Oxford boys sidelined
- Updated: December 8, 2020
No positive COVID tests detected within the team, but several players caught in contact tracing so Jackets are off the floor until Dec. 20
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
The Oxford basketball team has gotten off to a good start against a tough schedule and has high expectations for the year ahead, but just when the Yellow Jackets seem to be getting a rhythm they have put everything on hold because of impact of COVID-19.
The Yellow Jackets don’t have a positive test for the coronavirus within their boys varsity, but they do have enough players caught up in contact tracing to force them off the floor until Dec. 20.
“We don’t have COVID running rampant through us, but it was a situation where we had some close contacts and we’re following the AHSAA and public health guidance and because it was close contacts on our basketball team we had to rearrange some schedules,” Oxford athletics director Larry Davidson said. “We’re just looking at it that we’re rearranging schedules. We’re not losing anything.
“Basically it’s like handling an injury, when a player gets an injury. We’ll make it through it. Of course, nobody wants to ever have to move games around, but health and safety of our athletes is the No. 1 concern of everybody.”
Davidson said it was not the entire roster that had the close contact, but “it’s enough that we can’t safely play a game.”
The situation does not affect the Oxford girls team or the JV boys.
The Jackets already have had to postponed Monday’s game with Calera and Tuesday’s game with Vestavia Hills and have games scheduled with Grissom Saturday in the Bobby Ledbetter Classic at Plainview, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (Dec. 18) and Hartselle (Dec. 19) before they get back together again. Their next game to play is Dec. 22 at Southside.
They are looking to reschedule the games they’ve lost. Anniston coach Torry Brown, whose undefeated Bulldogs were scheduled to play right behind the Jackets in Plainview Saturday, was willing to play if the Jackets weren’t successful in rescheduling some those games. Sometimes the teams don’t meet until the County Tournament, and that’s never a guarantee.
“We want to continue playing, and if you have to reschedule games now, that’s a good thing,” Davidson said. “What we don’t have to do is have to shut down. We’re not shutting down the basketball program, we’re rescheduling games.”
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