Arizona high school basketball on the reservations will be missing this season

St. Michael on the Navajo reservation and Page, which neighbors the reservation, are going ahead with a basketball season this month.

Other than than, it appears there will be no reservation ball played in Arizona as the high school boys and girls basketball seasons are two weeks away from starting.

Basketball is the life blood on the reservation, a passion that runs deep from generation to generation and brings communities together like nothing else.

When the Arizona Interscholastic Association stages its basketball final fours, it makes sure that the reservation schools have the prime starting times in the biggest arena in the Valley in order to accommodate all of the fans.

But there may be no fans at all this season, which starts Jan. 18. The AIA is starting the season with no spectators, but could allow fans in later in the season, depending on how the coronavirus is spreading.

Keams Canyon Hopi Athletic Director Ricky Greer, who is a member of the Arizona Interscholastic Association's Executive Board, said that with all three tribal nations (White Mountain Apache, Hopi and Navajo) in northeastern Arizona under stay-at-home orders due to the pandemic, "it became evident to most school boards that we wouldn't be in-person for instruction for most if not all of our third quarter."

"Most schools have also taken the approach that we must be in-person for instruction if we are going to participate in athletics," Greer said. "During our December ADs meeting for the Northeastern Arizona Region, of the 13 schools that were hoping to play, two had decided they were playing within the AIA season of sport in January."

They are Page and St. Michaels, Greer said.

Page Athletic Director Ernie Rivers said Page opted out the Northeastern Region and the district governing board voted 5-0 to play the winter sports during the regular AIA timeline, which begins competition on Jan. 18.

He said his school's winter sports competition will start a week later, Jan. 26. Page is joining the 3A North Central Region, which includes Phoenix Northwest Christian, Fountain Hills, Chino Valley, Camp Verde. Rivers said soccer has been moved to the winter season. Besides basketball, wrestling also will be conducted.

Because of the impact of COVID-19 on the Navajo reservation, it has cut the numbers of participants, Rivers said.

He said he doesn't know the demographics of the student-athletes impacted, but he said it was both in Page and out of town on the reservation. He said there will only be one boys basketball team that will play varsity and no freshman and junior varsity teams. The girls will have no freshman team but will play varsity and JV schedules.

The varsity will play 13 games with seven of those on the road. Page was able to pick up a road game late in the season at 4A Flagstaff Coconino.

Rivers said all home games will be live-streamed on YouTube and on Page's Facebook page.

"I just know our numbers are down significantly," Rivers said.

St. Michael has been placed in the 1A North East Region with Cibecue, Fort Thomas, Joseph City, Heber Mogollon, Kearny Ray, Superior.

"The NE AZ (Northeast Arizona) Region voted to cancel winter and fall seasons that were planned to be played mostly in the third quarter," Greer said.

The plan was to move the fall sports of football, volleyball and cross-country to January. But that has been canceled.

Greer said it is the hope to have region will play spring sports if the surge in coronavirus cases flatten by March and April, so that school can return to in-person instruction and play sports during the fourth quarter of the academic year.

Chinle, Fort Defiance Window Rock and Whiteriver Alchesay have all acknowledged they have canceled the winter basketball seasons.

Those are three of the greatest draws among reservation schools in Arizona. They've been the AIA's biggest money makers at state basketball tournaments.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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