No more sports.
Let that sink in for a moment.
For the foreseeable future, it appears the state of Michigan won’t be able to watch sporting events of any kind as professional, collegiate and high school ranks are all suspending competition in order to help combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association made its decision to suspend all winter tournaments, effective Thursday afternoon, not long after many professional and collegiate conferences and organizations did the same. Despite the growing trend of large-scale events getting canceled, the shock of pulling the plug on a high school sports tournament still hits hard across the state, even if it is still believed to be temporary.
The Flint Beecher boys basketball team had high hopes of winning the program’s first Division 3 state title since 2017. Now, on the eve of the district championships, it is unclear if the tournament will ever get completed because no suspension timetable has been announced.
“The kids almost had tears in their eyes,” Beecher coach Mike Williams said. "I know that they’re disappointed. We’re playing so well right now. I’m being optimistic. Hopefully, it’s just a week of delays and we can get right back at it and finish this journey we’re on. All kids should have a chance to finish this journey. Health comes first and that’s the most important thing right now.
“But when the time comes, we want to get back to living our lives and finish what we started, win, lose or draw.”
Just 30 minutes south of Beecher, the pain and tears are evident in the Goodrich boys basketball locker room. The Martians are ranked No. 2 in Division 2 and were hoping to pursue the program’s first state championship.
“This is terrible,” Goodrich coach Gary Barnes said. “We’re holding out that we can finish at some time. They said indefinitely. I’ve got four seniors right here that are crying. We were supposed to practice at 2:30. When I told them what was happening, we had a good cry. Coach had a good cry.
“We’re hoping for a miracle. That’s all I can tell you.”
On Thursday morning, the MHSAA announced all state tournaments were expected to be contested as scheduled, but with limited crowds reserved for only parents, select school administration and media. However, as host schools for Thursday night girls basketball region finals and Friday night boys basketball district finals made adjustments, national news continued to break about college basketball tournaments being cancelled and the National Hockey League suspending play. The National Basketball Association suspended its season on Wednesday.
“Earlier today, the MHSAA has made the very difficult decision to suspend all winter tournament events, effective immediately,” MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl said in a video announcement. “This is because of the new information we’ve received over the last 48 hours from the governor’s office, from the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as being contact with our superintendents group, principals group, as well as all of the other sports leagues at various levels.”
River Rouge coach LaMonta Stone was in a meeting with administration looking to plan which individuals they were going to bring to their highly anticipated district final against Detroit Cass Tech. Rouge is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for Division 1 while Cass Tech is No. 4.
Soon after the meeting, however, Stone received word the game against Cass Tech was suspended. He had no choice but to break the news to his players.
“One of the saddest days in my athletic career,” Stone said in a text message to MLive. "The emotion on the kids faces was heartbreaking. This group, from the first day of practice, was out to prove that the River Rouge program is back as a staple of what this program once was. There were doubters when we started the season, we were on a mission to not prove them wrong but to show who and what we were all about ...
"But, most important, this is life. When life throws you a curve ball, are you ready for it? The foundation that we as a group have built from last summer to now are the same foundations and structures that will get you through not only this but the curve balls in life. When this curve ball came, I told them, ‘You were sitting on top of the mountain. It’s easier to handle when you’re on top and have accomplished most, if not all, your goals at that point.’ Hopefully we can resume the season, but if not, maybe we can still get championship rings finishing the No. 1 team in the state.
At Ypsilanti Lincoln High School, the boys basketball program is hoping to defend its 2019 Division 1 title while being led by the state’s most electrifying player in Emoni Bates. The Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center was the host site of its district because of the massive crowds that Bates can draw.
However, in light of coronavirus precautions, Friday’s game was then moved back to Saline High School, the host of the district. Now, Bates and Lincoln will remain sidelined indefinitely.
“While it’s frustrating, our first goal always has to be the safety and security of our kids, families, and community,” Lincoln athletic director Chris Westfall said. "I think the MHSAA is being smart to put things on hold to have time to be able to make great decisions. We all want to play, but first and foremost that means a safe playing field ... or for us in this case, court. Sports mean the world to us, but we all know there are more important things.
“At Lincoln, I have a ton of faith in our Interim Superintendent, Bob Jansen. He’s doing a great job of communicating and coordinating discussions with all phases of the district, and we’ll try to make sound and consistent decisions based on smart information from county health professionals.”
At this time, all schools and winter sports teams are in limbo, unsure of what the next development will be as plans continually change based on pandemic precautions. Everyone everywhere is stunned as everyone faces an unprecedented situation.
“The way the momentum of things shifted in the last 48 hours, and last night, we started to realize that this was a possibility," East Grand Rapids girls basketball coach Troy Hammond said. “I think it is a stunning thing to happen in the context of how you would approach a season. But I don’t know if I’m surprised as I’ve gone through my day today that this is where we have ended up.”
As each team, school and community figures out how to move forward in the coming days, there is a shared understanding that this move by the MHSAA is the right one, no matter how disappointing.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Grand Blanc boys basketball coach Mike Thomas said. “Sometimes things are bigger than basketball.”
For more coronavirus (COVID-19) coverage and its impact across Michigan, visit mlive.com/coronavirus.
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