Upon further review and discussion, yes, it could happen.
The situation would require significant planning, many adjustments and setups, and look quite different, but high-school basketball games, as the Virginia governor asked in a recent press conference regarding sports and the pandemic, in a pinch, could be played outside.
The biggest issue would be the cold and wet winter weather, of course. Rain or snow certainly would force postponement of contests. With outdoor game temperatures in the 20s to 40s, players’ uniforms probably would be much more bulky, with at least sweatshirts and maybe jackets and sweatpants worn instead of the normal shorts and sleeveless jerseys. Hats and thin gloves also might be part of the attire. The extra clothing would limit movement and effect shooting.
For night games, lights are needed. Most outdoor courts on school grounds aren’t lit, although portable lights could be installed.
Some kind of portable scoreboards and clocks would have to be set up, and a scorers’ table would have to be located somewhere. Many outdoor courts don’t have proper lines – like three-point arches or foul and out-of-bounds lines – or they are badly faded. Upgrading would be necessary.
Many outdoor rims (often bent and loose) and nets (ragged and torn) are often in shoddy shape. They would need fixing.
Outdoor courts are much harder asphalt or concrete surfaces, not the more forgiving wooden of those indoors. That would change the play a bit, with players likely not diving on an outside court for loose balls to avoid the nasty scrapes and bruises that certainly would result.
Chairs or benches might need to be added, or all team members could just stand the entire game.
Outside high-school games most probably won’t occur. But they sure would be interesting to watch.
