WBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association

[Mr. Ypsi]

Hope now changing to restricted attendance (matching the NCAA announced plan). Also change to game time for the 1st game. Details:

https://athletics.hope.edu/sports/wbkb/2019-20/releases/20200311rera85

I am so, so disappointed. all year I've been following the Hope College women's basketball team. it's been so exciting watching them go through the strait run. It's been such a great build-up, a build up all the way to... Nothing.

Imagine how it will feel to whoever wins the National Championship! To win the biggest game of your lives in front of an empty gym. It's not going to feel like you won anything special.

I put it like this to someone earlier today... Every boy grew up playing baseball in the yard imagining that it's the bottom of the ninth, two-out, bases are loaded and you are up to bat! Now, when you did that did you picture an empty stadium or a packed ballpark full of fans just going absolutely crazy!

To make it even worse, the CoronaVirus is being blown WAY out of proportion. People are acting like it is the bubonic plague or the Spanish flu. In reality, it isn't much worse than the average flu.

I completely understand how disappointing this is for the fan base, and feels like we are being robbed of something special. I also agree we are probably being over-cautious.

But I think it's a bit over the top to think the players on the winning team won't feel like they won something special.  Their families will be there and they will be national champions!!  That won't change.

It is WAY too early to say that Covid-19 is being blown way out of proportion and is no worse than the average flu.  I certainly hope that it is not the bubonic plague (which killed an estimated one-third of the European population) or the "Spanish" flu (which in 1918 and 19 killed more people than WWI), but we just don't know for sure yet.  The latest report I saw for Italy is that the mortality rate is 6.3% of those infected.   Despite what some are saying, it IS almost certainly worse than the 'annual flu'.

I, too, suspect we are being overly-cautious (and at 71, I'm in the 'death zone' for this virus! ), but in situations like this overly cautious beats the hell out of underly cautious!  Today virtually all (if not all) public 4-year colleges in Michigan went to on-line only classes.  My younger son is teaching his first semester at Washtenaw CC and says he is being trained on videotaping his lectures - he suspects they will soon go also on-line only.

[scottiedawg]

https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1237923007361941507?s=21

[sac]

We're about 3 weeks behind Italy and a much larger country.  We're not overreacting to anything.

2 weeks ago: Italy had 322 confirmed cases of the coronavirus
1 week ago: 2,502 
Today: 10,149 

Also remember, we aren't testing as many people as thoroughly.......because, reasons.

[Pat Coleman]

Firmly in the 'not overreacting' camp.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

We're about 3 weeks behind Italy and a much larger country.  We're not overreacting to anything.

2 weeks ago: Italy had 322 confirmed cases of the coronavirus
1 week ago: 2,502 
Today: 10,149 

Also remember, we aren't testing as many people as thoroughly.......because, reasons.

OH we are certainly going to have a lot of people who are going to test positive - and many who have probably already have been infected and are now over it. The bug has been around for quite a long time - well before people realized it (six weeks prior to even been spotted in Washington State). And like the flu (which ran through my region like a chain saw back in January along with strep throat) and cold ... it is going to infect a lot of people. That is simply unavoidable at this point. Whether games are played or not.

I'd like to see games still played. Limited crowds, I guess. And we move on. We survived a number of other bugs that are still around today without having to shut down campuses and games (H1N1, SARs, MERS, swine flu, etc.) ... they had their impacts to be sure (I remember H1N1 well; my son was born in the middle of it). We just didn't panic during them.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I've come down thinking many individuals are overestimating their own individual danger, but we're probably taking appropriate corporate actions to protect the most vulnerable.  I saw a 30ish woman wearing a full-on ventilator mask (the kind you might wear if you expected to be tear-gassed) at the walmart yesterday - that's an overreaction.  Preemptively working to keep our medical system from being overloaded with sick people, probably the right call.

[Roundball999]

What we DO know is that the rate of new infections diagnosed in China has been falling since mid February and has started steadily falling more recently in South Korea.  Daily diagnosis rates are still increasing in Italy, US and other places that were infected later than China.

We also know that ANY discussion of mortality rates is pure speculation for the simple reason that the denominator in the rate equation - how many people have actually been infected - is completely unknown.  Lack of tests, mild or undetectable cases where medical attention is never sought and so forth make it likely that the denominator is far larger than the ability to accurately report, which of course would make the actual mortality rate much lower.

[Dutchfan]

My biggest worry about overreactions like this and closing schools is the economic impact. I work in a factory making floor cleaners. we are approaching the busiest time of the year for me because schools order their machines in the first half of the summer so that they have them at the next school year. With all this uncertainty my job is going to be greatly impacted. What about all the people who work at the arenas? what about the people who work at the television networks that are going to have that work because the NBA has canceled their games? what about the janitors and lunchroom workers at the schools that are closing? What about all the other people we're going to be negatively affected financially all because we are panicking over something that is not near as bad as it is being portrayed? Need I remind everyone that there have been only a thousand cases and a country of 330 million people? That that comes out to 20 cases per state and at less than one death per state? I mean, we've never closed anything down in this fashion for the flu and that killed 12,000 to 14,000 people every year.

