PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — High school basketball is back.
Players are happy, fans are happy and coaches are ecstatic.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” said Peoria High School girls basketball coach Meechie Edwards. “It feels new but it’s a good feeling. You get the opportunity to get the season going, get a good schedule. It’s been awesome.”
The basketball season is back in its normal spot, starting in November with season-opening tournaments. Last Thanksgiving there was no high school basketball with athletics shut down in Illinois due to COVID.
The high school basketball season was eventually shortened and didn’t start until late January.
“Last year was so different. Constant disappointment. Starting, stopping, starting stopping,” said Brimfield girls basketball coach Maribeth Dura. “Knowing that this year doesn’t look like it’ll be that way has rejuvenated them to the love of the game.”
Players and coaches are just glad to be back in gyms with schedules they are used to seeing. And they are setting goals they didn’t get to achieve last year in a season that didn’t include a state series.
“We have a full schedule of 31 games, we are able to travel to different parts of the state and teams are able to come to us,” said Normal Community boys basketball coach Dave Witzig. “It’s time to get back to this. We are really excited.”