With time expired at McCamish Pavilion, Georgia Tech assistant coach Blanche Alverson gave high-fives to fellow assistants and then turned down the sideline to the opposing bench, offering a good-bye wave to Wake Forest players and coaches in place of the customary handshake line.
It was an atypical conclusion of an unusual game for the No. 18 Yellow Jackets, as coach Nell Fortner was not on the bench for the team’s 62-45 win Sunday night because she was unavailable due to what the team termed health and safety protocols.
“Earlier this week, we found out that due to health and safety protocols, (Fortner) wasn’t going to be able to coach in the game (Sunday), but our team responded and was able to come out and handle our business tonight,” said Alverson, who has been on Fortner’s staff all three seasons and served as head coach Sunday.
Alverson said that Fortner was doing well.
“She’s been super involved in all of our prep and all of our game plan and with our team,” said Alverson, a Buford High graduate. “Our players love her and I know that they came out and played the way they did for her (Sunday). So she’s always super involved even when she’s not around.”
Fortner’s absence was another in a series of recent disruptions to college and professional sporting events nationwide due to COVID-19 as infection rates have been rising in recent weeks. The NFL postponed three games this weekend due to COVID-19 issues, and the NBA postponed five of its games scheduled for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, including a Hawks game Sunday night against Cleveland. The ACC canceled a Duke-Miami women’s basketball game scheduled for Sunday because of COVID issues within the Hurricanes team, resulting in a forfeit loss for Miami.
The post-game wave between Wake Forest and Tech at McCamish was the return of a convention practiced last year when games were played under stricter COVID-19 guidelines, perhaps as teams have become wary of increasing infection rates. When the Jackets upset Connecticut Dec. 9 at McCamish, coaches and players exchanged handshakes and fives after the game.
For Tech, Fortner’s absence is one more challenge in a growing collection. The Jackets are short two starters from last year’s Sweet 16 team due to a season-ending foot injury (Kierra Fletcher) and transfer (Loyal McQueen). Most significantly, assistant coach Tasha Butts is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She was not at Sunday’s game, leaving the Jackets with three coaches instead of the standard four, as Alverson was aided by Mickie DeMoss (normally the team chief of staff, but designated a coach in Butts’ absence) and Murriel Page.
“I think resiliency is a really good work to use for our team and our program this year,” Alverson said. “Just everyone having to step up at different times with players being out, coaches being out. I think we’re a true family here and we know we have to step up in different capacities at different points.”
On the floor, Tech (9-2 overall, 1-0 ACC) took advantage of a Wake Forest team (10-2, 0-1) absent multiple key players in winning its fourth consecutive game. Taking the floor as the Division I leader in scoring defense (45.0 points per game) and second in field-goal percentage defense (30.9%), the Jackets were true to form. Tech held the Demon Deacons to 33.3% shooting, 10 percentage points below their season average, and squeezed out 17 turnovers, which the Jackets converted to 14 points. Wake guard Jewel Spear, the sixth-leading scorer in the country and first in the ACC at 22.5 points per game, was held to nine on 4-for-12 shooting.
The Jackets were lifted by center Nerea Hermosa’s 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go with five rebounds and three assists. Guard Eylia Love tied Hermosa for game-high scoring honors with 16, her career high, including two 3-pointers.
Before an announced crowd of 1,667, Jackets forward Lorela Cubaj wrote her name into the school record book, becoming the leading rebounder in team history in the second quarter. A little less than three minutes into the period, Cubaj secured her 1,040th career rebound, breaking the school record set by Bonnie Tate in the team’s infancy (1977-79). Cubaj, first in the ACC and fourth in Division I in rebounds per game going into the game (12.5 rebounds per game), finished with 12 rebounds to go with four points and six assists.
Tech will play again Tuesday at home against Boston University at 1 p.m.
“Really proud of our players,” Alverson said. “I thought they responded (Sunday) and played really well. It was a total group effort tonight from staff and players’ perspective.”
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