Danes call off next game at Vermont
Ualbany in COVID-19 protocols, so contest at Catamounts postponed
The University at Albany men’s basketball team won’t be going to Vermont to open America East play on Sunday.
The game was postponed due to COVID -19 protocols within the Ualbany program, the team announced Friday night.
“It’s a little bit of shell shock for the guys that we’re back here,” Ualbany coach Dwayne Killings said. “I think we’re all just trying to figure out what the best way is to deal with the new reality of what we’re going through.”
Earlier this week, the Great Danes had to postpone a game against Bucknell. Their matchup against Binghamton at 7 p.m. Thursday at SEFCU Arena is still set to go forward.
Killings said the team will still practice with the personnel available and fill in the gaps however they can, including having coaches get on the floor.
They’re trying, he said, to “be creative about how we can improve.” America East policy requires that teams play if they have at least eight players and a coach available, though teams can play with fewer athletes at their discretion.
If games need to be postponed, the schools have three days to agree on a new day and time. Otherwise, the America East steps in. If the conference also finds that rescheduling isn’t possible, the game is ruled a “no-contest.”
“Every effort will be made to reschedule postponed games,” a Ualbany release announcing the schedule change stated — the same language used Thursday to announce that the women’s program was postponing the start to its conference slate.
The Siena men’s and women’s teams have also been dealing with COVID -19 issues.
Killings said he was especially sympathetic to the players who returned for their extra year of eligibility, hoping that this season would be normal, only to have it upended by COVID -19 once again.