It’s the most wonderful time, of the year – *

What I should be writing about this week is the upsets, predicted wins and eventual champion that was crowned this past Sunday after the championship game of this 2020 KHSAA Girls’ State Basketball Tournament-the Sweet 16.

Then, I should have been writing about the 16 teams in the boys’ division that were already heading to Lexington and Rupp Arena to play in this week’s “Greatest Show in Hoops”, the Boys Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament.

Shortly after writing this week’s column, I should have been putting this week’s issue to bed, throwing a suitcase or two into the back of the big blue Excursion, and heading myself to Rupp Arena to enjoy the rest of the week in what has been an annual tradition since Coach Lindle Castle took me and the rest of his senior players to our first Sweet 16 back in 1976 – yes, the year that Edmonson County won it all as a champion of the 4th Region – I remember it well.

Then, along comes a virus, and everything changes.

So, for the health and benefit of our student athletes and the general public, it’s only fair to say that the canceling of the post-season tournaments was the right thing to do, but that doesn’t make it any easier to take – not in the least.

No girls’ champion. No boys’ champion. No conference tournaments. No selection Sunday. No brackets to work on. No pools. No watching first round NCAA games inbetween games at Rupp Arena. No … the list goes on and on.

What we have – both on the high school level and on the college level, is a season that will forever be remembered as the season that never actually came to an end.

Basketball – 2020 – the year of the asterisk (*).

In the meantime – no sport at all stinks!