The Howard University men’s basketball team has canceled the remainder of its season because of health concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The school announced its decision on Tuesday.

“We had several team members test positive in January, and were forced to place the program on hold, cancel several games and finally cancel our season. It was and remains the right thing for us to do,” head coach Kenneth Blakeney said in a statement. “Ultimately, our number one priority is to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes, both mentally and physically. Canceling the season is in the best interest of the team at this time.”

Howard joins dozens of other college basketball programs that have either canceled the remainder of their seasons or completely opted out of playing this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Like Howard, a number of those programs are at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

HBCU Gameday published a report earlier Tuesday citing an unidentified source who said Howard’s remaining basketball season would be canceled.

During a season that has seen even the traditional powerhouse programs affected by the pandemic, Howard has played just five games. That is a very low number compared to most other programs already playing in a limited number of contests.

Howard is the third team in its athletic conference to cancel its season. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is composed of all-HBCU programs. Several other teams in the Southwestern Atletic Conference, which is also all-HBCU, have also canceled their seasons.

Statistics show the pandemic has disproportionately affected Black communities, and colleges are no exception.

Despite landing a coveted blue chip prospect who stands at nearly 7 feet tall and another transfer from a major basketball program, Howard underwhelmed from the start of the season. Makur Maker, a freshman who was ranked 16th coming out of high school and whose brother plays in the NBA, had his season shut down due to injury after playing just one game back at the start of the season in November.

After repeatedly postponing games, the program reached its decision Tuesday.

Blakeney said ending the season would allow his players to focus on their grades.

“Fortunately, this gives our student-athletes the opportunity to finish their academic year strong while demonstrating their resiliency upon their return. We are Bison Strong; we will get through this together,” he said.

This is a developing story that will be updated when additional information becomes available.

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