Louisville suspends men’s basketball workouts after two test positive for COVID-19
The ups and downs of attempting to restart collegiate athletics amid a pandemic found their way to Kentucky again this week.
The University of Louisville announced Tuesday it has temporarily suspended all men’s basketball voluntary activities for two weeks after two members of the program tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
“All proper procedures and protocols are being followed, including the quarantining of those impacted,” Louisville announced in a news release that did not identify the individuals involved nor specify whether they were players or staff members. “We look forward to a resumption of men’s basketball activities in the near future.”
Last week, Eastern Kentucky University announced that three athletes and three members of the athletics staff had tested positive and been isolated but workouts on the Richmond campus were scheduled to continue with a few adjustments.
Several other programs around the country have experienced intermittent stops and starts as well as they battle the coronavirus. The University of Kentucky announced June 22 that six of the 106 football players screened for COVID-19 antibodies tested positive. Voluntary workouts have continued on the Lexington campus with no reported problems since then.
Football players and men’s and women’s basketball players at U of L began returning to campus the last week in May, and voluntary workouts were allowed starting June 8.
Sophomore forward Samuell Williamson said during a teleconference on June 23 that social distancing, hand-washing and other precautions were subjects the U of L players talked and thought about.
“Quite a lot, I’d say,” he said. “It’s definitely something always in the back of our heads when we’re just around or get something to eat. It’s something we have to be careful of. And it’s just been, like, a new way of life the last few months. We can’t become careless.”
On May 21, U of L announced a four-phase approach to bringing athletes back to campus with the final phase having everyone on campus and engaged in training by August.
Louisville’s announcement of the positive tests Tuesday did not include mention of whether any other teams were affected or if the plan for phasing in the return will change in any other way.
Basketball team workouts have included weight-lifting sessions four days a week in which players are divided into three smaller groups, Williamson said. After weight lifting, the players go to the gym to work on shooting and ball handling.
There were pickup games Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There are were restrictions on where players could go when not in the dorm or practice gym, he said.
“We’re all trying to make the most of the situation,” Williamson said at the time. “We’re all just anxious to get everything back to what it used to be.”
Ex-Card out for season
New York Liberty guard Asia Durr will miss the upcoming WNBA season after testing positive for the coronavirus on June 8.
Durr detailed her struggles with COVID-19 in a post on Instagram. The former Louisville star says she hasn’t fully recovered.
The second pick of the 2019 WNBA draft averaged 6.7 points in her rookie season, starting 15 of her 18 appearances before being sidelined for the season with a hip injury.
“Asia worked extremely hard this offseason to put herself in position to take a major leap forward in her second WNBA season,” Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb said. “While we are disappointed that we will need to wait a bit longer to see her emerge as one of the bright young players in the game, we fully recognize and support the difficult decision she had to make amidst unprecedented circumstances. Brooklyn will be ready for her in 2021.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 10:45 AM.