ETTRICK, VA- After thorough consideration and the continuous spike in COVID-19 cases across the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation, the Virginia State University Department of Athletics announced last week that has chosen to opt out of the 2020- 2021 basketball season.
“This was a difficult decision, however the VSU Athletics Administration has been consistent in our messaging; the student-athletes, coaches and staff continues to be our top priority,” said Associate VP for Intercollegiate Athletics Peggy Davis. “Their health, safety, and well-being are non-negotiable.”
“It is not a safe situation for our student-athletes and staff to be put in harm’s way,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach James Hill, Jr. “The uncertainty and wide spread of Covid-19, along with the high-risk of conditioning injury, makes opting out the right decision.”
The VSU men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes were projected to return to campus on December 1 to undergo Covid-19 testing and sports medicine education sessions prior to taking to the court for practice. VSU and all CIAA members except the Lincoln (Pa.) men decided not to play non-conference basketball games.
The Trojans and other conference members were to compete in a modified schedule that featured a 16-game CIAA schedule, including ten divisional and six cross-divisional contests.
Those games are set to begin on Jan. 9. So far, VSU is the only program to pull out.
“It’s extremely tough because we were anticipating the season,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Lonnie Blow, Jr. “We understand the severity of the pandemic, so the safety of our guys comes first.”
In choosing to opt out of basketball, VSU is joining a growing list of HBCU athletics programs and conferences cancelling all or parts of its activities or making major changes to them because of the constantly spreading pandemic.
MEAC members BethuneCookman University and the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore have shut down their entire athletics programs for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
Florida A&M University has opted out of spring football, indoor track and field, volleyball and women’s basketball.
Hampton University, now in the Big South Conference, decided it will not compete in any athletics in the spring including football, track and field and 11 other sponsored sports.
There will be no CIAA football or cross country in the spring. The SIAC also cancelled spring football and volleyball.
As many as 11 games each involving MEAC and SWAC men’s and women’s basketball teams have been cancelled thus far with schedules being altered on a daily and weekly basis.
Practice schedules as well are being drastically altered as teams receive results of COVID-19 tests.
VSU Athletics will continue to monitor the COVID-19 landscape, while following current federal, state, local, NCAA, and campus guidelines, to ensure that the safest practices and procedures are followed.