Eddie Sutton waited so long to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He couldn’t hang on long enough to make it to the ceremony.

The man who led three teams to the Final Four and was the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA Tournament, died Saturday. He was 84.

Sutton’s family said in a statement he died of natural causes at home in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area, surrounded by his three sons and their families. His wife, Patsy, died in 2013.

“Dad and Mom treated their players like family and always shared the belief that his teachings went beyond the basketball court,” the family wrote. “He cherished the time he spent at every school and appreciated the support of their loyal fans. He believed they deserved so much credit in the success of his programs.”

Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 3, Sutton fell short as a finalist six times before finally being selected. He had said he believed that a scandal that ended his stint at Kentucky was likely the culprit for his lengthy wait. The NCAA announced 18 allegations against the program in 1988, and he resigned in 1989.

He certainly had a worthy resume. He was 806-328 in 37 seasons as a Division I head coach — not counting vacated victories or forfeited games -- and made it to 25 NCAA Tournaments. He led Final Four squads at Arkansas in 1978 and Oklahoma State in 1995 and 2004. He took Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State to the NCAA Tournament. He was Associated Press Coach of the Year in 1978 at Arkansas and in 1986 at Kentucky.

Former Kentucky star Rex Chapman appreciated his time under Sutton.

“Eddie Sutton was a fascinating and complicated person,”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1264396548785438727?s=20" target="_blank">Chapman wrote in a tweet.</a>&nbsp;“He also was an unbelievable teacher of the game of basketball. I was fortunate and lucky to have learned from him. Grateful.”

Sutton’s retirement at Oklahoma State in 2006 came roughly three months after he took a medical leave following a traffic accident that resulted in charges of aggravated DUI, speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road. He pleaded no contest to the charges, received a one-year deferred sentence and was ordered to pay a fine.

Through it all, he remained wildly popular at Oklahoma State, often attending games while confined to a wheelchair. He would receive loud cheers as the camera panned to him and Aloe Blacc’s “The Man” played over the sound system.

Eddie Sutton introduced during Oklahoma State's&nbsp;1995 Final Four reunion.

“Oklahoma State University is deeply saddened by the passing of Coach Eddie Sutton,” Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis said in a statement. “A Hall of Fame Coach with more than 800 wins, he revived our historic basketball program and will always be revered and loved by the Cowboy family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Sutton family.”

Even rivals had the highest respect for Sutton.

“Seems like just a few days ago we were celebrating the news that Coach Eddie Sutton had been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame,”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/soonerad/status/1264413556553986049?s=20" target="_blank">Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione</a>&nbsp;said in a Tweet. “Now this very sad news of his passing. So grateful I had a chance to get to know him &amp; his family. Thinking about Steve, Sean &amp; Scott. RIP Coach.”

We lost a great man and coach today. So much respect for all he gave the game. RIP Coach Sutton

Sutton was born in Bucklin, Kansas, in 1936. He played at Oklahoma State under Hall of Fame coach Henry Iba, then stayed there to begin his coaching career as an assistant under Iba in 1958.

Sutton got his first Division I head coaching job at Creighton. He led the Bluejays to an 82-50 mark in five seasons from 1969 to 1974.

He took over at Arkansas in 1975, and the Razorbacks went 17-9 and 19-9 before beginning a nine-year stretch of 20-win seasons. He finished his run in Fayetteville nine straight trips to the NCAA basketball tournament. His 1978 Final Four squad featured versatile stars Sidney Moncrief, Marvin Delph and Ron Brewer.

Sutton left his mark at Arkansas — the practice gym there is named for him. Former President Bill Clinton, who was the governor of Arkansas for part of Sutton’s run there, once sent a video message for a ceremony honoring Sutton at Arkansas in 2016.

“Your time as coach was a defining era in Razorback basketball,” Clinton said. “You put our program on the map. You helped mold a generation of student-athletes into winners on the court and after they left. You made us think we could win again.”

Sutton moved on and replaced Joe B. Hall at Kentucky in 1985. While there, he compiled a 90-40 record, including two Southeastern Conference titles. But he slumped at the end, and his program endured NCAA scrutiny.

He led Oklahoma State from 1991 to 2006. The Cowboys reached the Sweet Sixteen his first two seasons as head coach. In 1995, Bryant Reeves and Randy Rutherford led the Cowboys to the 1995 NCAA Final Four. The Cowboys made it back to the Final Four in 2004, with Tony Allen and Joey Graham leading the way.

Sutton’s final coaching stint came in 2007-08 as interim coach at San Francisco, where he earned his 800th win.

Eddie Sutton waited so long to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He couldn’t hang on long enough to make it to the ceremony.The man who led three teams to the Final Four and was the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA Tournament, died Saturday. He was 84.Sutton’s family said in a statement he died of natural causes at home in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area, surrounded by his three sons and their families. His wife, Patsy, died in 2013.“Dad and Mom treated their players like family and always shared the belief that his teachings went beyond the basketball court,” the family wrote. “He cherished the time he spent at every school and appreciated the support of their loyal fans. He believed they deserved so much credit in the success of his programs.”Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 3, Sutton fell short as a finalist six times before finally being selected. He had said he believed that a scandal that ended his stint at Kentucky was likely the culprit for his lengthy wait. The NCAA announced 18 allegations against the program in 1988, and he resigned in 1989.He certainly had a worthy resume. He was 806-328 in 37 seasons as a Division I head coach — not counting vacated victories or forfeited games -- and made it to 25 NCAA Tournaments. He led Final Four squads at Arkansas in 1978 and Oklahoma State in 1995 and 2004. He took Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State to the NCAA Tournament. He was Associated Press Coach of the Year in 1978 at Arkansas and in 1986 at Kentucky.Former Kentucky star Rex Chapman appreciated his time under Sutton.“Eddie Sutton was a fascinating and complicated person,”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1264396548785438727?s=20" target="_blank">Chapman wrote in a tweet.</a>&nbsp;“He also was an unbelievable teacher of the game of basketball. I was fortunate and lucky to have learned from him. Grateful.”Sutton’s retirement at Oklahoma State in 2006 came roughly three months after he took a medical leave following a traffic accident that resulted in charges of aggravated DUI, speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road. He pleaded no contest to the charges, received a one-year deferred sentence and was ordered to pay a fine.Through it all, he remained wildly popular at Oklahoma State, often attending games while confined to a wheelchair. He would receive loud cheers as the camera panned to him and Aloe Blacc’s “The Man” played over the sound system.Eddie Sutton introduced during Oklahoma State's&nbsp;1995 Final Four reunion.<figure>
 <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1228759706744827910/pu/img/GfaLzesNsbwkuKCP?format=jpg&amp;name=900x900" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“Oklahoma State University is deeply saddened by the passing of Coach Eddie Sutton,” Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis said in a statement. “A Hall of Fame Coach with more than 800 wins, he revived our historic basketball program and will always be revered and loved by the Cowboy family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Sutton family.”Even rivals had the highest respect for Sutton.“Seems like just a few days ago we were celebrating the news that Coach Eddie Sutton had been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame,”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/soonerad/status/1264413556553986049?s=20" target="_blank">Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione</a>&nbsp;said in a Tweet. “Now this very sad news of his passing. So grateful I had a chance to get to know him &amp; his family. Thinking about Steve, Sean &amp; Scott. RIP Coach.”We lost a great man and coach today. So much respect for all he gave the game. RIP Coach Sutton<figure>
 <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYwXYUfWoAAMBCJ?format=jpg&amp;name=small" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYwXYUhWoAIae8E?format=jpg&amp;name=small" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Sutton was born in Bucklin, Kansas, in 1936. He played at Oklahoma State under Hall of Fame coach Henry Iba, then stayed there to begin his coaching career as an assistant under Iba in 1958.Sutton got his first Division I head coaching job at Creighton. He led the Bluejays to an 82-50 mark in five seasons from 1969 to 1974.He took over at Arkansas in 1975, and the Razorbacks went 17-9 and 19-9 before beginning a nine-year stretch of 20-win seasons. He finished his run in Fayetteville nine straight trips to the NCAA basketball tournament. His 1978 Final Four squad featured versatile stars Sidney Moncrief, Marvin Delph and Ron Brewer.Sutton left his mark at Arkansas — the practice gym there is named for him. Former President Bill Clinton, who was the governor of Arkansas for part of Sutton’s run there, once sent a video message for a ceremony honoring Sutton at Arkansas in 2016.“Your time as coach was a defining era in Razorback basketball,” Clinton said. “You put our program on the map. You helped mold a generation of student-athletes into winners on the court and after they left. You made us think we could win again.”Sutton moved on and replaced Joe B. Hall at Kentucky in 1985. While there, he compiled a 90-40 record, including two Southeastern Conference titles. But he slumped at the end, and his program endured NCAA scrutiny.He led Oklahoma State from 1991 to 2006. The Cowboys reached the Sweet Sixteen his first two seasons as head coach. In 1995, Bryant Reeves and Randy Rutherford led the Cowboys to the 1995 NCAA Final Four. The Cowboys made it back to the Final Four in 2004, with Tony Allen and Joey Graham leading the way.Sutton’s final coaching stint came in 2007-08 as interim coach at San Francisco, where he earned his 800th win.

Eddie Sutton, Hall of Fame basketball coach, dies at 84

Southeastern Conference schools will be able to bring athletes in all sports back to campus for voluntary activities starting June 8 at the discretion of each university, and the Big 12 plans to welcome football players back to campus a week later.

The Friday announcements are the latest signs that a college football season will be launched in some form this fall. Other conferences are expected to follow, though decisions could be left to individual schools.

The move comes two days after the NCAA Division I Council voted to lift a moratorium on voluntary workouts on campus by football and basketball players, effective June 1. The NCAA updated that ruling Friday by saying voluntary activities would be allowed in all sports starting June 1.

“At this time, we are preparing to begin the fall sports season as currently scheduled, and this limited resumption of voluntary athletic activities on June 8 is an important initial step in that process,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said.

The SEC initially announced Friday that voluntary in-person activities could resume June 8 on SEC campuses only for football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball. But after the NCAA issued its updated ruling Friday afternoon, the SEC announced that June 8 date would apply to athletes in all sports.

Big 12 presidents and chancellors met Friday and decided voluntary activities could begin June 15 for football, July 1 for other fall sports and July 15 for all other sports.

SEC officials noted any workouts would take place “under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each institution.” They referred to June 8 as the start of “transition period that will allow student-athletes to gradually adapt to full training and sports activity after this recent period of inactivity.”

Permitted actions are limited by the NCAA to voluntary activities supervised by strength and conditioning personnel. Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said it was “only the first step with further details and plans coming over the next several days and weeks.”

“This is an important first step toward having a season this fall, and we will continue to collectively work together as our top priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said in a statement.

Defending national champion LSU said it will resume voluntary workouts for players on June 8 in accordance with the SEC decision.

“Our administration has worked very hard to make sure that all of the necessary safety procedures and protocols are in place to keep our team safe and healthy,” Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said. “This is a great first step to take in order for us to get back to playing the great game of college football in the fall.”

The SEC decided to resume athletic activities with the guidance of a league task force that includes public health, infectious disease and sports medicine professionals from each of the league’s 14 member schools.

The task force prepared a series of best practices for screening, testing, monitoring, tracing, social distancing and maintaining clean environments to serve as a guide for each school.

Recommendations included testing of symptomatic team members (including athletes, coaches and staffers) as well as screening athletes before they arrive on campus within 72 hours of entering athletic facilities and on a daily basis once they resume athletic activities.

Other recommendations include immediate isolation of team members who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are under investigation, followed by contact tracing under Centers for Disease Control and local public health guidelines.

“Health and safety have been our top priority as we’ve gone about this planning process, and we’ll continue to follow guidance from medical experts and health officials as we navigate the coming weeks,” Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer said. “Our staff and student-athletes should be prepared for a ‘new normal,’ as we’ll be implementing changes to how everyone accesses and uses our facilities.”

SEC officials said the task force’s recommendations could provide a guide to league members, Sankey noted that each school would get to make its own decisions regarding plans for how to make sure student-athletes return safely.

For example, even though the task force’s recommendations only mentioned testing symptomatic team members, Georgia senior associate athletic director for sports medicine Ron Courson said in a statement that the Bulldogs “will conduct COVID testing and perform medical evaluations on all student-athletes.” Florida announced that it also would be testing all of its athletes.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday he thinks college football will return on schedule with at least some spectators. Abbott has already issued new rules to allow youth sports leagues to resume in June and for some professional leagues to hold events without spectators.

“Once we get to college football season, our goal right now is to have college football season start as planned, with fans in stands,” Abbott said in an interview with Austin television station KXAN. “What we don’t know is what the capacity level would be.”

Southeastern Conference schools will be able to bring athletes in all sports back to campus for voluntary activities starting June 8 at the discretion of each university, and the Big 12 plans to welcome football players back to campus a week later.The Friday announcements are the latest signs that a college football season will be launched in some form this fall. Other conferences are expected to follow, though decisions could be left to individual schools.The move comes two days after the NCAA Division I Council voted to lift a moratorium on voluntary workouts on campus by football and basketball players, effective June 1. The NCAA updated that ruling Friday by saying voluntary activities would be allowed in all sports starting June 1.“At this time, we are preparing to begin the fall sports season as currently scheduled, and this limited resumption of voluntary athletic activities on June 8 is an important initial step in that process,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said.The SEC initially announced Friday that voluntary in-person activities could resume June 8 on SEC campuses only for football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball. But after the NCAA issued its updated ruling Friday afternoon, the SEC announced that June 8 date would apply to athletes in all sports.Big 12 presidents and chancellors met Friday and decided voluntary activities could begin June 15 for football, July 1 for other fall sports and July 15 for all other sports.SEC officials noted any workouts would take place “under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each institution.” They referred to June 8 as the start of “transition period that will allow student-athletes to gradually adapt to full training and sports activity after this recent period of inactivity.”Permitted actions are limited by the NCAA to voluntary activities supervised by strength and conditioning personnel. Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said it was “only the first step with further details and plans coming over the next several days and weeks.”“This is an important first step toward having a season this fall, and we will continue to collectively work together as our top priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said in a statement.Defending national champion LSU said it will resume voluntary workouts for players on June 8 in accordance with the SEC decision.“Our administration has worked very hard to make sure that all of the necessary safety procedures and protocols are in place to keep our team safe and healthy,” Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said. “This is a great first step to take in order for us to get back to playing the great game of college football in the fall.”The SEC decided to resume athletic activities with the guidance of a league task force that includes public health, infectious disease and sports medicine professionals from each of the league’s 14 member schools.The task force prepared a series of best practices for screening, testing, monitoring, tracing, social distancing and maintaining clean environments to serve as a guide for each school.Recommendations included testing of symptomatic team members (including athletes, coaches and staffers) as well as screening athletes before they arrive on campus within 72 hours of entering athletic facilities and on a daily basis once they resume athletic activities.Other recommendations include immediate isolation of team members who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are under investigation, followed by contact tracing under Centers for Disease Control and local public health guidelines.“Health and safety have been our top priority as we’ve gone about this planning process, and we’ll continue to follow guidance from medical experts and health officials as we navigate the coming weeks,” Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer said. “Our staff and student-athletes should be prepared for a ‘new normal,’ as we’ll be implementing changes to how everyone accesses and uses our facilities.”SEC officials said the task force’s recommendations could provide a guide to league members, Sankey noted that each school would get to make its own decisions regarding plans for how to make sure student-athletes return safely.For example, even though the task force’s recommendations only mentioned testing symptomatic team members, Georgia senior associate athletic director for sports medicine Ron Courson said in a statement that the Bulldogs “will conduct COVID testing and perform medical evaluations on all student-athletes.” Florida announced that it also would be testing all of its athletes.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday he thinks college football will return on schedule with at least some spectators. Abbott has already issued new rules to allow youth sports leagues to resume in June and for some professional leagues to hold events without spectators.“Once we get to college football season, our goal right now is to have college football season start as planned, with fans in stands,” Abbott said in an interview with Austin television station KXAN. “What we don’t know is what the capacity level would be.”

SEC, Big 12 to allow football workouts on campus next month

The NBA is in talks with The Walt Disney Company on a single-site scenario for a resumption of play in Central Florida in late July, the clearest sign yet that the league believes the season can continue amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Basketball Players Association is also part of the talks with Disney, the league said Saturday. Games would be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a massive campus on the Disney property near Orlando.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the conversations were still “exploratory,” and that the Disney site would be used for practices and housing as well.

“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place,” Bass said.

The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a 255-acre campus with multiple arenas that could host games simultaneously and has been home to, among other things, the Jr. NBA World Championship in recent years. ESPN, one of the NBA’s broadcast partners, is primarily owned by Disney.

Space won’t be an issue, even if Major League Soccer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7a3e6bc0397b4a7d841020bf3304adf1">— which is also in talks to resume its season at Disney —</a>&nbsp;is there at the same time as the NBA. The entire Disney complex is roughly 40 square miles, with nearly 24,000 hotel rooms owned or operated by Disney within the campus.

<a href="https://apnews.com/226da6f7fadbb1968af3552c25e7d09c">The NBA suspended its season March 11,</a>&nbsp;becoming the first of the U.S. major pro leagues to do so after it was revealed that All-Star center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19. The list of NBA players who were known to test positive eventually grew to 10 — not all were identified — and Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the actual total was even higher.

But the league has been working on countless return-to-play scenarios for several weeks, all with the caveat that testing would be an integral part of any resumption of the season.

It remains unknown where the NBA is in the process of securing tests or developing large-scale testing protocols. Also unclear: how many regular-season games would be played before the postseason begins — or if all 30 teams would be playing. The league has asked team general managers for additional input on those matters.

Jared Dudley of the Los Angeles Lakers said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that he believes the playoffs, whenever they start, will be the traditional best-of-seven format.

“That’s the money-winner when it comes to Disney,” Dudley said. “That’s why we’ll be in Orlando. Disney owns ESPN. That’s where they make their money. During the playoffs and finals, it will all be seven games. That one I’m almost 100% sure of.”

Central Florida has been known as a viable option to host an NBA restart since at least mid-April, and other cities — such as Las Vegas, which also has a longstanding relationship with the NBA — were known to be considered as well.

Florida has confirmed just over 50,000 COVID-19 cases, though more than half of those are in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and not in the Orlando area. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he wants the state open for pro sports, even telling franchises not based in Florida that they could come to the Sunshine State and train if restrictions preventing it existed in their own locales.

“Places are opening up. Let’s not forget COVID isn’t magically less contagious now,” Malcolm Miller of the Toronto Raptors tweeted Saturday. “The virus itself didn’t get better... stay safe.”

Teams have been allowed to welcome players back to their training facilities for voluntary sessions since May 8, and more than half of the league’s franchises have taken advantage of that opportunity.

The next steps along a return-to-play path would likely include a loosening of the restrictions for those voluntary workouts — no more than four players are currently allowed inside any facility at a time — and then a plan for when training camps could open. If the league plans to resume play in late July, then camps conceivably could open around the start of that month.

Rescheduling at least some regular season games could be a major perk for players, even though some teams are out of the playoff mix.

The league can take about 1.08% percent of a player’s salary for each regular season game that is not played if what the collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players describes as a “Force Majeure Event,” the legal term for unforeseeable circumstances such as an epidemic or pandemic, is enacted.

The more regular season games played, the less money the players will lose.

The NBA is in talks with The Walt Disney Company on a single-site scenario for a resumption of play in Central Florida in late July, the clearest sign yet that the league believes the season can continue amid the coronavirus pandemic.The National Basketball Players Association is also part of the talks with Disney, the league said Saturday. Games would be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a massive campus on the Disney property near Orlando.NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the conversations were still “exploratory,” and that the Disney site would be used for practices and housing as well.“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place,” Bass said.The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a 255-acre campus with multiple arenas that could host games simultaneously and has been home to, among other things, the Jr. NBA World Championship in recent years. ESPN, one of the NBA’s broadcast partners, is primarily owned by Disney.Space won’t be an issue, even if Major League Soccer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7a3e6bc0397b4a7d841020bf3304adf1">— which is also in talks to resume its season at Disney —</a>&nbsp;is there at the same time as the NBA. The entire Disney complex is roughly 40 square miles, with nearly 24,000 hotel rooms owned or operated by Disney within the campus.<a href="https://apnews.com/226da6f7fadbb1968af3552c25e7d09c">The NBA suspended its season March 11,</a>&nbsp;becoming the first of the U.S. major pro leagues to do so after it was revealed that All-Star center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19. The list of NBA players who were known to test positive eventually grew to 10 — not all were identified — and Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the actual total was even higher.But the league has been working on countless return-to-play scenarios for several weeks, all with the caveat that testing would be an integral part of any resumption of the season.It remains unknown where the NBA is in the process of securing tests or developing large-scale testing protocols. Also unclear: how many regular-season games would be played before the postseason begins — or if all 30 teams would be playing. The league has asked team general managers for additional input on those matters.Jared Dudley of the Los Angeles Lakers said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that he believes the playoffs, whenever they start, will be the traditional best-of-seven format.“That’s the money-winner when it comes to Disney,” Dudley said. “That’s why we’ll be in Orlando. Disney owns ESPN. That’s where they make their money. During the playoffs and finals, it will all be seven games. That one I’m almost 100% sure of.”Central Florida has been known as a viable option to host an NBA restart since at least mid-April, and other cities — such as Las Vegas, which also has a longstanding relationship with the NBA — were known to be considered as well.Florida has confirmed just over 50,000 COVID-19 cases, though more than half of those are in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and not in the Orlando area. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he wants the state open for pro sports, even telling franchises not based in Florida that they could come to the Sunshine State and train if restrictions preventing it existed in their own locales.“Places are opening up. Let’s not forget COVID isn’t magically less contagious now,” Malcolm Miller of the Toronto Raptors tweeted Saturday. “The virus itself didn’t get better... stay safe.”Teams have been allowed to welcome players back to their training facilities for voluntary sessions since May 8, and more than half of the league’s franchises have taken advantage of that opportunity.The next steps along a return-to-play path would likely include a loosening of the restrictions for those voluntary workouts — no more than four players are currently allowed inside any facility at a time — and then a plan for when training camps could open. If the league plans to resume play in late July, then camps conceivably could open around the start of that month.Rescheduling at least some regular season games could be a major perk for players, even though some teams are out of the playoff mix.The league can take about 1.08% percent of a player’s salary for each regular season game that is not played if what the collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players describes as a “Force Majeure Event,” the legal term for unforeseeable circumstances such as an epidemic or pandemic, is enacted.The more regular season games played, the less money the players will lose.

NBA says it is talking with Disney about resuming season

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A group of Power Five coaches led by Michigan's Erik Bakich is proposing a later start to the college baseball season. They say it would trim expenses in the post-coronavirus era, make the game more fan friendly and reduce the risk of injury to players. Under the 35-page proposal, there would be nine weeks of preseason practice instead of five, the regular season would run from the third week of March to the third week of June and the College World Series would wrap up the last week of July. Bakich said the move would increase revenue.&nbsp;

LEAWOOD, Kan. (AP) — For the first time in nearly two decades, the Super Bowl champion Chiefs will have a new punter. Identifying who that will be in the midst of a pandemic is no easy task. The Chiefs have signed Tyler Newsome and undrafted rookie Tommy Townsend to compete for the job. But with healthy players barred from the practice facility, the organization is relying on videos of their private workouts to keep tabs on the race for the job.

Jazz great and Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan dies

UNDATED (AP) — Jerry Sloan was a tenacious shooting guard before becoming one of the winningest coaches in NBA history.

The Utah Jazz say Sloan died Friday at 78 following complications related to Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.

Sloan was an All-Star for the Chicago Bulls in 1967 and '69. An outstanding rebounder at 6-foot-5, he averaged 14 points and 7.4 boards in an 11-year career spent almost exclusively with the Bulls.

But it was his coaching ability that put him in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. Sloan coached the Jazz for 23 seasons, guiding them to the NBA Finals in 1997 and '98 before losing to Chicago each time. He currently ranks four on the NBA all-time list with 1,221 victories.

UNDATED (AP) — The New York Jets are giving Joe Flacco a chance to continue his NFL career.

Flacco has signed a one-year deal to serve as Sam Darnold's backup, giving the Jets a veteran presence under center. Flacco led Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory following the 2012 season and spent 11 years with the Ravens before playing for Denver in 2019.

He started eight games for the Broncos, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,822 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions before a neck injury caused him to miss the last two months of the season.

Flacco has completed 61.9% of his passes for 40,067 yards, 218 touchdowns and 141 interceptions.

He was waived by Denver in March with a failed physical designation but is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp in the summer.

— The Seahawks have signed running back Carlos Hyde to a one-year package. Hyde is coming off his best NFL season, rushing for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns for the Texans. The six-year veteran has had three seasons of at least 900 yards rushing.

— Packers defensive lineman Montravius Adams was arrested in Georgia this week and charged with marijuana and driving offenses. He was stopped Tuesday on suspicion of driving with a suspended registration and no insurance, according to a Houston County Sheriff's Office report. It was not immediately clear why police had such suspicions.

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL Players' Association's executive committee authorized moving forward in talks with the league on returning to play from the coronavirus suspension, approving 24 teams making the playoffs with other aspects still to be negotiated

The NHLPA did not provide a breakdown of the vote of its 31 player representatives in making the announcement Friday night, a day after the proposal was presented to the union's executive board. In giving the format the green light, the NHLPA stressed several details still need to be negotiated before games can begin.

Under the plan proposed by the NHL/NHLPA Return To Play committee, the top four teams in each conference would play each other in a mini-tournament for seeding. The remaining 16 teams face off in a best-of-five series play-in round to set the final 16 to compete for the Stanley Cup.

The proposal will now go to the NHL board of governors, which is expected to approve the plan in the next few days. Once approved, the proposal effectively ends the season of the league's bottom seven teams.

Items still unresolved include potential game locations, when players can return to their respective teams and what non-playoff teams will be allowed to do during what could potentially become a 10-month break between games. While NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league has a plan in place, he stopped short of providing details by saying it would be premature to do so at this time.

UNDATED (AP) — Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing has tested positive for COVID-19 and is being treated at a hospital.

The Hall of Fame player and former Knicks center says the virus is serious and should not be taken lightly, adding that he wanted to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of themselves and their loved ones. Ewing also thanked the healthcare workers and everyone on the front lines

The school said the 57-year-old Ewing is the only member of its men's program who has contracted the coronavirus.

In other developments related to the coronavirus pandemic:

—The Southeastern Conference is allowing voluntary athletic activities to occur on each of its campuses starting June 8, at the discretion of each university. SEC officials noted the workouts would take place "under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each institution." The SEC had suspended all athletic activities through May 31 due to the pandemic. College football national champion LSU announced it will resume voluntary workouts for players on June 8 in accordance with the decision.

— The Arizona Diamondbacks have started individual workouts as baseball begins a measured return to play from the coronavirus pandemic. A small number of players worked out at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix and Salt River Fields, their spring training facility about 20 miles away in Scottsdale. The players were separated as much as possible to follow league-mandated guidelines, and the workouts were cleared by Major League Baseball.

—Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he thinks college football will return on schedule with some level of fans in the stands. Abbott has already issued new rules to allow youth sports leagues to resume in June and for some professional leagues to hold events without spectators. But the state rules have so far not touched college sports.

— The Big Sky Conference will reduce conference schedules in men's and women's basketball from 20 to 16 games. The decision by the conference's President's Council will be a one-year adjustment to help members cut expenses during the pandemic and have more flexibility in nonconference scheduling.

— Alabama-Huntsville is dropping men's hockey and men's and women's tennis as part of budget cuts in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Men's hockey had been the lone Division I sport for Alabama-Huntsville.

—A group of Power Five baseball coaches led by Michigan's Erik Bakich is proposing a later start to the 2022 season. Under the proposal, there would be nine weeks of preseason practice instead of five, the regular season would run from the third week of March to the third week of June and the College World Series would wrap up the last week of July.

—The Pittsburgh Steelers are holding back a portion of their ticket inventory for the 2020 season to be ready in case social distancing measures are required in stadiums this fall. Individual single game tickets went on sale Friday. Team spokesman Burt Lauten says the club withheld 50% of the allotment as a "proactive" measure should the NFL use social distancing guidelines.

— Watford manager Nigel Pearson says two more of his players are in self-isolation after family members tested positive for the coronavirus. The unnamed pair join Watford defender Adrian Mariappa and two staff who went into isolation this week after they tested positive in the English Premier League's first round of testing. Pearson said the team's two new cases came from people they had contact with testing positive for COVID-19, even though the players' own tests were negative.

Star college football recruit charged with attempted murder

ACCOKEEK, Md. (AP) — A high school football player designated as a star recruit for colleges by ESPN is accused of trying to kill his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.

Luke Hill faces charges including attempted first-degree murder after allegedly firing gunshots that struck a home in Accokeek, Maryland, on Monday night. That's according to charging documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Hill is a defensive back who graduated from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore after withdrawing from St. John's College High during his junior year. He had committed to play at the University of Oregon, but Coach Mario Cristobal told The Oregonian that he was cut from their program this spring.

JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas State football coach Blake Anderson has received a restructured contract extension that runs through 2023.

Anderson took the job before the start of the 2014 season. He has led the Red Wolves to a pair of Sun Belt Conference titles and six consecutive bowl appearances. He is one of just two active Group of Five head coaches to lead their programs to at least two conference championships and six bowl games since 2014.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Marquette forward Brendan Bailey is bypassing his final two seasons of eligibility to pursue a pro career.

The son of former NBA player Thurl Bailey had entered his name into consideration for the NBA draft in April but still had the option of returning to school. Bailey and Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski announced Friday that Bailey was indeed moving forward with his pro career.

The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 7.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 25.3 minutes this past season, starting each of Marquette's 30 games as the Golden Eagles went 18-12.

Loughlin, Giannulli plead in college scam, but fate is hazy

UNDATED (AP) — "Full House" star Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have pleaded guilty to paying half a million dollars to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as part of a college admissions bribery scheme.

Under their proposed deals, Loughlin hopes to spend two months in prison and Giannulli is seeking to serve five months. But the judge said he will decide whether to accept the deals after considering the presentencing report, a document that contains background on defendants and helps guide sentencing decisions.

Forbes slides Osaka past Serena has highest-paid female athlete

UNDATED (AP) — Naomi Osaka has unseated fellow tennis star Serena Williams at the bank.

Forbes.com says Osaka is the top-earning female athlete, ending Williams' four-year run atop the list. Forbes says the 22-year-old Osaka earned $37.4 million over the past 12 months from endorsements and prize money, eclipsing Williams in that span.

Forbes said Osaka's total is a one-year record for a female athlete, topping the previous mark of 29.7 million set by Maria Sharapova in 2015.

Osaka is No. 29 overall, with Williams at No. 33, on Forbes' annual list of the 100 top-earning athletes.

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A group of Power Five coaches led by Michigan's Erik Bakich is proposing a later start to the college baseball season. They say it would trim expenses in the post-coronavirus era, make the game more fan friendly and reduce the risk of injury to players. Under the 35-page proposal, there would be nine weeks of preseason practice instead of five, the regular season would run from the third week of March to the third week of June and the College World Series would wrap up the last week of July. Bakich said the move would increase revenue.&nbsp;LEAWOOD, Kan. (AP) — For the first time in nearly two decades, the Super Bowl champion Chiefs will have a new punter. Identifying who that will be in the midst of a pandemic is no easy task. The Chiefs have signed Tyler Newsome and undrafted rookie Tommy Townsend to compete for the job. But with healthy players barred from the practice facility, the organization is relying on videos of their private workouts to keep tabs on the race for the job.Update on the latest sportsNBA-OBIT-SLOANJazz great and Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan diesUNDATED (AP) — Jerry Sloan was a tenacious shooting guard before becoming one of the winningest coaches in NBA history.The Utah Jazz say Sloan died Friday at 78 following complications related to Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.Sloan was an All-Star for the Chicago Bulls in 1967 and '69. An outstanding rebounder at 6-foot-5, he averaged 14 points and 7.4 boards in an 11-year career spent almost exclusively with the Bulls.But it was his coaching ability that put him in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. Sloan coached the Jazz for 23 seasons, guiding them to the NBA Finals in 1997 and '98 before losing to Chicago each time. He currently ranks four on the NBA all-time list with 1,221 victories.NFL-NEWSJets get Flacco to back up DarnoldUNDATED (AP) — The New York Jets are giving Joe Flacco a chance to continue his NFL career.Flacco has signed a one-year deal to serve as Sam Darnold's backup, giving the Jets a veteran presence under center. Flacco led Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory following the 2012 season and spent 11 years with the Ravens before playing for Denver in 2019.He started eight games for the Broncos, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,822 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions before a neck injury caused him to miss the last two months of the season.Flacco has completed 61.9% of his passes for 40,067 yards, 218 touchdowns and 141 interceptions.He was waived by Denver in March with a failed physical designation but is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp in the summer.In other NFL news:— The Seahawks have signed running back Carlos Hyde to a one-year package. Hyde is coming off his best NFL season, rushing for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns for the Texans. The six-year veteran has had three seasons of at least 900 yards rushing.— Packers defensive lineman Montravius Adams was arrested in Georgia this week and charged with marijuana and driving offenses. He was stopped Tuesday on suspicion of driving with a suspended registration and no insurance, according to a Houston County Sheriff's Office report. It was not immediately clear why police had such suspicions.NHL-PLAYOFF VOTENHLPA approve playoff proposalUNDATED (AP) — The NHL Players' Association's executive committee authorized moving forward in talks with the league on returning to play from the coronavirus suspension, approving 24 teams making the playoffs with other aspects still to be negotiatedThe NHLPA did not provide a breakdown of the vote of its 31 player representatives in making the announcement Friday night, a day after the proposal was presented to the union's executive board. In giving the format the green light, the NHLPA stressed several details still need to be negotiated before games can begin.Under the plan proposed by the NHL/NHLPA Return To Play committee, the top four teams in each conference would play each other in a mini-tournament for seeding. The remaining 16 teams face off in a best-of-five series play-in round to set the final 16 to compete for the Stanley Cup.The proposal will now go to the NHL board of governors, which is expected to approve the plan in the next few days. Once approved, the proposal effectively ends the season of the league's bottom seven teams.Items still unresolved include potential game locations, when players can return to their respective teams and what non-playoff teams will be allowed to do during what could potentially become a 10-month break between games. While NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league has a plan in place, he stopped short of providing details by saying it would be premature to do so at this time.VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTSHall of Famer Ewing treated for COVD-19UNDATED (AP) — Georgetown basketball coach Patrick Ewing has tested positive for COVID-19 and is being treated at a hospital.The Hall of Fame player and former Knicks center says the virus is serious and should not be taken lightly, adding that he wanted to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of themselves and their loved ones. Ewing also thanked the healthcare workers and everyone on the front linesThe school said the 57-year-old Ewing is the only member of its men's program who has contracted the coronavirus.In other developments related to the coronavirus pandemic:—The Southeastern Conference is allowing voluntary athletic activities to occur on each of its campuses starting June 8, at the discretion of each university. SEC officials noted the workouts would take place "under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each institution." The SEC had suspended all athletic activities through May 31 due to the pandemic. College football national champion LSU announced it will resume voluntary workouts for players on June 8 in accordance with the decision.— The Arizona Diamondbacks have started individual workouts as baseball begins a measured return to play from the coronavirus pandemic. A small number of players worked out at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix and Salt River Fields, their spring training facility about 20 miles away in Scottsdale. The players were separated as much as possible to follow league-mandated guidelines, and the workouts were cleared by Major League Baseball.—Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he thinks college football will return on schedule with some level of fans in the stands. Abbott has already issued new rules to allow youth sports leagues to resume in June and for some professional leagues to hold events without spectators. But the state rules have so far not touched college sports.— The Big Sky Conference will reduce conference schedules in men's and women's basketball from 20 to 16 games. The decision by the conference's President's Council will be a one-year adjustment to help members cut expenses during the pandemic and have more flexibility in nonconference scheduling.— Alabama-Huntsville is dropping men's hockey and men's and women's tennis as part of budget cuts in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Men's hockey had been the lone Division I sport for Alabama-Huntsville.—A group of Power Five baseball coaches led by Michigan's Erik Bakich is proposing a later start to the 2022 season. Under the proposal, there would be nine weeks of preseason practice instead of five, the regular season would run from the third week of March to the third week of June and the College World Series would wrap up the last week of July.—The Pittsburgh Steelers are holding back a portion of their ticket inventory for the 2020 season to be ready in case social distancing measures are required in stadiums this fall. Individual single game tickets went on sale Friday. Team spokesman Burt Lauten says the club withheld 50% of the allotment as a "proactive" measure should the NFL use social distancing guidelines.— Watford manager Nigel Pearson says two more of his players are in self-isolation after family members tested positive for the coronavirus. The unnamed pair join Watford defender Adrian Mariappa and two staff who went into isolation this week after they tested positive in the English Premier League's first round of testing. Pearson said the team's two new cases came from people they had contact with testing positive for COVID-19, even though the players' own tests were negative.FOOTBALL RECRUIT-SHOOTINGStar college football recruit charged with attempted murderACCOKEEK, Md. (AP) — A high school football player designated as a star recruit for colleges by ESPN is accused of trying to kill his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.Luke Hill faces charges including attempted first-degree murder after allegedly firing gunshots that struck a home in Accokeek, Maryland, on Monday night. That's according to charging documents obtained by The Washington Post.Hill is a defensive back who graduated from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore after withdrawing from St. John's College High during his junior year. He had committed to play at the University of Oregon, but Coach Mario Cristobal told The Oregonian that he was cut from their program this spring.COLLEGE FOOTBALL-ARKANSAS STATE-COACHAnderson gets restructured extensionJONESBORO, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas State football coach Blake Anderson has received a restructured contract extension that runs through 2023.Anderson took the job before the start of the 2014 season. He has led the Red Wolves to a pair of Sun Belt Conference titles and six consecutive bowl appearances. He is one of just two active Group of Five head coaches to lead their programs to at least two conference championships and six bowl games since 2014.COLLEGE BASKETBALL-MARQUETTE-BAILEYMarquette's Bailey entering NBA draftMILWAUKEE (AP) — Marquette forward Brendan Bailey is bypassing his final two seasons of eligibility to pursue a pro career.The son of former NBA player Thurl Bailey had entered his name into consideration for the NBA draft in April but still had the option of returning to school. Bailey and Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski announced Friday that Bailey was indeed moving forward with his pro career.The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 7.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 25.3 minutes this past season, starting each of Marquette's 30 games as the Golden Eagles went 18-12.COLLEGE ADMISSIONS BRIBERYLoughlin, Giannulli plead in college scam, but fate is hazyUNDATED (AP) — "Full House" star Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have pleaded guilty to paying half a million dollars to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as part of a college admissions bribery scheme.Under their proposed deals, Loughlin hopes to spend two months in prison and Giannulli is seeking to serve five months. But the judge said he will decide whether to accept the deals after considering the presentencing report, a document that contains background on defendants and helps guide sentencing decisions.FEMALE ATHLETES-FORBESForbes slides Osaka past Serena has highest-paid female athleteUNDATED (AP) — Naomi Osaka has unseated fellow tennis star Serena Williams at the bank.Forbes.com says Osaka is the top-earning female athlete, ending Williams' four-year run atop the list. Forbes says the 22-year-old Osaka earned $37.4 million over the past 12 months from endorsements and prize money, eclipsing Williams in that span.Forbes said Osaka's total is a one-year record for a female athlete, topping the previous mark of 29.7 million set by Maria Sharapova in 2015.Osaka is No. 29 overall, with Williams at No. 33, on Forbes' annual list of the 100 top-earning athletes.

Saturday Sports Headlines

HUTCHINSON, Kan. - Hutchinson Monarch Baseball and Hutchpost.com Sports will be teaming up together for the 2nd consecutive season to bring Monarch baseball to it's fans in a digital format this summer with the Monarch Baseball "game of the week" beginning in mid-June. Egbert Liquor will be the naming rights sponsor for the Egbert Liquor game of the week broadcast booth.

With the Covid-19 virus putting a stop to everything, owners Marc and Kim Blackim received good news last week and announced that this years season is still alive, although shortened a bit. &nbsp;More information will come out soon regarding schedules and playoffs in the Sunflower College League that the Monarchs are part of.

Last year, Hutchpost.com carried audio only streams of the contests. &nbsp;This year, Hutchpost.com will add a video stream so that all the action can be viewed right here on Hutchpost.com Sports and the Hutchpost.com YouTube Channel.

Eagle Sports Director Glen Grunwald and KWBW Program Director Rob Dreher will provide the play-by-play and color commentating.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. - Hutchinson Monarch Baseball and Hutchpost.com Sports will be teaming up together for the 2nd consecutive season to bring Monarch baseball to it's fans in a digital format this summer with the Monarch Baseball "game of the week" beginning in mid-June. Egbert Liquor will be the naming rights sponsor for the Egbert Liquor game of the week broadcast booth.With the Covid-19 virus putting a stop to everything, owners Marc and Kim Blackim received good news last week and announced that this years season is still alive, although shortened a bit. &nbsp;More information will come out soon regarding schedules and playoffs in the Sunflower College League that the Monarchs are part of.Last year, Hutchpost.com carried audio only streams of the contests. &nbsp;This year, Hutchpost.com will add a video stream so that all the action can be viewed right here on Hutchpost.com Sports and the Hutchpost.com YouTube Channel.Eagle Sports Director Glen Grunwald and KWBW Program Director Rob Dreher will provide the play-by-play and color commentating.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nmn-Px0IhOE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

2020 Hutch Monarch Baseball game of the week coming to Hutchpost.com

WICHITA, Kan. - According to Vype.com, long time St. John Tiger coach Clint Kinnamon has been named the boys basketball coach at East High School in Wichita.

Kinnamon won five state titles in 19 seasons at St. John, a Class 1A school, and his team also holds the record for consecutive games won with 63. 

Of St. John’s 10 state appearances, all are under Kinnamon. He coached in seven title games and got to the semifinals nine times.

WICHITA, Kan. - According to Vype.com, long time St. John Tiger coach Clint Kinnamon has been named the boys basketball coach at East High School in Wichita.Kinnamon won five state titles in 19 seasons at St. John, a Class 1A school, and his team also holds the record for consecutive games won with 63. Of St. John’s 10 state appearances, all are under Kinnamon. He coached in seven title games and got to the semifinals nine times.

Wichita East hires Clint Kinnamon as boys basketball coach

GARDEN PLAIN, Kan. - Vype.com in the following article written by Joanna Chadwick, has reported that&nbsp;Dan Adelhardt has been named the Garden Plain football coach.

After coaching 15 years at Kapaun Mount Carmel, Adelhardt returns to his small-school roots. Adelhardt coached at Hesston before going to Kapaun.

“I grew up in a small town, so Garden Plain was in the mix,” &nbsp;Adelhardt said. “They’re supportive of football. They’ve got multi-sport kids. They just play everything and they have high expectations of them.”

Adelhardt replaces Ken Dusenbury, who was named the Andover football coach.

“Garden Plain has had a lot of success,” Adelhardt said. “… Once the kickoff happens and the game starts, for me it truly doesn’t matter where I am. It’s about coaching kids up. Strategizing, having fun.”

“I’ve had some great, memorable times,” Adelhardt said. “The people of Kapaun, I had great friends, great players and students.

“During this spring, I realized I had the passion still to be a head coach. The Renwick district is a really good, quality school system. They’re supportive of football. It’s a great environment.”

GARDEN PLAIN, Kan. - Vype.com in the following article written by Joanna Chadwick, has reported that&nbsp;Dan Adelhardt has been named the Garden Plain football coach.After coaching 15 years at Kapaun Mount Carmel, Adelhardt returns to his small-school roots. Adelhardt coached at Hesston before going to Kapaun.“I grew up in a small town, so Garden Plain was in the mix,” &nbsp;Adelhardt said. “They’re supportive of football. They’ve got multi-sport kids. They just play everything and they have high expectations of them.”Adelhardt replaces Ken Dusenbury, who was named the Andover football coach.“Garden Plain has had a lot of success,” Adelhardt said. “… Once the kickoff happens and the game starts, for me it truly doesn’t matter where I am. It’s about coaching kids up. Strategizing, having fun.”Moving on is never easy.“I’ve had some great, memorable times,” Adelhardt said. “The people of Kapaun, I had great friends, great players and students.“During this spring, I realized I had the passion still to be a head coach. The Renwick district is a really good, quality school system. They’re supportive of football. It’s a great environment.”

Dan Adelhardt named Garden Plain football coach

NEW YORK (AP) — The Major League Baseball Players Association has given management a wide-ranging response to a 67-page proposed set of protocols for a season to be played during the coronavirus pandemic. The union says it addressed protections for high-risk players, access to pre- and postgame therapies, testing frequency, protocols for positive tests, in-stadium medical personnel and sanitization procedures. Players viewed many of the concepts in the original draft submitted last week as over-the-top, such as arriving in uniform at the ballparks, a prohibition on them leaving without team permission and a ban on guests other than immediate family members.

UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are making tough financial decisions concerning their front office staff with the major league season still on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. A person with direct knowledge of the situation says the Cubs are instituting pay cuts based on compensation, but there will be no furloughs through the end of June. The Pirates announced Thursday that they are instituting furloughs for several employees in business operations beginning June 1.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — IndyCar has altered its schedule again amid the coronavirus pandemic, cancelling the June 27 race at Richmond and the July 12 street course event in Toronto. The open-wheel series is slated to finally begin June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway, but its next event won’t be held until July 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race scheduled for June 21 at Road America in Wisconsin has been changed to a doubleheader on July 11-12.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson receiver Justyn Ross will have shoulder surgery next month to alleviate an issue that cropped up during the team's spring workouts in March. Ross led the Tigers with 66 catches last season that went for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He had 1,000 yards receiving as a freshman, highlighting his season with a 74-yard TD in the national championship win over Alabama.

UNDATED (AP) — Some Louisville football and basketball players will return to campus Wednesday in a phased approach and begin voluntary workouts on June 8. The first phase of 30 football players and 15 men’s and women’s basketball players will arrive next week after being advised of safety protocols. Indiana University hopes to have some student-athletes back by mid-June.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Major League Baseball Players Association has given management a wide-ranging response to a 67-page proposed set of protocols for a season to be played during the coronavirus pandemic. The union says it addressed protections for high-risk players, access to pre- and postgame therapies, testing frequency, protocols for positive tests, in-stadium medical personnel and sanitization procedures. Players viewed many of the concepts in the original draft submitted last week as over-the-top, such as arriving in uniform at the ballparks, a prohibition on them leaving without team permission and a ban on guests other than immediate family members.UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are making tough financial decisions concerning their front office staff with the major league season still on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. A person with direct knowledge of the situation says the Cubs are instituting pay cuts based on compensation, but there will be no furloughs through the end of June. The Pirates announced Thursday that they are instituting furloughs for several employees in business operations beginning June 1.INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — IndyCar has altered its schedule again amid the coronavirus pandemic, cancelling the June 27 race at Richmond and the July 12 street course event in Toronto. The open-wheel series is slated to finally begin June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway, but its next event won’t be held until July 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race scheduled for June 21 at Road America in Wisconsin has been changed to a doubleheader on July 11-12.CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson receiver Justyn Ross will have shoulder surgery next month to alleviate an issue that cropped up during the team's spring workouts in March. Ross led the Tigers with 66 catches last season that went for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He had 1,000 yards receiving as a freshman, highlighting his season with a 74-yard TD in the national championship win over Alabama.UNDATED (AP) — Some Louisville football and basketball players will return to campus Wednesday in a phased approach and begin voluntary workouts on June 8. The first phase of 30 football players and 15 men’s and women’s basketball players will arrive next week after being advised of safety protocols. Indiana University hopes to have some student-athletes back by mid-June.

Friday Sports Headlines

NEW YORK (AP) — The baseball players’ association gave management a wide-ranging response Thursday to a 67-page proposed set of protocols for a season to be played during the coronavirus pandemic.

Management had presented the union and the 30 teams the proposed draft last Friday.

The union said Thursday it addressed: protections for high-risk players, access to pre- and postgame therapies, testing frequency, protocols for positive tests, in-stadium medical personnel and sanitization procedures.

Players viewed many of the concepts in the original draft as over-the-top, such as arriving in uniform at the ballparks, a prohibition on them leaving without team permission and a ban on guests other than immediate family members. Players also objected to a ban on the use of showers and hydrotherapy.

The union wants more frequent testing than management’s proposed “multiple times per week.”

MLB is expected to make an economic proposal to the union within a few days. MLB hopes to start the season by early July.

NEW YORK (AP) — The baseball players’ association gave management a wide-ranging response Thursday to a 67-page proposed set of protocols for a season to be played during the coronavirus pandemic.Management had presented the union and the 30 teams the proposed draft last Friday.The union said Thursday it addressed: protections for high-risk players, access to pre- and postgame therapies, testing frequency, protocols for positive tests, in-stadium medical personnel and sanitization procedures.Players viewed many of the concepts in the original draft as over-the-top, such as arriving in uniform at the ballparks, a prohibition on them leaving without team permission and a ban on guests other than immediate family members. Players also objected to a ban on the use of showers and hydrotherapy.ADVERTISEMENTThe union wants more frequent testing than management’s proposed “multiple times per week.”MLB is expected to make an economic proposal to the union within a few days. MLB hopes to start the season by early July.

Baseball players respond to MLB on virus protocols

The vast majority of the updates to 247Sports' rankings for the 2021 class that were released Wednesday focused primarily on defensive players. But one of Tennessee's offensive commitments also moved up Wednesday after committing to the Vols less than three weeks ago.

<a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2CCKTj">HIGHLIGHT VIDEO</a>

Running back&nbsp;<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Tiyon-Evans-46079349" target="_blank">Tiyon Evans</a>&nbsp;of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College now is rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports, where he's ranked the nation's No. 2 overall junior-college prospect and No. 1 juco running back in the 2021 class following Wednesday's rankings updates. Evans now has a 92 rating on 247Sports after previously being a three-star prospect with an 88 numerical rating.

Eleven of Tennessee's 22 commitments for the 2021 class now are rated four- or five-star prospects in either 247Sports' rankings or the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. The Vols currently have the nation's No. 2 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings.

The 5-foot-10.5, 215-pound Evans still is rated a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, where he's ranked the No. 3 overall junior-college prospect and No. 1 juco running back.

Evans, a former Hartsville (S.C.) High School standout, already was ranked among the nation's top juco players before climbing in the rankings and becoming a 247Sports four-star prospect. Despite previously being a three-star prospect, he was ranked the nation's No. 3 junior-college player by 247Sports prior to Wednesday's updates.

He chose Tennessee over home-state school South Carolina and offers from at least a half-dozen other schools on April 30, committing to the Vols during their recent run of 11 commitments in a span of two weeks.

Tennessee gave him his first offer in December, shortly after the conclusion of his freshman season at Hutchinson, and he picked the Vols over the Gamecocks despite never having visited Tennessee's campus. He said he got a glimpse of Knoxville in December when he pulled off the interstate for a brief pass through a portion of the city while he was traveling home from Hutchinson after the fall semester.

Last season, he rushed for 538 yards and nine touchdowns on just 61 carries while also adding four receptions for 43 yards and a score and handling kick-return duties.

“He wasn't really on the radar in recruiting circles (in high school) because he was kind of early deemed as a non-qualifier,” 247Sports recruiting analyst Charles Power told GoVols247's Grant Ramey last month. “Very similar to maybe a&nbsp;<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Cordarrelle-Patterson-11084" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Cordarrelle-Patterson-11084" target="_blank">Cordarrelle Patterson</a>, where everyone who followed high school football knew he was extremely good, but he was going to have to go to juco.

“He’s the best running back prospect from South Carolina in a few years. You could argue&nbsp;<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Tavien-Feaster-35481" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Tavien-Feaster-35481" target="_blank">Tavien Feaster</a>,&nbsp;who was a five-star coming out. But at least from that area of the state that he’s from, he’s the best since I’ve been following it, so a long time.”

In December, he rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries in Hutchinson's Salt City Bowl win over Monroe College of New Rochelle, N.Y.

“The first thing that pops out is he’s extremely difficult to tackle,” Power told Ramey last month. “He would return kicks. He returned kicks at Hutchinson last year. He’s low to the ground, kind of has a compact build and just bounces off tacklers.

“The best attributes he has to me: just extremely quick and the contact, balance and ability to break tackles.”

The vast majority of the updates to 247Sports' rankings for the 2021 class that were released Wednesday focused primarily on defensive players. But one of Tennessee's offensive commitments also moved up Wednesday after committing to the Vols less than three weeks ago.<a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2CCKTj">HIGHLIGHT VIDEO</a>Running back&nbsp;<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Tiyon-Evans-46079349" target="_blank">Tiyon Evans</a>&nbsp;of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College now is rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports, where he's ranked the nation's No. 2 overall junior-college prospect and No. 1 juco running back in the 2021 class following Wednesday's rankings updates. Evans now has a 92 rating on 247Sports after previously being a three-star prospect with an 88 numerical rating.Eleven of Tennessee's 22 commitments for the 2021 class now are rated four- or five-star prospects in either 247Sports' rankings or the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. The Vols currently have the nation's No. 2 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings.The 5-foot-10.5, 215-pound Evans still is rated a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, where he's ranked the No. 3 overall junior-college prospect and No. 1 juco running back.Evans, a former Hartsville (S.C.) High School standout, already was ranked among the nation's top juco players before climbing in the rankings and becoming a 247Sports four-star prospect. Despite previously being a three-star prospect, he was ranked the nation's No. 3 junior-college player by 247Sports prior to Wednesday's updates.He chose Tennessee over home-state school South Carolina and offers from at least a half-dozen other schools on April 30, committing to the Vols during their recent run of 11 commitments in a span of two weeks.Tennessee gave him his first offer in December, shortly after the conclusion of his freshman season at Hutchinson, and he picked the Vols over the Gamecocks despite never having visited Tennessee's campus. He said he got a glimpse of Knoxville in December when he pulled off the interstate for a brief pass through a portion of the city while he was traveling home from Hutchinson after the fall semester.Last season, he rushed for 538 yards and nine touchdowns on just 61 carries while also adding four receptions for 43 yards and a score and handling kick-return duties.“He wasn't really on the radar in recruiting circles (in high school) because he was kind of early deemed as a non-qualifier,” 247Sports recruiting analyst Charles Power told GoVols247's Grant Ramey last month. “Very similar to maybe a&nbsp;<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Cordarrelle-Patterson-11084" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Cordarrelle-Patterson-11084" target="_blank">Cordarrelle Patterson</a>, where everyone who followed high school football knew he was extremely good, but he was going to have to go to juco.“He’s the best running back prospect from South Carolina in a few years. You could argue&nbsp;<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Tavien-Feaster-35481" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Tavien-Feaster-35481" target="_blank">Tavien Feaster</a>,&nbsp;who was a five-star coming out. But at least from that area of the state that he’s from, he’s the best since I’ve been following it, so a long time.”In December, he rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries in Hutchinson's Salt City Bowl win over Monroe College of New Rochelle, N.Y.“The first thing that pops out is he’s extremely difficult to tackle,” Power told Ramey last month. “He would return kicks. He returned kicks at Hutchinson last year. He’s low to the ground, kind of has a compact build and just bounces off tacklers.“The best attributes he has to me: just extremely quick and the contact, balance and ability to break tackles.”

Vols RB commitment gets four-star rating from 247Sports

STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports Information

For the second-straight season, Hutchinson Community College men's golfer&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2019-20/bios/crockett_charlie_ovd8">Charlie Crockett</a>&nbsp;has been named a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.

Announced on Thursday, Crockett, Trey Fessler of Mesa, Jon Hopkins of Mississippi Gulf Coast, Tom Matthews of Eastern Florida State, Jacob Skov Oleseon of Ranger and South Mountain's Gabriel Salvanera were named the 2020 finalists.

Recipients of the award – which will include all three divisions in the NJCAA, all three NCAA divisions and NAIA – will be announced during the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, scheduled July 13-19.

Despite not having a full 2020 season and no national champion after the spring season was canceled because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Golfweek and the Golf Coaches Association of America decided to continue with their yearly awards, going off the fall season and a very partial spring season.

Crockett, from Surrey, England, helped the 2019-20 Blue Dragon men to rankings as high as No. 3 this season and No. 4 in the final Golfweek/Bushnell national rankings.

Crockett won three individual titles in six events played this past season, while also registering two top-25 finishes. The sophomore from totaled a 72.28 stroke average and had 10 rounds at par or below. Crockett finished the season ranked 12th in the final Golfstat NJCAA Division I Rankings.

Crockett is the first Blue Dragon to earn two PING All-America awards in program history. Those awards were announced on April 21.

In his freshman season in 2018-19, Crockett was a first-team PING All-American, a Nicklaus National Award finalist and the 2019 Phil Mickelson NJCAA Division I National Freshman of the Year.

Because all spring sports athletes in 2020 will not lose a season of eligibility because of the pandemic, Crockett has already announced that he will return to Hutchinson Community College for the 2020-21 academic/athletic season.

STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationFor the second-straight season, Hutchinson Community College men's golfer&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2019-20/bios/crockett_charlie_ovd8">Charlie Crockett</a>&nbsp;has been named a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.Announced on Thursday, Crockett, Trey Fessler of Mesa, Jon Hopkins of Mississippi Gulf Coast, Tom Matthews of Eastern Florida State, Jacob Skov Oleseon of Ranger and South Mountain's Gabriel Salvanera were named the 2020 finalists.Recipients of the award – which will include all three divisions in the NJCAA, all three NCAA divisions and NAIA – will be announced during the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, scheduled July 13-19.Despite not having a full 2020 season and no national champion after the spring season was canceled because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Golfweek and the Golf Coaches Association of America decided to continue with their yearly awards, going off the fall season and a very partial spring season.Crockett, from Surrey, England, helped the 2019-20 Blue Dragon men to rankings as high as No. 3 this season and No. 4 in the final Golfweek/Bushnell national rankings.Crockett won three individual titles in six events played this past season, while also registering two top-25 finishes. The sophomore from totaled a 72.28 stroke average and had 10 rounds at par or below. Crockett finished the season ranked 12th in the final Golfstat NJCAA Division I Rankings.Crockett is the first Blue Dragon to earn two PING All-America awards in program history. Those awards were announced on April 21.In his freshman season in 2018-19, Crockett was a first-team PING All-American, a Nicklaus National Award finalist and the 2019 Phil Mickelson NJCAA Division I National Freshman of the Year.Because all spring sports athletes in 2020 will not lose a season of eligibility because of the pandemic, Crockett has already announced that he will return to Hutchinson Community College for the 2020-21 academic/athletic season.

