Missing Madness pains NCAA seniors
As reality sinks in, the pain is also beginning to take full effect for college basketball seniors. In the aftermath of the NCAA tournament being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, those players are coming to grips with their careers ending abruptly, costing them an opportunity to experience their own “One Shining Moment.”
“Once the tournament was canceled, it took me a while to realize my career was over just out of nowhere,” said Utah State guard Sam Merrill, who hit the winning 3-pointer to help the Aggies upset San Diego State in the Mountain West tournament final, claiming the automatic NCAA bid. “Everything we worked for last summer and this season was based on getting back to the NCAA tournament and it’s tough to have that opportunity taken away by an unfortunate circumstance out of our control. We felt like we could do something special. Now that’s gone.”
More than 800 college basketball players would have participated in the bracket of 67 games across 14 sites in the NCAA tournament’s three weeks starting Tuesday. With March Madness
serving as the pinnacle of players’ seasons and careers, Thursday’s news brought a sudden and a shocking end.
“Suddenly the game isn’t there anymore,” said Belmont senior Tyler Scanlon, who never got to play in the NCAA tournament. “It didn’t happen the way it was supposed to. We didn’t lose. That’s what makes all of this so eerie.”
Some players will work and wait a year for a chance to play in March Madness. But seniors with no more eligibility are done.
“For all college basketball seniors who were ready to play in the NCAA tournament, this one hits hard,” said Yale senior guard Eric Monroe, another to never play in March Madness. Yale was granted an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament when the Ivy League became the first conference to cancel its tournament because of concerns about coronavirus. “It’s just sad. I’m definitely a nostalgic person. My childhood was obsessed with the NCAA tournament, filling out brackets and watching all the games. It was my favorite time of year. I felt so close to living out that dream by playing in a March Madness game. At the end of the day though, basketball is just a game. People are dying. It’s easy to get wrapped up in emotion but knowing there’s a bigger picture out there has helped me cope.”
The NCAA on Friday announced that Division I athletes could regain lost eligibility for spring sports seasons that were canceled due to the pandemic. College sports’ governing body is also considering enacting similar waivers for athletes in winter sports, including men’s basketball.
But some seniors played full seasons outside of the NCAA tournament. Would the NCAA let them come back for a full or half season?
“My five seniors will never get to experience hearing their name called on Selection Sunday, creating memories that will last forever, that they could tell their kids about,” East Tennessee State coach Steve Forbes said. His Buccaneers were a projected No. 10 seed in the NCAAs. “In my opinion, every senior should have the right to come back. I know it’s not going to happen. But you know what it’s how I feel. They had this experience taken way from them and they’ve got nothing to do with it.”
For some seniors, even an extra year of eligibility couldn’t erase the pain from the cancellation. Dayton, for example, was a projected No. 1 seed with a 29-2 record, including 18-0 in the Atlantic 10. Trying to replicate a near-perfect season is a tall task, especially when national player of the year front-runner Obi Toppin is a projected NBA draft lottery pick likely to leave campus.
“I wish all of this was just a dream that I could wake up from,” Dayton senior Trey Landers said. “Wish I could play one more game with my brothers.”
Just getting to the tournament is a main goal for mid-major teams. Belmont’s Scanlon transferred to the Bruins as a graduate student after playing at Boston. He hit the winning shot in the Ohio Valley tournament final win over Murray State. That was supposed to be a ticket to the NCAAs. It instead became the final shot of his career.
“Especially if you play in a one-bid conference, it’s like you have two Super Bowls – winning your conference tournament to get to the NCAA tournament and then winning several games in the tournament,” Scanlon said. “Some of the Power Five schools might be more focused on winning a national championship. For us, it’s more about the opportunity. I think the thing that everybody loves about March Madness is the Cinderellas and the underdogs – when the No. 12 seeds make a run. That’s what America will miss the most and we’re sad we can’t be the ones to bring it to them.”
Bradley senior Darrell Brown said he was fortunate enough to play in the NCAA tournament last year when the Braves nearly upset Michigan State as a No. 15 seed. They won the Missouri Valley tournament again this year. “I’m a senior, so obviously I have a lot of different emotions,” Brown said. “In a way, it is heartbreaking because it feels like unfinished business. Playing in the NCAA tournament last year was the best experience of my life . ... We felt like we could upset some teams and go on a run this year. But this is a team sport and I know the legacy I leave some of the younger players is an impression of what it feels like to be a winner. You try to rest knowing you left something behind.”
Merrill agreed with that notion for the conclusion of his career at Utah State. “We didn’t quite reap the benefits we would have liked,” he said. “But I do feel like there are things that can’t be taken away. If I had known that the NCAA tournament would be canceled last summer, I still would have put in all the work. I wouldn’t trade that from a life character standpoint. It was all worth it.”