By ADAM ZAGORIA
Villanova coach Jay Wright and one other staff member have tested positive for COVID-19 and the program has paused basketball activities for a second time.
Wright, 59, is in isolation per CDC guidelines while experiencing mild symptoms, the school announced.
“Our players have been very diligent and disciplined with all of the COVID protocols,” stated Wright. “Unfortunately, we have had two staff members test positive. I am one of them. My symptoms are mild, and we remain connected as a team and staff by phone and Zoom. I am grateful to our Team Physician, Dr. Mike Duncan, who has worked tirelessly to help guide us safely through this.”
Wright joins a list of high-profile college coaches to test positive that includes Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, Pitt’s Jeff Capel, Ole Miss’ Kermit Davis, Baylor’s Scott Drew, Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard.
Due to the pause, the Big East Conference announced that the Wildcats’ scheduled game at Xavier on Saturday, Jan. 2 has been postponed. No determination has yet been made on how the pause may impact scheduled games beyond Jan. 2.
Eight of 11 Big East teams have had COVID pauses, with UConn and now Villanova pausing twice each.
The Big East told NJ Advance Media it has “contingency plans” for a bubble in early 2021 and could pause the season altogether if conditions worsen significantly.
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