It’s been a while since I’ve used this space to throw all of my thoughts onto a board and see what sticks. That means today is your lucky day!
Now a little fair warning that the following are thoughts from the point of view of a broadcaster and I’m sure parents and coaches have a different perspective.
First of all I want to say that I think basketball games are more “normal” than I thought they would be this year. Only one gym I’ve been to this year didn’t allow any fans and that was Globe to start the season. Yes it was strange during pre-game and halftime without fans but once the game started, I didn’t notice the empty gym.
Traditional basketball fans may have noticed some inconsistencies from game to game with how the game is handled by game officials. Although frustrating on a basic level, I think they have been granted some gray area to help athletes take extra time to breath while wearing a mask.
I’ve heard rumors that the basketball playoffs will be played at the higher seed all the way through. Each conference will get to decide how they schedule their playoffs though. The dates haven’t been posted officially but I’ve seen a rough draft and the playoffs will be spread out over at least 2 weeks with championships being held on or before March 18th.
I surveyed the local coaches who have all told me that they have seen attitudes of athletes change since the season has started. Many teams practiced for upwards of 5 weeks while the season was in limbo and a burnout factor started to creep in but once the season started nearly all the coaches have said that has gone away.
Schedule changes have been minimal in my opinion at the varsity level this year. Teams have even been willing to move games to a later date if need be. Because of this though some teams end up playing 5 games in 7 days towards the end of the season.
That about cleans out the vault of info I have stored up. Until next time, I’ll see you on the radio.