Coaching (and sometimes playing) while masked, a 2020-21 thing | Mike Jensen

There are times Jay Wright looks out on the court and sees his Villanova guys run a play that surprises him, which isn’t really the norm.

“I’m yelling out calls,’' Wright said the other day, “and we run something different.”

First chance Wright gets, he’ll say to his point guard, “What were we doing?”

Wright said he’ll mention what the call was supposed to be. Wildcats floor leader Collin Gillespie will respond with what he thought he’d heard.

Welcome to 2020-21 hoops, where masked coaches and muffled conversations are simply part of the game.

“During practice and obviously every game, I feel the players have grown accustomed to the muffled instructions,’' said Villanova women’s coach Denise Dillon. “I definitely would have answered differently two months ago, but it’s become the norm.”

» READ MORE: Is Villanova a Final Four team?

Maybe it’s healthy, putting a little more decision-making in the hands of players. It certainly can be advantageous to have veterans, and quick thinkers, on the court. What is Coach saying? ... Beats me ... Let’s just run this.

Then there’s communicating with referees.

“Some of that stuff is misinterpreted,’' said one Big 5 assistant.”If you pull the mask down, it looks more aggressive than what is actually said.”

“Maybe I’m yelling at the refs less,’' said Harcum coach Drew Kelly. “You’d have to ask them.”

As some local small college leagues have gotten going, rules have been all over the place. Some schools are having their players wear masks during games, which means visiting teams do, too.

“Communicating with your players in an echoey gym, I think that’s the hardest part,’' said Gwynedd Mercy coach John Baron. “I wear this face-shield thing so they can see my lips, so we can at least try to figure it out.”

To be clear, none of these coaches are whining about mask-wearing. To a person, they suggested, they feel lucky to be in a gym with that mask on.

… Or sometimes the mask comes down. (Save your emails.) Officials are not generally tasking themselves with being the mask police.

“Early in the year, when we were up in the bubble, I got reprimanded by our team doctor because I was in a huddle with my mask down,’' said Wright, who tested positive himself for COVID-19 earlier this season. “He said that defeats the whole purpose … I’ve learned.”

» READ MORE: Villanova's bench a key for Wildcats.

The mask comes down more often when he’s farther away. (Let’s also note the constant testing going on in Division I.)

“I did invest in an electronic whistle, so I don’t have to take my mask off in practice,’' Kelly said.

Press a button, instant whistle.

“I do have one of those whistles and I actually thought about bringing it to a game and keeping it in my pocket and just kind of using it when I thought my team got fouled,’' said Widener men’s coach Chris Carideo. “Just looking at the officials …”

Hey, what was that? ... Beats me.

Just a joke.

“You’re just trying to make it as fun as possible,’' Carideo said.

Coaches will tell you that masks aren’t as big an adjustment as everything else in this COVID-19 era, from restrictions on the number of people in locker rooms to not being able to eat together.

» READ MORE: A "relentless" point guard for four years for Drexel women.

“We’re lucky we’re playing — it’s not a huge deal,’' said Arcadia men’s coach Adam Van Zelst. “The biggest communication issue is for the players. Us coaches are pretty loud anyway. I know I’m a very loud individual.”

Since the Middle Atlantic Conference is allowing each school to determine its mask policies for players, it varies by game. Arcadia and Albright are the two MAC schools mandating masks for players.

“So when you play one of us, the opponent has to wear a mask as well,’' Van Zelst said. “They’re sweating their butt off, communicating whatever the play is, and on switches.”

Again, he’s not complaining. They’re playing ball, even for a shortened season.

“Our trainers, our support staff, have been meticulous,’' Van Zelst said. “We’re at the point where in practice if somebody doesn’t have the mask above their nose, they’re going to have to sit out. Here at Arcadia, they take it dead serious.”

“We just wore masks as a team for the first time vs. Albright,’' Carideo said. “During the game, the communication really takes a hit. They’re on the floor having a tough time talking to each other. I’m trying to talk to them. We don’t have a ton of signals for calls. It’s always been, just shout it out. That’s been an adjustment.”

An adjustment, not an obstacle. Not in 2020-21.

“You just figure it out,’' Carideo said.

At Villanova, Wright isn’t complaining, especially about one aspect of using a mask.

“I love it,’' Wright said when asked about one way he can’t usually be heard as clearly, and lip readers on television can’t see his words. “The masks have really been helpful with dealing with referees.”