Ettrick, VA - The Virginia State basketball teams wanted to play this season but not at the risk of their student-athletes.
"We just felt like in the best interest of the student athletes and our staff, that we not put them in a situation to where they possibly could be infected," said VSU Athletic Director Peggy Davis.
VSU's Department of Athletics made the difficult decision to opt out of the 2020-2021 CIAA Basketball season due to the increase of COVID-19 cases.
"I think I have been pretty consistent in saying our student-athletes are absolutely number one priority," Davis explained.
Players were to arrive on campus today for coronavirus testing as well as sports medicine education sessions before their first practice. Instead, they remain off campus to deal with the reality of no basketball this season.
"Our student-athletes last competed in March. That's nine months," Davis stated. "But being away from us and being away from a structured practice for nine months surely played a part in the decision."
Virginia State was scheduled to start the year at home against St. Augustine on January 9.
The Trojans were coming off a 19-9 season one year ago and reached the NCAA Division II Tournament for the third time in four years. The Lady Trojans were looking to improve from last year's 10-20 record.
