Hour before tipoff, Winthrop basketball postpones opener due to COVID-19 ‘issues’
Winthrop’s season-opener against UNC Greensboro in Louisville, Ky., was postponed about an hour before the teams were set to tip-off on Sunday night.
Per a release from a Winthrop University spokesperson: “Out of an abundance of caution due to issues related to COVID-19, both the UNC Greensboro and Winthrop men’s basketball programs have postponed tonight’s contest and agreed to reschedule to a future date during the 2020-21 season. Both schools are following the NCAA’s Core Principles of Resocialization for College Basketball to ensure the safety of all staff and student-athletes.”
Winthrop athletic director Ken Halpin confirmed with The Herald that the team is currently in Louisville, where it was scheduled to play three games in the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic — a relatively large non-conference event to open the season.
Halpin declined to answer questions about details of the aforementioned “issues related to COVID-19” and about how this postponement affects Winthrop’s contests against Little Rock on Dec. 2 and Duquesne on Dec. 4.
Over two weeks ago, Winthrop reported that multiple “Tier 1 personnel” associated with the men’s basketball team — athletes, coaches, staff and managers — tested positive for COVID-19. The news caused a slight shake-up in the team’s non-conference schedule but ultimately didn’t derail its plans to travel to and play in Louisville.
UNCG athletic director Kim Record told The News & Record that the Spartans were not affected by any positive tests, quarantine or isolation related to the coronavirus.
UNCG opened its season with a win over Little Rock on Friday night and is scheduled to play Prairie View A&M at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. UNCG had been scheduled to open its season on Nov. 25, but its schedule was shuffled after Southern Illinois withdrew from the Louisville event a week earlier.
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published November 29, 2020 at 7:40 PM.
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