18.3: Coronavirus Impact

Since March 2020, the NCAA and especially Division III has been on a roller coaster. A ride no one ever predicted or would want to be on. The ride is also not over. Since March, many in DIII have tried to keep athletics going though through fall seasons the decisions had nearly everyone on the same page. Winter sports have seen more of a multi-pronged approach - depending on the institution, location, type, financial security, mentality, etc., etc., etc. On this final of a trip of Hoopsville podcasts, we talk to a couple of administrators on the impact the pandemic has made on the division and their institutions. We also talk about different approaches each has taken when it comes to trying to have intercollegiate competition. And we discover why even with the best efforts to move forward, some things are not within one's control. Yeshiva Athletics Director Joe Bednarsh and Amherst Athletics Director Don Faulstick give us their perspectives in what is a complicated world of restrictions, protocols, testing requirements, and more that are also always changing. Each institution has taken a different path, so far, but it doesn't mean their thinking is all that different. Find out how each is trying to ultimately help student-athletes succeed. Another place the virus has made a significant impact is to the D3sports.com network. Page views are down a whopping 93%! That ginormous decline has also hurt the financial future of the company. Editor-in-Chief Pat Coleman joins us to discuss the extremely difficult challenge of keeping the websites up and operational and how asking for help from those who frequent the sites seemed like the best course of action. Plus, Dave gives another in-depth breakdown of where DIII basketball sits in terms of a season ahead and especially possibility of NCAA Championships. And an update on where Hoopsville sits during an unpredicted challenge in front of everyone. Hoopsville broadcasts from the WBCA/NABC Studio. All guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline. We hope to start live, video, shows sometime in January.