Clemson’s men’s basketball team got a nudge last week reminding it that the Tigers nor any other college basketball program trying to get games in isn’t out of the woods when it comes to COVID-19.
The numbers serve as a stark reminder for the rest of America, too.
“Very scared about it,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said.
While Brownell didn’t give a specific number, he said “almost all” of his players and coaches are vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. So with a roster of largely healthy 18-to-22-year-olds, most of Brownell’s concern lies with how Clemson’s schedule might again be impacted by a potential breakout within his own roster, that of a future opponent or both.
Clemson, which is slated to resume ACC play Wednesday at Virginia, has yet to have any games altered because of coronavirus-related issues this season, but the Tigers got a scare over the weekend when a COVID-19 outbreak hit South Carolina. Carolina coach Frank Martin said midweek that multiple players would miss the Clemson game because of injuries and COVID-related issues, and that was before the Gamecocks underwent one more round of testing Friday morning before leaving Columbia for Saturday night’s game.
Had Carolina had any more positive tests then, the game likely would’ve been postponed or called off. But the Gamecocks, without half of their top six scorers, ultimately made the trip to Clemson, where the Tigers beat Carolina, 70-56, in a game they led by as many as 25 points.
PJ Hall, Clemson’s sophomore big, said the Tigers wanted to play. Fellow forward Hunter Tyson said he trusted the medical staffs to allow both sides to do so safely.
“They said we were good to play, so I said, ‘All right, let’s do it,'” Tyson said.
Brownell admitted there was “a little bit” of concern on his part, but, like Tyson, he ultimately trusted the feedback from the medical personnel in the hours leading up to tipoff.
“The doctors are like, ‘Hey, two or three days with nothing,’ so you feel like we’re probably OK to play,” Brownell said. “It’s a hard call either way because you want to play and the kids want to play, but we thought we did the precautions that we needed. And, knock on wood, we’ll be fine.”
Other programs around the country haven’t been as fortunate.
College basketball programs both in and around the Palmetto State have been impacted by the surge in cases, which has resulted in a flurry of games being postponed and canceled recently nationwide. Boston College and Wake Forest were added to the tally Tuesday when the ACC canceled their game against each other scheduled for Wednesday because of COVID-related issues within Boston College’s program.
Even if Clemson is playing right now, Brownell’s team can relate. The Tigers had a handful of games postponed or canceled last season because of COVID-19 protocols, including back-to-back contests against North Carolina and Syracuse in early January. Clemson temporarily paused all team activities at the time after having a positive test and subsequent contact tracing. The Tigers had to pause again in February.
Clemson was 9-1 before pausing the first time. The Tigers lost their next three games by an average of 24 points and went 7-4 after that with a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.
“People that followed our team last year, we were playing dynamite, and then we went on a pause for a week,” Brownell said. “That week, we were miserable. And we were bad for the next 10 days. We lost three games badly. When we had our second pause, we probably coached better and figured out how to do it better, but you’re asking a lot of your players to stop and start mentally and physically. Your rhythm. Your timing. It’s hard.”
Which is why Clemson is trying to do everything in its power to prevent that from happening again. With a majority of the team vaccinated, Clemson has eased up on the social distancing when coaches and players are around each other at the team facilities, though they’re still wearing masks. But Brownell said he and his coaching staff have already started talking about whether the team should stop piling together in the film room and start meeting in larger spaces out of an abundance of caution.
“You’ve got to be careful,” said Brownell, who added he’s encouraging his coaches and players to get booster shots.
When the players aren’t on campus, “it’s on our mind not to do anything dumb,” Hall said.
“We’re committed to a certain journey and trying to drive our team, so that’s on our forefront,” Hall continued. “We’re not trying to do anything dumb and spread anything around our program. Our coaches know that. Our players know that. Our managers and staff. So day in and day out, we’re precautions. We still have some of our coaches getting tested. We take things very seriously.”
Christmas is right around the corner. Once again Clemson Variety & Frame is ready to make it a special holiday for your favorite Tiger.
Order today to make sure your gift arrives in time for Christmas.
