Boise State athletes could get more eligibility after coronavirus. Details will be tricky
The sports world has ground to a halt during the spread of coronavirus.
Professional leagues suspended operations, the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments were canceled and college teams were barely a month into the spring season when it was canceled.
At Boise State, the women’s basketball team was looking forward to an NCAA Tournament run. The men’s team won’t get a shot at an NIT berth, and the gymnastics team won’t host its conference championship meet Saturday.
The baseball team was just 14 games into its first season in 40 years when everything was canceled. The Broncos were 9-5 and had won all three series at their temporary home, Memorial Stadium.
Karl Benson — a Boise State alum and former baseball coach — said he reached out to Boise State coach Gary Van Tol on Friday with a few words of encouragement.
“I hurt for your players, but what a great beginning that has been made and what a great foundation that has been set for Broncos baseball,” wrote Benson, who went on after his coaching career to become commissioner of the Western Athletic, Mid-American and Sun Belt conferences. “They couldn’t have scripted it any better except if they won a game down in Texas.”
Benson could empathize with Van Tol’s task of informing his players their season was over because he’s had to do it himself.
In 1980, Benson was coaching baseball at Fort Steilacoom Community College in Lakewood, Washington. The only postseason for junior college teams in Washington back then was a state tournament, and Benson’s club made the cut for the first time in program history.
A few days before the event was scheduled to begin in Yakima, Washington, Mount St. Helens erupted, scattering ash across the state, which piled a foot deep on the tournament field. It never happened.
“I had to walk into a locker room full of 25 players and say, ‘Sorry, our season is over,’ ” Benson said. “There’s no easy way to do that.”
The cancellation of the spring season is hard on all athletes, especially seniors who were expecting to end their careers with a bang. The Boise State baseball team has five of them, three of whom are Idaho natives: catcher Cory Meyer (Pocatello), outfielder Michael Hicks (Coeur D’Alene) and pitcher Jordan Britton (Caldwell).
As soon as the NCAA announced the cancellation, the idea of giving spring athletes an additional year of eligibility began to circulate. On Friday, the NCAA agreed eligibility relief “is appropriate” for spring athletes but said the decision would be finalized at a later date.
Benson said it’s absolutely the right thing to do, but granting another year to spring athletes isn’t as simple as it sounds.
The first thing it would require, he said, is the NCAA to suspend its scholarship cap for at least one year. College baseball teams are allowed to split 11.7 scholarships between 27 players with a roster limit of 35. The rules also require players to receive a minimum of a 25 percent scholarship — a figure that becomes much more complicated to hit with a larger roster.
“The devil is always in the details,” Benson said. “As a coach, the last thing you want to have to do is call a recruit you were offering even a partial scholarship to and say, ‘Sorry, I don’t have it anymore.’ ”
And Benson said some programs simply won’t be able to fund additional scholarships, much less afford the increase in living, equipment and travel costs associated with a larger roster. College basketball coaches are also calling for seniors to receive an additional year.
Players in any sport who opt not to return because of professional aspirations in sports or the workforce will lighten the load of coaches suddenly trying to manage surging roster numbers. But Benson said there’s no doubt that awarding players an extra year is a complicated notion.
He also said it’s a worthy one, and that the NCAA made the right call in canceling everything for the foreseeable future.
“I think they made the safest decision and eliminated any question about when is it OK to start back up,” Benson said.
Boise State coaches sound off
In the wake of their seasons being canceled, several Boise State coaches took to Twitter on Monday.
▪ “Competition is at the center of everything we do. So, to have our most important competitions of the year canceled is a harsh reality to face. However, although competing is at the center of everything, it is not the only thing. This season, we’ve created relationships and moments and memories that nobody can ever take away from us.” — Men’s golf coach Dan Potter
▪ “It is still difficult to process that our season has ended so unexpectedly, yet we understand this was not an easy decision to make and that it is in the best health interest of the community. Our student-athletes have given so much to Boise State and to this program, and I thank them, especially our seniors, Ivane Helias and Valentine Lacaze.” — Women’s golf coach Nicole Bird
▪ “Of course, being disappointed is an understatement, but we are so grateful to be able to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Thank you to our dedicated seniors, Jensen Allen and Kenna Hanses, for leading our program the last four years.” — Beach volleyball coach Allison Buck
▪ “I think it’s obviously unfortunate for a lot of our student athletes who have worked really hard to put themselves in a position to compete this spring, but I think everybody understands the situation we’re in and that — for the good of everybody — this was the best decision we could make. The one thing we stressed was that from every disappointment comes opportunity.” — Track and field coach Corey Ihmels
▪ “The decision made (last week) is one that I don’t think any of us would have wanted to make. We understand this is much bigger than us and that the overall safety of both the student-athletes and the general public is most important. We are just hopeful that everyone stays safe and healthy and that we can all move on sooner than later.” — Softball coach Maggie Huffaker
▪ “Although we fully support the decision-makers in canceling the rest of our season for the greater good, we are still devastated and wish our amazing team could continue on their upward trajectory and show what they are capable of. I am heartbroken for my seniors, who do not get publicly celebrated in front of the community that they love. I have no doubt these ladies will change the world, but it’s really hard to have your final season taken away so suddenly.” — Gymnastics coach Tina Bird
