Mullen gets taste of humble Gator pie
You know what it means, don’t you, that after Florida coach Dan
Mullen bumptiously declared he wanted 90,000 in the stands for the Gators’ home game versus LSU, several members of his program tested positive for COVID and the game was postponed until December. It means that COVID loves a challenge.
Sarcasm ahead: Now that Alabama’s Nick Saban has tested positive for the coronavirus, we have another example of how well the SEC has this problem under control.
Instant analysis: On Sunday, Alex Smith looked pretty much like the same quarterback he was before frightfully fracturing his leg two years ago. There are, of course, two ways to take that.
Sunday hunch: Chances are very good that one team will win the titanic clash between the Giants and Washington. But it’s hard to see how.
Wishing: It’s a terrible thing the NFL did canceling the Pro Bowl game for this season. The league should get rid of it forever.
Your MVP: Not every
had COVID hit home. In May, assistant coach and former NBA star Bryant Stith contracted the disease and stopped just short of being put on a ventilator before he started to rebound.
ODU’s players said after Stith’s recovery that his illness made the virus seem real.
“If he got it, I believe anybody can get it,” senior guard Xavier Green said.
Jones said his players, to a man, are going to great lengths to keep themselves safe in order to keep their season on track. Their social lives have taken a hit in the name of keeping the roster intact.
C-USA reportedly has voted to approve a league schedule that will include two games against the same team each Thursday and Saturday. That would give teams an opportunity to pick up a pair of conference wins in a matter of three days — if they are able to stay at or near full strength.
It’s why the Monarchs are being vigilant.
“They talk about it,” Jones said. “If they’re going to kind of make decisions and not be social and not go out and not put them in bad situations, then they expect that all 13 of them make those same decisions. It’s not good enough just to have 10 or 11 or 12 of those guys, because all it takes is one.”
In perhaps equally important health news, Jones said junior guard Jason Wade, who went down with a knee injury after 20 games last season, was back at full speed as ODU went through workouts this week.
Jones said Wade, a 6foot-5 Richmond native who averaged 10.9 points per game as a sophomore before his injury, was the Monarchs’ best player at the time of his injury.
“He looks good,” Jones said. “He doesn’t look100% in terms of being basketball-ready, but he was still flying around the court. Still one of our best players; he’s just got to shake some rust off from an offensive standpoint.”
Bryant Stith contracted the disease and stopped just short of being put on a ventilator before he started to rebound.