University of Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen goes home each night to his wife, Lisa, and their twin daughters, Jaylee and Katelyn. It's a time to relax and release with his family that he doesn't take for granted.
Brannen's players aren't able to have that same release.
The student-athletes are forced to live mostly in isolation, spending time with their family and friends solely through a telephone or computer screen, as they continue to traverse one of the most unusual and extraordinary periods of their lives.
Outside of basketball, there's only so much Brannen can do to help them. The 47-year-old second-year UC coach can't spend time with them away from the court.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has wiped away those in-person sessions for Brannen to build stronger relationships with his players and for his players to build better camaraderie with each other.
"I don't think people really, really have any idea," Brannen said. "... I don't see our guys off the court anymore. We just don't spend any time with our guys off the court anymore. ... You have to understand, when practice ends, we spray down the gym. We really don't see our guys much."
Cincinnati opened the New Year with a 70-66 loss to Tulsa on Jan. 2 at Fifth Third Arena. It was the last time the Bearcats played at home before Friday night's game against Temple. It also was UC's fifth straight defeat, their longest losing streak since the 2007-08 season.
After ending the skid five days later at SMU, Cincinnati lost again at Wichita State. Then after dodging positive COVID-19 cases all season, the Bearcats were finally hit by the virus, spending the next 25 days on the shelf and off the court.
"It was tough when you're not able to see your teammates for three weeks," Cincinnati guard David DeJulius said. "You got this guy in isolation, and you got this guy in isolation. It's very tough. It's already a tough year. You go to the gym and then you go back home. The only real excuse that you have to go out is to get food. And on top of that, the only guys in your circle that you're able to bond with, many of them go down. It really was a tough battle for us."
But despite the tough stretch, it was DeJulius who emerged from the 25-day layoff as the undeniable leader for the Bearcats. The 6-foot junior guard, who in August was granted a waiver by the NCAA to play immediately for Cincinnati after transferring from Michigan, scored a career-high 26 points in a win at Temple on Feb. 4.
"When you talk about leaders, guys say they lead by example. We don't buy into that," Brannen said. "You gotta verbalize your leadership. I think David is just comfortable in that."
Keith Williams followed three days later with a 20-point effort at Tulane. The senior preseason first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection scored his 1,000th career point in the first half and went on a personal 9-0 run in the second half to will the Bearcats to their second straight three-point victory.
"We don't win tonight's game without his effort," Brannen said after the win.
Cincinnati has had seven games postponed this season due to COVID-19 issues, five of those games were due to issues within the Bearcats' program.
Though the virus has limited Brannen's time with his players, he said he still has noticed Williams' ability to keep things light as the team goes through each day carrying the heavy burden of wondering if it'll even be able to play or practice.
"He's a tremendous teammate," Brannen said of the 6-foot-5 Brooklyn, New York, native. "He's fun, he's great to be around, he's got a great way about him and he's really competitive."
Williams' 15.4 points per game are fifth most in the AAC. DeJulius' five assists per game are second best in the conference. They both are in the top 30 in the American in minutes played.
While DeJulius has been Cincinnati's vocal leader, Williams has been the selfless teammate Brannen has needed to keep the team afloat.
"You can't be a team leader without being a great teammate. Understand that," Brannen said. "You can be a great teammate and not a great leader. That's it. But you can't lead without being a great teammate first, and those guys are both that, for sure."