Basketball Season VS. COVID
- Kasiyahna Kushkituah
- Oct 26, 2020
- 3 min read
This year Basketball season looks different for all NCAA student athletes. The NCAA released the date of November 25th for the Men and Women Basketball College Athletes for the 2020-21 basketball season, which was postponed because of COVID-19. The NCAA committee is continuing their planning throughout the year and has made it as far as having a Division tournament, Final Four and Championship basketball game. The two biggest reasons why the NCAA committee was able to make the decision to move the start of the season to November 25th was because of the consistent COVID-19 testing and 75% of the Division I institutions will be done or moved to online courses by exam date. There are recommendations still in place, such as a four-game minimum for non-conference games, which would include a “cross-pollination.” This would eventually help the committee make decisions during the NCAA Tournament selections and comparing teams. It is important to the NCAA to make sure all student-athletes are physically and mentally ready for the upcoming season.
An article, “College basketball: Schedule, latest COVID-19 news for the 2020-21 season”was very timely and important because it provides as response to several questions many people have been asking, such as are we able to attend the games? Will I be able to meet the players? What’s the schedule for NCAA Basketball?
I asked a poll question to the majority of the Lady Vol and all College basketball audience of “What will they miss the most due to COVID-19?” with answers including: Attending Games, In-person autographs, Student Section, Give-Aways, or as one response mentioned, “The roar of Thompson Boiling Arena.”
It is important to provide clarity and understand the precautions and safety measures that are taking place for all teams. The NCAA highlights that safety is their priority. Due to COVID-19, Basketball teams who would have participated in the 2019-2020 NCAA tournament season were not able to play any games and had to end their season early.
Myself and my Lady Vols teammates were one of those teams, which was devastating to hear but understandable. Several teams, especially including Senior players, ended their season without knowing that was the last game they would play. Not only did season end, but student-athletes had to stop all post season workouts and report back home. Post-season and Summer workouts were limited so it will be interesting to see what teams are still able to maintain their team chemistry on the court going into this season. The goal is to complete an entire season with a NCAA DI Championship game, which myself and the Lady Vols are seeking to win another DI Championship trophy.
In order to achieve our goals of winning a championship and the fight against COVID, we are currently taking a lot of safety measures. Currently we are getting our COVID testing done once a week, and officially once the season starts we will begin to get it 3 times a week which is NCAA rules. As a current Lady Vol we have our own policy that we are doing everyday, such as wearing masks whenever in public areas, team events and weight training. During practice we wear masks and gators whenever we are near each other and not in action. Coaches, managers and practice players wear their masks during the duration of practice. We get our temperature checked everyday and additionally, we fill out a “Women’s Basketball Daily COVID Health Screen” before entering the building that consist of questions such as:
Since your last daily check-in, have you had any of the symptoms listed above?
Cough, fever, difficulty breathing, chills, unexplained muscle pain/body aches, headache, sore throat, fatigue, new loss of taste/smell, nausea, diarrhea, none of the above
Have you come in contact with someone known or suspected to have COVID-19 in the last 14 days?
Have you been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 10 days?
Have you recently been tested for COVID-19 by anyone other than UT Team Physician?
Have you traveled recently (air travel OR away from Knoxville)?
We are taking all the safety preoccupations that we can during this time.
Questions for you'll to think about:
- Do you plan on attending any Lady Vol Basketball Games while following the guidelines and procedures of COVID-19?
- What are your opinions of what Basketball Season will look like next year for student athletes?
- Do you think the Lady Vols will win another championship this year while they battle their fight against COVID-19?
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