UCLA Game at Risk as Husky Basketball Team Deals With Outbreak
The University of Washington basketball team sits idle — after postponing one game and having another put in question — in dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that appears traced back to its recent trip to South Dakota.
The Los Angeles Times reported that seven Husky players and coaches are impacted by the illness in advance of UCLA's Sunday game in Seattle. The Huskies and the Bruins are supposed to tip off at noon that day.
On Thursday night, the UW (4-4) was scheduled to open Pac-12 conference play at Arizona (6-0), but had to pull out of the trip at the last minute for pandemic reasons, the school said in a brief statement.
Leading scorer Terrell Brown, averaging 21.9 points per game, was lined up to meet with local media on Tuesday, but his interview session was canceled. A school official said Brown had a conflict. It's unclear if he's impacted by the team health issue.
All Husky coaches and players are supposed to be vaccinated, according to state or university mandates.
The Huskies last week played three games in as many nights at the Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in a state that's been more lax than most in dealing with stringent vaccination requirements.
Three of the four teams involved in the Sioux Falls tournament have reported COVID-19 cases since returning home. That includes Steve Alford, the Nevada coach and formerly of UCLA, who publicly disclosed that he's tested positive and would miss three games.
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