On Monday, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt gave a statement about the association’s plans for the 2020-21 basketball season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has already led to many cancellations and postponements of fall sports.
In his statement, Gavitt says that the plan is still to start the season on Nov. 10, but the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee will meet in the coming weeks to discuss safety recommendations, with guidance expected to come from the committee by mid-September.
Gavitt said one of the decisions that must be made is whether to start the season on time or delay it in the short term. Notably, the prospect of a significant postponement or cancellation isn’t mentioned, though Gavitt said the decision made by mid-September will be the first of many.
His full statement can be read below.
As we prepare for the 2020-21 college basketball season, we have exercised patience and discipline in monitoring the effects of COVID-19 and making decisions regarding the season. We have learned a great deal over the course of the summer, and with health and safety being our priority, we have developed and studied contingency plans for alternatives to the scheduled Nov. 10 start date.
In the coming weeks, the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees will take the lead with me in a collaborative process of finalizing any recommendations for consideration by the NCAA Division I Council for the start of the college basketball season. By mid-September, we will provide direction about whether the season and practice start on time or a short-term delay is necessitated by the ongoing pandemic.
We recognize that we are living and operating in an uncertain time, and it is likely that mid-September will be just the first milestone for many important decisions pertaining to the regular season and the NCAA basketball championships. While circumstances may warrant flexibility resulting in a different and perhaps imperfect season, the ultimate goal is to safely provide student-athletes and teams with a great college basketball experience.
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