Why Coastal Carolina won’t play another sporting event for the rest of the school year
Coastal Carolina athletic teams will not participate in another game, match or meet this school year.
The NCAA has canceled all of its winter and spring championships, and on Monday the Sun Belt Conference made it official and canceled all organized athletics activities including regular-season competitions, conference championships and practices through the remainder of the academic year because of the spread and threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Saturday, Coastal suspended all athletic organized team activities including practices, workouts and training room usage for its 19 intercollegiate athletic programs, and that will continue through the end of the school year. Camps and clinics are included.
“I join our staff, student-athletes, and all of Teal nation in the disappointment and frustration that this crisis has created, but our focus has and remains on the health and well-being of our campus,” CCU athletic director Matt Hogue said in a statement.
The Sun Belt said in a statement that its decision was made in consultation with the league’s presidents, chancellors and athletic directors to protect the health and wellness of student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans.
CCU seasons cut short by the cancellations include women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s track and field, and men’s and women’s tennis.
The Sun Belt’s ruling also extends to CCU’s women’s lacrosse and beach volleyball teams, which are affiliate members of the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference.
“You hate it for the seniors more than anything,” said CCU men’s golf coach Jim Garren, whose two seniors are States Fort and Zack Taylor, who won the General Hackler Championship on Tuesday at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club. “But you’re not upset with anybody. I mean nobody’s mad at the NCAA, nobody’s mad at the Sun Belt, nobody’s mad at anybody. You understand the reasoning behind it.”
The NCAA and Sun Belt announced their decisions after the NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer all suspended operations either Wednesday night or Thursday. The NBA was first among them Wednesday night after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, and Utah’s game against Oklahoma City was canceled after word of the test reached officials just before tip-off.
“Once the Utah Jazz-Oklahoma City Thunder deal happened and you saw it was a player, I kind of realized in my mind that might be the end,” Garren said. “Do I think in terms of the spring sports . . . was the decision rushed? Absolutely. I felt like a postponement could have certainly happened. I feel like it’s a little premature to cancel a championship that’s in May. But you understand the reasoning and the safety concerns because we don’t know how bad this is.”
Among the CCU events canceled were a women’s basketball Sun Belt tournament semifinal game on Saturday and possible championship game on Sunday in New Orleans, and a home baseball game against Clemson on Tuesday. The Coastal Carolina Track & Field Invitational at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach was held Friday and Saturday with 13 schools, but without CCU.
Acting CCU baseball coach Kevin Schnall, whose team was off to an 11-5 start, scrambled Thursday to book flights to Myrtle Beach for his players and staff from Lafayette, Louisiana, where the Chants were going to open Sun Belt play against the Ragin’ Cajuns with a three-game series beginning Friday. Some returned Thursday and others returned Friday morning.
“This is bigger than baseball, but having said that our hearts are broke for our players. These kids invested so much. This team in particular has grown so much,” said Schnall, who is coaching in place of Gary Gilmore while the 25-year Chants head coach receives treatment for liver cancer in Houston. “This is a tough day, and in our program 2020 has been a tough year.”
Considering the Chants have played just 16 baseball games with 38 more scheduled in the regular season, the NCAA will have to determine if it will grant players in spring sports an extra year of eligibility if they request it.
“I’ve got to imagine that’s got to be something the NCAA is going to have to put into consideration,” Schnall said. “From scholarship to roster limit eligibility, there’s a lot of different components there. So there’s a lot of questions that still have to be answered.”
On Wednesday, Coastal announced spring break would be extended a week for its students until classes resume on March 23, and residence halls and dining services remain open.
Monday, CCU announced classes will be held online from March 23 until at least April 3 and students are asked to remain away from campus while online instruction is in place. University officials said they will provide an update at least one week before April 3 regarding whether courses will resume on campus or remain online for an extended period.
The university is finalizing plans on reimbursement options for fans affected by the cancellation of home sporting events.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 6:10 PM.
