IRVINE, Calif. — There will be no dancing this March.
March Madness just the latest in a long line of sporting events canceled due to the evolving situation surrounding coronavirus.
The UCI Men’s basketball team and Head Coach Russ Turner got off the bus Thursday - bags still packed - back at school after the disappointing news that the Big West postseason was canceled.
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“Obviously disappointed not to be allowed to compete, but I think that we’re relieved and grateful for our health and for the appropriate decisions being made in a situation that’s really hard for all of us to understand fully,” says Turner.
UCI was at shoot around Thursday morning at the empty Honda Center - where the tournament was supposed to be played without fans - when they received word the Conference canceled their tournament altogether.
But junior center Brad Greene says he was already worried about the tournament’s status - the pandemic reaching a new level in the sports world, when the NBA suspended its season Wednesday night.
“It was crazy to see. Some of us, we’re just trying to get ready for the tournament and social media comes out and you start seeing all this. You don’t know how to respond. Obviously a lot of fears just for wheat would happen to our season but then every other athlete in the country’s season,” Greene says.
Major League Soccer, the NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball have all suspended or delayed the start of their seasons - the NCAA also announcing it was canceling all remaining winter and spring sports schedules.
But as coach and player stand in an empty Bren Events Center on campus - on the court the Anteaters can still celebrate their second consecutive outright Big West title - but say that off the court there’s much more to this current health emergency than sports.
“I think that we’re all grateful to be a part of this society, and societies sometimes have to make difficult decisions. And while we may be inconvenienced or not immediately happy with the results of those decisions, I think we can all be appreciative of what we have here,” says Turner.
The risk too great.