NORFOLK, Va. - NCAA teams across the country saw their season's come to an end prematurely when the NCAA took precautionary measures to limit the spread of coronavirus by canceling sporting events.
For Old Dominion women's basketball the abrupt end to the season hurt a little extra because they were on the verge of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years.
"We've worked so hard as a team to get to this point and to reestablish our program" Monarchs head coach Nikki McCray said. "Our seniors, and in particular our team, have done that and just for that to be taken away it's hard to hear.
"At the same time, it's so much bigger than basketball right now."
And, as it relates to basketball, the affects of coronavirus are so much bigger than just the games and events.
The ways coaches can recruit are being affect and, as of Friday, the NCAA has implemented a dead period that restricts in-person recruiting both on and off campus. As of Friday, the restriction will last through April 15th.
"That's a safety thing. I wouldn't want to go into someone's home and they wouldn't want to be around us," McCray said. "We can Facetime, we can talk on the phone, we still have access to recruits from that standpoint."
The next time ODU women's hoops takes the court will be the first game of the 2020-21 season, when McCray will take the court as the reigning Conference USA Coach of the Year.
