LEXINGTON, Ky. _ When Louisville basketball players returned to campus on June 1, there was a new presence in the group: the precautions necessitated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Sophomore forward Samuell Williamson said social distancing, hand-washing and other precautions are subjects the U of L players talk and think about.
"Quite a lot, I'd say," he said on a teleconference Tuesday. "It's definitely something always in the back of our heads when we're just around or get something to eat. It's something we have to be careful of. And it's just been, like, a new way of life the last few months. We can't become careless."
U of L Coach Chris Mack has spoken to the team about how the coronavirus has evolved, Williamson said. That evolution is hitting closer to home for the Louisville players and people of their generation.
"Coach Mack was saying our age group is one of the age groups that is trending up right now," Williamson said. "We just have to be careful. Continue to social distance. Wearing our masks. But it's definitely something we're thinking about."
Of course, the coronavirus has been especially serious for older people. This had Williamson thinking of his mother from the start of the pandemic.
After saying his mother was 37 when he was born, Williamson added, "She's kind of up there in that age range. She's more at risk. When I was home, I was really careful. I didn't go anywhere without a mask. It's definitely something I took seriously from Day One."
Team workouts have included weight-lifting sessions four days a week in which players are divided into three smaller groups, Williamson said. After weight lifting, the players go to the gym to work on shooting and ball handling.
Last week a second session in the gym was added.
There are pickup games Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There are no restrictions on where players can go when not in the dorm or practice gym, he said.
"We're all trying to make the most of the situation," Williamson said. "We're all just anxious to get everything back to what it used to be."
Soon, the University of Kentucky's men's basketball players will be making a similar return to campus in Lexington. The initial screening begins Sunday, and activities are scheduled to begin for them later next week.
Williamson, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, averaged 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 15.5 minutes last season. He made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Men's Basketball Team.
"I feel I'm improving every single day," Williamson said. "I try to make the most of every situation. Obviously, this is something nobody wanted.
"I feel this is a time to kind of take my game to another level. Some guys, I feel like, may use this time as an excuse. 'I don't have access to a gym.' And 'I can't do this' and 'I can't do that.' I try to use this time to get ahead of people."
Of course, the coronavirus abruptly ended last season. It forced the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament and conference tournaments.
When asked if Louisville will carry the absence of a March Madness into the new season, Williamson said, "I'd definitely say it's a motivating thing. Coming to college, I wanted to go to a school where I could compete for a national championship. And I feel like we would have had a chance to last season.
"Kind of not knowing what was going to happen, what could have happened is something that kind of haunts me."
Basketball and the coronavirus have not been all that's on the Louisville players' minds, Williamson said. On the first day they returned to campus, there was a team meeting to talk about widespread demonstrations sparked by the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others.
"We just kind of talked for two hours," Williamson said. "We all just kind of let out all our emotions. And whatever feelings we had, we just shared them with each other. And things we could do as a generation to progress everything and just make everything better for our kids and grandchildren.
"I think we had a great discussion about everything."
