When it comes to the subject of wearing masks while coaching this season, Tom Izzo takes the lighthearted approach.
“Awesome,” the veteran Michigan State said of how it’s been. “You guys can’t see what I’m saying, media can’t see what I’m saying, and most importantly my mother can’t see what I’m saying,”
Down the road in Ann Arbor, though, Juwan Howard didn’t crack any jokes when asked about coaching while wearing a mask this year.
“It’s challenging. It’s very challenging,” Howard said.
Among the many changes to college basketball this year – from no fans to different schedules to socially distanced benches – mask-wearing during game is among the most visible.
Through three games apiece this year, Izzo and Howard have worn cloth masks nearly throughout each game, as coaches throughout the sport have done.
College basketball coaches are following college football coaches in that regard. But compared to football, basketball involves its coaches shouting out instruction during gameplay. Izzo is often hoarse from November through March as a result of doing plenty of that.
Coaches say communication has been the trickiest part of the adjustment.
“We as a team are going to continue to figure out what’s the best way that the message, as well as the teaching that’s being communicated, that everyone gets it and we’re all on the same page,” Howard said. “It is challenging, it’s very challenging.”
Izzo said there’s a slight difference in his ability to communicate, but it’s nothing he hasn’t been able to overcome -- although both have sometimes overcome the challenge by simply pulling the mask down.
“You can get your point across and you can talk and you can pull it down if you really have something to say,” Izzo said. “But I think I’ve kept it on, I’ve done a pretty good job so I’ll pat myself on the back. But it hasn’t been that big of an issue, so people that act like it’s an issue to wear a mask, wake up. It’s not that big of an issue.”
Izzo and Howard are both clear that they support mask-wearing, even if it makes their jobs more difficult at times.
“This is the year that we’ve all dealt with,” Howard said. “I embrace it. I’m going to figure it out. I’m not going to make any excuses for it.”
Izzo, in particular, has been a vocal proponent of mask-wearing dating back to the summer, when he appeared alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer to promote the practice. He’s continued to promote mask-wearing even after contracting the virus last month.
“I’ve proven that I wear it in public, I wear it in private when we’re in our meetings, and I wear it coaching,” Izzo said.
Now, he has a chance to promote mask-wearing every time his team suits up. The NCAA originally provided college basketball guidance saying that mask-wearing wouldn’t be necessary during games, because coaches would only be in proximity to others who have tested negative. But subsequent guidance recommended that everyone at games except for players and official should wear masks.
On top of that guidance, the state of Michigan requires masks to be worn in indoor public spaces, and both Michigan and Michigan State have campus-wide mask mandates.
Across the sport, mask-wearing among coaches and staff has ranged from diligent to half-hearted. While the NFL has fined coaches for not properly wearing masks and the SEC has indicated schools could be fined for violations, the Big Ten has indicated that it will leave any enforcement up to schools.
That likely won’t be necessary for Izzo and Howard, who may be in an adjustment period for wearing masks but know that wearing them is what’s helping have a season.
“I think people in general should do it so we can get out of this pandemic and start moving forward,” Izzo said.
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December 04, 2020 at 06:04PM
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Coaching while masked isn’t easy, but Tom Izzo and Juwan Howard aren’t complaining - mlive.com
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