By K.D. Norris
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal Sports Connection, as part of our continuing series of shows focused on different local high school and their sports departments, we check in with the Wyoming High School Wolves basketball teams — both of which were already dealing with pandemic-related restrictions even before the latest state and MHSAA orders.
Visiting the WKTV studios last week (and before this week’s Michigan High School Athletic Association additional temporary restrictions on practices and competitions) are two coaches who have long histories of coaching and coaching success in Wyoming Public Schools, head boys basketball coach Thom Vander Klay and head girls basketball coach Troy Mast.
Both Vander Klay — who had his outstanding 2019-20 team’s season cut short by COVID-19 early this year — and Mast talk with WKTV volunteers Mike Moll and Paul Kabelman about how their teams are handling COVID-19 restrictions, their opinions of the Wolves’ shift of conferences from the OK Gold to OK Green, and a preseason outlook for their 2020-21 teams.
But we also reached out to the coaches this week, on Nov. 17, to see what the latest round of restrictions mean to their programs.
“Currently, we are completely paused for 3 weeks with no team practices or in-person meetings allowed,” Mast said to WKTV. “This is putting our team further behind where we are normally at this time of year.
“However, our job is to be ready when we are allowed to get back to work. Our kids will be excited to get back into the gym ASAP and looking forward to competing against each other in practice in preparation for whatever schedule is put in front of us.”
The Wolves girls were scheduled to start competition Dec. 1 at home against Comstock Park, but that game has even cancelled, along with a home game Dec. 4 against Forest Hills Central and a road game Dec. 8 at South Christian. Dec. 8 also would have been the night of the Wolves boys team’s first game, which would have had the Sailors visiting Wyoming.
“At this point the boys will be able to start tryouts Dec. 8 unless the state tells us differently and/or extends its order. That would have been the date of our season opener against SC (South Christian),” Vander Klay said to WKTV. “So we will have tryouts, get our rosters set on each level and then prepare as quickly as possible for competition.
“Of course, we cannot scrimmage other teams before we play so that will be interesting as those preseason scrimmages reveal so much about the players and the team — and what the coach needs to work on. … My guess is that early game results will be much different than games at the end of the year.”
WKTV Journal Sports Connection, with this latest episode hosted by WKTV volunteer Cory Dalton, brings its audience interviews and stories focused on local Wyoming and Kentwood area high schools sports, both on cable television and on our on-demand and YouTube channels. Readers can catch up on all our local sports coverage by visiting wktvjournal.com/sports.
WKTV Journal Sports Connection is available on-demand, along with WKTV coverage of highs school athletic events and other sports, at WKTVlive.com. It also airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule). Individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal Sports Connection are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
