Governor Announces WV Winter Sports Can Begin Practice in February

West Virginia governor Jim Justice announced during Monday’s press briefing that Mountain State high school winter sports will be allowed to open practice on Feb. 14, with games slated to begin on March 3.

Players must still have the mandatory 14 practices completed before playing in a game, and the state COVID metrics map — infamous for its role in the 2020 West Virginia high school football season — will again be in play for winter sports.

High school basketball is returning in #WV. Governor Jim Justice announced today that games can begin March 3, and practices can begin Feb. 15, for counties back in school in person. Teams will still need to do 14 practices to be able to take the court. #wvprepbb #wvgirlsbb

— Basketball Friday Night in West Virginia (@Hoops_Roundup) January 11, 2021

Justice previously pushed the start of the season from last fall into January before a second change moved everything to March. Now, with Monday’s announcement, high schools can begin practice for wrestling, swimming and basketball on Valentine’s Day.