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George Marshall, head men’s basketball coach and athletic director for Henderson Collegiate, appeared on the WIZS Coach’s Corner Friday.
As the reigning 1-A Men’s Basketball State Co-Champions, Marshall said his team faces an entirely different season for the 2020-2021 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, the first practice for the team is scheduled for December 7, 2020. The first game of the season is scheduled for January 4, and the last game is scheduled for February 19, 2021. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) has set a season limit of 14 games for basketball, with a weekly limit of two games.
For a team accustomed to three or four games a week, Marshall this will be quite the change of pace. “I’m hoping it gives us more rest. Our schedule is usually so challenging out of conference every single year. To be honest, I don’t know what the schedule is for January yet – whether it be all conference games or out of conference games. We know the game limit at this point, and we know there will be some form of conference and state playoffs.”
After a summer that was “dramatically impacted” by the lack of the usual skills development sessions, team camps and relationship-building experiences, Marshall said the team is doing what it can to keep its spirits up and to stay in contact.
“Like most teams, we are going to try to stay in as much contact as we possibly can,” said Marshall. “When you’re not in person, it makes things more challenging in terms of workouts. The biggest thing we are trying to do right now, as a school, is to make sure the kids understand how much we love and care from them. This time is very challenging for kids.”
Click here for the NCHSAA’s amended 2020-2021 sports calendar or visit the NCHSAA homepage at www.nchsaa.org.
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