They’re out
Playing in Orlando event would’ve forced 14-day quarantine
Siena College’s men’s basketball team officially drops out of tournament because of COVID -19 quarantine restrictions./
Much of the Siena men's basketball team already quarantined for 14 days under New York guidelines when players arrived on campus for the start of the semester in August.
It's not practical for the Saints to do it again when the college basketball season finally begins in November.
As expected, Siena officially dropped out of the Orlando Invitational scheduled for Nov. 26 to 29 because Florida is on New York's COVID -19 travel advisory list, which would require the Saints to self-quarantine for two weeks after returning to campus.
Siena notified ESPN, which televises the eight-team tournament at Walt Disney World Resort, of its withdrawal within the past few days.
“Obviously, our student-athletes’ safety and we obviously don’t want to fly on a commercial flight,” Siena head coach Carmen Maciariello said. “We don't want to have to quarantine for 14 days and come back and kind of start over again with conditioning our guys. You're not even able to practice if you quarantine for 14 days.”
Maciariello pointed out the quarantine would have run right into the Saints' first two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games at Rider on Dec. 8 and at home against Saint Peter's on Dec. 11.
“Just didn't make sense for us to do it and you're missing conference games when you get back with the MAAC starting Dec. 8,” Maciariello said.
Florida is one of 33 states currently on New York's list, which is based upon a seven-day rolling average of positive tests in excess of 10 percent, or number of positive cases exceeding 10 per 100,000 residents. Florida's current rolling average is 10.7 percent, according to Johns Hopkins.
It's hard to predict where the numbers will be come Thanksgiving, and Siena had to make other scheduling arrangements.
Defending MAAC regularseason champion Siena was in an Orlando field that also includes Auburn, Belmont, Boise State, Gonzaga, Michigan State, St. Louis and Xavier. It would have been the Saints' third time in the event, following appearances in 2008 and 2013. The MAAC, which sponsors the tournament, always has a representative in the event.
MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor said Siena won't necessari
ly be pushed back into next year's Orlando Invitational bracket because there's another team in the league that is working on contracting the 2021 event. The Saints might appear in it in 2022.
“I mean, our guys would have loved to play those opponents and have a shot at playing some of the best programs in the country,” Maciariello said. “You had Gonzaga in there and Michigan State, obviously. We played Xavier last year, but they were back in it. But you've got to move on and we're actively looking at our nonconference schedule right now, and when it’s all said and done, being safe and being able to play the conference season is the most important. So we're in a good spot. Guys are working toward hopefully a Nov. 25 game that can work. If not, it will be shortly thereafter.”
Nov. 25 is opening night for college basketball.
Maciariello said the Saints might play that day in a bubble event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The Saints are looking to play two or three games there in a multiteam event to replace Orlando. Maciariello said the Saints would like to face a high-major opponent at Mohegan Sun.
“I'm sure there will be a bunch of regional schools in there playing in different pods, per se, in differ
ent (mutli-team events),” he said.
As for facing a highmajor foe at Mohegan Sun, Maciariello said, “I think that's how you look at it and test yourself against the best and what this ballclub wants to do. That's what we're shooting for, but not sure what's going to happen.”