FULLERTON, CALIF. >> The Hawaii basketball teams are preparing for silent nights following the Big West Conference’s decision to not allow any so-called “non-essential” people to attend the league’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments this week.

The do-not-attend list includes fans, bands, cheerleaders and family members. The mandate is in response to fears over COVID-19. The Big West notified participating players on Tuesday afternoon that only players, coaches, referees, “essential” personnel, and media will be allowed to attend the games.

The Rainbow Wahine are set to play tonight at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. The Rainbow Warriors will play UC Davis in Thursday’s opening round of the men’s tournament at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

UH guard Eddie Stansberry expressed empathy for those personally affected by the coronavirus.

“I pray for the families going through it,” Stansberry said.

But he also was disappointed that the teams will play without spectators.

“It sucks to know a lot of people won’t be able to come out and support you, and they won’t be there to cheer you on,” said Stansberry, who grew up in San Francisco. He said his family will remain in the Bay Area and support him by “watching on TV.”

Because of a flight delay, UH ticket manager Walter Watanabe and multi-media specialist Jay Metzger learned of the tournament restrictions and were able to cancel their travel reservations.

But 112 members of the UH band were in California when they learned they will not be admitted into the arenas. Each paid $850 for their portion of the trip. School officials were looking into the possibility of the band performing at Friday’s men’s volleyball match between UH and Cal State Northridge on the Matadors’ campus.

The announcement also came too late for Jeff Webster, the father of UH freshman guard Justin Webster. After arriving in Los Angeles following a three-hour flight from Dallas, the elder Webster received a call from his son. Told that fans would not be allowed to attend, Jeff Webster said: “I thought he was playing a joke on me. But it’s starting to happen all over the country. The Ivy League canceled their tournament, and I think the MAC did the same.”

The elder Webster sensed something was unusual when he arrived at the Los Angeles airport. “I’ve been to LAX a lot,” he said. “It wasn’t packed, and it’s always packed. I was like, man, that’s crazy. … It kind of stinks. This is the time of the year you play for. A lot of kids, the seniors, are not going to get this opportunity again. That’s the bad part. … But, hey, we’re not the only ones. There are other parents affected. You just deal with it. Like I told Justin, ‘it’s like if you have a bad game. What’s next.’ It’s about dealing with adversity. Hey, this will pass.”

UH coach Eran Ganot said: “The bottom line is you control what you can.”

Ganot met with his players, and emphasized the need to focus solely on preparing for UC Davis.

“When you talk about things, you put it to bed, shift gears, and stay locked into what we can control,” Ganot said.

After learning of the restrictions, the ’Bows conducted their usual two-hour practice. They also followed the widely recommended precautions.

“Number one is, we do a lot of high fives, so we try not to high-five one another,” said Lawrence Lam, the team’s athletic trainer. “Daps only. The other thing is we always have this hand sanitizer around. Every break we get, we try to hand sanitize. We remind them, you gotta wash your hands, don’t touch your face. If you’re rooming with each other, try not to share things. Be more aware.”