Over the past nine months our world has struggled to battle Covid-19. Everyone in the world has been affected one way or another. Schools, restaurants, and stores were required to close down back in March, and some remain closed today.

Before the shutdown in March, our basketball team was competing for the state championship. Our season ended in a heartbreaking loss to conference rival Saint Viator, but the season would soon be temporarily postponed and eventually canceled all together. “That loss hurt very badly, especially knowing we would have gotten to play Notre Dame again if we won,” said senior point guard and Olivet Nazarene commit Caleb Corro.

Over the summer, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) did allow teams to get into the gym, but in a much different way than years past. There could only be one player and one coach in the gym when we were allowed to go back. In July, the IHSA allowed teams to return with more players. “We are grateful we were able to get back in the gym together, but personally I missed summer league,” said senior forward Michael Hamilton “I wanted a chance to get out there and compete against other guys.”.

¨I wish we were able to play together sooner, said junior guard Nico Soriano. “We’re all still learning how to play with each other, we missed it a lot during the summer. We have a lot of juniors new to the varsity level.”

For the Shamrocks leading scorer, senior Nick Galati, this extra time off due to the pandemic may have been a blessing in disguise. Nick is currently recovering from a torn ACL he sustained last season. “This extra time has been extraordinary, I’ve really been able to take my time through the recovery to make sure I can come back fully healthy,” Galati said.

In the fall the IHSA granted teams 20 days of contact. These practices ran through September and October for the Shamrocks. Up until that point, the season was supposed to start on time, but because of a surge in positive cases, the ISHA and Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) postponed the season again.

Head Coach Mike Bailey, who believes the Shamrocks will play this season, has been very supportive of his players in a time where no one knows when the season will begin. “I tell the players to control what they can control, and to not listen to everything they hear,” he said “There are a lot of rumors going on about our season.”

The Shamrocks hope to open their season in the new year, and have high expectations for themselves. Saint Patrick was named to The Chicago Sun Times Top Chicagoland Area top preseason teams, along with conference rival Notre Dame.