The College Sports Commission have come up with an ingenious idea to keep their basketball players in shape for their late start season which does not begin until January 2021. They started by finding the safest way to let the basketball players compete without breaking any of the Center for Disease Control rules against the pandemic that has set everything back. So far, Murray had two scrimmage games with a few regulations in effect to appease the CDC. For instance, fans are generally kept to students only and they must follow social distancing and the mask rules set by local laws.
Besides the normal basketball banter that happens during a game, the players stay with their teams while on the benches and do not interact even after the games for safety. All their hydration items and the entire gym are constantly kept up to CDC standards to ensure the safety of the players. Even the referees on the floor wear masks and use protectors on their whistles to prevent any spread of germs.
The sports commission has also set up scrimmage games with many schools in the regions who wish to challenge their players and allow them to do what they love most, play basketball. There are many scrimmages set up for the months to come, so when the season starts, the players will be as ready as could be expected.
Many of the players already recognize where they need to strengthen themselves individually and as a team with two months still to go before the season begins. Sophomore Cedric Garrett, #22, noticed after the first half of the most recent game that the number of fouls has increased significantly causing the team they played to stay closer in points then they would have liked. Most likely, it is from the anticipation of a late starting season that makes the teams a bit more aggressive than usual.
Sophomore Dyson Plumley, #24, also noticed the items that need to be worked on but, he noticed a lot more then the others as he was able to anticipate exactly where he needed to be for his team as well as help them stay motivated.
One good thing to come out of a closed gym full of players is the ability to set a five-minute game with the players who are newer to play each other so they too can work on themselves. All in all, even though the season is delayed, you can expect one of the best college seasons when it is here as all the players will get more time to learn from each other and make the teams even better on the court.