Georgia Tech Head Baseball Coach Danny Hall Hopeful For a Resolution
As America copes with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ACC along with the NCAA have made precautionary decisions to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The ACC announced Tuesday the cancellation of winter/spring sports for the remainder of the academic year. While the pandemic is bigger than sports, many student-athletes - especially seniors - are grappling with the sudden end of the 2019-20 season.
With any hope of a returning season or championship play dashed away for student-athletes and coaches alike this year, many people expressed their dismay over the abrupt ending of the season and what it meant for the future. As a response to the outcry, the NCAA announced their agreement in potentially allowing an additional year of eligibility for spring student-athletes. Although the decision is still in discussions, the possible resolution is the right thing to do for many coaches, including Georgia Tech head baseball coach Danny Hall.
"I think it's the right thing to do," Hall said over the optimism of the NCAA's plans. "I mean that's who you absolutely hate it for is that, we had two fifth year guys in (Jonathan) Hughes and (Jackson) Webb. Then we had two other seniors. So I think it's definitely the right gesture and the right thing for the NCAA to do."
The NCAA has yet to address many questions surrounding the possible extra year of eligibility, such as scholarship caps. The unresolved matters have Hall inquiring as well.
"Instead of a four-year kind of window on scholarships, now it's a five-year," Hall said regarding the potential outcome. "The roster, is that going to change? There's just a lot of unanswered questions that I'm sure they'll address as they get more info..."
On top of it, you've got all your juniors that are draft eligible. Plus your seniors, so, right now there would be just no way to manage your roster so to speak."
Understanding that the panel's decisions affect other sports as well, Hall is hopeful the resolution will come sooner rather than later and with a constructed plan.
"I kind of hope they get to it quicker just because there isn't any other programs in the NCAA that have to deal with what we deal with in terms of roster turnover, pro draft, things of that nature," Hall said. "As important, how are they going to pay for all of it? Like I said, it's a great gesture and I think it's the right thing to do. But how it gets implemented and paid for, that's going to create some issues."
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Georgia Tech's Danny Hall Transitions From Certainty to Unknown
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