Howard Men’s Basketball Coach Kenny Blakeney Talks Cancelling Season Due to COVID-19 Concerns

Howard becomes the third MEAC school to cancel their season due to the pandemic.

Last week, when Howard announced the cancellation of its season due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, head coach Kenny Blakeney had mixed emotions.

As a competitor he was disappointed that he wouldn’t get the chance to compete for the MEAC title and potentially a bid to the NCAA tournament; still, as a parent, he felt reassured that he was making the right decision for the players he leads.

 “As a parent I would want someone to do what was best for my child no matter what,” Blakeney said. “I’ll always put my players’ well being ahead of anything else. That’s just how I am.”

Blakeney said his initial concerns grew when players were showing COVID symptoms after returning from a pause.

“You could just hear the difficulty  breathing, and it felt very different than anything I had experienced in the past,” Blakeney said. “I never really thought about myself because we were in this thing together, collectively.”

Initially, Howard paused due to COVID-19 issues on Jan. 8. 

In all, 11 games were either postponed or canceled this season, including a nationally televised home game against Notre Dame.

“That was the decision that everyone came up with,” Blakeney said. “There are teams that are playing that, because of the COVID protocols, won’t be able to go to their conference tournament. Then there are and teams that will go. As leaders we are thinking about the health and well being of our student athletes. We’re doing every single thing in our power to keep our student athletes healthy and safe.”

See the full interview above.