Here we go ... Coach K has started the conversation

[muskieman]

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is questioning the NCAA's leadership and its decision to move forward with the college basketball season. His comments came after his team lost to Illinois 83-68. He said: "I would just like for the safety, the mental health and the physical health of our players and staff, to assess where we're at," ... "You have people saying that the next six weeks are going to be the worst. To me, it's already pretty bad."

[olsingledigit]

The heck with him. Maybe he should just quit losing.

[muskieman]

He said it was not about the loss. Then again he had a bad back the year he n=knew he did not have a decent team.

[tacitus]

Just looking at the percentage of NCAA football games that were postponed or canceled, expect major disruptions to the the NCAA basketball season going forward.

The biggest advantage that basketball has is that there are fewer players and they are more tight nit than the football teams. There are so many walk-ons and practice team members in football, and so many of them all over campus, that even the most sophisticated contract tracing is not going to prevent the spread to a critical number of players, but only tell you when it is time to shut the whole team down...

Another advantage that basketball has is that they play so many games that they can afford to miss a couple and/or can find slots to reschedule a few, if needed.

However, the big disadvantage is that if one or two players catch it, next thing you know half the team and coaching staff have it. Many basketball teams have their own separate housing and spend all day, every day together. While we think of football as being more of a contact sport, in basketball you touch other players much more often and are in much closer proximity to the other players throughout practices and games. Also, as we have seen, all it takes is two or three players to be out with the virus, and your roster can be significantly diminished.

Finally, the anticipated coronavirus season will be peaking during the conference seasons. I expect many postponements/cancellations. I also do not expect a tournament with 68 teams. Conference tournaments may also be shortened.

There is still a good chance that the whole season will come to an abrupt end like last year at some point.

A lot needs to go right, especially with the vaccines. But given recent news about the rollout of the vaccines (at least on the political side), I do not think there will be a big enough supply or that distribution will be efficient enough to bank on mass vaccination saving the college basketball season.

[X-Expert]

I'm sure he's not telling parents that he's recruiting that his team would stop playing if there was a pandemic. They were one of the first teams to shut it down last year and say they were not playing in the tourney. He can always stop now too if he likes. He can use this time to unravel the zion williamson situation and find out who paid him.

[kyzrex]

I’m all for keeping the players and staff safe, but I wonder if he has asked the players what THEY want to do?

All the data we have tells us that the majority of the age groups involved in playing the games are the least likely to have serious complications or worse. But coach K is truthfully an OLD Man. HE needs to be concerned for his OWN health. Therefore, I suggest that HE go quarantine himself for the next 4 months and turn the team over to someone younger and in less danger.

Seriously, I’m almost 65 now and have told some HS coaches that wanted me to help out that I wasn’t going to chance being around them, at least not until after the holidays. I don’t want to take a chance on spreading the virus to other family members. So I am being cautious right now and am keeping my outside contacts limited. But I’m not telling those coaches to shut down because I don’t think it’s safe for ME. And I don’t think that I’m in any position to tell them it’s not safe for THEM, either. That’s THEIR decision. Let each individual player and coach decide what is best for themselves and/or let each conference make their own decisions.

[tacitus]

I’m all for keeping the players and staff safe, but I wonder if he has asked the players what THEY want to do?

All the data we have tells us that the majority of the age groups involved in playing the games are the least likely to have serious complications or worse. But coach K is truthfully an OLD Man. HE needs to be concerned for his OWN health. Therefore, I suggest that HE go quarantine himself for the next 4 months and turn the team over to someone younger and in less danger.

Seriously, I’m almost 65 now and have told some HS coaches that wanted me to help out that I wasn’t going to chance being around them, at least not until after the holidays. I don’t want to take a chance on spreading the virus to other family members. So I am being cautious right now and am keeping my outside contacts limited. But I’m not telling those coaches to shut down because I don’t think it’s safe for ME. And I don’t think that I’m in any position to tell them it’s not safe for THEM, either. That’s THEIR decision. Let each individual player and coach decide what is best for themselves and/or let each conference make their own decisions.

Your sense of personal responsibility and your respect for the wishes of others is admirable. However, from both a public health perspective and a legal perspective (and dare I say, from an ethical perspective), it is not about YOU or THEM, per se. It is about EVERYONE.

[kyzrex]

I’m all for keeping the players and staff safe, but I wonder if he has asked the players what THEY want to do?

All the data we have tells us that the majority of the age groups involved in playing the games are the least likely to have serious complications or worse. But coach K is truthfully an OLD Man. HE needs to be concerned for his OWN health. Therefore, I suggest that HE go quarantine himself for the next 4 months and turn the team over to someone younger and in less danger.

Seriously, I’m almost 65 now and have told some HS coaches that wanted me to help out that I wasn’t going to chance being around them, at least not until after the holidays. I don’t want to take a chance on spreading the virus to other family members. So I am being cautious right now and am keeping my outside contacts limited. But I’m not telling those coaches to shut down because I don’t think it’s safe for ME. And I don’t think that I’m in any position to tell them it’s not safe for THEM, either. That’s THEIR decision. Let each individual player and coach decide what is best for themselves and/or let each conference make their own decisions.

Your sense of personal responsibility and your respect for the wishes of others is admirable. However, from both a public health perspective and a legal perspective (and dare I say, from an ethical perspective), it is not about YOU or THEM, per se. It is about EVERYONE.

My point is that coach K is certainly welcome to his own opinion, but it’s just that..his OWN opinion. And in MY opinion he should do what HE feels is right for himself and HIS team, and let other coaches do the same for THEIR teams. There are a lot of coaches all across the country that feel the same way.

EDIT: LO and BEHOLD! Duke has cancelled the rest of their OOC schedule...AFTER they play a high profile TV game with Norte Dame on the 16th.....which effects 3 games against low level teams that they would have had to pay.

This will allow the players to go HOME for 5-6 days and spend time with their families. (Which is really safe for all involved, right?)

[olsingledigit]

Norte Dame is a conference game. They are in the ACC for basketball (and football too for this year).

[olsingledigit]

Miles had COVID a couple of months ago.