LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Kansas' basketball players, who were planning on returning from their hometowns to campus July 20 for in-person workouts with KU coaches and trainers per NCAA rules, may be putting their travel plans on hold.
KU coach Bill Self is leaning toward pushing the report date back to Aug. 1 because of the recent spike in numbers of individuals infected by COVID-19 coronavirus not only in Douglas County and the state of Kansas, but at colleges around the country.
"We haven't finalized it. We are rethinking everything, though," Self, KU's 18th-year coach, told The Kansas City Star on Friday night. "Selfishly you want to get them back, but the bottom line is we don't know if we are going to have a season. We don't know if football is going to play.
"Everybody who has brought kids back has had problems ... everybody," Self added of schools that have brought back athletes in fall sports only to have to postpone voluntary workouts because of COVID-19 coronavirus exposures. "Right now I don't see a reason to bring them back."
Two players, Marcus Garrett and Silvio De Sousa, are already on KU's campus. All other players are back in their hometowns or hometowns of friends working out. First-semester classes begin at KU on Aug. 24.
"They are working hard based on what we've been told," Self said of his players taking part in workouts back home.
Sophomore Tristan Enaruna is unable to come to the United States at this time because of travel restrictions between U.S. and the Netherlands.
"All our (international) kids have visas," Self said of Enaruna, De Sousa and Gethro Muscadin. "They'll open it up," he added of travel between U.S. and Netherlands. "Right now we don't want him back yet," he added, noting there's plenty of time.
Self is not at this time worried about this week's federal government announcement that international students would have to return to their home countries if the colleges they attend go to all online coursework for the coming school year.
"We have great representation here at KU with international students. A significant percentage of our students (are international students)," Self said. "I know we'll do everything we possibly can to make sure these students have an opportunity to stay if that's what they want to do.
"I know KU would like to have it as close to normal as we can (as far as in-person classes versus online for the 2020-21 school year). We think it's doable (to have in-person classes). It's not ever been our intent to go all online. Now we had to do it in the spring and summer (because of the virus). I do think at this point in time it's doable and am confident it will be the case," Self added.
As far as the upcoming 2020-21 hoops season ... "I think we'll have a season," Self said. "I just don't know it'll start on time. I still think we'll play basketball this year. I do."
The Ivy League recently announced that the football season would be delayed until the spring and in fact all fall sports would have their seasons put on hold with the earliest starting date for games expected to be Jan. 1. That affects the KU-Harvard basketball game on Dec. 29.
"We'll get a replacement. That won't be hard," Self said of finding a foe to fill that date.
Some conferences such as the Big Ten have announced plans for conference-only games in football. The Big 12 has not made such a decision at this time with nonconference games still on the slate.
"I don't know if that means they are trying to delay the start of the season or moves things up and end sooner," Self said. "Personally I think making that decision today is premature. I don't think anybody knows what will happen."
He realizes it is vital college football and basketball are played to keep athletic departments afloat.
"Do you realize the impact this could have on education moving forward for years? Think of all the sports that may have to be dropped," Self said if the dollars from football and basketball are lost. "When you drop sports you are dropping opportunities for youngsters to get an education. That's going to be gone. We won't have dollars to pay for that (scholarships) if we don't play football and basketball. When you drop sports you are dropping educational opportunities for youngsters. That's going to be gone. If Division I doesn't play football and basketball, how in the world can you (athletic departments) survive?"
Self said because of the fact many individuals have to quarantine 14 days for various reasons, he wishes the U.S. would go to a mandatory 14-day quarantine (at the same time) for everybody in the country.
"In my mind it is so dangerous. People spreading it may have no symptoms. They may have no idea they've got it (and infecting others)," he stated of the virus. "I wish we could quarantine 14 days where everybody has to stay inside. Nobody leave the house. Make it a certain date to do it. Tell everybody in advance to get groceries. Make it a specific date.
"I know it'd hurt people with vacations planned, weddings, other things. But we've got to do something. I wish we'd do something to give us a chance for two weeks to stop the spike, try to get this to level off. Maybe it would not stop it totally but in theory if you are in contact (with somebody who has COVID) you have to quarantine 14 days. In theory if we all quarantined not near as many people would have the capability to spread it."
Self added if things don't get better soon: "We're going to look up and say, 'We didn't want to do this and didn't want to do that, all this stuff we didn't want to do.' I think we are potentially headed in a direction it won't be our own decision if we play ball or if colleges are open."
Self said he's been social distancing and wearing his mask at work and in the community. He's hoping for the best while not yet canceling any events such as Late Night in the Phog usually held at the end of September.
"Not yet," he said of cancellation of Late Night. "I don't think by Oct. 1 there will be social gatherings. There could be social distancing. Everybody's hopeful it's going to be OK. The attitude that it doesn't affect young people as much; they'll be OK may be true to an extent, but if there are still opportunities to spread, they'll knock that out in terms of possibly spreading it in group settings _ movies, concerts, sporting events. The bottom line is we don't know. We're hoping it'll be OK. Right now I know how important it is to play football. Anything we can do to play football (should be discussed right now)."
