The circumstances of the 2020-21 school year have caused several college women’s basketball teams to pull the plug midway through the season.
The University of Virginia and San José State each made the announcement Thursday, canceling the remainder of their women’s basketball seasons due to health and safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have the pleasure of coaching a very resilient group of young women who have fought through injuries, a strict COVID-19 protocol, and all the mental battles that come with it,” Virginia head coach Tina Thompson said of the Cavaliers, who have had several injuries to go along with six postponed or canceled games. “So, the decision to end our season mid-stream comes with great difficulty. As difficult as it is to end our season in this manner, it is a necessary one. The health and safety of our student-athletes will always be the number one priority. We will continue to focus on their overall well-being and prepare to resume competition in the fall.”
The Cavaliers, who haven’t played since a Dec. 13 loss at Florida State, will finish the season with an 0-5 record. Virginia isn’t the first ACC women’s team to end the year early, as Duke made that call last month.
San José State got just four games in, with a Jan. 2 loss at Boise State dropping the Spartans to 2-2 on the year. The Spartans, who had relocated to Phoenix in mid-December, were scheduled to play at Colorado State on Thursday, but instead announced their decision to end the season.
"This was an incredibly tough decision, but one that is in the best interest of the health and safety for our program's student-athletes, coaches and staff,” San José State athletics director Marie Tuite said. "San José State will maintain its current schedule of competition in other sports while continuing to implement the athletics department's health and safety protocols. We look forward to watching the continued and exciting growth of our women's basketball program in the 2021-22 season."
After nearly a month in Phoenix, the Spartans will follow Santa Clara County’s mandatory 10-day quarantine when they return to San José.
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