The Basketball Tournament (TBT) today released its health and safety plan for its 2020 event, which will feature 24 teams playing at a single location over ten days this summer.
Players and staff will be tested for COVID-19 and quarantined in the days leading up to games.
The announcement means the Jackson UnderDawgs will not be hosting a regional scheduled for Oman Arena.
“It’s very disappointing,” Jewuan Long said, “We plan on playing in it, but it’s up to The Basketball Tournament – so who knows.”
Long, who played basketball at Murray State University, helped lead Liberty High School to back-to-back state basketball titles in 2006-07.
He is also the first basketball player from Jackson named a TSSAA Mr. Basketball.
“It’s disappointing considering where (Jackson UnderDawgs) started in this tournament five years ago,” Long said, “We’ve been wearing the city of Jackson on our chests, and now for all this to happen …”
Jackson’s Oman Arena was selected as a regional site for this summer’s seventh annual, open application, single-elimination tournamentJackson UnderDawgs.
First round games at Oman Arena were scheduled to be played July 24.
Founded in 2014 by Jonathan Mugar, The Basketball Tournament features 64 teams with $2 million at stake in the winner-take-all format telecast by ESPN.
The Jackson UnderDawgs fell 79-62 to the Golden Eagles – Marquette University alumni – in the quarterfinal round of 2019 The Basketball Tournament in Chicago.
The Golden Eagles were the eventually tournament runner-up.
(PHOTO: Jewuan Long)
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