Due to the coronavirus disease pandemic, the Filipina Vanessa de Jesus’ freshman campaign at US NCAA Division I school Duke University was cut short.
The outbreak has already forced several games in the first month of the season to be cancelled or postponed. Because of positive tests in their systems, numerous teams have been paused.
Duke University announced that its women’s basketball team will not compete on Christmas day for the rest of the 2020-21 season.
“The student-athletes on the Duke women’s basketball team have made the difficult decision to conclude their current season due to safety concerns,” mentioned Michael Schoenfeld, Vice President for Public Affairs & Government Relations and Chief Communications Officer for Duke University.
“We support their decision, as we have supported the choices made by all student-athletes at Duke during this unprecedented time. Duke will maintain our current schedule of competition in other sports and will continue to observe our rigorous health and safety protocols, which include daily testing for all student-athletes and are based on guidance from leading medical experts.“
The men’s basketball team was planning on continuing to compete.
Since Dec. 16, the women’s basketball team has been on a break because of two positive COVID-19 tests. The team stopped all its activities related to basketball and conducted precautionary contact tracing measures.
De Jesus has illuminated in her limited outings for Duke as their starting point guard.
She played four games for the Blue Devils as the very first Asian to play for the Duke University’s women’s basketball team.
Games against Miami, N.C. State and UNC Wilmington have been postponed by the Blue Devils (3-1).
De Jesus, a 5-foot-8, conquered a general average of 12.0 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.8 rebounds.
De Jesus became the first Duke rookie in her first-ever game to score 13 points or more in her first Blue Devils career starting since 2014.
In just her second game with the Blue Devils, in Duke’s 83-56 victory over Western Carolina last November, she recorded a career-high 17 points.
In the United States, De Jesus has been tagged as one of the Filipino talents who would potentially make it to the WNBA.
Since starting this season, the Blue Devils will be the first Power Five team to drop out. In November, the Ivy League backed out of playing winter sports until the basketball season began. It was also agreed by a couple other schools not to play.
“I don’t think we should be playing right now. That’s my opinion on it.” The new coach named Kara Lawson, who was recently hired in July, said. After a loss to Illinois, Duke’s Hall of Fame coach said “I would just like for the safety, the mental and physical health of players and staff to assess where we’re at,”
Krzyzewski said at the time. “To me, it’s already pretty bad. On the other side of it, there are these vaccines that are coming out. By the end of the month, 20 million vaccine shots will be given. By the end of January or in February, another 100 million. Should we not reassess that? See just what would be best?“