Aurora Central Catholic High School, like many schools across the state, an impasse between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is 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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Aurora Central Catholic High School Boys Basketball head coach, Nathan Drye, recently spoke with the DuPage Policy Journal about how the impasse between the IHSA and Pritzker is affecting the school’s program and student athletes.
“I was very happy with the IHSA providing an opportunity for kids to play,” Drye told the DuPage Policy Journal.
“It had been a long time since someone had actually stepped-up and advocated for the kids, so I was extremely happy that they put it out there and gave schools the opportunity to play,” said Drye.
Drye said that he feels Pritzker has effectively ignored the student athletes and their needs.
“The IHSA did what they needed to do in order to provide opportunities for the kids, which they desperately need, so I was ecstatic that the IHSA did what needed to be done,” he told the Policy Journal.
For now, though, Aurora won’t be playing even if other schools and the IHSA charge forward without Pritzker’s blessing, Drye said.
“It’s just a matter of the insurance situation,” Drye told the DuPage Policy Journal.
Ultimately, Drye stated he feels Pritzker’s decision to reclassify basketball as high-risk was simply meant to end run around the IHSA, and prevent them from carrying on with a basketball season. Nothing has changed in how the game is played, so it doesn’t make sense for it to suddenly be considered more risky, he told the DuPage Policy Journal.
“Nothing had changed. He just did it to spite the IHSA because of their decision to go ahead with the season,” said Drye, “And the sad thing about it, it’s really the kids who get the short end of the stick when that happens.”
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