{"id":190387,"date":"2020-10-16T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nothingbutnylon.com\/?p=190387"},"modified":"2021-09-14T22:32:01","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T02:32:01","slug":"chicago-hoops-express-jerald-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nothingbutnylon.com\/chicago-hoops-express-jerald-davis\/","title":{"rendered":"How Chicago Hoops Express Navigated the Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In early August, Chicago Hoops Express (CHE) was one of two programs in its area to have stayed out of the gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A combination of coronavirus and circumstance kept the club off the court, said CHE Program Director Jerald Davis<\/a>. Beyond the obvious threat of COVID-19, all CHE coaches are married with families and some have close connections to relatives with pre-existing conditions, adding to the complexity of the situation, he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had to make a decision, and that decision impacted many of the kids\u2019 potential college dreams,\u201d Davis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic had made operating a basketball program much harder. Fortunately for Davis, he had a number of helpful parents among his ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One parent, a lawyer, provided Davis with information on potential legal ramifications. Other parents, first responders, gave stories of what they were seeing. Another parent, an internal medicine doctor, sent an email in April detailing the effect the virus was having in her sphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other factors affected CHE\u2019s decision. The spouse of a former Chicago Hoops Express coach passed away after contracting the coronavirus, and another former coach was hospitalized for three months and had to relearned how to walk, Davis said, perhaps only saved by being young and in shape. Davis watched as his daughter had her exchange to Brazil through the Filbright Program cancelled, and he saw how his step daughter, a Division-I basketball player, was impacted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Jerald Davis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the start of the pandemic, it was difficult for Davis to grapple with the situation. As program director, it was his decision to open or close the program. But with what unfolded around him, he realized his surroundings were making a collective choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything around our situation said, \u2018Step back, don\u2019t do this,\u2019\u201d Davis said. \u201c(My assistant coaches) got me by when I was feeling like I had to make this decision for all these individuals.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In choosing to stay off the court, Chicago Hoops Express refunded $20,000 in fees, Davis said, in part to clear any possible misconceptions of a financial motivation. A zoom call was held with each family and the decision was talked through, with an option provided: if the family wanted to move on from Chicago Hoops Express, the program promised no ill will and help finding a new team that fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one took C<\/a>hicago Hoops Express up on the offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have not had any defections, and we have not had any parents who have come to us and given us any sense of pressure to have to play in tournaments,\u201d Davis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A unified front makes dealing with these uncertain times more tolerable, but it doesn\u2019t solve the issue. Navigating a pandemic is never simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than meet in the gym, Chicago Hoops Express held conditioning workout at a park with everyone maintain their distance. It helped keep the kids in shape and focused on something positive and productive, but it couldn\u2019t replace gym time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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