Sports

While the status of the game is yet to be determined as the state emerges from its COVID-19 hibernation, the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association recently released its 2020 All-State teams.

The association names three All-State teams each season - small, middle and large school squads for both the East and the West. Each team has 10 members and the teams face each other during a weekend of action in June.

“The games are on hold for now,” said El Reno High School girls head coach Jennifer Douglas, who sits on the OGBCA Board.

A quick glance at the final Class 5A girls state basketball rankings and it’s easy to see why games in the Suburban Conference were knock-down, drag-out battles on most nights.

Six of the league’s eight teams, including El Reno High School, were ranked in the top 17 of that poll. Two of those teams went on to qualify for the state tourney before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“When you talk about our conference, there were four of us that really should have been at state so this is a big-time conference,” said El Reno head coach Jennifer Douglas.

When Craig McVay was appointed to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Board, he says he knew he was going to make tough decisions that affected the future of athletes.

Never did the El Reno superintendent imagine that in his first year on the board he would have to help make the call that ended the season for thousands of student-athletes across the state – with more than 100 of those being his own.

El Reno High School’s boys basketball team landed four players, including three underclassmen, on the 2020 All-Suburban Conference Team released last week.

The team has traditionally been announced following the conclusion of the Class 5A state tournament, but with championships from Class 2A through 6A on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the boys coaches opted to release the team.

Suburban Conference girls coaches, as of Monday, were still holding to the league rule of after the state tourney.

Aaron West knew he would have big shoes to fill when he was named head coach of Okarche High School’s boys basketball team, but he also knew he had learned under the best possible mentor – his father.

“He gave me the freedom to run what I wanted to do as an assistant coach and there are not a lot of head coaches around that would do that.

“Not a lot of people get to spend that much time with their dads. Now that he is gone, I look back at all the stuff he taught me and I realize it was an enjoyable time,” said West.

Brice Hill has been eagerly awaiting his senior season at El Reno High School after losing his junior year while going through rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery on his shoulder.

After the first five games of the Indians 2020 season, Hill looked well on his way to having a stellar final campaign in an Indians uniform.

“Everything is starting to click and was coming back,” said Hill.

The right-hander is 2-0 with a save and a zero earned run average over 11 2/3 innings. Seventeen batters have been retired by strikeouts against five walks.