Pitt, Duquesne, Robert Morris coaches band together in attempt to bounce covid-19
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Keith Dambrot is serious when he says people need to practice social distancing as one of the best ways to fight covid-19.
“Our daughter (Alysse) works in a physical therapy facility,” Duquesne’s men’s basketball coach said, “and we told her, ‘Don’t come (to visit).’
“We love our daughter, but we can’t subject ourselves to that. Look, I’m going to be 62. I’m in that bad class, right?”
That’s why Dambrot never hesitated when asked to join 157 other coaches from New York, New Jersey, New England, Louisiana and Pennsylvania to help raise awareness for eliminating the coronavirus.
#TeamPennsylvania #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/2IZwaLqGSv
— Keith Dambrot (@CoachDambrot) April 30, 2020
Men’s and women’s coaches from Duquesne (Dambrot and Dan Burt), Pitt (Jeff Capel and Lance White) and Robert Morris (Andy Toole and Charlie Buscaglia) were among 28 Division I coaches in the state who formed Team Pennsylvania. Through an initiative started by the New York RENS Basketball Association, a group that seeks to enrich lives of young people, the coaches went on Twitter to emphasize the need to wear masks, wash hands thoroughly and stay 6 feet apart.
We are proud to be members of #TeamPennsylvania!
Help us flatten the curve by following these guidelines. #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/eMlRYi5Smb
— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) April 30, 2020
“Hopefully, people will listen,” said Dambrot, who said he wears a mask when he leaves home. “I’ve been really careful. It just can’t be a one-day deal. We have to keep pounding it and telling young people what’s important.”
Dambrot recently finalized his 2020 recruiting class, doing most of the heavy lifting at home.
“I got used to it,” he said. “It makes you focus in on things that you have to do, some ways less distractions.”
Tonight we join #TeamPennsylvania. Please practice social distancing, stay at home, and listen to the medical experts. We're all in this together to defeat this pandemic.#ColonialPride | #TeamPennsylvania pic.twitter.com/IKQPggVrrM
— RMU Basketball (@RMUWBasketball) April 30, 2020
Across town in Buscaglia’s Moon Township home, the Robert Morris coach has kept in contact with his far-flung roster by Zoom conference calling. Eight of his players live outside the U.S. in six nations — Canada, Spain, Finland, England, Japan and Mali.
Through the marvels of technology, he keeps a virtual eye on his players.
One of his goals: Maintaining a streak that makes Buscaglia beam every time he mentions it — Robert Morris women’s collective GPA has been in the top five in the country the past three years.
When players eventually return to campus, he said he will need at least six weeks to get his team ready to open the season in November.
“It’s not about winning and losing the game,” Buscaglia said. “It’s about safety of the student-athletes. We have to have ample time to come back, get into a full regimen of running and conditioning.”
Buscaglia is eager to get his players back on the court, but quarantine living conditions allow at least one benefit — more time with his 19-month-old, Saso.
“On my breaks, I can go check on him, go give him a hug,” he said. “In the evening, we take a walk with him down the street. This is one of the joys of being home.”
#TeamPennsylvania let’s continue to follow the game plan so we all stay safe and DEFEAT the Coronavirus!!! #H2P pic.twitter.com/Jdt95GK3j0
— Lance White (@Pitt_CoachWhite) April 30, 2020
At Pitt, White is hoping to build on the momentum started by his team’s victory against Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament. Reminded that Pitt is the last team to beat former Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw before she retired, White said, “That’s going to be some trivia question somewhere down the way: Who was the last one to beat Muffet?”
More importantly, White can’t wait to see his players back on campus.
“This is the way we used to do it,” he said. “Back in the day, we would send them away during the summer, then they would come back in the fall and we would get started.
“If we’re able at all to get back in the summer, great. If it’s September, great.
“If it’s later than that, we’ll figure out a way to get it done. The major thing is safety.”
Team Pennsylvania is a great educational campaign and I'm more than proud to be a part of it. Coaches are teachers first and foremost. The fact that we have come together is a big statement not only about the game we love, but the belief in helping in time of a worldwide crisis. pic.twitter.com/yBxKtHTJ10
— Jeff Capel (@jeffcapel) April 30, 2020
— Andy Toole (@AndyToole) April 30, 2020