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NCAA Basketball: How coaches are dealing with a unique offseason

By Jason Burgess

JACKSONVILLE, FL - MARCH 20: The NCAA March Madness logo on the floor during the NCAA Basketball First round practice session at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on March 20, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - MARCH 20: The NCAA March Madness logo on the floor during the NCAA Basketball First round practice session at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on March 20, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – MARCH 15: Head coach Kyle Keller of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – MARCH 15: Head coach Kyle Keller of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Kyle Keller – Stephen F. Austin

Like Florida State, Kyle Keller’s Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks were awaiting their first opponent in the Southland Conference tournament when the season was canceled. Despite a 28-3 record and losing just one conference, they too would not have the chance to compete in March.

Keller said the ruling by the NCAA to not grant an extra year of eligibility to winter sports athletes was not only expected but probably the right decision, but added, “I’m all for the student-athletes, I felt like they deserve an opportunity to play.” Keller also mentioned one of the many areas the NCAA had to consider, saying, “The one thing in our economy is the economically disadvantaged parents that their kids are on a 20% or 15% scholarship and can’t work, how are they going to pay for the fifth year of school? That’s the frustrating part for a lot of parents and student-athletes.”

As soon as the season ended Keller said the program had already turned the corner and turned their attention to 2020-21. It is important to him and his staff to check in with his team as much as possible to get them on an offseason plan, saying, “They have so much free time right now and are used to having so much structure, it is really unique for student-athletes in my opinion. How are they going to get a structure in their daily life? Just like we are as coaches, we are used to structure and none of us have it.”

Unlike Florida State though, Keller feels like he has had much less interaction with his players and staff than usual, given the current restrictions we all face. “We usually give them (the players) a few weeks off anyway, and this year was a bit different because we went on a summer tour so I was going to give them a lot off this spring just to recharge not just their bodies but their minds.”

There was no foreign trip this coming summer for Stephen F. Austin, as they took one this past season, but the summer will be impacted because Keller says, “We have a lot of players back but the leadership of your team is going to change, trying to figure out exactly who we may think are going to be the leaders and you see that emerge in the summer by doing different team-building things and it starts in the summer so absolutely everything is going to be pushed back.”

Lastly, when the season ended Keller joked the one thing that started sooner than usual was the amount of rest he has been able to get, but it won’t be long until that rest is over and Stephen F. Austin is gearing up for another run in 2020-21.

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