Amid an unimaginable pandemic, Desert Vista’s hopes of defending its 6A state championship came to an abrupt end. Or so they thought.

In January, the AIA executive board voted to postpone the 2020-21 basketball season due to growing concerns regarding COVID-19. Many players began to question their futures within the sport. What would they do now?

They’d play ball. Luckily for juniors Tayan Thompson and Andrew King, the AIA board reversed their decision, voting 5-4 to continue forward with the season. King described the emotions he felt after the updated decision.

“We were all relieved. I was truly grateful,” King said. 

The show was back on, but AIA’s decision did not come without a few new protocols to protect against the spread of the deadly virus.

In addition to disallowing fans to attend games (outside of family), the AIA required players to wear masks at all times throughout games. These new guidelines undoubtedly create a different atmosphere for the players, but the reigning champions were focused on one thing: playing basketball.

“I didn’t care if we had to play with a mask, or if there were no fans, I just wanted to play,” Thompson explained. 

Some players across the state decided to sit the season out despite the reversed decision. For Thompson, the thought didn’t even cross his mind.

“If we got a chance [to play], we were going to play,” Thompson stated. 

Unfortunately for Thompson and the Thunder, many players, along with their long tenured head coach, elected to transfer to prep schools due to the uncertainty surrounding AIA’s season. Junior guard DaSean Lecque, a leading scorer for the Thunder, transferred to Hillcrest Prep, leaving a large hole to be filled in the Thunder’s offense.

“We almost had our full roster [from last year] before COVID. It split up the team,” Thompson said. “Most of the people on our team now played JV last year.”

First-year head coach Jordan Ballard preaches a “one day at a time” mentality to his squad, and commends the players for the sense of community they have created as a team.

“I’m very fond of them, and they are fond of each other. They love this team, they play for each other, and I think the main thing for us is just being together,” Ballard said. 

Ballard called it “a blessing” to be given the opportunity to continue playing the game they love, and relays this message to his players constantly.

“I remind them to cherish every moment, that we don’t have much time left together with this group, and that we have to make the most of it,” Ballard said.

COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, and the Thunder must continue to hurdle obstacles presented by the virus, and get back to playing at the high level they are accustomed to. 

“We’re just hoping that it goes back to normal one day, and until then we’ll continue to play basketball,” Thompson stated.