Texas coach Shaka Smart had 'significant' COVID-19 symptoms

Texas Longhorns men's basketball coach Shaka Smart confirmed on Jan. 25 that he tested positive for COVID-19, and he told reporters on Monday that he dealt with "significant" symptoms during his bout with the virus. 

"This was not a walk in the park for me, not saying it has been for anyone else," Smart said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "When you go through that kind of stuff, it certainly swirls some things around your mind."

As noted by the AP, sixth-ranked Texas was without Smart, two starters and a third player for last Tuesday's 80-79 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. The Longhorns never paused activities despite facing a potential COVID-19 crisis but received a break when Saturday's matchup against Kentucky was postponed because of coronavirus-related issues affecting the Wildcats. 

"If you talk to the majority of our guys, they want to play. That doesn't mean there hasn't been moments where some of them, they've been like, 'Wow, this is really, really strange,' and thinking through what should we be doing," Smart added. 

"Everyone has their own rules about how these sorts of things are handled. I did not say we didn't want to play. I wasn't there. I think you can tell that was a very, very difficult day for me." 

Texas will host the unbeaten Baylor Bears, the No. 2 team in the nation, on Tuesday night. Smart said his squad should be at full strength for that pivotal contest.