NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt has issued a statement regarding preparations for the 2020-21 basketball season, focusing on contingency plans and placing health and safety at the top of the association’s agenda.
In making preparations for the 2020-21 college basketball season, Gavitt said that the NCAA has exercised patience and discipline in monitoring the effects of COVID-19 and in the decision making process regarding the season.
He wrote: “We have learned a great deal over the course of the summer, and with health and safety being our priority, we have developed and studied contingency plans for alternatives to the scheduled November 10 start date.
“In the coming weeks, the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees will take the lead with me in a collaborative process of finalizing any recommendations for consideration by the NCAA Division I Council for the start of the college basketball season.”
By mid-September, said Gavitt, the NCAA will provide direction about whether the season and practice start on time or a short-term delay is necessitated by the ongoing pandemic.
“We recognize that we are living and operating in an uncertain time, and it is likely that mid-September will be just the first milestone for many important decisions pertaining to the regular season and the NCAA basketball championships,” he noted.
“While circumstances may warrant flexibility resulting in a different and perhaps imperfect season, the ultimate goal is to safely provide student-athletes and teams with a great college basketball experience.”
