Will County Gazette

At Illinois Lutheran 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 a position of uncertainty about the upcoming basketball season.

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 board’s is scheduled for Thursday, 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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Illinois Lutheran High School Girls Basketball head coach, Jay Biesterfeld, recently spoke to the Will County Gazette on how the impasse between the IHSA and Pritzker is affecting the school’s program and student athletes.

“Personally, I think they should allow the kids to play basketball,” Biesterfeld told the Will County Gazette, “So, I’m in favor of being able to start our season.”

For the time-being, Biesterfeld said that he expects his players to go forward with preparing for the season in order to be ready if it does happen.

“As of now we’re planning on moving forward,” said Biesterfeld.

While physical health of the students is important, Biesterfeld stated that people need to keep in mind the important mental and emotional aspects of sports participation.

“You’re killing these kids,” said Biesterfeld, “I remember being an athlete in high school, and if you had tried to take away even one season, let alone two, and three, and I played every sport...I would have been beside myself.”

Biesterfeld said he’s already seeing the effects on student athletes.

“I mean, they’re going to find their outlet one way or another,” he told the Will County Gazette. 

“So, either we can provide the outlet where we can kind of control what’s going on, or they’re going to go play athletics with their friends, just in public, or they’re going to go play with their club teams and their travel teams," said Biesterfeld.