DURHAM, N.C. _ A little more than 24 hours after the worldwide novel coronavirus pandemic brought an end to his basketball team's ACC and NCAA championship dreams, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski lamented the loss of the sports' signature event on Friday.
"There is tremendous empathy for the student-athletes," Krzyzewski said in a video distributed by Duke athletics, "especially the seniors, first of all on the basketball teams because it's at the end of our season. March Madness. It's one of the, really, gifts that our country has. It makes everyone feel better. These are moments that these kids work hard for and live for."
At the same time, the Hall of Fame coach who is college basketball's all-time wins leader agreed with decisions to shut down live sporting events in an effort to limit exposure to the coronavirus.
Even as the ACC moved forward with its basketball tournament with limited spectators in attendance on Thursday morning at the Greensboro Coliseum, Duke University president Vincent Price suspended all Blue Devil athletics from competitions. The ACC joined other leagues around the country by canceling its basketball tournament.
By late Thursday afternoon, the NCAA announced it was canceling the men's and women's basketball tournaments as well as championships for all spring sports.
In his video remarks, Krzyzewski called the situation "unprecedented" because the pandemic is unlike anything that's happened in recent history.
"There are knowns and uncertainties," Krzyzewski said. "People have to make decisions based on that and then keep open-minded about what transpires. This could be more long-term than we can even imagine."
The NCAA on Friday announced plans for senior students in spring sports, such as baseball, track and lacrosse among others, to have an additional season of eligibility remaining that would allow them to play during the 2020-21 school year.
"I also feel extremely bad for the spring sports," Krzyzewski said, who agreed with Friday's NCAA decision. "They are never even able to have a season. But again, these are very difficult times."
No decision has been made for seniors in winter sports, like basketball, who saw their careers abruptly ended on Thursday. Krzyzewski, though, is in favor of making all of them eligible next season and said NCAA should make scholarship limits flexible.
"Although only about 20% of the NCAA men's basketball teams have made it _ most seasons were over already _ it would be appropriate to just take a look at what they would do with seniors," Krzyzewski said. "The seniors being eligible for spring sports is something that should be done. I think when they do that they should put on the table for discussion what should be done with the kids who were not able to finish their senior years playing basketball."
