The Duke women’s b-ball group has finished its season in the midst of the Covid pandemic, it was reported on Friday.
“The student-athletes on the Duke women’s basketball team have made the difficult decision to conclude their current season due to safety concerns,” said Michael Schoenfeld, Duke’s VP for public issues and government relations and boss correspondences official, in an assertion. “We support their decision, as we have supported the choices made by all student-athletes at Duke during this unprecedented time.
“Duke will maintain our current schedule of competition in other sports and will continue to observe our rigorous health and safety protocols, which include daily testing for all student-athletes and are based on guidance from leading medical experts.”
The women’s b-ball group has been on delay since Dec. 16 in view of two positive COVID-19 tests and contact following inside the program’s movement party. The Blue Devils (3-1) deferred games against Miami, NC State and UNC Wilmington. The group’s next scheduled challenge was against Louisville on Thursday.
The Blue Devils are the primary Power 5 group to exit in the wake of beginning this season. The Ivy League quit playing winter sports in November before the b-ball season began. A couple of different schools likewise chose not to play.
New mentor Kara Lawson, who was employed in July, had said for the current month: “I don’t figure we should play at the present time. That is my assessment on it.” That came a day after Duke men’s mentor Mike Krzyzewski addressed why school b-ball was being played amidst the pandemic.
“I would just like for the safety, the mental and physical health of players and staff to assess where we’re at,” the Hall of Fame coach said after a loss to Illinois on Dec. 8.
Krzyzewski refered to the ascent in COVID-19 cases as the premise of his contention.
“People are saying the next six weeks are going to be the worst,” Krzyzewski said at the time. “To me, it’s already pretty bad. On the other side of it, there are these vaccines that are coming out. By the end of the month, 20 million vaccine shots will be given. By the end of January or in February, another 100 million. Should we not reassess that? See just what would be best?”
The infection has just made numerous games be dropped or deferred in the primary month of the period. Incalculable groups have been on respite due to positives tests in their projects. The NCAA said recently that it intended to play its competition in a solitary topographical region, with San Antonio being the top decision.