A year after COVID-19 shut down tournaments, state basketball returned to San Antonio
Sam Tipton and Charles Breithaupt were having dinner in San Antonio the night before the start of the UIL boys basketball state tournament last year when they overheard the TV behind them.
“The NBA is shutting down due to coronavirus concerns” was the big news story of the night.
“We looked at each other and shook our heads,” said Tipton, the executive director of the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
The state tournament kicked off 12 hours later with Class 1A semifinal games.
Meanwhile Breithaupt, the executive director of the UIL, and his team were behind the scenes receiving messages and making phone calls about whether to continue the tourney or to stop it.
“We had a cloud over us the previous week. The Ivy League had canceled so we were a little nervous, but felt we could get things done,” Breithaupt said. “Then we saw the NBA cancel. I just put my head down because we knew it spelled doom for us.”
After the Class 3A games, the UIL suspended the rest of the tournament.
The next day, it suspended all UIL activities across the board.
“We got together as a staff and we agreed we weren’t able to finish. It was heartbreaking to do that,” Breithaupt said. “But we were naive. We were already looking 2-3 weeks ahead and booking dates to come back to the Alamodome. But when we got back home, schools were being dismissed and it just flabbergasted us. Nothing you could do. It was very emotional.”
One Year Later
Fast forward a year later and the UIL was back at the Alamodome to finish off this year’s basketball season.
But it had a different look with limited capacity and face coverings for all spectators.
The Alamodome limited capacity to 3,500 per game with 800 tickets allowed to each school before sales opened to the general public.
By comparison, the boys tourney in 2019 saw a total attendance of nearly 82,000 across 18 games.
“It was an eerie feeling [walking in] just because we felt out of sorts. We still didn’t feel that level of completion from last year ... not having that closure so it was a bit sentimental, but we were excited to get the opportunity to come back,” Breithaupt said.
This year’s format featured championship games only. The four-day event showcased six title games for girls and six games for boys. The girls were pushed back a week due to the snowstorm in February.
No tournaments were allowed this season due to COVID-19, including regional and state tournaments.
“Hard to believe all this happened this time last year,” Tipton said. “The saddest thing is that those seniors last year lost their seasons. Remember back when you were a senior what that would’ve done to you if your whole season and career ended. We can’t get those back. It breaks your heart not only for the kids, but the coaches.
“All the hard work they put in for a season so this whole spring we’re repaying the coaches and kids to have a full season and state championship ... that’s what it’s all about.”
Sense of Closure
Boys teams like Duncanville, Mansfield Timberview, Dallas Madison, Lancaster and Argyle couldn’t complete the season and their quest for a state title in 2020.
Timberview coach Duane Gregory remembers it all too well.
“I remember riding down on the charter bus that Wednesday and my wife texted me that the Houston Rodeo shut down. Then the NBA that night. It all seemed to snowball,” said Gregory, whose team was set to play San Antonio Wagner in the 5A semifinals. “I remember telling one of my assistants, ‘The pros aren’t playing, the colleges aren’t playing, I don’t see them letting high school kids play.’
“We were on the bus heading back to the hotel to get ready and I got the call from the UIL that the tournament was postponed. In my mind I remember hoping we might get to resume things in a couple weeks. Little did we know how things would play out.”
But some of those teams made a return trip.
Argyle and Duncanville both won state championships. Argyle completed a 31-1 season by winning the Class 4A title. Senior Skylar McCurry, who was on the team last year, was voted MVP.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be back here,” said McCurry, who had 12 points and four three-pointers against Huffman Hargrave. “When it stopped last year, it broke our hearts. It’s a dream winning state my senior year.”
Duncanville’s Damon Nicholas knows the same feeling of what could’ve been for the Panthers.
But making it back and winning was a special moment for him and his teammates.
“It’s been a long year,” said Nicholas, who helped the Panthers beat Austin Westlake in the 6A final. “This is for the seniors last year.”
Finishing Strong
The UIL had shut down before returning for summer workouts in June. Then the UIL made a plan for a 2020-21 slate of events beginning in August.
Sure, there have been bumps in the road, but every state championship has been played to date.
“The UIL developed a plan of action with regulations, rules and guidelines. They handed it off to the schools, coaches, athletic directors and somehow, someway we got through the season and knock on wood, haven’t missed a state championship yet,” Tipton said. “If you told us that when we started in August, I would’ve questioned you. It’s been a pretty big effort by everyone.”
Soccer, baseball, wrestling, tennis and golf will close out the school year.
“We had some naysayers. People thought we were going too fast, but we believed it was the right thing for the kids. Schools without athletics wouldn’t be the same,” Breithaupt said. “Makes you proud knowing it took corporation from everyone. Total team effort. We had our doubts, but never stopped. Can’t say enough about our staff. Dr. Jamey Harrison and his ability to work with the agencies. He was magnificent.”
Moving forward, the UIL has allowed schools to handle their own protocols following Gov. Greg Abbott’s dropping of the statewide mask mandate.
“We’ll continue to be optimistic and cautious. We’ll have our safe guards in place. It will depend on the venue we’re playing at ... if they say limited capacity, wear masks, we’ll do it,” Breithaupt said. “We want more fans and less masks, but we’ll take the steps to get there. Our goal is to have it wide open in the fall.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
