East Mississippi Community College women’s basketball coach and athletic director Sharon Thompson makes it a point to exercise every day, but she knows well enough that getting out of the habit can be costly.
“Once you take off a few days, it’s like starting over from scratch,” Thompson said.
She said the same effect is likely to happen whether the intermission is brief or — as in the case of EMCC’s basketball players — lengthy. The Lions have been off since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and men’s basketball coach Billy Begley acknowledged that the long break hasn’t been ideal for anyone.
That’s not exclusive to basketball, either.
“I don’t care if it’s playing checkers,” Begley said. “If you don’t play checkers for four months, you’re gonna be pretty rusty.”
With nine freshmen from last year all returning, Begley said his team will attempt to shake off that rust when workouts begin in August.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who already know what’s in place; it’s just that they haven’t done anything in four months,” he said.
Right now, Begley said, his players would be in their second session of summer classes — an ideal time to study as well as put on weight and add muscle.
For those who don’t have access to basketball courts or weight sets at home, working out on campus is “kind of what the summer’s for,” Begley said.
But his team is missing out on that, and so is Thompson’s. The Lions women won the MACJC championship last year and hope for a repeat once players move in Aug. 13 and first get in the weight room Aug. 17.
Thompson said the team will allow only 10 players to lift weights at a time — one per station — and each station will be wiped down with a sanitizing agent, then allowed to sit for 10 minutes, before another group of players enters. At the end of each week, the team will use a disinfectant fogger to clean the weight room thoroughly and reach spots the Lions may have missed before.
Begley said he will keep groups as small as possible in workouts and practices and emphasize with his players the importance of washing their hands, sweeping floors and cleaning their equipment and the locker room in order to stay virus free.
“It’s going to be a group effort,” Begley said. “It’s not something that one person can do. It has to be an everyday thing.”
Thompson said that responsibility is inherent upon coaches, managers and players alike if they want to play basketball this fall. She has told her players to wear their masks and ensure they protect themselves and other people.
“If you want to have a season, you need to do your part,” Thompson routinely tells the Lions.
As of now, the season that EMCC intends to have already looks a little different. Based on a June 19 ruling by the National Junior College Athletic Association, practice can begin Sept. 14, and games can start Oct. 16. The NJCAA also encouraged member schools to limit competition between the Thanksgiving holiday and Jan. 1.
Last year, the Lions men started play Nov. 1 and the women Nov. 4, but Begley and Thompson both said they expect to open their season Oct. 16 — as soon as they can. Instead of playing into mid-December — last December, the men played three games, and the women played four — the Lions will compete until a few days before Thanksgiving then take a six-to-eight week hiatus before finishing out their schedule.
“It’s going to be kind of like two seasons,” Begley said.
Thompson, though, pointed out that the Lions’ limited December slate in the past means the new schedule isn’t too big of a change.
“To me, we’ve always had two seasons, so it’s nothing different other than starting a little earlier,” she said.
Begley said no one is sure that the season will start on time or be played in full, admitting a delayed start in January or outright cancellation are both possibilities.
“Nobody knows what the next step is,” he said. “You’ve got to be prepared for whatever comes.”
EMCC football sets start date
EMCC football players will move in July 30, take their athletic physicals that day and begin workouts Aug. 1, Thompson said.
In an attempt to acclimate the Lions to the fierce Mississippi heat, players can practice in shorts only from Aug. 1-3. On Aug. 4 and Aug. 5, they can add helmets to the mix; on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, shorts, helmets and shoulder pads are all allowed.
Full practice is permitted to begin Aug. 8.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.