Start of Winthrop basketball season uncertain after positive COVID-19 tests
The start of the Winthrop men’s basketball season is already up in the air.
The Winthrop men’s basketball team halted activities on Wednesday after multiple “Tier 1 personnel” — athletes, coaches, staff and managers — tested positive for COVID-19, according to a news release from the school. The release states that certain Tier 1 personnel are “quarantining and isolating according to protocol for 10-14 days” while the university continues to test and contact trace.
The Eagles’ first game of the 2020-21 season was scheduled to be against Seton Hall in the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic on Nov. 25. That game has now been reportedly canceled, per Shannon Russell of the Courier Journal.
Winthrop deputy athletic director Hank Harrawood told The Herald on Friday morning that Winthrop is finalizing contact tracing and is currently conducting another round of testing for all members of its basketball program.
“While some of our games at Louisville may be impacted, it is currently too early to say we will not go to Louisville to open our season,” Harrawood said via text message. “As of now, our full intention is to take a healthy team to Louisville to open the 2020-21 men’s basketball season if we are able to.”
Winthrop was slated to play five games in the non-conference tournament. Harrawood clarified that Winthrop still might be able to play on the 25th.
Earlier this week at the Big South media day event, Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey called his team’s non-conference schedule for the upcoming season among the most difficult non-conference schedules “in the history of our program.”
The Winthrop athletics department is still working with local and university officials on a plan to safely execute its home events, an athletic department spokesman told The Herald Wednesday.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 11:18 AM.
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