The NJCAA has made the decision to postpone its Division I and II national basketball championships, including the tournament that involves the Pima College women’s team that was to be played at Port Huron, Mich., starting Tuesday because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
Originally scheduled to begin next week, the four upcoming junior college national championship events – DI men, DI women, DII men, and DII women will aim for a tentative start date of Monday, April 20, according to the NJCAA.
“In light of recent developments regarding COVID-19, the NJCAA has made the decision to postpone national championship events for the upcoming DI and DII men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. DIII men’s and women’s basketball championships, currently underway, will work with an expedited schedule that will conclude on Friday, March 13,” the NJCAA announced in a statement.
Pima (25-7) will “adjust and overcome,” Pima coach Todd Holthaus messaged me.
“Obviously, a different set of circumstance, but if we still get an opportunity to win a national championship, I’m all in,” Holthaus mentioned. “Like we have all season, we will adjust and overcome.”
Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President & CEO, said in a statement:
“Due to the concerns surrounding the safety and security of our student-athletes and those involved with Division I and Division II NJCAA championships, we are postponing the tournaments and maintaining a fluid mentality to see these tournaments take place with a tentative start date.
“We have two main objectives in this situation – first and foremost is to protect the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, college personnel, and fans. Second is to make sure our student-athletes receive the national championship experience that they have worked so hard for.”
Start dates for each of the respective tournaments are tentative and the NJCAA will continue to follow all state and local mandates, restrictions, and regulations as it impacts its member institutions and national championship events.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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