BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Thursday night, when the Norfolk State men's basketball team plays its first NCAA Tournament game since 2012, the Spartans' coaches will be dressed for success - not style.
Among the many changes to college basketball this season is how coaches dress for games. In the past, as you likely recall, most college basketball coaching staffs wore suits on the sidelines during games. However, in a rare positive development amid the pandemic, this season - the casual look is in.
Norfolk State, the 2021 MEAC tournament champion, has joined the trend.
But with Thursday's contest vs. Appalachian State not only being part of the NCAA Tournament - but also being played on national television, NSU head coach Robert Jones says and his assistant coaches will not be dressing up.
"Definitely not going back to the suit," Jones told News 3 Sports Director Adam Winkler. "We're going to wear the same thing we wore in the MEAC tournament. The outfit we wore in the MEAC tournament - we were undefeated in that all season. So you will see the same exact outfit, and you'll see it again on Saturday [with a win Thursday]. Hopefully, we'll get to a laundry room so we won't stink on the sidelines."
Don't stink on the sidelines or on the court: not a bad motto for any game, especially not in the NCAA Tournament.
Norfolk State plays Appalachian State at 8:40 p.m. at Assembly Hall.
