The Atlantic Coast Conference or the ACC postseason tournaments has been called off in March due to the threat of the pandemic. However, recent updates have been broadcasted by ACC Commissioner John Swofford that the basketball league will return next year and will happen in Greensboro.
Many ACC fans were surprised about the sudden cancellation of the matches in March. The day the league was canceled, The Cavaliers were scheduled to face Notre Dame, but they weren’t even given the chance to start the match. Since then many fans have wondered when the league will return so they can finally place their bets on apps like 888sport mobile app.
The football competitions may also resume normally and will likely happen without many adjustments if the ACC schools will be allowing the students to return to their classes and on the campus by next fall. Still, the league wants to make sure that all the players and involved in the conference will be safe and tested.
And now, even before the league returns, they have already formed a medical advisory group which should help them decide on how to go about the next season. This group will be the one in-charge of time updates and the current and updated status of the health crisis, especially the pandemic’s impact on the college community.
This is headed by Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a member of the infectious disease division at Duke University Medical Center. He is also an associate professor of medicine. Dr. Wolfe is joined by 15 other people from the 15 ACC schools. Here is a list of the names of the people part of the medical advisory group:
- Dr. Robert Nascimento, Medical Director & Team Physician, Boston College
- Dr. Bailey Nevels, Coordinator of Psychological Health Services for Student-athletes, Clemson
- Dr. Cameron Wolfe, Associate Professor of Medicine – Transplant Infectious Disease, Duke
- Dr. Leslie Beitsch, Chair of Behavioral Sciences & Social Medicine, Florida State
- Dr. Angelo Galante, Chief Medical Officer, Georgia Tech
- Dr. Kevin Gardner, Executive Vice President of Research & Innovation, Louisville
- Dr. Erin Kobetz, Professor of Medicine & Public Health Services, Miami
- Dr. Mario Ciocca, Director of Sports Medicine, North Carolina
- Dr. Julie Casani, Director & Medical Director of Student Health Services, NC State
- Dr. Matt Leiszler, Team Physician, Notre Dame
- Dr. Art Levine, Sr. Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences & School of Medicine, Pittsburgh
- Brad Pike, Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, Syracuse
- Dr. John MacKnight, Medical Director for Sports Medicine, Virginia
- Dr. Mark Rogers, Chief Medical Officer, Team Physician, Virginia Tech
- Murphy Grant, Sr. Associate Athletic Director, Athletics Health Care Administrator, Wake Forest
Swofford takes pride in how the ACC are leaders in the medical field. He said, “The institutions of the ACC have long been leaders in the medical field and include many of the leading medical experts in the country, which is a tremendous asset for the conference and all its members. “One of the great things you gain from being in a conference with a culture like ours is the opportunity to share best practices, and the Medical Advisory Group is a great example of that. This group meets weekly and will assist our Presidents and Athletic Directors on the best protocols and procedures for returning to athletics as part of our institutions’ plans.”
Doctor Wolfe also shared his thoughts about his appointment and the team’s existence. Dr. Wolfe said in a statement, “The ACC has assembled a group of top medical experts, and it’s an honor to serve as its chair,” said Dr. Wolfe. “We look forward to working together to advise our conference and campus leadership on medical issues and guidelines for a safe return to athletic competition.”
With the help of this medical advisory group, the league should have solid or concrete decisions on how they’d go about the next season, which is the 2023 men’s basketball championship next year. This will be played on March 7 to 11 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Swofford wanted to return as soon as possible. He said, “One of my most immediate thoughts was the tournament needed to come back here ASAP. We were already committed to Washington and Brooklyn, but Greensboro deserved to have this back as quickly as possible. Fortunately, our schools, our ADs, our faculty reps all agreed with that and also agreed to push forward in an expedient way to get the decision made sooner than normal. We were able to get that done. I’m very pleased for Greensboro, very pleased personally because this is our home.”
