The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Players adjusting to late start
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, only one thing is certain: Plans can change in an instant.
In July, the National Junior College Athletic Association announced that it was pushing back the start of its basketball season to January 2021.
“Our greatest focus is and always has been providing the best opportunities for our student-athletes,” NJCAA President & CEO Christopher J. Parker said in a statement. “Through a unified effort from our Presidential Advisory Council, the Board of Regents, and leadership staff, our most recent plan of action provides a path that keeps our student-athletes competing at the highest level with proper safety measures in place. As we move forward as an association, we will continue to provide opportunities for our student-athletes, coaches, and all those involved with the NJCAA to be safe and successful.”
This announcement impacted thousands of student athletes across the country, including a pair of athletes from Lorain County in former Elyria Catholic Panther Edward Wright and former Lorain Titan Taevon Pierre-Louis.
“I feel like it just gives me and my team a little bit more time to bond together,” Wright said. “It will bring us together and (give us more time for) team bonding before we actually get to playing.” — Allen Community College’s Edward Wright, an Elyria Catholic graduate
Wright graduated from Elyria Catholic in the spring of 2020 and committed to Allen Community College in Kansas. The former Panthers standout guard is eager to begin his college basketball career, albeit a few months later than expected.
“I was shocked,” Wright said. “I’m used to playing in the winter. But the season got pushed back. So you just have to roll with the punches, adapt and just be ready to work whenever they say we can.”
Pierre- Louis graduated from Lorain in 2019 and originally committed to play basketball at Palm Beach State College in Florida before coming back to Ohio. He now attends and plays basketball at Bryant & Stratton College.
“My first reaction was it is what it is,” Pierre-Louis said. “I just have to do what I have to do to prepare myself for the season and help my teammates prepare themselves.”
Both athletes had to adjust their routines as basketball season typically tips off in November.
“I feel like it just gives
me and my team a little bit more time to bond together,” Wright said. “It will bring us together and (give us more time for) team bonding before we actually get to playing.”
Pierre- Louis agreed with Wright and believes having more time to prepare for his season can have a positive impact on not only himself, but also his team.
“This is the first time (some of us) will be playing with each other,” Pierre-Louis said. “So if we have more time to get to know each other, spend more time with each other and be around each other more instead of just jumping straight into the season, it should help us.”
This will be Pierre-Louis’ first season playing for Bryant & Stratton. He is not only working on getting acclimated at the new school and with his teammates, but also has to process the news of the delayed season.
“It is a lot, however that’s what comes with it,” Pierre-Louis said. “You just have to go with the flow and prepare yourself for it mentally and physically.”
Allen Community College is set to kick off its season Jan. 12, while Bryant & Stratton will get under way in January.