuss a way forward.
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Midwest Central High School Boys Basketball head coach, Kane Mastin, recently spoke with the Peoria Standard about how the impasse between the IHSA and Pritzker is affecting the school’s program and student athletes.
Mastin said that the open conflict between the IHSA and Pritzker threw him for a loop.
“I kind of felt like a kick in the gut, because I figured it was the beall, endall,” Mastin told the Peoria Standard, “So when the IHSA came out and said ‘We’re gonna go on as planned,’ I was pretty shocked, to be honest.”
Pritzker and the IHSA had seemed to be putting forward a collaborative effort in terms of what was happening with basketball over the summer, stated Mastin. Though the IHSA appears to have done their research and knows what they are doing, Mastin stated it came as a surprise to see the relationship between the organization and Pritzker’s office fall apart so quickly.
At the same time, the impasse between the two also leaves high schools hanging in the middle; having to decide for themselves what direction to go with little or no protection if something does happen.
At Midwest Central, whether there will even be a season is still up in the air, Mastin told the Peoria Standard.
“To paraphrase my administration, we’re waiting for the dust to settle,” said Mastin..
In addition to waiting on whether the IHSA and Pritzker can reach a compromise, there is also concern over whether enough schools will opt to have a season to allow for competition, he stated.
“We don’t want to dive into the deep end, and then realize we’re the only school in the area that’s willing to play basketball,” said Mastin.
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