On October 27, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker ordered the 2020-2021 Illinois high school basketball season to placed “on hold” until the spring, after he declared basketball a “high risk” sport.

Despite Pritzker’s ban, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has stated that they will defy Pritzker’s order as of October 28, 2020. Disregarding the current spike in COVID-19 cases, the IHSA board announced that this year’s basketball season will start November 16, right on schedule.

What does this mean for Parker? Thanks to Pritzker’s order, high school basketball is currently on hold. However, it is the schools decision whether or not to deem basketball as safe and follow along with the IHSA’s defiance of the order, says Parker Athletics Director Bobby Starks.

“When basketball was categorized to high risk by J.B. Pritzker, schools could only practice, but IHSA left it up to the schools to decide what will happen with the season,” Starks said.

The Parker varsity basketball team has continued to practice in basketball facilities, even after Pritzker’s ban and the IHSA’s announcement.

Just before 6 p.m. on November 11, Starks announced via email that the Parker winter athletics season will begin with a nearly half-month delay, meaning that the season will begin Monday, November 30. As of now, Parker plans to hold non-contact practices beginning on November 30th, according to Starks.