Dan Sheehan isn’t mincing words when asked if he thinks the annual Monticello Holiday Hoopla basketball tournaments will go on as scheduled this upcoming December.
“We’re planning on no Holiday Hoopla this year,” the Sages’ athletic director said Wednesday. “The preliminary information we’ve been provided is two games (can be played) per week and the criteria about no tournaments being held.”
Sheehan’s words came about a week after the IHSA Board of Directors voted upon a revised 2020-21 calendar in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on the same day Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health issued youth sports restrictions. The guidelines contain four “Type of Play Levels,” and tournaments are allowed at Level 4. No sports currently are in Level 4, and Sheehan said he’s not clear if and when Level 4 can be reached.
As such, he and other ADs across the state who are accustomed to hosting basketball tournaments are planning for the worst-case scenario. In fact, officials who run the Kevin Brown Memorial Tournament of Champions in Washington — Urbana boys’ basketball participated in the event last year — announced Monday their 2020 tournament is canceled because of the pandemic.
“It’s unfortunate, and I feel bad,” Sheehan said when asked if the Hoopla, which has included both a boys’ and girls’ playing field since the event’s 2007 inception, were to suffer a similar fate. “The biggest impact would be to the Monticello athletics booster club. It’s their only fundraiser beyond sponsorships. ... It provides anywhere up to a $15,000 profit for the booster club.”
Sheehan sees the loss of tournaments across various IHSA sports — not just basketball — as a significant issue from a financial perspective for schools.
“Organizations are going to have to come up with different ways (to fundraise),” Sheehan said. “All of our clubs try to raise money at sporting events.”
COLIN LIKAS
"occur" - Google News
August 06, 2020 at 09:00PM
https://ift.tt/33uveYx
One big question: Will any holiday hoops tournaments occur as scheduled? - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
"occur" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2UoDqVw
https://ift.tt/2Wq6qvt
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "One big question: Will any holiday hoops tournaments occur as scheduled? - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette"
Post a Comment