COVID-19 protocols force Musselman to miss Abilene Christian game
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FAYETTEVILLE — Eric Musselman will miss Arkansas’ basketball game against Abilene Christian because of COVID-19 protocols, the school announced about 30 minutes before tip of the Tuesday game.
The second-year coach is considered a close contact to a staff member who learned Tuesday morning that he tested positive. Associate head coach David Patrick will serve as the interim coach in Musselman’s absence.
Musselman will follow the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force guidelines, according to a press release. He will continue to be a part of the team meetings virtually while in quarantine.
Contact tracing has knocked players and coaches out for 14 days throughout football season, but the SEC’s guidelines were updated on Dec. 3 to account for recent changes in the CDC guidelines.
A 14-day quarantine would mean Musselman has to miss the Razorbacks’ first two SEC games - at Auburn on Dec. 30 and vs. Missouri on Jan. 2 - but there appears to be a path for him to return to the court sooner.
According to the SEC’s guidelines, his quarantine can end after just seven days if there are “adequate testing resources” available and he tests negative for the virus on days 5, 6 or 7 and hasn’t shown any symptoms. That would enable him to return before the Auburn game. He could also return after 10 days without a test if no symptoms have been reported.
All of the Razorbacks’ players were spotted going through pregame warmups, so it doesn’t appear any of them have been knocked out through contact tracing. That isn’t surprising because Musselman told reporters last month that most of the team had already tested positive for the virus.
This is the second time an Arkansas head coach has missed a game this year because of COVID-19 protocols. Football coach Sam Pittman tested positive for the virus and had to miss the Razorbacks’ game at Florida.