How does college basketball tackle COVID? TCU’s Nembhard part of group helping decide
TCU’s RJ Nembhard is the Big 12’s lone representative on the newly formed NABC Player Development Coalition, which has been designed to provide a player’s perspective on pressing issues facing college basketball.
The group has met just once, but there’s already a winner for the No. 1 talking point — playing the upcoming season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s obviously a crazy time, trying to take the right steps to get the season going,” Nembhard said. “Everybody wants to play while making smart decisions.”
One decision the players have discussed pushing for are colleges ensuring long-term health insurance given the unknown long-term effects for a student-athlete who contracts the virus. For instance, there have been cases of people showing signs of heart damage after recovering from the virus.
“It’s risky,” Nembhard said. “Players want to feel safe and having some type of insurance for them long-term is the biggest thing we want.”
But Nembhard made it clear that the general consensus to date is that players want to play this season. And they’d like to keep the season as normal as possible.
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard mentioned in a recent newsletter that winter sports may not start until Jan. 1. The NCAA announced this week that will decide on a start date in mid-September.
As far as Nembhard and the players’ coalition is concerned, a November start date around the Thanksgiving holiday would make sense. Most schools are ending on-campus classes at that time, which means college basketball teams could essentially form their own “mini bubble” on campuses.
Nembhard said he is pleased with how he and his teammates have approached the “new normal” during summer workouts, socially distancing themselves and avoiding parties off the court.
“We’re all locked in,” Nembhard said. “Everyone is going hard and putting in that extra effort.”
Outside of the COVID-19 issues, the coalition is also expected to weigh in on social justice initiatives, transfer issues and players profiting off endorsements through their name, image and likeness.
For Nembhard, it was an honor to be asked to join the committee. The junior guard out of Keller is entering his fourth year with TCU’s program after redshirting as a freshman in 2017-18.
Nembhard’s father Ruben played at Weber State and in the NBA.
“I’ve always loved being in a leadership role,” Nembhard said. “I love getting different perspectives on things. Everyone on the committee brings a lot of experience and ideas on ways to improve college basketball and make it a better place.”
Nembhard is one of 11 players on the committee. Others include North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, Colorado’s Evan Battey, Kentucky’s Keion Brooks, Jr., Harvard’s Kale Catchings, Villanova’s Collin Gillespie, Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert, Michigan State’s Joshua Langford, Duke’s Wendell Moore, Jr., Syracuse’s Bourama Sidibe and High Point’s John-Michael Wright.
The group is expected to meet quarterly with regular opportunities to address the NABC Board of Directors and NCAA committees.
“As the NABC continues its advocacy and policy work on issues impacting our game, it’s vital that input from student-athletes be central to those efforts,” NABC executive director Craig Robinson said in a news release announcing the players coalition. “We will make sure student-athletes’ voices are heard.”
TCU coach Jamie Dixon is serving as the NABC’s president this season and is pleased to see one of his players on the coalition.
“Obviously they wanted impact players, but they also wanted guys who had a presence on campus and were engaged in campus life, engaged in all the sports. They wanted guys who cared and will speak up,” Dixon said. “RJ will do that. He’s articulate and engaged and interested in college athletics beyond just basketball.”
