BCAA Delays Start of Winter Sports until January 2021

Michael Wholey

December 3, 2020 @ 07:00 PM

BCAA Delays Start of Winter Sports until January 2021 By Michael Wholey 12/3/20 7:00 PM EST While High School basketball and other winter sports have kicked off all around the state, member schools of the BCAA (Broward County Athletic Association) are on hold until 2021. The BCAA is comprised of Broward County public schools as well as several select private schools in Broward County. All winter sports practices have been paused until December 14^th and the first permissible game is set for January 4^th. This is pushed back from the already revised schedule where practices were permissible in November and teams were scheduled to start playing games on December 5^th. Interestingly enough this announcement comes while the BCAA allows fall sports including football to continue. Director of Athletics and Student Activities for the BCAA Shawn Cerra is on record stating the pushed back start date is not being delayed to the rise of COVID-19 cases but because many of the schools’ resources are being spread too thin. “It’s because we’ve got five fall sports [still playing] and now we’ve got five winter sports,” said Cerra, who is the. “It’s a numbers game. It really comes down to double the number of our athletes on campus, and then also the facilities side of it, trying to accommodate all those sports.” According to Cerra, although the new first permissible date for teams first games is set for January 4^th, teams will be allowed to play in holiday tournaments. “If the teams are scheduled to play in a winter holiday tournament or something like that, then they can do so,” Cerra said. The delayed start for BCAA members is even more intriguing as several of the member schools have some of the top girl’s basketball programs in the state including what is widely considered the toughest district in the state – District 14 in class 6A that consists of Nova HS, Dillard, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Blanche Ely. All four schools are continually state championship contenders and feature some of the state’s top players. Dillard features one of the top 2023s in the state in 6’2 inside / out Forward Khyala Ngodu Khyala Ngodu 6'2" | PF Dillard | 2023 State FL and recent 2021 St. Leo signee Chynna Mattair Chynna Mattair 5'7" | SG Dillard | 2021 State FL . Nova lost several of their top players due to graduation and transfer but will look to 2021s Sarei McGill Sarei McGill 5'8" | CG Nova | 2021 State FL , Jahnay Mars, and Kenrisha Lebrun, 2022 Ka’Myra Butler and Destinee Burks, as well as 2023 Madisyn McLeod. St. Thomas Aquinas will have to replace Bella LaChance Bella LaChance 5'4" | PG St. Thomas Aquinas | 2020 State FL , who is now at Vanderbilt. Head Coach Oliver Berens will lean on 2021 Arkansas signee Samara Spencer Samara Spencer 5'8" | CG St. Thomas Aquinas | 2021 State FL , 2022s Forward Jada Green Jada Green 6'0" | PF St. Thomas Aquinas | 2022 State FL and Guard Bre Gustave as well as Super Sophomores Karina Gordon Karina Gordon 5'8" | CG St. Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL and Reina Green Reina Green 5'10" | CG St. Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL (both class of 2023). And Blanche Ely coming off a FHSAA 6A State Championship has one of the most talented and deepest rosters in the entire state led by 2021 University of Miami signee Ja’Leah Williams Ja’Leah Williams 5'9" | CG Blanche Ely HS | 2021 State FL . In supporting cast is fellow Senior Mikhia Lumsdon Mikhia Lumsdon 5'7" | CG Blanche Ely HS | 2021 State FL who is one of the state’s top unsigned Senior prospects and a host of underclassmen including 2022s Michiyah Simmons Michiyah Simmons 5'8" | PG Blanche Ely HS | 2022 State FL , Zaria Blake Zaria Blake 6'0" | SF Blanche Ely HS | 2022 State FL , and Mya Kone Mya Kone 6'1" | SF Blanche Ely HS | 2022 State FL , and the state’s to Freshman duo of Janessa Kelley Janessa Kelley 5'9" | SG Blanche Ely HS | 2024 State FL and Gianna Corbitt Gianna Corbitt 6'1" | SF Blanche Ely HS | 2024 State FL . The BCAA member schools are anxious to get to the court and hope the delay does not impact their participation in the FHSAA state tournament. It is a unique situation as not all schools in Broward County are on a delayed start. While private schools like Cardinal Gibbons and St. Thomas Aquinas are delayed just down the street fellow private schools like Westminster Academy, American Heritage Plantation, and Archbishop McCarthy are practicing and playing games as regularly scheduled because they are not members of the BCAA. Blanche Ely girls basketball coach J.R. McNabb is on record stating “It’s just frustrating when the county above us and the county below us are moving forward with sports, both fall and winter. It’s frustrating from a coaching standpoint. You want to get in a rhythm, you want to get in a routine, you want to get in a rhythm. Our goal, as always, is to win a state championship. So we want to always put our best foot forward and be in position to. And, again, with us being behind the eight ball with the rest of the state, for us, we just want to have that opportunity to represent our region the right way.”