Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Illinois hoops star Giorgi Bezhanishvili talks difficulty of 2020, hasn’t been home in nearly 2 years

Kristian Dyer

By Kristian Dyer

Published:

Few have been impacted in recent months quite like Giorgi Bezhanishvili, the Illinois forward who has certainly seen his life turned upside down by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, Bezhanishvili hasn’t seen his family for almost two years. The player, who hails from Georgia in Europe, said during media availability on Friday that he last saw his mother during the summer of 2019.

The fallout of the coronavirus and travel restrictions plus strict quarantine rules have made travelling back to the Caucasus region of Europe nearly impossible for Bezhanishvili.

The current health situation is certainly a challenge for collegiate players, many of whom are making incredible sacrifices and staying away from family during the holidays. But the case of Bezhanishvili underscores the challenge presented for overseas players in college, many of whom are thousands of miles away from loved ones.

Technology helps but certainly can’t replicate being in the presence of a parent or a sibling.

The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has certainly touched millions through the loss of loved ones and devastation of thousands of small businesses.

So far this year, Bezhanishvili has seemingly been able to set aside the hurt and pain of not seeing his family, at least on the court. He’s better his scoring average, putting in 7.1 points per game through 10 games, including 11 points in an early December win over Duke.

Kristian Dyer