Swine Flu Invades AAU Basketball
Words. Jason Jordan
Prep players around the country are making hygienic changes in wake of the swine flu pandemonium.
Don’t get him wrong, Reggie Bullock has never been mistaken for a germaphobe or an obsessive compulsive or being socially awkward, but in lieu of the recent swine flu mania, Bullock readily ‘fessed up to being all of the above.
“I do a lot of things different these days,” says Bullock, a junior shooting guard from Kinston (N.C.) High, who is rated the No. 13 prospect in HighSchoolHoop top 50. “One of the biggest things I do now is wipe the ball off every deadball during games. Every little bit helps. This whole swine flu stuff is crazy.”
With more than 642 cases spanning 41 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and an out-of-town AAU tournament nearly every weekend, prep players around the country are transforming from carefree jocks to clean freaks.
“It’s different because I carry hand sanitizer with me everywhere we go now,” says Bullock, who is committed to North Carolina. “I definitely notice that I’m not the only one. Everyone’s washing their hands more now and just being more careful.”
Ames (IA) High swingman Harrison Barnes got onboard last weekend when a teammate slipped him a bottle of hand sanitizer on their way to the Jayhawk Invitational in Kansas.
“This thing has affected me a little for sure,” says Barnes, the top prospect in the HighSchoolHoop top 50. “I put on hand sanitizer before and after games now. I never did that before. With all the traveling that we do, we’ve just got to be more careful.”
Kenny Boynton, a senior combo guard who is signed to Florida, is staying close to home in Pampano Beach, Fla., before heading off to Gainesville in June. Still, when it comes to greeting his peers at open gym, Boynton opts for the fist-pound rather than the handshake.
“You’re less likely to get germs that way,” says Boynton. “I have this one teacher that keeps hand sanitizer at the front of the room. She won’t even let us touch the door if she hears us cough once. That stuff makes me a little more aware.”
AAU powerhouse Boo Williams Summer League head coach Boo Williams said that he planned to increase awareness among his players as they continue to travel. “I’ll have a talk with the guys about being cleaner,” says Williams. “The biggest thing I’d say is drinking behind one another. You know how guys are, they don’t even think about that stuff when they’re playing ball together. It’s really all about having good everyday hygiene.”
It’s that basic premise that Leslie Plumlee has tried to instill in her sons – Miles (Duke), Mason (signed with Duke) and Marshall (a highly-rated sophomore) – for ages. Plumlee, a pharmacist, has had to answer plenty of questions about swine flu and said that taking extra precautions would mean changing normal on-court behaviors.
“How many times have you seen a kid lick their hands and wipe the bottom of their shoes for better grip?” asks Plumlee. “Then put their hand right back into their mouth. Things like that and sharing the water bottles during timeouts have to stop for a while. My kids have always been on a good multivitamin. You’ve just got to keep those hands clean and away from your face.”
Added Boynton, “Sometimes moms just know best.”
That is so gross, licking the your hands after rubbing the bottom of your shoes. My fiance does that too. I’m going to have to have him read this article. I don’t want him catching the swine flu!
Licking your hands after wiping the bottom of you shoes is just plain nasty. I’ve never done that and I don’t know anyone else would. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Jay do that.