The CIAA has canceled its 2021 men’s and women’s basketball seasons
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association was set to begin basketball season Jan. 9, but fans will have to wait to see their favorite schools play.
The league announced Monday that due to COVID-19 concerns, the board of directors voted to cancel the 2021 men’s and women’s season. The board also voted to cancel volleyball season, which was moved from the fall to the spring.
Virginia State University, located in Petersburg, Va., announced Dec. 1 that they were canceling its basketball season and many feared the rest of the conference would follow.
“This was not an easy decision or one that was taken lightly by the CIAA Board, Virginia State President and CIAA Board Chair Makola Abdullah said in a statement. “We all want to have a season, and we want our student-athletes, coaches and staff to have a season. However, the data, which changes almost daily, does not support such a decision. The potential risk outweighs the desire to play.”
The CIAA also canceled football due to COVID-19. The conference will make a decision on spring sports and championships at a later date.
“Unfortunately, the COVID-19 continues to challenge the conference’s ability to see a clear path to move forward collectively,” CIAA commissioner Jacqie McWilliams said in a statement. “I want to commend our Board of Directors for exemplifying courageous leadership in college sports to ensure the well-being of the CIAA as well as the health and safety of our student-athletes and communities.”
Schools can still play non-conference games they had scheduled up to Jan. 9 if they are booked or in contract. No games are to be played by any CIAA schools after Jan. 9.
In February, the CIAA Tournament was played in Charlotte for the final time after a 15-year stint in the Queen City. The tournament was supposed to be played in Baltimore this season. The league announced plans to engage fans during the traditional tournament week with a virtual experience. More information on that will be released at a later date.
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 5:20 PM.
