At least two individuals connected with ETSU’s men’s basketball program have tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in a team-wide, 14-day quarantine.
“As of right now, because we had a couple [positive tests], we are in quarantine as a team,” Bucs head coach Jason Shay confirmed on Thursday via Zoom interview with WJHL and the Johnson City Press. “It’s the protocol, and we’re making adjustments, [and] just moving forward.”
During this two-week quarantine period, no team practices may be conducted. Coach Shay confirmed that the team’s quarantine has already been underway for multiple days by the time of his interview Thursday.
“I’d rather have it happen in September than have it in December,” Shay said. “We’ve just got to work through it. … First and foremost is the safety and health of our players.”
Shay commended the hard work that the basketball team has been putting in on a regular basis, and he acknowledged that some rest for the players may be necessary.
“We got a good six-and-a-half weeks in of good work,” Shay said. “We would normally have a built in break between the end of summer school and the start of the fall semester. Right now, they probably need a little bit of a break, and we’ll just get back at it this coming week.”
The NCAA men’s college basketball season is currently set to begin Nov. 25, but there are still questions to be answered surrounding scheduling before then. The Bucs’ schedule has not yet been released due to the fact that they want to play the maximum number of games allowed to schedule this season, which is set at 27 games.
“We’re looking to see if we are going to be able to try and squeeze some games in possibly,” Shay said. “There’s not many opportunities because of the number of games from the 25th [of November] on moving forward.”
