Former Tar Heel Alex Miller On How Coaches Are Handling COVID-19 and Athlete Concerns

No one knows exactly how to deal with a global pandemic or even how to ensure safety especially for people we love. Coaches are having a tough time not only making sure they're families are safe but also extending care to their student-athletes. It's more than just canceling a season, coaches want to make sure their athletes return safe and sound.

Alex Miller is Carolina graduate who played for UNC's Women Basketball team under Coach Sylvia Hatchell during the 2004-2008 seasons; her senior year she was given a medical redshirt after tearing the patellar tendon in her left knee during in game play against Coppin State. She went on to play basketball professionally but her dreams were to be on the sideline as a coach. As years passed and still believing in something bigger, Miller received the opportunity to be an assistant coach at Mississippi Valley State University. In her second season, Miller was faced with something she's never seen before even as a player, the suspension of the game she's loved since she was a kid.

COVID-19 has immediately put us all on skates, scraping to make sure security and help are in place for those who need it most; Students and athletes have been severely impacted. Miller spoke with us from a collegiate standpoint of what her university and coaching staff are doing to ensure student-athletes are set-up for success during their absence from the court/school and getting them the right information during a global pandemic.

QL: How has this pandemic impact your season?

AM: This is actually not impacting our season too much. We were pretty much done with the season and the girls were on Spring Break-they just extended it with the possibility of going online.

QL: As a coach, how do you comfort your team in a time like this?

AM: As a coach, we basically just want them to be safe. This all happened while we were on Spring Break and we didn't have immediate contact with any of them yet concerning any health precautions or protocols. We are following the leadership at our school in guiding our girls to the best solutions possible

QL: What was your initial reaction when all the news started coming out with cancellations of seasons and tournaments?

AM: Im disappointed and sad for the girls that have worked hard for the year especially goes going into a post season tournament. Im mad that senior years are cut short. Its just a. big disappoint with sports suspending and canceling their season.

QL: Have you ever imagined anything like this happening, sports just stopping?

Sports stopping is totally different - different conversations and livelihoods are going to be forever impacted. One thing that most people haven't considered are sports being an outlet for kids who aren't in healthy environments. Are there parameters in place to help those who need it?

QL: What are some preventive measures the coaching staff have extended to the girls?

The things we've been doing to help our girls outside of extending spring break and online classes, we've been preaching social distancing and keeping them informed on the latest happenings concerning the ongoing pandemic. We don't want them to panic but we do need them to be informed; there's a lot going on with a lot of information being passed around, I want to make sure they are learn the correct information. We want them and their families as safe as possible.

QL: Even though the girls have been sent home, how are you keeping them active and in shape?

As of right now, we haven't set in place any workouts or at home homework concerning basketball. We wanted the girls to have time with their family at this current time. I'm sure in the coming weeks we will reach out to them on a coaching level and making sure they're taking the opportunity at home to workout and enhance their skills but right now our priority is ensuring that every girl is in a safe environment.