No. 5 Gamecocks on pause after COVID issues arise. Georgia game postponed
South Carolina women’s basketball has paused all team activities and postponed its game Thursday night against Georgia after COVID-19 testing and subsequent contact tracing, the team announced Thursday morning.
Results from Wednesday’s slate of testing resulted in a positive test and the need for members of the team to quarantine, the team said in a statement.
No makeup date for the Georgia contest was announced. At this point, it is the only game that has been postponed, but the No. 5 Gamecocks are currently scheduled to travel to No. 10 Kentucky on Sunday.
According to SEC guidelines, players who test positive must isolate for at least 10 days, followed by three days of re-acclimation before they can participate fully in practice or a game.
Individuals who are determined to be close contacts of anyone who tested positive — defined as having been within six feet of an infected person for cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period — must quarantine for at least seven days. If an individual reports no symptoms and tests negative on days 5, 6 or 7 of their quarantine, they can leave quarantine. If they report no symptoms and no tests are conducted, they can leave after 10 days.
The SEC guidelines do not indicate a minimum number of players necessary to play.
This marks the first in-season pause the Gamecocks have had due to coronavirus issues. They had previously had games against Oklahoma and Ole Miss postponed or canceled because of COVID-19 cases and contact tracing with the other team.
Coach Dawn Staley, writing for ESPN’s The Undefeated in late November, said the team had to quarantine twice during the preseason. She has praised her team’s adherence to COVID-19 protocols and indicated a desire to play this year amid the pandemic.
“My anticipation level is really high,” Staley said before the first game of the season. “Less so for me, just for our players. They want to get back out there, they want to compete, they want to play basketball. And, unfortunately, we’re in that situation where, you know, it’s up in the air. It’s on the schedule, whether we play it or not and only (game time) will get us there.”
On Thursday, Staley took to Twitter to say that “we woke up alive and good health! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!!”
South Carolina men’s basketball had to pause all activities on Dec. 8 due to COVID issues, then do so again Dec. 21 after more arose. All told, the Gamecocks had five games impacted and went nearly a month between games before they were finally able to play again. Even then, they were missing several players.
And across women’s basketball, many programs have had to pause for several weeks due to positive tests and contact tracing. Of the top six teams in this week’s Associated Press poll, five, including South Carolina, have been forced to shut down at some point this season. Three — South Carolina, N.C. State and Baylor — are currently on pause.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 9:37 AM.
