Bad news for fans of Illinois high school basketball and wrestling. Both of those sports have been put on hold as a result of new COVID-19 Winter Sports Guidelines released Tuesday by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Both were elevated from medium risk to high risk. Health and disease experts say that is because the chances of disease transmissions in those sports held indoors and at close quarters is too high. The IDPH stressed that as with fall sports, nothing has been officially cancelled just paused during the ongoing pandemic. Boys and girls basketball practices were to start on Monday November 16th and games on Monday November 30th. There is now no target date for beginning either. Competitive games can not be played until the state reaches Level 3 of the new guidelines. High risk sports are currently at Level 1. The IHSA is still scheduled to hold a special board meeting Wednesday to provide direction on other winter sports and discuss the sports schedule for the remainder of 2020-21. The organization did issue a written statement after the new guidelines were released expressing disappointment in the decision and the apparent denial of multiple options presented to the IDPH last week to safely conduct basketball at IHSA schools this winter.