Howard men’s basketball cancels remainder of season after exciting offseason
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BVM) — For the Howard University men’s basketball team, 2020 was supposed to be their season. After not being to the NCAA tournament since 1992, the Bison’s fortune seemed to change when the team obtained the commitment of highly-touted Makur Maker, the No. 16 player in the Class of 2020 ESPN 100, who became the first five-star commitment to an HBCU program since the rating system began in 2007. With the return of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Wayne Bristol and Purdue transfer Nojel Eastern, it seemed as though the Bison would get the NCAA tournament monkey off their backs.
Then the COVID-19 cancelations and postponements started and have now overtaken the program’s ability to move forward.
On Feb. 9, Howard University athletics announced the decision to cancel the remainder of the team’s basketball season. The decision was made, “out of an abundance of caution due to the health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a school press release. All other Howard athletics programs will maintain their current schedules and will continue to follow District of Columbia and CDC health and safety protocols.
The decision will end the Bison’s season with the program playing just five games, winning only one. Howard joins a handful of other Division I programs and leagues, the Ivy League, Chicago State, Maryland-Eastern Shore and Bethune-Cookman, in either opting out of the season or canceling their season midway through the year.
“We had several team members test positive in January, and were forced to place the program on hold, cancel several games and finally cancel our season. It was and remains the right thing for us to do,” Head coach Kenneth Blakeney said in the press release. “Ultimately, our number one priority is to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes, both mentally and physically. Canceling the season is in the best interest of the team at this time.”
The Bison were never truly able to get their season off the ground. Following a three game tournament at the Paradise Jam from Nov. 26-28, all loses for the Bison, the team was only able to play two more games with a Dec. 6 matchup against Bellarmine University and a Dec. 18 game against Hampton University. Three games in December were also canceled or postponed with the team’s Dec. 8 matchup against Elon being postponed and its two contests against La Salle and Mount St. Mary’s being cancelled.
On Jan. 8, the program announced that it would pause all basketball activities due to positive test results in the program. Among those who tested positive was Maker who announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 during an Instagram Live on Jan. 11.
Cant wait to get back on my grind after this corona recovery💯 https://t.co/YDKQEJgSpI
— MK (@MakurMaker) January 13, 2021
As far as the program’s big three were concerned, they also weren’t able to establish any connection. Maker would start the first two games of the season for the Bison, scoring 11 points with eight rebounds and two assists in the season opening loss to Belmont and scoring 12 points with four rebounds and two assists in the following loss against Division II Queens College. Maker was not joined by Bristol who was recovering from a hip injury nor Eastern who had not been cleared to play. Following the Queens game, the program announced that Maker was dealing with a hip injury of his own and neither he, Bristol or Eastern would suit up the rest of the campaign.
On Jan. 3, Eastern announced that he would forego the remainder of the season to instead focus on preparing for the 2021 NBA Draft due to uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision put to bed any thoughts that Bison fans may have had of their three marquee players on the same court for Howard.
With love🖤see y’all soon pic.twitter.com/Gpdx411nJo
— Nojel Eastern (@NEblessed_20) January 3, 2021
Now, a basketball season that saw top players infected with the virus, top matchups be canceled and stretches of games being unplayed, has almost mercifully come to an end for the Bison. The decision by the athletics department will now allow the student-athletes and members of the program to focus on remaining healthy and keeping the college community safer.
“Fortunately, this gives our student-athletes the opportunity to finish their academic year strong while demonstrating their resiliency upon their return,” Blakeney said in the release. “We are Bison Strong; we will get through this together.”