For the month of January, the state of Alabama had a flu epidemic. Alabama’s Department of Public Health declared a state of emergency due to the widespread outbreak of the disease.
Shelton State Community College’s two basketball teams were among the many people affected by the disease. Seven combined players from the men’s and women’s team missed practice and game time due to the flu in the middle of conference play.
“We play nine or ten guys,” Eatmon said. “When you have three or so of them out, it’s hard to practice. It’s tough to get a true look at practice when you have three or four out with the flu.”
Eatmon’s team personally missed two starters in guards Tra’Quan Knight and Jamani Glover against Lawson State on Jan. 18. The team’s first player off of the bench, guard Tre Todd, also missed the previous game because the illness.
“Normally one guy will get it and gets better and comes back,” Eatmon said. “We had three main guys out with the flu…It’s tough to get your rotation down, but we’ve had to fight through it.”
On the other side, the women’s team had four players miss time with the flu. Among those was guard Cierra Johnson. Johnson has been a dominant player this season, averaging 20 points per game on 53 percent shooting.
She, along with two other players, missed the team’s 88-48 win over Lawson State on Jan. 18. They returned a week later to play against Gadsden State on Jan. 25. Then, when those players started to get healthy, another player was affected and missed time.
With both teams missing players such as Johnson, the two coaching staffs had to take extra precautions. The disease can spread quickly, especially if the players are sharing equipment.
“It's going around,” Shelton State women’s basketball coach Madonna Thompson said. “We were out there Lysoling the basketballs after practice and anything they touch.”
Now, both teams are starting to get everyone back from the flu outbreak. Players are still recovering, but managing to win.
Next, Shelton State will take on Snead State in the Umphrey Center. The women will start at 5:30, while the men will play at 7:30 on Thursday night.