Basketball practices going full-bore after getting clearance from governor

Rubber soles squeaked against the court as players stopped and started in their scrimmage.

That was music to the ears of most basketball coaches around the state this week after they were given the clearance to resume full basketball activities for the first time since the middle of March.

Springdale Har-Ber boys basketball Coach Tommy Deffebaugh said his team hit the floor running this week, but was still aware of following the protocols of masking and social distancing when not on the floor.

"We're trying to play it as safe as possible still, even after we were released by the governor to allow us to go back to normal practicing a week ago Friday," Deffebaugh said. "We still sanitize and we spray and disinfect the balls before and after practice, but once we get between the lines, the masks are off. I keep mine on, but once we start playing and rolling, we're going at it.

"We have guys on the floor and we have to wipe up sweat and we try and get it up as quick as we can. So far we haven't had any issues, no fevers, no sore throats, so far go good."

Prep basketball in Arkansas was shut down in mid-March during the state basketball finals in Hot Springs because of the covid-19 pandemic. Soon spring sports followed suit as schools closed to in-person classes.

In May, Gov. Asa Hutchinson allowed team sports to resume in small group activities, and football and volleyball were given the clearance to start full-contact practice on July 31.

Not all coaches in the state are ready to take that next step. Ryan Malashock, the second-year girls basketball coach at Haas Hall Academy-Rogers, said his team is not yet ready to return to full practices. The Lady Danes have not practiced even in small group since the March shutdown.

"The biggest thing for us right now is that we just want to do right by our kids and do right by our families," Malashock said. "I feel like we have some time right now to see how things go in the community, how things go with sports."

Haas Hall is going to be a full-time AAA-sanctioned program this season, competing in the 1A-1 West Conference. Last season the Lady Danes posted a 10-8 record, playing all 18 games on the road. This season, they will be able to play home games and hold practices at the new AAO facility in Rogers, Malashock said.

Brad Stamps, the boys basketball coach at Fayetteville, and Deffebaugh both said a lot of players from their programs were traveling to other states to participate in AAU basketball tournaments this summer.

"Most of our kids were going to other states every single weekend and playing, then coming back," Stamps said. "For me, that did not make a whole lot of sense from a safety standpoint because they are traveling, then coming back to our state. I feel a lot safer with them under our watch, where we can do a good job of making sure they are maintaining social distancing, wearing the mask when they're not playing and we can control that a lot better than just the uncertainty of who they're around and what they're doing out of state."

Stamps said that Fayetteville has not had any players test positive for the covid-19 virus, but Har-Ber had to quarantine one player after his brother tested positive in July. That player has since returned to the program, Deffebaugh said.

"To be honest it's kind of surprising to me just because of the number of kids that we've had, and I'm talking seventh grade through 12, that travel every weekend," Stamps said. "They are playing AAU basketball and they're going to Oklahoma and Missouri and Texas and different places. So it's kind of surprising that we haven't."

Malashock said non-school organizations in neighboring states have been playing under completely different guidelines than school sports. That has created a lot of uncertainty, he said.

"As a coach, it has been a little confusing to see the inconsistencies from state-to-state," Malashock said. "The school basketball has been very limited, but the AAU has been game-on. I don't think anybody has the answers. We've seen a lot of people posting on social media, like parents posting that their kids have played in eight tournaments in 10 weeks and everything is fine.

"You don't know everything is fine."

The high school regular season for non-football playing schools in Arkansas will begin in early fall. Schools that participate in football start later.

For Malashock, he said he will continue to monitor the protocols set by the state.

"I think from the start we decided we were going to err on the side of caution for the health and safety of our players and our players' families," Malashock said. "So really that's what fuels the decision-making. I don't think any of the Haas Hall programs are making decisions based on fear. I think we're making decisions on this snapshot in time.

"All that said, our decision to delay for now feels very right for us -- for the girls and for all our families."