Tournaments are suspended for high school hoops, but STM coach says it’s time to ‘get creative’ with single-game play

More from Aaron Mitchell: “I think there are a lot of coaches in this province who are willing to do everything they can within the guidelines, within the rules, to make sure their players get some kind of experience this year.”

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Like many of us St. Thomas More Knights Basketball Coach Aaron Mitchell is in a pandemic-driven turnaround.

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Mitchell is the long-time head of the bench for the Burnaby High School older boys basketball team. The STM 16-team Chancellor Tournament was supposed to celebrate his 55th birthday between January 5-8, and in the process he would be renamed Rich Goulet Memorial Chancellor to honor the late STM coach and Pitt Meadows Marauders who passed away. last March.

All of that has been put on hold with Wednesday’s provincial orders postponing all high school sports tournaments for now due to concerns about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

Individual matches between teams, without fans in the stands, are still allowed. That’s better than things were last season, when all high school sports were left in practice-only mode for the school year.

That’s Mitchell’s approach, though he readily admits how disappointed he is by the tournament, one of the exhibition invites in this province, which was scuttled, particularly in light of the connection to Goulet.

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Goulet was 74 years old. He had experienced various health problems in recent years. Mitchell was one of several coaches who saw him as a mentor.

“We had the jerseys and treats for the coaches, all tidy up and ready to go. It was going to be something, ”Mitchell said. “But we still have to be a good example for the children. We have to show them what resilience is with the way we respond to things.

“I think there are a lot of coaches in this province who are willing to go out of their way within the guidelines, within the rules, to make sure their players get some kind of experience this year.

“We don’t have as many cards to play as we think. Well, last year we didn’t even have a deck. Let’s get creative. What are the options? What can we achieve? “

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Mike Carkner, who is one of the coaches on the Terry Fox Ravens women’s team, says it can be difficult to keep players currently engaged. The number of cases is increasing rapidly. The idea that the games could be closed is on the minds of the players. It’s just natural.

“They see that the numbers increase. They have seen what that meant in the past. There are still some doubts in their minds, ”Carkner said.

The zone and provincial playoffs are traditionally done in a tournament format, but there is some clue left before the time comes to worry about that yet. The provincial girls ‘championships are scheduled for March 2-5 at the Langley Events Center, while the boys’ are scheduled for March 9-12 at the LEC.

“We all have to do our part. We have to be prepared when we are allowed to and if we are allowed to, ”said Mike Bell, coach of the Burnaby South Rebels men’s team. “I would like to continue. I think it’s good for everyone. “

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Reference-theprovince.com

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