World News – African Union – Beteno calls to start « May Madness » at a later time

As college basketball officials struggle to put together a plan for the season, one of the sport’s most influential voices is calling for a new start date to « save the season » and postpone the NCAA tournament.

Rick Pettino, who took over as Iona club earlier this year, tweeted Saturday that college basketball should create « May Madness » and move November.. 25 start of the season to accommodate the many delays and challenges that many teams have faced amid COVID-19.

Save the season. Move the start back. Play the league table and enjoy May Madness. Escalation and protocols make it impossible to play now.

Pitino has also called for all non-conference games to be canceled in favor of the league roster only.

A prominent coach recently told ESPN that the current state of college basketball is « frightening. ». Another coach in a league that is not in the Big Five said he thought it was « impossible » to play the league.

Many programs have already been sidelined by the 14-day quarantine recommended by the NCAA after testing positive for a player, coach, or employee (first-level participants, according to the guidelines). Iona is currently out of action for two weeks after testing positive.

With the season starting in less than two weeks, dozens of schools have not released their schedules for the 2020-21 season. On Thursday, the Ivy League canceled all winter sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, amid the ongoing pandemic..

NCAA guidelines strongly encourage schools to test three times per week on non-consecutive days during the season. The NCAA also recommends a two-week quarantine for positive tests. These guidelines sometimes compete with local and state regulations.

At the American Athletic Conference, teams will test three times a week, but Temple must test their players seven days in a row before competing under local rules in Philadelphia.

A coach from outside Michigan’s Division One, where state officials described the sport as « high risk », said his league is preparing to compete with players wearing masks during matches..

Both New Mexico and New Mexico may have to transfer teams this season due to state competition regulations.

At UC Irvine, only six players were allowed to train, each with their own collar and basketball, for much of the pre-season.

Teams cannot play a road match in Hawaii unless they have taken a negative test at least 72 hours before entering the island.

Ohio recently pulled out of Crossover Classic in South Dakota due to state guidelines for 14-day quarantine for teams traveling to states with severe COVID-19 cases.

According to new ACC guidelines, any athlete who leaves campus for more than three days must quarantine 24 hours before returning to training or competition.

Then there’s contact tracing, which is the most complex and potentially disruptive component of college basketball.

“Effective contact tracing is critical in breaking the chain of transmission and limiting the spread of infection to infectious diseases such as COVID-19,” according to NCAA guidelines. «  However, there is no federal oversight of contact tracing software, and the number of contact tracers in this country is currently insufficient to effectively manage disease spread between individuals and groups of people at high risk of contact.. As a result, athletics departments, in consultation with corporate leadership, should consider assessing the availability and accessibility of local contact tracing resources..

In September, Dan Javitt, NCAA vice president for men’s basketball, conveyed the sport’s need for flexibility.. The November announcement said. 25 The start was smooth but she added the « preference » is to host the NCAA Championship in its traditional venue in March and April..

However, after a source told ESPN this week that the NCAA might have more flexibility with the NCAA tournament, a spokesperson replied that the game’s power brokers continue to explore their options..

David Worlock said: « Nothing has changed regarding the committee’s ongoing study of various contingency plans. ».

Rick Pettino, college basketball, men’s basketball Eona Giles, NCAA Division I basketball tournament for men, National Athletics Association, Head Coach