With such a strange ending to the NCAA Basketball season, I talked to a few coaches to find out how they are dealing with their offseasons with the different times we are in.
Two years after the NCAA Basketball Tournament saw the biggest upset in its history when UMBC knocked off No. 1 Virginia, the Coronavirus said, “hold my non-alcoholic collegiate appropriate beverage” as it upset everyone by not only canceling March Madness but has wiped out sports worldwide. When the NCAA unprecedentedly announced that there would be no Big Dance, a lot was written and talked about how us as fans, writers and players, especially the seniors missed out on their favorite holiday and in terms of the players, their final opportunity to perform on the biggest stage as college athletes.
There has been less talk, in comparison, what the abrupt end of the season means for the guys that run the programs, the coaches. When a good number of coaches are still preparing for opponents, they were suddenly thrust into a state of uncertainty like the rest of us. Not only was their season over, but the preparation for 2020-21 could begin in earnest a lot sooner than they expected. But, because of the way the season ended, until recently there were a bunch of unanswered questions that would need resolutions because of the impact they would have on how the coaches would be allowed to build their rosters for next season.
I had the opportunity to talk to a few coaches about the end of the season, what they think about the NCAA’s ruling on some of those important questions, and how they are preparing for the 2020-21 season. In a world that is far from normal right now, how are college coaches trying to normalize the life they are used to when it comes to basketball?