Cypress High Coach Derek Mitchell guides his team in January 2020. (File photo: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)
Cypress High’s boys basketball players and Coach Derek Mitchell are seeing some encouraging signs that there could be a season after all as coronavirus cases in Orange County continue to decline.
While basketball remains in the most restrictive orange tier, officials with the California Department of Public Health have indicated that indoor sports can start up if schools follow proper protocol such as weekly coronavirus testing.
In its update on March 4, the California Department of Public Health said that indoor sports teams could return to play if they “they adhere to the stricter requirements in place for college teams, which include rigorous testing requirements around each competition, following contact tracing protocols, and coordination with local health authorities.”
That could lead to the start of the season later this month or April. It was much more encouraging news that Mitchell and his players had heard in February when the path forward looked much more difficult.
“I am ecstatic about this news for indoor sports,” Mitchell said. “I first heard from a couple of other coaches through texts. As soon as I read them, I sent a message to our team thread to let them know the season might be back on.
“It has given our boys new hope and we can start practicing 5 on 5 (outside) as long as they test negative weekly. The players must have a negative test turned in 24 hours prior to the beginning of practice on Monday each week to participate.”
While the schedule is not locked in for indoor basketball, Mitchell said school officials have allowed him to start planning a tentative schedule.
“Although we do not have any clarifications on practicing or playing games inside a gym yet, my AD has ok’d that we start to reschedule games with other schools,” he said. “So far, we have rescheduled games against Cerritos to March 30th, La Habra to April 6, Los Al to April 12th, Sonora to April 16th and Mater Dei to April 17.”
“Although the games are ‘tentative’ at this point, it still feels like a breakthrough for our boys to be playing again together and having the opportunity to represent Cypress against some of the best programs in the county,” Mitchell said.
“After that, hopefully we can begin league play on April 20. It could be a rough preseason for us, but having the kids out and playing basketball again is the most important thing for us this year.”
-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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