NCAA Studies Contingency Plans For College Basketball
NCAA senior vice-president of basketball Dan Gavitt said in a statement on Monday that contingency plans for alternatives to the scheduled Nov. 10 start date for college basketball are being considered.
Iowa's men's basketball team is considered a top-5 team in many of the preseason rankings with the return of center Luka Garza, a favorite to win national player of the year. Iowa's women's basketball team will have somewhat of a new look after last season's 23-win year.
Gavitt said the NCAA plans on a mid-September decision on what the season could look like.
Gavitt's statement:
"As we prepare for the 2020-21 college basketball season, we have exercised patience and discipline in monitoring the effects of COVID-19 and making decisions regarding the season. We have learned a great deal over the course of the summer, and with health and safety being our priority, we have developed and studied contingency plans for alternatives to the scheduled Nov. 10 start date.
"In the coming weeks, the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees will take the lead with me in a collaborative process of finalizing any recommendations for consideration by the NCAA Division I Council for the start of the college basketball season. By mid-September, we will provide direction about whether the season and practice start on time or a short-term delay is necessitated by the ongoing pandemic.
"We recognize that we are living and operating in an uncertain time, and it is likely that mid-September will be just the first milestone for many important decisions pertaining to the regular season and the NCAA basketball championships. While circumstances may warrant flexibility resulting in a different and perhaps imperfect season, the ultimate goal is to safely provide student-athletes and teams with a great college basketball experience."
