Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim has become the latest prominent figure in sports to test positive for COVID-19.
Boeheim, who will turn 76 years old on Tuesday, announced the unfortunate news with a statement on Twitter:
As part of our routine COVID-19 health and safety protocols, I, along with my team and staff, are tested for COVID-19 multiple times each week. Following our most recent testing, I was informed that I had tested positive for COVID-19. I immediately began my isolation period at home. I am not experiencing any symptoms at this time, and will continue to monitor my health closely as advised by the medical staff. Thank you for the well wishes. I look forward to getting back on the court with my team.
A subsequent update revealed that one other member of the school's basketball program had also tested positive.
Boeheim, who is entering his 45th season as the head coach of Syracuse's men's basketball program, falls in an age group that is considered to be more at-risk than most, according to the CDC and various other sources. As of the 2019-2020 season, Boeheim is the longest-tenured head coach in Division I hoops, with Duke's Mike Krzyzewski coming in second. Michigan State's Tom Izzo, who is sixth on the list of longest-tenured Division I basketball coaches, also tested positive for coronavirus recently.
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Boeheim recently discussed Syracuse University's protocols that were instituted in an attempt to keep players and coaches safe in the event of a positive coronavirus test, including devices worn on the wrist to measure how far apart everyone is and establish contact tracing records.
“What we’re trying to do is keep them spaced out at practice and to try to, for example with me, I’m in front of a player for just two minutes,” Boeheim said (via Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com). "So, if something happened and I tested positive, I’m not near the players the whole practice.
“We’re trying to show everybody — the county and the state — that we’re not all going to be positive if one of us happens to be.”
Syracuse came in sixth place in preseason rankings predicting the ACC's predicted order of finish from a 155-voter poll.
Syracuse is set to open its season against Bryant on November 27, though it remains to be seen if this date will be kept or if Boeheim will be able to attend.
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