The Fort Lewis College men’s basketball team has now had its first three games of the 2020-21 season canceled. The women’s program will avoid that, barely.
Black Hills State University from South Dakota announced Thursday morning its men’s team would not travel to Colorado this weekend for games at Western Colorado University in Gunnison as well as FLC in Durango because of issues with COVID-19 within the team. Chadron State College from Nebraska also announced its men’s and women’s teams would not make the same trip this weekend.
However, the Black Hills State women’s team will still travel and play Western Colorado on Friday before a 4 p.m. Saturday tipoff with the Skyhawks inside Whalen Gymnasium. No fans will be permitted at the game.
“We talked to the team about not playing Friday but reassuring them we do have a game Saturday,” FLC women’s head coach Orlando Griego said. “We’re excited to actually get to put on a uniform and play against somebody else. We are looking forward to getting after it.”
While the FLC men won’t play a conference game this weekend, it did schedule a matchup with Western Colorado in a non-conference showdown at 6 p.m. Saturday. The two teams will meet again Tuesday night, this time in a conference game.
FLC’s season-opening games last weekend against South Dakota Mines were canceled. The South Dakota Mines men could not travel because of COVID-19, while the FLC women were wrapping up a 14-day quarantine of their own.
“Our program is excited to get on the court,” FLC men’s head coach Bob Pietrack said. “The chance to open the season with a rival in Western State is extremely unique and an opportunity we are looking forward to. We are thankful that our administration is giving us every chance to compete in a safe environment.
The RMAC is trying to move forward with a 22-game conference-only schedule despite the pandemic and surge in cases nationwide. However, teams will be seeded in the eight-team conference tournaments based on winning percentage instead of overall records as the league knows several games will be canceled and not rescheduled.
New Mexico Highlands, the lone New Mexico school in the 15-team basketball conference, will not play any games until at least 2021, and it is becoming increasingly likely the Cowboys will cancel their entire season. The Division I programs in New Mexico have all relocated out of state to be able to practice and play games while the state is under strict public health orders.
Teams must play at least half of its conference games to be eligible for RMAC tournament play.
Griego has been pleased with how his team has prepared since its quarantine, and he is eager to get one of those conference games played this weekend at home.
“We had two weeks off and weren’t able to quite pick up where we were, but we have emphasized energy, effort, toughness and sticking together as a team,” he said. “We’ve done a great job of that. Credit to the team for coming back from quarantine and putting in a lot of work in practice. It’s a great group, and I am excited to see them compete come Saturday.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
