David Benedict -> Q&A session with the media to discuss the Ath.Dept. COVID protocols/Hurley 4p Media Update

[huskymedic]

Still many teams are playing so they must be doing something right. I think we all would have expected Louisville and NC State to have issues.

How about Virginia? I think we have learned from CBB/CFB - it could happen to anyone @ anytime.

 

[BParkDog]

It is not a surprise that a team player tested positive when coach himself has been seen on television wearing his mask as a chin strap. I believe it does not send a message to players and other staff of how essential it is to wear masks and social distance.

Well, maybe, in the big picture, we shouldn't be concerned about "sending messages." Maybe, we should be concerned about: 1. Virus Transmission, 2. Hospitalizations, and 3. Deaths.

If we kept our focus on those 3 points, rather than on "sending messages," and, "how it looks," then maybe, just maybe, we'd have a better answer to this, based on science, and the real risk young, healthy people pose, and not emotion.

Let me say this a bit differently . . . if anybody believes that the difference between playing a season of basketball and not playing a season of basketball is the manner in which Dan Hurley wears his mask . . . then I'd have to respectfully disagree with your premise.

We play this season or we don't play this season based only on one thing:

How much we believe that kids playing basketball is a vector for SARS-CoV-2. That's it.

If the NCAA and UConn stick with the conclusion that these kids playing basketball present a significant risk of spreading SARS-CoV-2, thereby causing deaths that are preventable, or at least forestallable, then it's a simple conclusion:

cancel the season.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

...

Still many teams are playing so they must be doing something right. I think we all would have expected Louisville and NC State to have issues.

Unclear, but Michigan like CT still has among the highest total #s of reported SARS-2 deaths/million residents. At least 2X to 3X more than reported in NC, KY, and in most states. Lower population density matters, so NC State's closed campus since August and UConn's current empty campus should help both schools.

In Michigan, > 80% of ICU beds are currently occupied. Not quite as bad as RI nor nearly as bad as NM's tragic status, but perhaps everything's not alright in Ann Arbor. Exhibit A: Power-5 Michigan's newly announced SARS-2 infections prompted cancellation of Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State football game. Perhaps it's best UConn avoided potentially playing Michigan hoops earlier this week.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I appreciate Dan Hurley's candor in his responses to this. He's being quite open about the challenges, and has a fairly realistic approach to this. As frustrated as we fans may feel, it's nothing compared to the impact on the players and staff. I think for UConn fans, the disappointment is enhanced by the excitement of our Big East return and an exciting team that probably doesn't have James Bouknight beyond this year.

 

[BPT2Storrs]

A lot of people talking about players and/or coaches breaking protocol. It’s been reported on that people have gotten COVID even thought they’ve followed all the recommended guidelines. There is still plenty of unknowns about this virus, even amongst the medical profession.

At the end of the day, unless everything is shut down and everyone is confined to their own homes, no true bubble exists. People can still go to the grocery store, get take out, see a doctor, etc. Even with mask and social distancing there is still a potential for transmission, no? Might limit the spread but does not eliminate it.

Mind-boggling How some can talk about breaking protocol when you can do everything right and still get the virus. To me this is the absurdity in it all. Put 10 athletes on the court at one time and it’s fine, but god forbid the coach pulls his mask down for a minute. They’re all tested, no?

 

[huskymedic]

Before this devolves - just a reminder from a locked thread: