Los Angeles Times - 11.03.2020

D6 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

theless, announced that
plans to hold their confer-
ence tournament that opens
Wednesday at T-Mobile
Arena in Las Vegas would go
on as scheduled while add-
ing the disclaimer “at this
time,” indicating the fluid
nature of the situation.
The Big West Conference
will hold its men’s and wom-
en’s basketball tournaments
this week spectator-free.
The ban began at the wom-
en’s early-round games
Tuesday at Long Beach
State. The men’s quarter-
final games will be played
Thursday at Honda Center
followed by the men’s and
women’s semifinals on Fri-
day. Both championship
games will be played at
Honda Center on Saturday.
“These are unusual cir-
cumstances that nobody
could have foreseen,” said
Russell Turner, coach of de-
fending champion UC
Irvine. “We have to be appre-
ciative of the opportunity we
have to play. We have to
think things through and
not react emotionally. ... I
think part of being a cham-
pionship team and getting
the most from your college
playing experience is deal-
ing with the different types
of adversity.”
UC Irvine announced
late Tuesday that all athletic
events and competitions
would continue as closed
events, meaning no specta-
tors.
Fans who have pur-
chased tickets for any ath-
letic event may receive a full
refund.
Also Tuesday, the Ivy
League became the first
league to cancel its men’s
and women’s conference
tournaments, saying it did
so to protect athletes and
fans while halting the spread
of the virus.

::

The 10th-ranked UCLA
women’s basketball team
might have to play inside an
empty Pauley Pavilion next
week.
The school defined es-
sential personnel as ath-
letes, coaches, team trainers
and medical personnel in ad-
dition to game officials, op-
erational and administra-
tive staff and credentialed
media. Fans who have pur-
chased tickets are advised to
contact UCLA’s central
ticket office for refunds.
The Bruins (26-5) are
likely to be one of 16 women’s
teams awarded as hosts for
first- and second-round
NCAA tournament games
based on their strong play

this season. Although UCLA has not barred its teams from traveling, the school said, athletes who do not feel comfortable doing so will be excused from participation. Other UCLA athletics events that will be played without fans include the next seven baseball games, beginning with a three-game series against Oregon on Friday, Saturday and Sun- day at Jackie Robinson Sta- dium, and a women’s gym- nastics meet against Bridge- port on Saturday. ::

In a statement, USC defined essential personnel as participating athletes and their families, coaches, officials, recruits and credentialed media, as well as other personnel designated by USC athletics. Any fans who already purchased tickets to an affected event are advised to contact the USC ticket office. Three opposing teams set to travel to Los Angeles to play the Trojans (among other teams) have already canceled their trips, includ- ing North Carolina State women’s tennis, Harvard men’s volleyball and Stony Brook women’s lacrosse. ::

As he approached reporters waiting for him in the Tempe Diablo Stadium stands, Angels manager Joe Maddon took a quick glance at the distance between himself and media members and smiled. “Can you guys get the tape measure out, please?” he said facetiously. It was the first day of MLB’s new policy, enacted in response to the spread of the coronavirus. For the foresee- able future, reporters will not be permitted to enter clubhouses to speak with players and coaches. They will engage with on-field team personnel in open spaces with at least six feet separating them. Some teams used ropes to cordon off the space from which players and coaches would speak. Angels media relations staffers picked a natural barrier — the outer wall of the stadium stands in right field — to serve as the buffer. So Maddon stood on the dirt on the other side of that wall to take questions. “All we know is that we need to cooperate right now, be mindful, be vigilant,” he said. “And, again, if we’re just the litmus test for the next time something like this oc-

curs, in order to be able to be better prepared, I understand that too. When you’ve got kids and you’ve got grandkids, it matters.” ::

The Ducks’ attendance at Honda Center on Tues- day was announced as 15,044, slightly below their season average. The crowd was treated to a three-goal performance by Nicolas Deslauriers, and fans tossed hats on to the ice in the tradi- tional celebration of a hat trick. That happy scene won’t be replicated if NHL teams are ordered to play in empty arenas, an option being considered by the San Jose Sharks. “I can’t even imagine it because the fans are the game,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “And especially our fans here, they’re so sup- portive. They’ve been unbe- lievable as we’ve been a team trying to find our way, a team in transition, and to not have them in the stands support- ing us, especially our home ones, that would be terrible. The other side of that is we want to do what’s best for our community and what’s best for our country and keep everybody safe and not impacted by this virus that’s going around.” ::

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the new NBA policy of keeping reporters out of locker rooms doesn’t jibe with efforts to pack paying fans into arenas to watch games. “The four major organizations, NHL, soccer, Major League Baseball and the NBA put out guidelines to protect their athletes but not their fans,” Newsom said at a news conference. “I think they owe you and their fan base an answer as to why it’s more important to keep reporters away from their players in the locker room than fans [from other

fans].” Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine requested that all indoor athletic events in his state be held with no spectators other than athletes, parents and “others essential to the game,” potentially meaning that fans would not be allowed to attend NCAA tournament games scheduled to be held next week in Dayton and Cleveland. Mid-American Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to be held in at Rocket Mort- gage Fieldhouse in Cleve- land would be closed to the public. The NBA Cleveland Cavaliers could be affected, although their next home game isn’t until March 24. However, the NHL Co- lumbus Blue Jackets will allow fans to their home games Thursday and Saturday. The Blue Jackets said in a statement: “We have been in contact with the National Hockey League and, given the facts before us, it has been determined that our scheduled games ... will be open to ticketed fans that wish to attend. ::

A Santa Clara County ban on public gatherings of more than 1,000 people could lead to the first coronavirus-related postpone- ment of an MLS game this month. The ban, issued by the county’s public health department, is the most sweeping government action in California to date in response to the outbreak and will remain in effect through the end of the month. The San Jose Earthquakes are scheduled to play Sporting Kansas City in Avaya Stadium on March 21.

Times staff writers Ben Bolch, Jeff Miller, Maria Torres, Helene Elliott, Ryan Kartje and Kevin Baxter contributed to this report.

UCLA, USC

bar fans from

home events

[COVID-19, from D1]

The energy was palpable.
The messaging purposeful.
But one by one, as USC’s
new assistants introduced
themselves last week, each
promising old-school tough-
ness and preaching a lost
form of physicality, the
same, underlying question
remained.
With the same head
coach still in charge, how
much change is possible for
USC’s football program?
A first glimpse comes
Wednesday, as the Trojans
open spring practice with a
fleet of new assistants, an
influx of new resources and
a newly rebuilt defense,
remade in the old-school
image of new coordinator
Todd Orlando.
For Clay Helton, the
embattled coach, spring
offers a chance to start
anew, after a relatively
strong finish to the 2019
season went south in a
Holiday Bowl blowout. Five
coaches were fired in the
weeks that followed that
loss, while Helton remained
the last man standing from
his 2016 staff.
There has been plenty of
change in the months since,
as USC scooped up Orlando
out of Texas, hired one of
the Pac-12’s top recruiters
(Donte Williams) from
Oregon, and swung for the
fences on the rest of its staff.
With so much invested
around him this offseason
and so much talent set to
return on the field, the edict
to win is now abundantly
clear for USC’s coach.

“He’s well aware of the expectations and the com- mitments we’ve made,” athletic director Mike Bohn said. Here are five questions facing the Trojans heading into the spring:

How will the defense be different with Todd Or- lando and his new scheme in place? Orlando has already begun the process of in- stalling his multiple 3-3-5 defense, which uses a mix of three- and four-man fronts to confuse offenses. That should be a bit different from the primarily four-man front that Clancy Pender- gast used and could mean changes up front. Though the commitment to con- stant pressure should be a comfortable one for a defense that ranked third in the Pac-12 in sacks last season. The more significant shift on defense, according to Orlando, will happen mentally. He has promised to turn up the physicality in practice, while also griping about NCAA rules that preclude them from tack- ling more. His goal this spring, Orlando said, is “to create chaos and see if these guys can respond to it.” The strategy has worked for him before, as his defenses at Utah State, Houston and Texas all made immediate improvements in Year 1.

How will USC replace its bookends on the offensive line?

With all but four starters returning, there aren’t many position battles to monitor this spring. The exception comes up front, where both starting tackle spots are up for grabs. Given the Trojans’ lack of depth at offensive tackle, some shuffling should be expected. Alijah Vera- Tucker was arguably USC’s best lineman last season at left guard and should get the first crack at filling the vacancy left by Austin Jack- son at left tackle. Redshirt freshman Jason Rodriguez, who has the size of a proto- type blindside protector, could also get a serious look at the position. An answer on the right side should come a bit eas-

ier. Jalen McKenzie looked on his way to winning the job last fall before he was shifted inside late in fall camp. With a good spring, he should grab hold of it again. If he does, expect redshirt junior Andrew Voorhees to slot in at right guard, where he has started 20 games.

Will there really be a quarterback competition (again)? Six months after he tore his anterior cruciate liga- ment, it’s unclear how much competing JT Daniels is capable of. The former five-star recruit and freshman starter was sidelined after just two quarters last season, ceding the job to

Kedon Slovis, whose stellar season made him the Pac-12 offensive freshman of the year. Slovis injured his elbow in the bowl game, and he’ll be monitored closely over the next month. Even if he were to sit out the spring, Slovis did more than enough last fall to steal the starting job, as he com- pleted 71% of his passes for 3,502 yards, with 30 touch- downs and nine intercep- tions. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell reiterated last week that the most significant growth for quarterbacks in his system comes between Year 1 and Year 2.

What will be seen from Bru McCoy? At this time last year, McCoy was earning rave reviews out of spring practice at Texas, where he decided to transfer after Kliff Kingsbury left USC for the Arizona Cardinals. It’s been quite the saga ever since for the five-star freshman from Santa Ana Mater Dei, as McCoy eventually transferred back to USC, where he was stricken with a mysterious illness soon after. Now, after a difficult redshirt season, McCoy is healthy, eligible and ready to contribute on an offense stacked with proven receivers. The question is what kind of opportunity he’ll receive with so few available targets to go around. As spring begins, junior Amon-ra St. Brown, senior

Tyler Vaughns and sopho- more Drake London are essentially locked in as starters. Throw in sopho- more Munir McClain, redshirt freshman Kyle Ford and freshmen Joshua Jackson Jr. and Gary Bry- ant Jr., and it’s a crowded rotation to break into for a young wideout, even for one as talented as Mc- Coy.

With Daniel Imatorbhebhe returning, will tight ends play a bigger part on offense? Even as the Trojans built one of the nation’s most prolific passing attacks a season ago, the tight end position was almost ig- nored. Tight ends Erik Krommenhoek and Josh Falo combined for 15 recep- tions, the same amount as running back Vavae Male- peai. That focus could shift in 2020, with the long-awaited return of Imatorbhebhe, who last played for USC in December 2017. Imatorb- hebhe burst onto the scene as a freshman during USC’s Rose Bowl run before injuries cost him most of his next two seasons. He spent last year away from the team entirely. New tight ends coach John David Baker noted that USC would prefer more formations with one tight end and three receivers, but it will require one of those tight ends to prove they are worthy of a more significant role. Imatorbhebhe had 17 catches and four touch- downs in 2016.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR USC FOOTBALL

Defensive staff aims to create some chaos

By Ryan Kartje

QUARTERBACKS Kedon Slovis, left, and JT Dan- iels are coming off injuries as they return to practice.

Luis Sinco Los Angeles Times

stands. Clear the jammed concourses. Vacate the un- sanitary restrooms. Shutter the ticket windows. Bolt your doors to all fans and play the games with only essential personnel until COVID-19 is contained. You’ll lose money, but you could save lives, and your games will survive. The NBA can dunk without fans high-fiving. The NHL can skate circles without fans hugging. Major League Soc- cer can score without fans sharing their beers. Major League Baseball can hold spring practice in solitary. And yes, the NCAA still can hold its annual dance without bare-chested fans jumping on top of one another. For now, every sport that attracts fans needs to make those fans a priority by keeping those fans away. Please, please, save us from ourselves. Some organizations already are smartly doing it. The Big West Conference men’s and women’s tournaments will be played spectator-free this week in Long Beach and Anaheim. Yet similar organizations continue to put cash before common sense. The Pac-12 Conference, not the brightest bulb in the best of circum- stances, has vowed to keep the doors open on this week’s men’s tournament at T- Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. For once, everything that happens is Vegas is probably not going to stay in Vegas, the big crowds returning home next weekend to spread whatever, wherever. “The Pac-12 will, as always, take concerted steps to main- tain the first-rate delivery of Pac-12 championship experi- ences for participating stu- dent-athletes, membership personnel and fans,” the conference statement read. Fine. Deliver this tournament through the “first-rate” method known as television. Sports have become largely a television event anyway. Nearly every person who will be watching the tournament will be watching on TV. So the empty-looking video will be odd, but the audio will be outstanding. We’ll hear shoes squeak, coaches shout and players cheer (and, gasp, even curse). The vacant setting will look eerie, but it’s not going to make anybody sick. USC and UCLA have made the wise move to ban fans from their sporting events for the rest of this month. Yet somehow their own conference thinks games in Las Vegas will be safer? Moving ahead to next week, the true definition of March Madness would be to allow stands to be filled in arenas across the country, ensuring the virus potentially spreads from sea to sea. Yet that’s what the NCAA will be doing if it doesn’t shut its doors for the tournament.

