Pitino calls on NCAA to start 2020-21 season in January

Iona head coach Rick Pitino is calling on the NCAA to push the start of the 2020-21 campaign to January due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hall of Famer also proposed limiting the regular-season schedule to conference play.

"Buy some more time for a vaccine and to get things under control," Pitino wrote Wednesday on Twitter. "Although I can't wait to be back on the sidelines, the health of my players and staff is what's really important."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated last week he was "cautiously optimistic" that some form of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available at the end of the year.

Several schools began permitting voluntary athletic activities on June 1 for football players and men's and women's basketball players.

Clemson recently confirmed that 43 of its student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 since returning to campus.