Nevada: Sports suspended indefinitely due to coronavirus pandemic

Schools closed until April 6, but NIAA hopeful to complete regional and state tournaments; Eight state champions crowned; Bishop Gorman ties national record.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Mitch Stephens
Video: Bishop Gorman boys basketball highlights
Watch the Gaels win their national-record ninth straight Nevada title.

Like the rest of the country, spring sports are put on hold for now in Nevada due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Per the latest release from the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association:

This past weekend, schools were closed by order of the Governor until at least April 6, 2020.

Sports will not resume for practice or play prior to schools coming back into session. The staff at the NIAA has been working on contingency plans for the possibility of abbreviated seasons and for region and state tournaments.

These plans are taking into account various numbers of days and weeks that may be available for competition should schools come back into session and schools be allowed to compete.

Depending on the number of days/weeks available for competition, it is anticipated in team sports(baseball, boys volleyball and softball) that schools will be divided within their classification into pools of 3-5 schools with play among those schools used to aid in seeding a Region Tournament at least to the point of being able to separate better teams in the Region Bracket.

Depending on the time available for play, pool play could eliminate teams from the tournament. For the individual sports of swimming & diving and track & field, entry directly in to the region meet for a maximum number of entries per event per school would make up the region Meet.

For boys golf, each school will be allowed to enter a team of six golfers in the Region Tournament.

It is anticipated at this time that competition will not go beyond the dismissal of school for the current school year whenever that may occur. A lack of days/weeks to complete competition could result in competition through a region tournament only.

It is the hope of NIAA staff that all tournaments will be able to be held. We have currently scheduled sites for nearly all of the region and state Tournaments.

STATE CHAMPIONS: Unlike most states, Nevada was able to get its state basketball championships in.

Boys champions crowned were Bishop Gorman (4A), Churchill County (3A), West Wendover (2A) and Mineral County (1A). 

Girls champions crowned were Centennial (4A), Truckee (3A), Incline (2A) and Virginia City (1A).

See complete basketball brackets here: BOYS | GIRLS

NATIONAL RECORD: With its dominating 4A crown, Bishop Gorman's boys matched the national record of nine consecutive state titles of now defunct St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) from 1983 to 1991.

Seniors Noah Taitz (Stanford) and Mwani Wilkinson (LSU) are headed to Division I programs while junior guards Zaon Collins and Will McClendon (UCLA commit) are both Top 100 prospects in the Class of 2021.

Gorman's run of championships in the Silver State began in 2012. The Gaels also went back-to-back in 2009 and 2010, giving them 11 of the last 12 big school titles in Nevada, 14 in the 2000s and 22 overall dating back to 1962.
Noah Taitz, Bishop Gorman
File photo by Steven Ryan
Noah Taitz, Bishop Gorman