CHENEY — Few teams in college basketball appear to have been as affected by COVID-19 as the Eastern Washington men’s basketball team. Having already had several players sidelined due to positive tests and contact tracing protocols earlier in the season, another positive test within the program forced the cancellation of two games against the Portland State Vikings over New Year’s weekend.
EWU then announced that it was shutting down its program through at least Jan. 10, which will also result in previously scheduled games at Weber State Jan. 7 and Jan. 9 being cancelled.
The Portland State games, which would have occurred Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, were scheduled to be the first home contests for the Eagles in Big Sky Conference play and the second and third home games overall.
EWU has voiced its desire to reschedule the games, but the Big Sky has indicated cancelled games aren’t likely to be made up.
Portland State had reportedly already began traveling to Cheney before being informed by EWU head coach Shantay Legans of the program’s positive test. The Vikings had to turn the bus around in a snow storm and head back to the Rose City.
EWU has already had eight scheduled games either postponed or cancelled thanks to the coronavirus. The 2-4 Eagles have had more contests cancelled than completed. The season opening game against Oregon was postponed and eventually rescheduled.
In some games that have been played, EWU hasn’t had some important players available due to health protocols.
Eastern was without key rotation members Ellis Magnuson and Casson Rouse, as well as assistant coach Bobby Suarez, in a narrow season-opening loss to Washington State. Magnuson was also out for the following game at Arizona.
Two weeks ago, EWU traveled to Flagstaff for two conference-season-opening games against Northern Arizona. The first game, a Friday, was cancelled after an inconclusive EWU test. The next day’s test results cleared the Eagles to play the game, and EWU won its only Big Sky game to date 83-65.
EWU was willing to play a second game that Sunday, but NAU reportedly couldn’t get a game crew to work that day, thus erasing any chance of getting both games in.
If EWU can get medically cleared to play after Jan. 10, it can look forward to Jan. 14 and Jan. 16 home games against Southern Utah. For now, however, players must endure what will have amounted to nearly a month without a basketball game in a season thus far defined by cancellations and flexibility.
Drew Lawson can be reached at [email protected].
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