TOLONO — A year ago, the Unity girls’ basketball team experienced a magical season.
Led by News-Gazette Player of the Year Elyce Knudsen, the Rockets won a Class 2A regional title for the program’s first postseason hardware in 11 seasons.
And Knudsen became the basketball program’s career scoring leader across both genders, passing icon and former NBA player Brian Cardinal.
Knudsen graduated and is now playing at Millikin, where she won the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Player of the Week after averaging 23 points in two wins last week.
But the Rockets seemed to be on a roll again.
Until they got stopped in their tracks by COVID-19.
Even two weeks ago, Unity coach Dave Ellars wasn’t sure he would get to see an encore performance.
“I thought our season was going to be canceled,” Ellars said.
But next year came Thursday night at Maroa-Forsyth, where Unity opened the season with a 34-24 loss against the Trojans.
“We waited so long for this,” Ellars said Wednesday night. “The kids have done a great job in practice getting ready, but they are a little bit nervous, too.”
The Rockets hope to continue the momentum from the 2019-2020 season that saw the program finish 22-10.
“Elyce was an outstanding player and we had big shoes to fill,” Ellars said, “but everybody had a good feeling about it.”
No matter what the circumstances, the Rockets are thrilled to be back. The downtime taught them to appreciate the opportunity.
“Yes, everybody wants to win. That’s what you play the game for,” Ellars said. “But there are things out there more important right now: getting through this and everybody being safe and healthy.
“The kids see the reality of it.”
The pandemic-related rules add another challenge. For the first time, well, ever, the players are required to wear masks during games.
What’s the big deal? For regular folks, wearing a mask has become part of everyday life.
But try sprinting up and down a court for 32 minutes and see how easy it is. The answer: not very.
“We did a couple four-minute segments, and they were pretty gassed after that,” Ellars said. “I think it’s a huge factor.”
Ellars has a 12-player varsity roster. He plans to use the bench liberally in an effort to keep the players fresh.
The game routines are being altered to help, too. Timeouts will be called at mid-quarter, giving the players four extra breaks each game. Ellars is on board with the rule change.
“That’s a great thing they’ve done,” he said.
Playing it safe
While the daily case counts in the area seem to be dropping, the coronavirus remains a major concern.
College athletic programs are going through constant testing. Still, teams have been forced to pause workouts or competition for long stretches.
High school programs don’t have the financial or health resources to do the college level-testing. The prep players are understandably worried about becoming infected. The unknown can be scary.
“You’re going to a different place,” Ellars said. “You’re traveling.”
The crowds are limited. For Thursday’s game, each player was allowed to bring one fan. So, either Mom or Dad had to stay home.
Unity is part of the Illini Prairie Conference. Visiting teams won’t be allowed to have spectators for league games.
Getting there is another obstacle. Players have assigned seats on the bus, with the goal to have 6 feet of distance between each player.
Huddles can’t be like normal, with social distancing part of the consideration. Teams aren’t using locker rooms — before the game, at halftime or afterward. Tight quarters forced that change.
With 21 total players in the program, Unity needs to keep everyone healthy. One positive COVID-19 test could shut the team down. Ellars reminds the players to be careful.
“I think they understand it,” Ellars said.
Missed opportunity
Ellars’ team includes a large junior class and only one senior, Chloee Reed, but the Rockets didn’t get to have their usual summer program.
“I always thought summer for us was really huge,” Ellars said. “That gives a lot of kids a chance to play and get some confidence. You grow as a team together.”
Summer wasn’t the only time affected. Last spring was a mess, too, after Unity’s season ended almost a year ago on Feb. 17 with a loss to Teutopolis in a Class 2A sectional semifinal game.
“Because of COVID, we never really got to have a banquet to celebrate our regional. Never got a chance to recognize Elyce for being first-team All-State or anything like that,” Ellars said. “As soon as we got beat in the sectional, everything was shut down.”
The return to the court in January was almost as sudden. With no preseason work, the team jumped into practice, with a game scheduled a week later.
“I’m glad they are doing it, but it’s like they are going at everything so fast to try to get the season in,” Ellars said. “I understand that for seniors and everything like that.”
Shot in the arm
Ellars, who has an insurance agency in Champaign, is a healthy 65-year-old. Who doesn’t want to become infected with COVID-19. He received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, with the second scheduled for Feb. 22.
“I’m concerned about it,” Ellars said. “I’m pretty cautious. I wear my mask all the time. I wash my hands a lot.”
The Unity graduate has coached in the area for decades, including stints as the Salt Fork girls’ basketball coach and as an assistant coach with the Parkland women’s basketball team. He is in his third season as the Rockets’ leader. Ellars hopes his fourth season includes a return to normalcy. Knock on wood.
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