Crockett name Nicklaus Award Finalist for 2020

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are trimming payroll while they await word on the fate of the Major League Baseball season. The Cubs are instituting pay cuts because of the coronavirus crisis, but there will be no furloughs through the end of June. The Pirates announced Thursday they are instituting furloughs for several employees in business operations beginning on June 1. A person with direct knowledge of the situation says the Cubs’ pay cuts were based on compensation. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein and president of business operations Crane Kenney took the highest reductions.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are trimming payroll while they await word on the fate of the Major League Baseball season. The Cubs are instituting pay cuts because of the coronavirus crisis, but there will be no furloughs through the end of June. The Pirates announced Thursday they are instituting furloughs for several employees in business operations beginning on June 1. A person with direct knowledge of the situation says the Cubs’ pay cuts were based on compensation. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein and president of business operations Crane Kenney took the highest reductions.

Cubs institute pay cuts, Pirates announce furloughs

Something is finally clear in the uncertain NBA: Players believe they’re going to play games again this season.

The obvious questions — How? Where? When? — remain unanswered. Testing, part of the new normal of this coronavirus era, will be a major component to any return-to-play plan that the NBA comes up with. The Disney campus near Orlando, Florida makes so much sense, given its massive size, multiple courts and its ties to league broadcast partner ESPN. And the sooner games begin, the sooner the process of figuring out next season can start as well.

Several people familiar with the details of the conversations have told The Associated Press this week that players around the league are being urged to start getting mentally and physically ready for training camps that could be just a few weeks away. It might not be a unanimously approved notion, but 2-1/2 months into this pandemic-caused shutdown, the NBA finally seems on the cusp of being able to move forward.

“I have faith in Adam Silver and the NBA, and the NBA teams ... they’re not going to have us come back if it’s even a question of us getting hurt,” Jared Dudley of the Los Angeles Lakers said this week. “And that’s where the testing, being clean, and doing everything that I feel that they’ll do to keep us safe.”

Pick a scenario for the return-to-play plan, and someone has surely heard it already. Bringing back all 30 teams and resuming the regular season is an option. So is bringing back something like 20 teams and having an expanded playoff of sorts, a notion that essentially mirrors what the NHL is talking about these days. A condensed playoff has also been discussed.

The latest sign of momentum: Milwaukee owner Marc Lasry, speaking Thursday on CNBC, said the NBA’s board of governors will meet again next week and that he believes “within the next six to eight weeks we should be playing.”

Silver, the commissioner who has had to deal with a series of turbulent matters from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f721ead046f742dba80b7b5a9cff0876">strained China relationship</a>&nbsp;in the preseason, to the deaths of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/305d8e81fd588e26424af2e155aedec5">David Stern</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/5f0111a55da92e967920edb4ad1dfdd1">Kobe Bryant</a>&nbsp;in January, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/226da6f7fadbb1968af3552c25e7d09c">now a pandemic</a>&nbsp;that will almost certainly affect the league’s financial health for the next several years — is listening to any and all ideas.

“The direction that the league office has received from our teams is, again, all rules are off at this point given the situation we find ourselves in, that the country is in,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7dba96f7d38ce8c22e9c95665195753f">Silver said last month.</a>&nbsp;“If there is an opportunity to resume play, even if it looks different than what we’ve done historically, we should be modeling it.”

The calendar dictates that those decisions are going to come soon, backed up by the fact that Silver told players two weeks ago that he wants to be able to bring forward a return-to-play plan in “two to four weeks.” By that timeframe, the window is about to open.

“I’m really excited about the possibility of coming back,” Cleveland forward Kevin Love said in remarks broadcast on the NBA’s Twitter channel this week. “I think there’s so much good that can come from it. ... People need that escape and as athletes too, we want to get back to what we love most.”

It’s going to be different. Fans won’t be at games, barring some seismic shift in thinking. Home-court advantage won’t exist since games will almost certainly all be at neutral sites. Even the Orlando Magic won’t have the home-court edge; they might be able to use their own homes if the NBA comes to Central Florida, but it’s not like the games will be in their arena.

And someone is probably going to test positive when play resumes. If that happens, he’ll almost certainly have to sit out a minimum of two weeks. If a playoff series is held on an every-other-day basis, that means once someone is positive there’s no way he can return to that series. Imagine if LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo tests positive; the title chances for the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks would basically be gone in an instant.

But in a season where the NBA is certainly going to lose money, quite possibly $1 billion or more, there is an obvious appetite for getting back to work if safety can be assured.&nbsp;

“This has been like being an anxious kid that wants to do something but can’t, or an anxious dog where you tell him to sit and he looks at you like ‘C’mon bro’ and his tail starts wagging because he’s so excited,” All-Star Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat said. “It’s been a whole spectrum of the unknown.”

Something is finally clear in the uncertain NBA: Players believe they’re going to play games again this season.The obvious questions — How? Where? When? — remain unanswered. Testing, part of the new normal of this coronavirus era, will be a major component to any return-to-play plan that the NBA comes up with. The Disney campus near Orlando, Florida makes so much sense, given its massive size, multiple courts and its ties to league broadcast partner ESPN. And the sooner games begin, the sooner the process of figuring out next season can start as well.Several people familiar with the details of the conversations have told The Associated Press this week that players around the league are being urged to start getting mentally and physically ready for training camps that could be just a few weeks away. It might not be a unanimously approved notion, but 2-1/2 months into this pandemic-caused shutdown, the NBA finally seems on the cusp of being able to move forward.“I have faith in Adam Silver and the NBA, and the NBA teams ... they’re not going to have us come back if it’s even a question of us getting hurt,” Jared Dudley of the Los Angeles Lakers said this week. “And that’s where the testing, being clean, and doing everything that I feel that they’ll do to keep us safe.”Pick a scenario for the return-to-play plan, and someone has surely heard it already. Bringing back all 30 teams and resuming the regular season is an option. So is bringing back something like 20 teams and having an expanded playoff of sorts, a notion that essentially mirrors what the NHL is talking about these days. A condensed playoff has also been discussed.The latest sign of momentum: Milwaukee owner Marc Lasry, speaking Thursday on CNBC, said the NBA’s board of governors will meet again next week and that he believes “within the next six to eight weeks we should be playing.”Silver, the commissioner who has had to deal with a series of turbulent matters from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f721ead046f742dba80b7b5a9cff0876">strained China relationship</a>&nbsp;in the preseason, to the deaths of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/305d8e81fd588e26424af2e155aedec5">David Stern</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/5f0111a55da92e967920edb4ad1dfdd1">Kobe Bryant</a>&nbsp;in January, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/226da6f7fadbb1968af3552c25e7d09c">now a pandemic</a>&nbsp;that will almost certainly affect the league’s financial health for the next several years — is listening to any and all ideas.“The direction that the league office has received from our teams is, again, all rules are off at this point given the situation we find ourselves in, that the country is in,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7dba96f7d38ce8c22e9c95665195753f">Silver said last month.</a>&nbsp;“If there is an opportunity to resume play, even if it looks different than what we’ve done historically, we should be modeling it.”The calendar dictates that those decisions are going to come soon, backed up by the fact that Silver told players two weeks ago that he wants to be able to bring forward a return-to-play plan in “two to four weeks.” By that timeframe, the window is about to open.“I’m really excited about the possibility of coming back,” Cleveland forward Kevin Love said in remarks broadcast on the NBA’s Twitter channel this week. “I think there’s so much good that can come from it. ... People need that escape and as athletes too, we want to get back to what we love most.”It’s going to be different. Fans won’t be at games, barring some seismic shift in thinking. Home-court advantage won’t exist since games will almost certainly all be at neutral sites. Even the Orlando Magic won’t have the home-court edge; they might be able to use their own homes if the NBA comes to Central Florida, but it’s not like the games will be in their arena.And someone is probably going to test positive when play resumes. If that happens, he’ll almost certainly have to sit out a minimum of two weeks. If a playoff series is held on an every-other-day basis, that means once someone is positive there’s no way he can return to that series. Imagine if LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo tests positive; the title chances for the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks would basically be gone in an instant.But in a season where the NBA is certainly going to lose money, quite possibly $1 billion or more, there is an obvious appetite for getting back to work if safety can be assured.&nbsp;“This has been like being an anxious kid that wants to do something but can’t, or an anxious dog where you tell him to sit and he looks at you like ‘C’mon bro’ and his tail starts wagging because he’s so excited,” All-Star Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat said. “It’s been a whole spectrum of the unknown.”