Arroyo Grande basketball reached state final in Sacramento. But coronavirus threat cancels season
Arroyo Grande High School’s boys basketball has achieved a remarkable season, winning 28 games and a berth in the state championship game on Friday in Sacramento.
But their Division 3 state championship game against St. Mary’s of Albany has been called off due to general concerns over coronavirus exposure, along with other California high school games.
The coronavirus pandemic prompted the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to cease the high school basketball season a day before the start of the 40th state finals at Golden 1 Center, where NBA’s Sacramento Kings play, officially ending the season.
The decision comes as the NBA suspended its season on Wednesday after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus. Jazz star Donovan Mitchell also reportedly has COVID-19 as well.
The decision to cancel the CIF state finals was made after careful deliberation and in the primary interest of protecting the health and safety of our member schools, fans, and most importantly, our student-athletes,” said Ron Nocetti, CIF’s executive director, in a news release. “While we understand this decision is disappointing, we strongly believe that the opportunity to compete in this event does not outweigh our obligation to place the health and safety of our member schools and school communities above all else.”
The cancellation won’t allow Arroyo Grande High to notch a school milestone, though it will be able to claim the Division 3 Southern California championship title.
Arroyo Grande High ‘saddened’ by CIF finals cancellation
Arroyo Grande High’s boys basketball team has never made to the state championship finals in its history, school officials said.
The Eagles avenged a school loss in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3AAA championship game in 2012, a team led by Brent VanderVeen, who went on to play football at Oregon State University.
Arroyo Grande High officials said the CIF informed them late Wednesday night of the decision, and the team met Thursday morning to discuss the situation.
“We’re definitely saddened and disappointed to not have the opportunity to compete,” said Stephen Field, the school’s athletic director. “We worked so hard to get to this point. We do understand and respond this decision on the health and safety. ... But the biggest thing is we couldn’t prouder of the boys’ basketball program.”
Field said that Lucia Mar Unified School District is also following the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom and top health officials by canceling district schools’ participation in sports events that would draw large crowds, including swim meets and track events.
Arroyo Grande High will continue to host events with lower attendance, such as baseball and softball, Field said.
“At this point, every school in the state trying to figure out what to do,” Field said.
Speaking about the 2020 Arroyo Grande High team, assistant coach Dylan Staub said, “These guys have been playing together since the fourth grade. They have great chemistry on and off the court. They know the game of basketball.”
“It has been amazing to watch them do what they’ve done,” Staub said.
The Eagles (28-6, 9-1 Mountain League) have made a remarkable run in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 3 playoffs, beating four Los Angeles area teams to reach the championship game.
Eagles basketball team
The team has seven seniors, six of whom are strong contributors in the rotation. They include Gage Gomez, Robert Hutchens, Conor Angle and Michael Atherton.
Gomez averages 21 points per game on the season and Hutchens averages 19.4 points per game, according to team stats.
In the state playoffs, Gomez has upped his average to 24 points per game, Hutchens is recording 19.3 points per contest and Angle is at 15.8, well above his season average of 8.8.
Gomez, a 6-foot-3 guard, has a conditional walk-on offer to play basketball at UC Santa Barbara, Staub said, and Hutchens has a conditional walk-on offer to play at Seattle University.
The Eagles have topped Providence (Burbank), El Camino Real (Woodland Hills), Taft (Woodland Hills), and George Washington Prep (Los Angeles) to reach the championship.
The Eagles, a relatively smaller team, rely on their quickness and movement to beat teams using an up-tempo offense, Staub said.
Many of the players have put in hours in the weight room, working with a strength coach, to improve their fitness this season.
“We had guys working hard on their upper body strength and lower body strength,” Staub said. “Going through the program, they became so much better at out-muscling teams, driving and finishing through contact.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 11:52 AM.
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