BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Olean High boys basketball team began the day thinking it would soon play in an empty gym. Now, the Huskies don’t know when they’ll play again.
For now at least, Olean’s quest to return to the state championship will have to wait. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association “indefinitely” postponed its remaining winter sports championships and regionals for boys and girls basketball, bowling and ice hockey on Thursday over the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Olean was set to play Section 5 champion Geneva in the Far West Regional on Saturday at Buffalo State College. The Huskies still practiced Thursday, their first time on the court after a 36-35 win over Allegany-Limestone Tuesday in the Section 6 Class B Championship crossover game, and a winter sports banquet on Wednesday.
“It’s amazing, I was trying to explain to the kids that don’t know any different, but I grew up without a cell phone, but I said I’m sure that they had probably heard some form of the news before they got to practice,” first-year OHS coach Tim Kolasinski said after Thursday’s practice. “But we met at the beginning and I congratulated them again on their win on Tuesday night and then we talked about the news as far as I know it right now. (It was) obviously disappointing for them, but I’ve got to give them credit because we did that at the beginning of practice and I thought we still had a really good practice. We’re going to take the approach that postponement is a lot better (of a) word than cancelation.”
The NYSPHSAA press release Thursday afternoon acknowledged the disappointment this decision brings, “however the opportunity to participate in a NYSPHSAA championship event does not outweigh our responsibility and obligation to ensure students participate in a healthy and safe environment.”
“It was my goal to complete the winter championships on schedule,” NYSPHSAA Executive Director Dr. Robert Zayas said in the release. “It has become increasingly more difficult to host these championship events with the number of challenges that have been presented. I also have concerns as the Executive Director of NYSPHSAA and a parent, that students will be participating in an event under circumstances that are not conducive to a quality and beneficial participation experience.”
Earlier in the day, at the direction of the Commissioner of Erie County Department of Healthy and SUNY, Section 6 it would not allow fans to attend Saturday’s regional games at Buffalo State. Only school representatives including a superintendent, principal and athletic director, along with approved media members, were to be allowed to attend the game under that plan. Now those games are on hold indefinitely.
Like the rest of the world, Kolasinski and his assistant coaches followed the news as event after event was canceled or postponed Wednesday night into Thursday.
“I don’t have to tell you the rate at which this is escalating is really unbelievable,” he said.
But with the regional game officially postponed, the Huskies will move forward preparing for Geneva, whenever that game may happen.
“Under the circumstances, I give these guys a lot of credit for a lot of reasons, but one of the things that they’re very good at is they don’t dwell on things,” Kolasinski said of his players. “They try to make the best out of situations and they did that today. There was some disappointment, I could tell, this morning when we got the word that originally games were supposed to be played without spectators, but obviously that changes the whole atmosphere of a game. There was some disappointment there, but then to be told that the game will not take place, especially for a high school athlete, that’s pretty hard to deal with. Our guys, I thought, listened and then listened to our plan about moving forward and came out and had a good practice.”
