Arizona has become home to a number of college teams relocated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
San Jose State will be the latest to set up shop at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa in Phoenix, with the athletic department announcing Thursday that its men’s and women’s basketball teams are temporarily moving to Arizona due to local coronavirus restrictions.
"Due to directives from Santa Clara County Health Officials, and in the best interest of our basketball programs, we will need to continue practicing and competing in Phoenix, Arizona,” San Jose State athletic director Marie Tuite said. “As we begin Mountain West Conference competition, this temporary move will allow our student-athletes and staff to live in as controlled an environment as possible. We will plan on returning to San José when the directives from our health officials allow our programs to practice and compete in Santa Clara County.”
The San Jose State men’s team is currently 1-2, while the women’s team has had every game canceled since its 56-48 season-opening win at California.
"We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to host our home contests and compete in Arizona,” women’s basketball coach Jamie Craighead said. “I want to thank our athletic administration and our University for providing us with this opportunity to move forward with our season. We are committed to giving our student-athletes the best experience they can have this year while being safe and following all of the NCAA's COVID-19 safety protocols.”
Blake Sasaki, the San Jose State senior associate athletic director for external relations, said that the university felt that the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa was the safest option. New Mexico State came to a similar conclusion in November, moving to Phoenix due to local coronavirus restrictions.
According to the Las Cruces Sun News, the New Mexico State men’s basketball team has been staying at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa for about $20,000 per week. The Donate-4-State campaign was created to help with the move, and has raised $81,760 of its $100,000 goal as of Friday morning.
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