It looks like the state’s winter sports season has been pushed back again by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and River Rouge boys basketball coach Lamonta Stone is upset with the news.

The governor and state health department announced winter contact sports — including girls and boys basketball, competitive cheer, ice hockey and wrestling — must remain non-contact through Feb. 21, said MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl in a statement. The previous emergency order was set to expire at the end of January, which would have allowed those sports to start Feb. 1.

Lamonta Stone

“We found out about this decision at 9:30 a.m. like everyone else,” Uyl said, “and we will address it as quickly as possible after taking the weekend to collect more information. We did not anticipate this delay in winter contact practices and competition, and today’s announcement has created many new questions.

“Obviously, this is disappointing to thousands of athletes who have been training with their teams over the last week and watching teams in other states around Michigan play for the last two months.”