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UPDATE: The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association announced late Thursday evening that the girls’ and boys’ state basketball tournaments are being suspended indefinitely due to concerns over the coronavirus.
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The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association announced that beginning with the Friday, March 13 semifinals, the remainder of the girls’ state basketball tournament, as well as next week’s boys’ tournament, will limit attendance to the players, coaches, team support personnel, their immediate families and school administrators of the qualifying schools.
No other fans will be allowed to attend and the TSSAA will limit each participating team to a 23-person maximum, which includes players, coaches, team support personnel, and immediate family includes parents, stepparents, guardians, siblings, other members living in the athlete’s household and grandparents.
School administrators will be required to provide a list of those persons meeting the qualifications for entry. School administrators will be at the entrance of each venue to identify and grant entry to those persons on the list, and each of those entering will be required to obtain a new ticket.
“Like many other athletic associations and leagues throughout the country, TSSAA has decided that the health and safety of our student-athletes and spectators alike require that we limit fan attendance at our girls’ and boys’ state basketball championships,” TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress said in a press release.
Anyone not on the approved list will not be allowed entry, even if the individual has a previously purchased ticket or pass. This restriction also includes non-varsity participants who are not in the 23-person team party, cheerleaders, mascots, and pep bands. With the exception of coaches, all other attendees may remain only for games in the class in which their team is participating.
According to the TSSAA press release, spectators are urged to take advantage of the available seating and not gather in crowds once they have entered the arena. Elderly individuals and those who suffer from chronic illness are at higher risk for more severe symptoms if they contract the virus and should consider this fact when deciding whether to attend.
“In making these decisions, we have consulted with the CDC as well as the Tennessee Department of Health,” Childress said. “We have reached out to independent experts, and we have conferred with our sister high school associations in other states. We have also observed what other organizations like the NCAA, the SEC, and the NBA have done in response to this worldwide health concern.
“The Tennessee Department of Health and an independent expert in infectious diseases have confirmed that the limitations we have developed are in line with current guidelines and best practices.
We understand and regret the hardship these limitations will create for many. However, the health and safety of our student-athletes is paramount. We will continue to monitor the situation, and we are hopeful that additional limitations will not be necessary.”
Class AAA’s Cleveland is the only Chattanooga-area public school that qualified for the boys’ state tournament and is scheduled to play Whitehaven at 11 a.m. EDT on March 18.
The TSSAA’s state tournaments for private schools were held last week in Nashville, with Baylor’s boys and girls both advancing to those events.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.