A UConn men's basketball player has tested positive for COVID-19, causing the program to temporarily suspend team activities.

The school made the announcement on Thursday afternoon but didn't release the name of the player.

The news comes just shy of three weeks before the college basketball tips off on Nov. 25.

According to a release, "per university protocol," team activities will be on hold until contact tracing is done and medical professionals determine it is safe for the Huskies to resume.

The team is being tested once a week and that number will ramp up to three times a week in about 10 days.

UConn isn't the first Big East program to deal with a shutdown during preseason.

Marquette suspended team activities for both its men's and women's basketball programs for 14 days after receiving a positive test within each program last month. The Golden Eagles returned to practice on Wednesday.

The NCAA recommends — but doesn't require — a 14-day quarantine period for teams following a positive test for COVID-19.

If UConn follows that recommendation, it would return to team activities six days before hosting Central Connecticut State University in the season opener on Nov. 25. The Huskies also expect to play Hartford on Nov. 27.

Dan Hurley talked about coaching during a pandemic and about the 14-day quarantine period during Big East virtual media day last week.

"We're just trying to keep it as safe and as clean as possible in terms of the decisions that we make — to wear a mask, to wash our hands, socially distance and just be careful and smart and try to avoid getting it if possible so that we don't have to go into the quarantine as a group," Hurley said.

"I'm just trying to focus on preparing for the next practice, taking as good a care of everyone in the program as we can. ... I'm just trying not to get caught up in things I can't control. That's medical people, that's above me at the university level. People have to be able make those decisions that are a lot smarter than me about what to do when somebody gets a positive test."

Hurley had this to say about the quarantine period: "The 14-day quarantine for one positive test seems like that's a little bit too long. You should be able to test your way out of it. Again, I'm not a medical expert. We need to listen to the science and the doctors and trust those people."

This is the first reported COVID-related disruption for the men's basketball program since the players returned to the Storrs campus over the summer.

UConn is preparing to return to the Big East Conference after spending seven seasons in the American Athletic Conference.

The Huskies are scheduled to open conference play on Dec. 11 against St. John's in Storrs.

"We want to play," Hurley said a few weeks ago. "We're desperate to play. We're desperate for the season to start and we're desperate to get the Big East season underway and get back to doing what we do."

g.keefe@theday.com