Athletes Are The Big Losers in Tournament Cancellations

Seniors are especially affected by the loss of their final opportunities to represent their schools and win championships now that the NCAA has canceled or suspended all athletic activities in response to the coronavirus crisis

Geoff Burke/USAToday sports

A lot has been said and written over the past 24 hours about the disappointment of fans over the cancellation of major sports events across the country and how much money the shutdown will cost leagues, conferences and local businesses.

But the group that has been affected the most by the drastic measures being taken to combat the spreading coronavirus crisis are the athletes themselves, especially college seniors whose careers have essentially been cut short at the most anticipated time of the year.

Even if the NCAA decides to go along with a proposal being floated on the internet by the likes of Dick Vitale and others that would give senior athletes the option of returning for another season, the opportunities that are being lost with the cancellation of all NCAA team and individual championship events can never be returned or recreated.

It's a sentiment summed up by a Tweet from NC State basketball player Devon Daniels shortly after the plug was pulled on the ACC men's basketball tournament Thursday:

Feel like shedding a tear 😪😣

— Devon Daniels (@doubleD_2106) March 12, 2020

Daniels' Tweet is one of the few insights available from Wolfpack athletes, since State's athletic department has not made any of them or their coaches available for comment since the cancellations were announced -- including members of the men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling team and swimming teams, all of whom were either just entering or reaching the height of their postseasons.

Here is a look at those most immediately affected by the current situation:

◼ Men's basketball: This is by far the highest profile group because of the nationwide attention paid to March Madness each year.

Coach Kevin Keatts' Wolfpack was preparing to play Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament when the event when league commissioner John Swofford announced the event's cancellation less than two hours before the game's scheduled tipoff.

State had already scored an impressive 73-58 victory against Pittsburgh in its postseason opener and was looking to build on its resume in hopes of earning a bid to next week's NCAA tournament and pursing a potential conference championship.

But now that opportunity is gone. For upperclassmen Markell Johnson, C.J. Bryce, Pat Andree and Danny Dixon, it means the end of their careers without the closure of seeing how much they could have accomplished and how far they could have advanced.

.@CoachKeattsNCSU with some thoughts on an emotional couple of days ... pic.twitter.com/eARspQvWFW

— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) March 13, 2020

"It's difficult to put the emotions of the past few days into perspective," Keatts said in a message to fans via his Twitter account. "...We had four seniors on our team. I am sad for our players that they won't be able to continue their journey.

"We grew up as a team this year, they grew as men and I'm proud of what we accomplished. This team was absolutely a tournament team. They battled adversity, learned important life lessons and will always have this experience. ... It's an honor to represent NC State and I look forward to many great days ahead."

In addition to Johnson, who finishes third on State's all-time assists list and as the first ACC player since UNC's Kendall Marshall in 2010-11, 11-12 to lead the conference in assists twice in his career, Bryce, Andree and Dixon, the other members of the team are juniors Dixon, D.J. Funderburk and Braxton Beverly, sophomore Jericole Hellems and freshmen Manny Bates, Chase Graham and Max Farthing. A.J. Taylor, Dereon Seabron and Thomas Allen are also part of the team, but were either injured or redshirting.

◼ Women's basketball: Coach Wes Moore's team at least got a moment to celebrate and a championship to cherish before the rug was pulled out from beneath them. Only five days before the men's tournament was canceled, the Wolfpack women won their first ACC title in 29 years by defeating Florida State 71-66 on the very same Greensboro Coliseum floor.

Senior Aislinn Konig was also able to bask in a well-deserved spotlight by earning the tournament's MVP award.

But despite the joy that victory brought -- and will continue to bring as the years go by -- there will still be an empty spot in the hearts of the players and coaches wondering just how much more this 28-4 team could have accomplished.

A trip to the Final Four was a legitimate possibility and while it would have been difficult, given South Carolina's status at No. 1, a national championship wouldn't have been an unreasonable goal.

Now, we'll never know.

And while most of the players will be returning next season -- Konig is the only senior starter, along with reserves Erika Cassell, Kaila Ealey, Grace Hunter and walkon Katie Wadsworth -- you just never know how things will fall or if the team will be able to recreate the chemistry it used to accomplish so much this year.

The rest of the players on the team whose season ended too early are juniors Kai Crutchfield, Kayla Jones; sophomores Elissa Cunane and Jada Rice; and freshmen Jada Boyd, Jakia Brown-Turner, Camille Hobby, Kendall Moore and Elle Sutphin.

◼ Wrestling: This is by far the most painful example of the effect the NCAA championship cancellations can have on the participants.

Coach Pat Popolizio's second-ranked team was poised to make a serious run at State's first ever team national championship with four wrestlers seeded in the top 10 and two in the top five. No matter how the team competition would have turned out, the cancellation has deprived redshirt junior Hayden Hidlay and perhaps his brother Trent their shot at claiming their rightful spot on the Wolfpack's wall of individual national champs.

The team has spent its entire year building to this moment, going undefeated during the dual match season and winning its second straight ACC title last week in Pittsburgh. But even more so than the women's team, it finishes its season feeling as though there's something missing. Something its members will never be able to get back.

"We obviously have some history and tradition here, but we want to get to that level where we can compete with the top programs every year," coach Pat Popolizio said earlier this season. "We're selling something different, something unique, the first time coming through.

"A lot of these guys could have gone other places, but they want to do it for the first time. We've got guys that want to bring a national championship here."

Here's the list of the team's starters:

Redshirt freshman Jakob Camacho, the ACC champion at 125, redshirt freshman Jarrett Trombley at 133, redshirt junior Tariq Wilson at 141, redshirt sophomore A.J. Leitten at 149, ACC champion Hayden Hidlay at 157, redshirt junior Thomas Bullard at 165, his twin brother Daniel Bullard at 174, redshirt freshman Trent Hidlay at 184, sophomore Tyrie Houghton at 197 and sophomore heavyweight Deonte Wilson.

◼ Men's and Women's Swimming: State qualified a combined 16 swimmers and two divers for the NCAA’s championship meets in Indianapolis and Athens, Ga., later this month, many of which had legitimate shots at national championships in their individual events.

The women’s team had a school-record 12 qualifiers, a total that was the fourth-highest nationally. In addition the Wolfpack had all five relay teams qualify to compete for a title.

The men had seven individual qualifiers, along with all five of its relay teams.

The women’s swimmers that have been deprived of their opportunity to swim at nationals are Kylee Alons (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly), Katharine Berkoff (500 free, 100 back, 200 back), Olivia Calegan (50 free, 100 breast, 200 breast), Kay Foley (500 free, 1650 free), Mackenzie Glover (500 free, 200 back), Sophie Hansson (200 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast), Danika Huizinga (200 back), Kate Moore (500 free, 400 IM, 200 back), Emma Muzzy (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 back), Ky-lee Perry (100 back, 100 free), Julia Poole (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 breast) and Makayla Sargent (500 free, 1650 free, 400 IM),

The men are Zach Brown (200 fly), Ross Dant (500 free, 1650 free), Erge Gezmis (200 IM), Noah Hensley (100 fly), Eric Knowles (500 free, 400 IM, 1650 free), Nyls Korstanje ( 50 free, 100 fly, 100 free), Coleman Stewart (100 fly, 100 back, 200 back).

In addition, divers James Brady and Madeline Kline qualified for the NCAA Championships on platform after impressive showings on the final day at the NCAA Zone B Championships just last weekend.