By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Understanding that circumstances could have changed before I even finished writing this column, the Iowa Athletic Department deserves praise for its handling of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The Iowa men’s basketball team is preparing to face Iowa State on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and assuming the game gets played, that would make Iowa five-for-five in games played this season.

The Iowa football team will face Wisconsin on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, barring any late changes for health concerns, and that would make Iowa football eight-for-eight in games played this season.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, has had three football games canceled this season due to COVID-19 health concerns, and is 2-2 heading into Saturday’s game.

The Iowa women’s basketball team has also played all four of its games so far this season.

Just having the opportunity to play games during a global pandemic is a victory by itself because so much of life has been interrupted, changed or put on hold as we try to withstand, or avoid the threat of the virus.

Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery addressed the pandemic during a zoom conference on Thursday. He spoke as both a coach, and as a father of two players on the team, when asked about the benefits of playing this season.

Numerous basketball games already have been canceled this season, and more than 100 college football games have been canceled for health concerns.

Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, after watching his team lose to Illinois on Tuesday, said the NCAA should rethink its decision to play games right now, and that playing during a pandemic didn’t feel right.

McCaffery, however, sees it differently.

He believes strongly in playing the games while following strict guidelines and protocol.

“With daily testing, it gives you a clear picture every day on who’s positive and who’s negative,” McCaffery said. “So we can confidently go to practice knowing we’ve got a team full of guys who tested negative, and we can interact with each other and then impress upon them the importance of being diligent with where they go and who they go there with, and understand that they’re going to be jeopardized by making poor decisions in that regard, which I think going back to when school started, I’m not sure every college student, athlete or not, were making good decisions.”

It takes a group effort to withstand the threat of the virus, but the student-athletes deserve special praise because just consider everything they’ve had to sacrifice over the past nine months.

College is supposed to be a time for social engagement, and for being around friends in care-free settings, but that has all changed because of the pandemic.

“Nobody is doing anything and it’s not the right way to live,” Fran McCaffery said. “If I felt as a parent, whether I was a parent of my own children, I don’t view the decisions that we make any differently. I feel the same about (sophomore guard) C.J. Fredrick, and I’m not going to run him out there if I don’t feel it’s safe.

“So I feel like we’ve provided a safe environment and it’s what’s best for these kids right now to be focused and concentrated on what they want to do and what they’re capable of doing. They’re having fun doing it and we’re all thrilled for the opportunity.”

McCaffery’s daily message to his players is to enjoy and appreciate each moment because there are no guarantees.

“I think what it also does, it helps you appreciate and never take for granted this opportunity to play college basketball,” Fran McCaffery said. “It’s pretty special, and I feel the same way just having the opportunity to coach these young men, and how proud I am of them and what they’re doing, and how mature they have been, so we’re just going to keep plugging forward.”

Everyone associated with Iowa athletics should be proud for figuring a way to navigate through rocky waters. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, considering that seven members of the men’s basketball team reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus during the summer.

But you learn from your mistakes, you learn to never let down your guard, and to constantly be aware of the risks.

You learn to make smart decisions, and you resist the temptations that might come with making a bad decision.

And with that comes rewards such as Friday’s annual showdown between Iowa and Iowa State in men’s basketball, and the annual border clash in football on Saturday between Iowa and Wisconsin.

The Iowa men’s basketball team is 4-0 and ranked third nationally, while the Iowa football team is 5-2 and has won five games in a row.

The only thing better than being able to play during a global pandemic is having success during a global pandemic.