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St. John’s athletics only to play conference opponents in fall sports

ByKevin Connelly|
St. John's athletics will only play conference opponents in the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images).
St. John's athletics will only play conference opponents in the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images).

The Big East announced that its members will only play conference games in the fall as the St. John’s athletics department adjusts to the new schedule.

As the fall semester grows closer and schools are trying to adjust to its new normal of living with the coronavirus pandemic, conferences are also making very difficult decision on fall sports.

The Big East Conference announced on Thursday afternoon that it will be only playing conference games for all fall competitions.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this news is that it will not have an affect on the determination on whether or not the basketball season will be played on time or in its entirety.

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Earlier in the pandemic, Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said that the league would have to make a decision around Labor Day on whether men’s and women’s basketball would have a season and when that would start.

The Big East is lucky that it is not in the same position as other conferences that must make a quick decision on college football season as many power conferences like the ACC, Pac-12, and Big Ten are also playing conference only schedule in the fall, including its football teams.

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Shortly after the Big East’s announcement, St. John’s Athletic Director Mike Cragg fully supported the decision, citing the health and safety of the student-athletes and coaches are the main priority for the school.

The St. John’s Men’s Soccer team had one of its best seasons in recent memory last year after advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament but ultimately falling to the No. 1 seed Virginia Cavaliers.

None of the fall sports teams at St. John’s had released their schedule for the fall but the school is hoping to get its athletes back on campus in the coming days and have some semblance of workouts, including the men’s basketball team who are hoping to hold team activities on July 20.