Here are the steps WSU’s missing basketball players are taking to return to play
The Wichita State men’s basketball players who have been out so far this season because of COVID-19 restrictions are expected to trickle back into team practices this week.
WSU interim coach Isaac Brown told local media on Tuesday that the Shockers will practice with 12 of their 16 total players on Tuesday and Wednesday. A source with knowledge of the situation said that includes all nine of the scholarship players who played in Sunday’s 72-62 loss to Missouri and all three of the team’s walk-ons.
When asked if he believes WSU will have all 13 scholarship players available for Saturday’s 2 p.m. game against Oklahoma State at Koch Arena, Brown said before Tuesday’s practice it was too early in the week to speculate.
“It’s hard for me to answer that question if we’ll have a full roster, but we will have 10 guys,” Brown said. “I’m not sure we’ll have a full roster.”
Redshirt freshman forward Josaphat Bilau, junior guard Craig Porter, freshman guard Chaunce Jenkins and freshman forward Jaden Seymour have yet to make their debuts for the Shockers.
After completing their quarantine, they will all have to go through a thorough process to return to the court. According to a university spokesperson, the process includes at a minimum cardiac lab work and an electrocardiogram. Players are also limited in how much they can exercise — 15 minutes their first day back, 30 minutes the next, 45 minutes the day after that.
That progression could take an additional five to seven days to be fully cleared, according to the university spokesperson.
It’s been a constant bout for the WSU men’s basketball team and Brown said that it’s taken a toll on some players who have had to miss more than three weeks at a time since they arrived on campus this summer.
“It’s though with those guys. They’ve been positive, but they’re really down because some of those kids didn’t have COVID but they would have to sit out for 14 days because they were a close contact,” Brown said. “Then they would get it four or five days later and then they would have to spend another 10 days in quarantine. So some of them have been in quarantine throughout the year for at least 24 straight days. It’s been difficult but I think they’re in good spirits and I think they’re ready to get back in here and practice.”
The latest example came on Nov. 23 when WSU flew to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in preparation for three games in three days at the Crossover Classic, only to be forced to exit after multiple members of their traveling party tested positive for COVID-19.
That not only forced WSU to lose its first three games of an already-shortened schedule, but also forced Bilau, Porter, Jenkins, Seymour and freshman wing Ricky Council to quarantine for either positive tests or being a close contact for the next two weeks. WSU played its season-opening game last Wednesday, an 85-80 win over Oral Roberts, with just eight players with Council joining the team for Sunday’s game against Missouri.
WSU was also unable to practice 5-on-5 due to limited numbers for the past two weeks, which severely impacted the way it could prepare for its first two games of the season. That’s why the return of a handful of players this week is such a relief in the program — a somewhat return to normalcy.
While that left WSU shorthanded playing the games, Brown said he has spent just as much time with the players who have been forced into extended absences. Their status for Saturday’s game is still unclear, but Brown is hopeful at least a handful of them can return.
“I just call them every day and ask them how they’re doing and making sure they’re feeling well,” Brown said. “’Is there anything we can do for you?’ I try to get on Zoom and go over the plays with them and make sure they understand the system. I call their parents to talk with them and make sure everything is OK and let them know we can’t wait for them to get back.
“When they get back, we’ll try to cover everything and make sure they know everything we’re doing. We’ll try to get them back in shape. We don’t want to just rush them back on the basketball court. We want to make sure they know everything and make sure they have good conditioning before we just put them out there.”
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