The University of Buffalo men's basketball team was prepared to play on Thursday without head coach Jim Whitesell, but he showed up to coach from a distance despite being exposed to COVID-19.
Whitesell was reportedly around someone who has or had the coronavirus. This individual is not associated with the men's basketball program or with the UB community.
Given contact tracing protocols, he decided to coach from the stands approximately 15 feet behind the bench area as a form of social distancing. Meanwhile, assistant coach Angres Thorpe served as the acting head coach and assumed on court responsibilities for the Bulls.