Utah had nine players test positive, but everyone available for Thursday basketball opener vs. Washington
The NCAA is suggesting, but not mandating a 14-day shutdown for basketball programs when a player, coach, or other essential personnel tests positive for COVID-19.
So, when the University of Utah men?s basketball team began dealing with a virus outbreak earlier this month, head coach Larry Krystkowiak, athletic director Mark Harlan and medical personnel had a decision to make.
Everyone filled out an extensive survey, contact tracing began, and it was determined that the positive tests came from six players living in one house and three in another, not from a practice setting.
Had the outbreak been traced back to a practice setting, a 14-day shutdown may have been more likely. Instead, those affected were quarantined, and everyone else continued forward in a limited fashion.
?A decision could be made to allow those that weren?t in those homes to continue doing their job,? said Krystkowiak, who himself contracted COVID-19 and showed symptoms, but was well enough to exit a 10-day quarantine on Friday. ?We had guys living independently at home and in the dorms, so I think that?s probably what separated us, our ability to prove that it?s pretty obvious in our minds that our infections either took place in those cars heading back to the houses or while they were at the houses. Through some of that data, I think it was evident that that was the case.?
Utah has emerged from its COVID-19 outbreak, with full practice having started back up on Friday ahead of the Utes? Thursday-afternoon opener vs. Washington (4 p.m., Pac-12 Networks). Sophomore point guard Rylan Jones told reporters earlier Thursday that everyone has been available for practice.
Krystkowiak took that a step further by saying he expects to have everyone available Thursday for the Huskies, who are 0-2 following a listless neutral-court loss to UC Riverside on Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas. The Utes had a clean sheet after testing on Tuesday. They will test Wednesday morning, then again Thursday morning before being allowed to take the floor.
?Those guys went and quarantined for 10 days, didn?t do anything,? said Jones, a productive 28-game starter for Krystkowiak last season as a freshman. ?Some of us were still able to be here, work out and then we came back to practice last Monday, I believe. We had almost everybody back and we just did a lot of skill, trying to get people back in shape. We started building it up Tuesday and Wednesday, just trying to get back in shape.?
Jones and Krystkowiak were both realistic Tuesday that, given the virus outbreak and the lack of practice time, Utah will not be in peak shape in time to play an opponent, let alone a conference opponent that will have already played twice.
The answer to that problem is, Krystkowiak is likely to go to a long bench, or at least longer than he might normally. The Utes are returning seven players from a year ago who played at least 15.2 minutes per game.
Jones and Krystkowiak were both realistic Tuesday that, given the virus outbreak and the lack of practice time, Utah will not be in peak shape in time to play an opponent, let alone a conference opponent that will have already played twice.
The answer to that problem is, Krystkowiak is likely to go to a long bench, or at least longer than he might normally. The Utes are returning seven players from a year ago who played at least 15.2 minutes per game.
The NCAA is suggesting, but not mandating a 14-day shutdown for basketball programs when a player, coach, or other essential personnel tests positive for COVID-19.
So, when the University of Utah men?s basketball team began dealing with a virus outbreak earlier this month, head coach Larry Krystkowiak, athletic director Mark Harlan and medical personnel had a decision to make.
Everyone filled out an extensive survey, contact tracing began, and it was determined that the positive tests came from six players living in one house and three in another, not from a practice setting.
Had the outbreak been traced back to a practice setting, a 14-day shutdown may have been more likely. Instead, those affected were quarantined, and everyone else continued forward in a limited fashion.
?A decision could be made to allow those that weren?t in those homes to continue doing their job,? said Krystkowiak, who himself contracted COVID-19 and showed symptoms, but was well enough to exit a 10-day quarantine on Friday. ?We had guys living independently at home and in the dorms, so I think that?s probably what separated us, our ability to prove that it?s pretty obvious in our minds that our infections either took place in those cars heading back to the houses or while they were at the houses. Through some of that data, I think it was evident that that was the case.?
Utah has emerged from its COVID-19 outbreak, with full practice having started back up on Friday ahead of the Utes? Thursday-afternoon opener vs. Washington (4 p.m., Pac-12 Networks). Sophomore point guard Rylan Jones told reporters earlier Thursday that everyone has been available for practice.
Krystkowiak took that a step further by saying he expects to have everyone available Thursday for the Huskies, who are 0-2 following a listless neutral-court loss to UC Riverside on Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas. The Utes had a clean sheet after testing on Tuesday. They will test Wednesday morning, then again Thursday morning before being allowed to take the floor.
?Those guys went and quarantined for 10 days, didn?t do anything,? said Jones, a productive 28-game starter for Krystkowiak last season as a freshman. ?Some of us were still able to be here, work out and then we came back to practice last Monday, I believe. We had almost everybody back and we just did a lot of skill, trying to get people back in shape. We started building it up Tuesday and Wednesday, just trying to get back in shape.?
Jones and Krystkowiak were both realistic Tuesday that, given the virus outbreak and the lack of practice time, Utah will not be in peak shape in time to play an opponent, let alone a conference opponent that will have already played twice.
The answer to that problem is, Krystkowiak is likely to go to a long bench, or at least longer than he might normally. The Utes are returning seven players from a year ago who played at least 15.2 minutes per game.
Jones and Krystkowiak were both realistic Tuesday that, given the virus outbreak and the lack of practice time, Utah will not be in peak shape in time to play an opponent, let alone a conference opponent that will have already played twice.
The answer to that problem is, Krystkowiak is likely to go to a long bench, or at least longer than he might normally. The Utes are returning seven players from a year ago who played at least 15.2 minutes per game.
