SAN JOSE — San Jose State sports administrators spent Monday canceling basketball games and trying to find a place for the school’s undefeated football team to practice and finish the rest of the Mountain West Conference season.
Athletic director Marie Tuite said administrators would have a plan within the coming days for football and basketball in response to Santa Clara County’s tough new restrictions that limit sports team activities. The San Francisco 49ers announced Monday they would play their next two games in Arizona.
The Spartans (4-0), who were off Monday, have little time to prepare for Hawaii (3-3) this weekend after having the past two games canceled because of COVID-19 issues. Coach Brent Brennan said Hawaii presents “an incredible challenge while we figure out where we are going to practice, where we are going to play. So there is no shortage of challenges for us to face and overcome.”
Santa Clara County’s new COVID-19 restrictions went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday and will last until Dec. 21. The guidelines, announced Saturday, include a three-week ban on all professional, collegiate and high school sports, a mandatory quarantine for those traveling into the region from more than 150 miles away and new capacity limits for indoor businesses. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested Californians could face a more restrictive stay-at-home order in the coming days.
SJSU officials canceled the season opener Wednesday night for the men’s basketball team because playing at Pepperdine in Malibu is beyond the 150-mile travel radius. Tuite said the Spartans would have had to quarantine for 14 days if they made the trip.
The team has three scheduled home games on Dec. 6, Dec. 9 and Dec. 18 that need to be moved or canceled.
The women’s basketball team had five scheduled games set for the next three weeks, including four at home. One has already been called off — Tuesday’s game against USF — and more cancellations or relocations could come soon.
The football team, off to its best start since 1955, has faced one coronavirus-related obstacle after another. It had its two most recent games canceled because of COVID-19 issues, including one Saturday at Boise State. The Spartans did not learn about the cancellation until after arriving in Idaho. The team also did not play Fresno State the previous week because the Bulldogs had to cancel.
San Jose State was scheduled to end the regular season at home against Nevada (5-1) on Dec. 11. Like the Hawaii game, that contest must be played outside Santa Clara County. The Spartans also cannot play host to the Mountain West Championship on Dec. 19 should they reach the finale.
Tuite said Humboldt State, the place SJSU trained before the season started, is on her list. But Hawaii currently is not, despite being home to the Spartans’ next opponent.
She told the Bay Area News Group that the school is considering “just about any stadium that can handle the media and TV requirements. That’s the big challenge –.the infrastructure of the stadium.”
Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith offered a blunt assessment for South Bay teams trying to relocate to avoid the new restrictions: “If leaders want to protect their teams and communities, they should not play anywhere until it is safe. One might envision a reemergence of team-building if the teams spent their time building a COVID relief fund for the community rather than trying to put the community at more risk.”
Tuite did not address Smith’s remarks directly but said public health officials laid out what the Spartans needed to do to practice and play and “that is what we’ve done.”
Brennan said he hoped the school could find a site where his players could “keep a little bit of their normal routine. However it works out, it works out. People got to do what they’ve got to do.”
SJSU leaders have more experience at displacement than most Division I football schools. Before the season began Oct. 24, the Spartans relocated 320 miles to Humboldt State because county health officials would not permit contact drills on campus. The team created a “bubble” environment for 10 days of preseason practices that officials from both state universities declared a success.
The move was not without controversy, however. Santa Clara County public health officials said at the time, “We would be very disappointed to see a football team going outside the county to circumvent a process that was put in place to ensure the safety of its players and staff.”
Humboldt County Public Health officials were equally frustrated by the move, saying they were not consulted in the decision. Since then, Humboldt State leaders said they would welcome SJSU back for practice and/or games, contingent on country health’s approval.
A Humboldt County Public Health agency spokeswoman said Monday morning her department had not been approached by school officials about San Jose State’s possible return to Arcata. She added that state guidelines mandate school officials discuss such a move with a county health officer before approving it.
Brennan said he hopes the Humboldt experience will make it easier for his players to adjust wherever they land. He added the stresses are not limited to his football team.
“Everybody across America is dealing with different variations of adversity and complicated situations,” Brennan said. “How people handle it gives them a chance to play good football or not.”
Before going to Humboldt State, San Jose State officials looked into practicing at Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont, as well as a field in Scotts Valley.