Wright’s positive COVID-19 test creates havoc
A little over a week ago, Villanova postponed its scheduled Dec. 30 Big East game against St. John’s for reasons that did not appear related to COVID-19.
Villanova coach Jay Wright explained to reporters that he felt his team needed a break around the Christmas holiday. St. John’s coach Mike Anderson concurred, and the game was rescheduled.
But as Big East commissioner Val Ackerman explained in a Hearst Connecticut Media podcast last week, the postponement of that game actually was COVID-19 related. Big East teams had reconsidered the league’s original plan to let their studentathletes go home for Christmas, due to a 10-day return-to-play quarantine the teams would have to undergo upon their return.
Some programs still elected to have their players go home. Others, like Villanova, decided to allow families to visit players on campus on and around Christmas. UConn was slated to do the same. In fact, according to UConn coach Dan Hurley, DePaul wouldn’t play the Huskies in their slated Dec. 30 game if the team had allowed its players to return home.
That change of plans still came with requirements for quarantine time tacked on the end of it, according to Ackerman. Coupled with St. John’s holiday plans, Villanova and St. John’s mutually decided to postpone their Dec. 30 game.
A week ago, Ackerman believed that the five-game Jan. 2 slate should be good to go.
Then, Wright announced on Sunday that he and a member of his staff have tested positive for COVID-19. The fifth-ranked Wildcats program is now on pause, its slated Jan. 2 bout with Xavier postponed.
Incidentally, Villanova isn’t scheduled to play UConn until Jan. 15. It would appear that game wouldn’t have to be postponed at this point. But in this unprecedented 2020-21 season, there is really no certainty about any future game.
“This is the fluid environment that we’re operating in,” Ackerman said, “and we hope to continue to react as competantly and constructively as we can as our
schools confront the circumstances in front of them.”
GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK!
Ackerman was the guest on a Hearst Connecticut Media podcast early Tuesday afternoon. A few hours later, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Ackerman would be on the Class of 2021 ballot, one of 13 firsttime nominees.
Ackerman was either sitting on the secret during the podcast or legitimately surprised shortly after it was over. Either way, she obviously wasn’t asked about it. However, Ackerman did expound upon a number of topics during the half-hour discussion, not the least of which was her delight in having UConn back in the Big East.
“I can’t really put in words how significant it is in the timeline of the league, how fitting it is to have them back, given their role at the start of the league, their participation as a charter member, their contributions to the many magical moments that the Big East has experienced over the last 41, 42 years now,” she said. “It couldn’t be a better fit, in our mind.”
“That said,” Ackerman continued, “they are a different kind of school than we have in the league, a large public school compared to a smaller, private school.”
That was a matter of concern to the league’s presidents. Ultimately, however, UConn made too much sense in a variety of ways — not the least of which was what the program could mean to the
league’s bottom line.
“We hope as a business matter, what they’ll do to fortify our hand, as we begin to think about our future television arrangements, most of all,” Ackerman said. “We just think it’s nothing but positive there. We’re thrilled to have them.”
UConn brings the Big East to 11 teams. Could the league further expand in the future? There is “literally nothing on the board right now,” per Ackerman, and frankly the league is comfortable at 11 as it allows double round-robin play (each team plays each other twice) throughout a normal regular season.
“But,” Ackerman added, “I don’t think anyone can rule out the possibility of further realignment in this environment of college sports.”
As for this season, Ackerman is hoping that the league can continue playing under the current “travel model,” where teams play true home and away games. The backup plan would be similar to play games in various “bubbles.” Mohegan Sun Arena and venues in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Indianapolis are currently the lead candidates.
The hope remains to host the men’s and women’s Big East championship tournaments at Madison Square Garden and Mohegan Sun Arena, respectively.
HALL PASS?
Ackerman joins a 2021 Hall of Fame ballot that also includes Paul Pierce, Chris Webber, Jay Wright, Bob Huggins, Michael Cooper and Chauncey Billups, among many others.
Nominees with either UConn or other local-oriented ties include Richard “Rip” Hamilton, who helped lead the Huskies to
their first national title in 1999 and later won an NBA title with Detroit in 2004; Swin Cash, who won a pair of NCAA women’s titles (2000, 2002) at UConn and also won three WNBA championships; Dee Rowe, who coached the UConn men for eight seasons after building Worcester Academy into a national prep powerhouse; and Jere Quinn, who has won over 1,000 games at St. Thomas More Prep in Oakdale.
Oh, and don’t forget Jim Valvano. “Jimmy V” (best known for coaching NC State to a miraculous NCAA title in 1983) served as an assistant coach at UConn from 1970-72.
THIS WEEK’S AP TOP 25 BALLOT
We “only” had seven teams from the Big Ten on this week’s ballot. It easily could have been nine or 10. Ohio State, Michigan and Purdue are all probably deserving, but we didn’t want to boot out teams that either didn’t lose or didn’t play this past week.
1. Gonzaga: Zags became first team ever to beat four ranked foes in their first seven games.
2. Baylor: Bears haven’t even played a ranked team yet.
3. Kansas: Have downed four ranked foes since season-opening loss to Gonzaga.
4. Wisconsin: There’s no “I” in team, and only one in D’Mitrk Trice’s first name.
5. Villanova: Wildcats’ coach has get voted into Hall of Fame this year, Wright?
6. Iowa: Luka Garza does not sleep with the fishes.
7. Houston: Texas-sized showdown at SMU on Sunday.
8. West Virginia: Bob Huggins back on the Hall of
Fame ballot? Hall of Famer? Probably.
9. Illinois: Is there a better 1-2 punch than Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn?
10. Texas: Showdown at Kansas on Saturday.
11. Tennessee: Show-Me showdown at Mizzou on Wednesday night.
12. Creighton: Marcus Zegarwoski hasn’t been himself so far this season.
13. Missouri: Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers have chance to beat third ranked foe on Wednesday night.
14. Florida State: Leonard Hamilton on Hall of Fame ballot for first time. Will probably have to wait a bit.
15. Michigan State:
Sparty’s off to an 0-2 Big Ten start.
16. Rutgers: Rutty blew a 16-point second-half lead in loss at Ohio State.
17. Texas Tech: Still the defending runners-up, for what that’s worth.
18. Northwestern:
Three straight wins over Michigan State, at Indiana, Ohio State. That’ll work.
19. Minnesota: Richard Pitino’s crew outscored Iowa on Christmas Day.
20. Saint Louis: With Richmond’s slip, the class of the A-10.
21. Virginia Tech: That win over Villanova still goes a long way.
22. BYU: Are Cougars last chance to derail Gonzaga’s undefeated season?
23. San Diego State: One of only two teams to beat Saint Mary’s by at least 25 points since 2001.
24. Western Kentucky: Luke Frampton came alive on win over Tennessee Tech.
25. SMU: We’ve been the Mustangs’ lone voter the past two weeks. Prove me right!