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Sporting events around the United States were shut down last month as the coronavirus quickly began to spread across the country and threaten the health and safety of the public.
The NCAA Tournament was among the events canceled when it was decided on March 12 the games would not be played. The unprecedented circumstance created a petition from several coaches around the sport to allow seniors of winter sports an additional year of eligibility in order to have the opportunity to play in the tournament again.
The NCAA ultimately decided against that proposal but allowed student-athletes of spring sports to have an additional year since most activities had just started when the season was canceled. The decision to cancel the NCAA Tournament sent shockwaves across the sport but it was viewed as the right move since health officials have warned against large public gatherings.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Glen Robinson III is among those that were shocked by the decision to cancel the NCAA Tournament. Of course, Robinson played two years at Michigan and helped lead the Wolverines to the national championship game in 2013.
Robinson offered his take on the cancellation of the tournament on the latest episode of “The Bell Ringer Podcast” with Ky Carlin and Cameron Fields of Sixers Wire.
I think it’s crazy what happened with the tournament this year being canceled. I feel like it’s every kid’s dream to go to college and play in the tournament and be on that ‘One Shining Moment’ song at the end of the year.
It’s just crazy that this year, it’ll probably just say ‘Coronavirus 2020’ with an asterisk. It’s crazy to look at it in the history books that it’s not going to happen. It’s crazy to me. I’ve talked to a couple guys and we don’t know what is going to happen with the league but it’ll be the same thing in the history books.
Allowing those players an extra year of eligibility likely would have been difficult to do since most had already played in most of the season but it is clear those athletes will miss out on the chance of a lifetime.
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