Should there be some precautions taken? Absolutely. Virtually all the severe cases have been to people who are advanced in years. Maybe recommended that people who are above a certain age or have weakened immune systems stay away From large crowds. However, the rest of us are still going to go to work and we're still going to go grocery shopping oh, so it's not like this is going to stop spreading if we say don't go to a basketball game Orem movie theater. Instead all we're doing is causing financial hardships and Hysteria.

[jamtod]

My biggest worry about overreactions like this and closing schools is the economic impact. I work in a factory making floor cleaners. we are approaching the busiest time of the year for me because schools order their machines in the first half of the summer so that they have them at the next school year. With all this uncertainty my job is going to be greatly impacted. What about all the people who work at the arenas? what about the people who work at the television networks that are going to have that work because the NBA has canceled their games? what about the janitors and lunchroom workers at the schools that are closing? What about all the other people we're going to be negatively affected financially all because we are panicking over something that is not near as bad as it is being portrayed? Need I remind everyone that there have been only a thousand cases and a country of 330 million people? That that comes out to 20 cases per state and at less than one death per state? I mean, we've never closed anything down in this fashion for the flu and that killed 12,000 to 14,000 people every year.

Should there be some precautions taken? Absolutely. Virtually all the severe cases have been to people who are advanced in years. Maybe recommended that people who are above a certain age or have weakened immune systems stay away From large crowds. However, the rest of us are still going to go to work and we're still going to go grocery shopping oh, so it's not like this is going to stop spreading if we say don't go to a basketball game Orem movie theater. Instead all we're doing is causing financial hardships and Hysteria.

The concerns about the negative economic impact (and especially the impact that will have on health/death) is valid. But as far as the precautions and containment, I suggest you find some valid sources that talk about the current situation in Italy or look at some of the modeling for growth and spread of this without serious action before you blather on further.

An interesting mathematical/modeling approach to the situation: https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

[HOPEful]

The concerns about the negative economic impact (and especially the impact that will have on health/death) is valid. But as far as the precautions and containment, I suggest you find some valid sources that talk about the current situation in Italy or look at some of the modeling for growth and spread of this without serious action before you blather on further.

An interesting mathematical/modeling approach to the situation: https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

I agree. At this point, I don't see how any informed, rationale person that respects human life, could still be in the "this is an over-reaction" camp.

I am a sports fanatic. The idea of empty stadiums sickens me. The idea of cancelled games and even seasons makes me cringe. But at this point, not doing so is irresponsible and selfish, prioritizing money and entertainment and personal freedoms over human life. "Extreme" measures are required, not to STOP the spread, but slow the spread down enough that our medical facilities are best equipped WHEN (not if) the virus hits. It's about "flattening the curve" and doing everything we can to prevent situations where overwhelmed healthcare personnel have to decide who does and doesn't get life saving respiratory equipment.

[scottiedawg]

Ryan said it well. The vast majority of people have little risk, even if they contract COVID-19.

But I'm not going to let the random luxury of my age + health demographic allow me to be cavalier with the well being of those less fortunate.

[TUAngola]

Just in...the NCAA has canceled all remaining winter championships which includes the Womens NCAA Division III Basketball Championship.

[TUAngola]

Congratulations on an outstanding season to both the Hope and Trine women's basketball teams.  It's disappointing that the rest of the tournament won't be played but completely understandable due to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Trine players and staff were already in Brunswick ME and now have to fly back home.

Both teams had wins to end the season.  No one has beaten you in the tournament!  So go ahead and celebrate your accomplishments and cut down the nets at your gyms!!

[pointlem]

The last seven champions have been undefeated so...

Congratulations to the 2020 National Champion Hope College Flying Dutch!

Seriously, it's been a really special season already.

I second your motion, Gordon. All in favor say aye?

But seriously, though not the ending we hoped, what a great season for the Hope women--ending season ranked #1 and undefeated--after treating their fans to so much joy.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

And with that, the 2019-20 seasons have come to a sudden end.

What a week it has been in college basketball. Exactly a week ago, as we hit the air, the first signs that COVID-19 was going to impact the NCAA Tournaments was seen. Since then, it has been a whirlwind.  

Tonight on Hoopsville, we try and make sense of one of the stranger finishes in history for NCAA events. What started with isolated closings of gyms for games ends a week later in all games being called off through the rest of the academic year.

We will chat with those who were preparing for games on Friday and hear their reactions to the seasons coming to a close so quickly.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):
- Michelle Ferenze, No. 10 Whitman women's coach
- John Krikorian, Christopher Newport men's coach
- Cheri Harrer, No. 9 Baldwin Wallace women's coach

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch Thursday's show LIVE starting at 7:00 p.m. ET in the following ways:
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All men's coaches appear in the NABC Coach's Corner. And all guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline.

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