Author: Marc Tracy and Alan Blinder / Source: New York Times
Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
When the University of Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett announced Friday that his team would decline an invitation to celebrate its N.C.A.A. championship at the White House, he continued a trend of basketball champions’ spurning the traditional fete during the polarizing Trump administration.
In Virginia’s case, the move was particularly poignant as it highlighted widespread outrage over President Trump’s response to the white-nationalist rally two years ago in the team’s hometown Charlottesville.
“We have received inquiries about a visit to the White House,” Mr. Bennett said in a statement posted to the team’s Twitter feed. “With several players either pursuing pro opportunities or moving on from U.V.A., it would be difficult, if not impossible to get everyone back together. We would have to respectfully decline an invitation.”
It was not immediately clear whether an invitation had already been extended or whether the two sides had engaged in any talks over a visit. Team and university spokesmen declined to comment Saturday. A White House spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.
Several members of the team have declared for June’s N.B.A. draft and are likely busy preparing for workouts with teams. Earlier this month, U.V.A. defeated Texas Tech in overtime, 85-77, to win the program’s first men’s national title.
However, several former and current players also appeared to make their anti-Trump sentiments known Friday in response to the announcement.
De’Andre Hunter — who hit a 3-pointer to force overtime against Texas Tech — tweeted Friday, “No thanks Trump.
” The tweet was later deleted.London Perrantes, who graduated from Virginia in 2017 and now plays professionally in France, tweeted an emoji indicating praise in response to Mr. Bennett’s statement.
“You’d have to be incredibly naïve to believe it was a scheduling conflict,” said Larry J. Sabato, the director of the university’s Center for Politics.
The N.B.A.’s Golden State Warriors, who have won two championships since Mr. Trump took office, have famously and loudly declined to entertain a White House visit. Many of the team’s most prominent members, including Stephen Curry and Coach Steve Kerr, have been openly critical of Mr. Trump. The league’s biggest star, LeBron James, campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and
It is common for White House visits to quickly follow championships in college basketball, where teams win in early April and may graduate players soon after. N.B.A. teams generally schedule their visits to coincide with a game the next season against the Washington Wizards.
Recently, Baylor University, a Baptist school in Texas, announced that its…
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