AUS scrubs 2020-21 season
X-men coach Konchalski hoped for different ending to 46-year career
Steve Konchalski envisioned a different ending to his illustrious career.
The winningest coach in Canadian university men's basketball is retiring April 1 following what would've been his 46th season at St. Francis Xavier University.
But Atlantic university basketball — as well as hockey, volleyball, swimming and curling — has been pushed to the sidelines after the AUS announced on Wednesday it will not proceed with conference-sanctioned regular season competition or championships for the 2021 winter season.
“It's not the way you want to finish up,” Konchalski said in a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon.
“At the same time, I've been very fortunate to have this opportunity to coach some great young people and some great basketball teams over the last 46 years. It's sad that it's ending this way but you have to be happy that it happened. Not many people get that opportunity. It's something I don't take for granted.”
Last month, Atlantic University Sport formed a six-person committee — comprised of four athletic directors and two AUS staff — to explore possible return-toplay options for the 2020-21 winter semester. The committee examined the health and safety of players and team staff members, financial feasibility and travel concerns which would allow for a safe and viable return. The framework was first submitted to public health officials in the four Atlantic provinces for feedback before it was presented to the AUS board of directors.
But the COVID-19 landscape and regulations have shifted in recent days. The announcement of new restrictions from the Department of Health and Wellness on Tuesday which prohibits organized sport and recreation in the Halifax Regional Municipality for at least the next two weeks proved to be the death knell for any conference-sanctioned games.
“Realistically, I've been prepared for this for a while,” Konchalski said. “You watch the news every night, you get an inkling that it was going to be difficult for the Atlantic universities board to pull the trigger and allow play. For myself, it's obviously a disappointment especially being my last year. But I feel for the student-athletes. I had 46 years to do this. They only have a limited amount of years of eligibility and a limited number of years as university students.”
St. F.X. was to host the 2021 U Sports Final 8 championship in March at Scotiabank Centre in Konchalski's swan song.
“We were all looking at this as a phenomenal season,” Konchalski said. “For our fifth-year guys — Azaro Roker, Tom Legallais, Justin Andrew — it's a tough pill to swallow.
“But you look around the world, the hardships and deaths that have occurred, you just have to say that we're fortunate to be healthy and be able to get on the court and practise even though we don't have games to play.”
While the AUS will not proceed with games, the 11 member schools will be permitted to engage in some kind of competition. It would likely see the teams involved face opponents they are in closer proximity to geographically.
The AUS said in its news release that the universities will determine its own level of participation in accordance with the most up-to-date public health directives.
“They say scarcity creates innovation and creativity. With the scarcity of games, I think we can be more innovative and more creative," said
Len Harvey, Acadia women's basketball head coach. “I think a lot of my fellow colleagues are in the same boat and we will try our best to navigate these unchartered waters.
“The next pivot for us is to look at, within public health directives, other ways to get on the floor and compete. The high schools are doing it to an extent. Is there a way in which we can do that and be creative?”
While disappointed with the final decision, Harvey was appreciative of the AUS and its committee and how it was able to create a thorough plan in a short window.
“I'm proud to be a member of the AUS and how much work the presidents and athletic directors put in to really try and make this work and holding on to the hope that we could get something together for students,” Harvey said. “It spoke volumes of them and the integrity of the conference.”