The situation could get worse before it gets better. Actual games everywhere could wind up being canceled or postponed. The Ivy League canceled its men’s and women’s tournaments, and the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells was canceled, and other events will follow. But for now, unless local officials recommend other- wise, play the games, just do it without all the fanfare, hoopla and danger. The next big move needs to be made by the three major sports currently in action. When will the NBA and NHL lock the doors on regular- season games, and why is baseball allowing fans to sit in sweat in spring training? The reason, of course, is money. The leagues’ owners didn’t get rich caring about fans beyond how much they can soak them. Here’s hoping these leagues actually will vote to become real leaders of the communities they pre- tend to serve and truly put the fans first. When LeBron James answered a smart question by The Times’ Tania Ganguli with an off-the-cuff comment that he wouldn’t play in an empty arena, he wasn’t aware of the situation, and has since walked the comment back. “You gotta listen to the people that’s keeping track of what’s going on,” he said Tuesday. “If they feel like it’s best for the safety ... then we all listen to it.” The people who are keeping track — health officials — say that one way to avoid the virus is to avoid large crowds. Shouldn’t that be enough safety talk for everybody? “The four major organizations, NHL, soccer, Major League Baseball and the NBA put out guidelines to protect their athletes but not their fans,” Gov. Gavin New- som said. “I think they owe you and their fan base an answer as to why it’s more important to keep reporters away from their players in the locker room than fans [from other fans].” Banning the media from the locker rooms is one thing the leagues have done right. Journalists are understand- ably worried that when the threat passes, the players will be so happy with the new arrangement that our access will be limited forever, but that is a fight for another day. For now, last weekend in the Lakers locker room was evidence enough that this is a good idea. For nearly 30 minutes, dozens of reporters crowded shoulder to shoulder in front of James, leaning on each other while standing virtually nose to nose with him, sweat everywhere, every- one too tightly packed to move away from the guy who was coughing. It was senselessly awful. It was foolishly risky. It was a microcosm of what happens in the stands every night. Empty them. Do it now.

Close the doors, save fans

[Plaschke,from D1] Schedule for the Pac-12 Conference men’s basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (all games on Pac-12 Net- works except where noted):

TODAY: FIRST ROUND Game 1:No. 8 Oregon State (17-13, 7-11) vs. No. 9 Utah (16-14, 7-11), noon Game 2:No. 5 Arizona (20-11, 10-8) vs. No. 12 Washington (15-16, 5-13), 2:30 p.m. Game 3:No. 7 Stanford (20-11, 9-9) vs. No. 10 California (13-18, 7-1 1), 6 p.m. Game 4:No. 6 Colorado (21-10, 10-8) vs. No. 11 Washington State (15-16, 6-12), 8:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: QUARTERFINALS Game 5:No. 1 Oregon (24-7, 13-5) vs. Game 1 winner, noon Game 6:No. 4 USC (22-9, 11-7) vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m. Game 7:No. 2 UCLA (19-12, 12-6) vs. Game 3 winner, 6 p.m. Game 8:No. 3 Arizona State (20-11, 11-7) vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m., FS1

FRIDAY: SEMIFINALS Game 9:Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6 p.m. Game 10:Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m., FS1

SATURDAY: CHAMPIONSHIP Game 11:Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m., FS1

PAC-12 MEN’S TOURNAMENT

Los Angeles Times - 11.03.2020

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