The Wolverines head coach shared his enthusiasm and caution in a statement about athletics returning to campus.
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On Monday, Michigan made an announcement that student-athletes were able to return to campus to resume voluntary workouts for the first time since March.
There are multiple steps and phases required, however, before players can actually see the football field or playing court, which includes a 14-day risk assessment, constant coronavirus testing and a six-day ‘resocialization.’ It’s not just football players returning, however, as basketball is among the sports where various student-athletes can begin training once again towards starting their prospective seasons.
Michigan basketball head coach Juwan Howard issued a statement through a U-M spokesperson on Monday evening to share his delight at the resumption of his team sport, noting that just because the team can return, doesn’t mean that everyone is in the clear in terms of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I am so grateful we are able to make our way back to Ann Arbor after all these months,” Howard said. “It has been a very unusual time to say the least. What has been impressive is to watch, read and have Zoom calls to better understand all the efforts and new procedures being made — by so many talented and caring doctors and administrators — to ensure we are safe.
“Make no mistake about it, the COVID-19 pandemic is so much bigger than basketball and we do not take that lightly. We have challenges ahead, but we know taking this first step is key to returning to a normal routine.”
While the football program is set to being its offseason workout period as it looks towards a Sept. 5 season opener at Washington, basketball’s season generally doesn’t begin until November. The full schedule has yet to be announced.
