<p>INDIANAPOLIS — The high school boys basketball state tournament will continue on as scheduled, at least for now. Most fans, however, will have to watch the games from a distance.</p><p>Beginning with Saturday’s regional games, only a limited number of spectators will be allowed to attend each of the remaining contests as a result of concerns about the spread of COVID-19, more commonly known as coronavirus.</p><p>At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Indiana High School Athletic Association commissioner Bobby Cox said that the governing body has been monitoring the COVID-19 situation since before the tournament began last week and has been in regular contact with various health groups.</p><p>The events of the past two days or so, he said, helped shape the IHSAA’s decision.</p><p>"Throughout the last 48 hours, things have changed," Cox said. "Things in our community have changed, things around the state have changed and things around the country have changed. So we’re trying to stay up with that. We still want to provide our young people an opportunity to participate in the state finals, in a tournament series event, but we do have to restrict it."</p><p>Each school will be restricted to a maximum of 75 complimentary tickets aside from its 12 dressed players, with that number to include only essential personnel, coaches, administrative staff and immediate family of players.</p><p>Non-varsity players may not attend. Cheerleaders, dance teams, school mascots and pep bands will also have to stay home.</p><p>Locally, the announcement will impact fans of Greenwood, which plays in the Class 4A regional at Seymour, and Greenwood Christian, which is competing in the Class A Martinsville Regional. Fans who purchased tickets in advance will be able to receive a refund.</p><p>Everyone entering at each of the regional sites will be screened by the competing teams’ school administrators, who will be on site, to make sure that nobody not on the schools’ lists is admitted. </p><p>"We’re going ask them to make sure that the people that are coming through, the 75 that we’re going to give passes to, make sure that they are legitimate folks," Cox said. "It’s going to be extremely disappointing to a lot of our patrons and fans to not be able to go to the state championships, but we do need to protect everybody that’s there. And I hate to say this, but there will be people who will try to sneak in — so we’re going to lean on our principals and athletic directors to help us out with this."</p><p>Efforts will be made, the IHSAA said, to stream live broadcasts of all remaining tournament games online so that all fans can still watch. </p><p>The IHSAA’s executive committee considered the cancellation of the remainder of the tournament — many professional and college events have been wiped off the schedule in the last 48 hours — but opted to proceed as planned, taking spectator precautions in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that large gatherings be limited to no more than 250 people.</p><p>The restrictions will no doubt be felt in the gymnasiums, where players are used to a far rowdier atmosphere during games.</p><p>"Kids like to play in front of people," Cox said. "I think that it’ll impact the game. It’ll feel like a scrimmage. You’re going to have three officials out there, and you’re going to have two teams sitting on the bench, but there aren’t going to be many people in the gym, and … I don’t think there’s any doubt that it will affect play. But at least they’re getting to play right now."</p><p>In addition to affecting the game-day atmosphere, the restricted crowds figure to have a big impact on the financial bottom line as well. Cox estimates that the loss of ticket revenue for the rest of the tournament will cost the IHSAA approximately $500,000.</p><p>Cox said the IHSAA felt fairly comfortable about proceeding with Saturday’s games, since 15 of the 16 regional sites were in areas without a confirmed COVID-19 case, according to the Indiana Department of Health.</p><p>"This may change moving forward," he said, "but that’s where we’re at today."</p><p>There will be no spectators at all permitted at this weekend’s state gymnastics finals. No Johnson County high schools participate in gymnastics.</p><p>Concerns about COVID-19 are extending into plans for the spring as well. Whiteland announced Thursday morning that it will be postponing or cancelling all of its spring sports contests through at least April 6.</p><p>When asked if the IHSAA had any plans for mass cancellations or postponements of spring sports, Cox said that any decisions about regular-season contests will be up to individual member schools. All eligibility rules, such as the one requiring a minimum of 10 practices before competing, will remain in effect.</p><p>The sports landscape has changed dramatically over the course of this week, and it may continue to do so as the pandemic continues to get better or worse.</p><p>"I’m hopeful that the virus will subside," Cox said. "I’m not real confident that that’ll happen, but I’m hopeful that it will."</p>
