SJU basketball stays optimistic

Last March, the SJU basketball team fought their way to the Sweet Sixteen. No MIAC teams were still in the tournament on the women’s side. Then came the COVID shutdown and an uncertain future for sports.

No dates are currently set for the 2020 basketball season, which was pushed back due to the MIAC’s decision to suspend all competitions for the fall semester. Zach Hanson is one of two seniors on the SJU basketball team. For SJU, getting the team together has been difficult this year. The players are anxious about the uncertainty but got off to a good start.

“It was great to get everyone back on campus together, at the beginning of the school year…Some guys didn’t have access to [gyms], so getting back on campus was huge. It seemed like things were going well and we were able to play five-on-five for a few weeks,” Hanson said.

The pickup games and collaborative workouts didn’t last, though. Due to increased restrictions at SJU, the team has not been able to practice together for a few weeks.

“It’s been a lot of individual work,” Hanson said. “We put that burden on every guy…it holds people responsible.”

Hanson’s focus has been motivation for the team. Having a possible championship ripped from their hands last year was discouraging, and the team returned only to have practice become unavailable too.

“My biggest thing has been trying to keep these guys motivated…in a year full of uncertainty. I’m not sure how much they need me, but I try to keep them motivated,” Hanson said.

Hanson lives off campus, so he has been unable to access the athletic facilities recently. With preseason beginning October 3, he is worried about the lack of team practices.

“We’ll see how the first couple of days of practice go. It’ll be a little rough, but we’ll get better,” he said. “At this point, we’re just trying to salvage the year…something would be better than nothing. We’ll take whatever the MIAC and DIII will let us play.”

The CSB program’s outlook is a bit different. Their focus is the team, not the season. Senior Maddie Schmitz is the only returning starter on CSB’s 27-player preseason roster. The likelihood of competition is out of their control, so they are focusing on what they, as players, can do.

“We are going to practice hard, work hard, and prepare as if we are going to have a season and have a lot of fun doing it…If we end up losing our season, I feel like that’s still a win in the meantime given that we got to play so much. You know, we had fun and built these relationships that are going to last,” Schmitz said.

In her final season, she hopes to lead the team to a promising future. Last year, her focus shifted from pushing for results to appreciating the time spent on the court with teammates. She didn’t want to take any of the time for granted, which she accredits to her outlook on this season.

Schmitz said it’s easy to have a negative attitude right now, but she is taking the opportunity to work on her leadership skills. Her bubbly personality is well-suited to reminding her teammates to be thankful for their time on the court, even if it is limited.

“A lot of it will be for the underclassmen,” Schmitz said. “It might not go to benefit me, as a player, but it can still definitely benefit them. They can get a lot out of this year developmentally … Sometimes you have to do stuff for the betterment of the team and not for yourself.”

CSB Head Coach Mike Durbin was initially optimistic about the likelihood of competition, according to Schmitz. However, that optimism has shifted more towards uncertainty, especially after recent MIAC meetings.

The MIAC Commissioner stated that they want to make it work and are doing all they can to make competition possible, but “they really have no idea,” Schmitz said.

“When I was on a meeting with the MIAC the other day for SAAC, it was interesting. That was the first time it hit me that we might not have a season,” Schmitz said.

Preseason starts on Monday for the Bennies. With a large roster, they have the potential to build a team that will be successful for future seasons, not just the 2020 competitions.