NC State’s Keatts ‘scared’ of what recent COVID-19 cancellations could mean for future
It’s affected UNC’s schedule and Duke’s more than once.
The Carolina Hurricanes had to play shorthanded and NFL games had to shift. With the Omicron variant, COVID-19 is again having a significant impact on the sports landscape.
Things are starting to feel like the sequel to a movie teams and fans have seen before. Will there be more shutdowns as more athletes are in COVID protocols? Will fans eventually be prohibited from attending sporting events again?
So far this season, teams have been playing in packed arenas and stadiums. But in the last few weeks the NBA, NFL, NHL and NCAA have had to adjust games and schedules because of protocols.
Moments after N.C. State’s 83-74 loss to Richmond, Pack head coach Kevin Keatts expressed his concerns about the future.
“I am majorly concerned,” Keatts said. “I’m afraid. Our guys lost so much basketball last year, we just didn’t get the opportunity.”
In 2021, the Pack missed four games because of COVID. It missed three in a row from Dec. 5-12. Things got back to normal by the start of the year, but then two more games were postponed in the middle of January and one more on March 6, just days before the ACC tournament.
In the last week across the Triangle, the Duke men’s basketball team had two teams cancel games in Durham because of COVID protocols. North Carolina flew to Las Vegas to play UCLA, only to have the opponent switched to Kentucky. The Bruins and Ohio State, the Wildcats’ original opponent, are currently in COVID protocol.
So far, N.C. State has avoided the cancellations and schedule adjustments. Keatts hopes it stays that way.
“I’m going to encourage everybody to continue to get their shots, get their boosters,” Keatts said. “And if you don’t continue to wear your masks, it’s a tough time right now because we have the new variant going around and then there’s the flu. A lot of the stuff we can’t control, but I am concerned.”
The Pack returns to PNC Arena on Tuesday, scheduled to host Wright State. Like last season, that could change at any moment.
“Right now we are fortunate enough to be playing,” Keatts said. “But every time I pick up my phone somebody else is not playing and I’m scared. I want our guys to continue to play. I want our guys to have the opportunity to play.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 11:33 AM.
