MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Caz Bombers]

the D3 championships committee last week approved a 33 percent reduction in MINIMUM contests to count as sponsoring Sport X and to qualify for the postseason in Sport X, but did not mention lowering contest maximums.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

They won't lower the maximum number. They will leave that alone. If schools are able, they hit that mark, but lowering the minimum standard had to happen. There will likely be other concessions, more individual than general, in the years to come as everyone adjusts. Some of those concessions will also be allowing AQs to remain even if a conference drops below the minimum because they lost a school (closed or discontinued a sport).

There will be some gray area for a little while.

[thescottharris]

I'd just like to give a shout out and a note of appreciation to Dave Walters and Chris Kilcoyne, the now former Sports Information Directors at Guilford and Roanoke. Because of the financial implications resulting from COVID-19, both were recently laid off at their respective schools and did a fantastic job at each. Dave was at Guilford for like 20+ years and is as quintessential of a Quaker as you will find. Kilcoyne is a Roanoke grad and has been there for a few years. He also was in the ODAC office before leaving there to go to Randolph-Macon.

And W&L just cancelled all sports for the fall semester. There will be no athletics there until January 1 at the earliest. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for other schools in the league, but they certainly will not be the only D3 school to go this route.

[Tiger Mic]

Just chiming in to agree that Dave and Chris are real pros and really good people.  I sure hope each moves on seamlessly to rewarding work.  Thanks for all the help for so long if your situation becomes permanent. 

[jekelish]

I'd just like to give a shout out and a note of appreciation to Dave Walters and Chris Kilcoyne, the now former Sports Information Directors at Guilford and Roanoke. Because of the financial implications resulting from COVID-19, both were recently laid off at their respective schools and did a fantastic job at each. Dave was at Guilford for like 20+ years and is as quintessential of a Quaker as you will find. Kilcoyne is a Roanoke grad and has been there for a few years. He also was in the ODAC office before leaving there to go to Randolph-Macon.

And W&L just cancelled all sports for the fall semester. There will be no athletics there until January 1 at the earliest. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for other schools in the league, but they certainly will not be the only D3 school to go this route.

Wait, what?! Dave got laid off? Oh man. I never met Chris but I've been able to meet Dave before and he was great. I'm sad to hear that.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

The off season has hit August and with it has come news of Division III Fall Championships being canceled for the same reason Winter Championships were derailed and Spring Championships pulled earlier this year: COVID 19 Pandemic.

The decision came on the heals of a vast majority of DIII institutions curtailing fall sports and many pushing winter sports starts on their campuses until January at the earliest.

What does this mean for the 2020-21 season of college basketball? Specifically what does it mean for Division III? Will there be a basketball season? Will it be a six-week-or-so-sprint? Or is there a way to adjust things?

On the Mid-Summer edition of the Hoopsville Podcast, we try and get some answers to those questions. We talk to one coach who actually has put together a proposal to start the season in January, with some changes to make it work including crowning a champion in April. And we talk to an administrator who also serves on the DIII Management Council to better under stand the decisions made to cancel championships and if shift a season like basketball is even possible.

Plus, we honor the best of the best in the last decade of Division III women's basketball. Gordon Mann joins us to discuss how the 2nd D3hoops.com Women's All-Decade came together (and hints of work on the men's list).

Guests include:
- Philip Ponder, Oglethorpe men's coach
- Jason Fein, Bates Athletics Director and DIII Management Council member
- Gordon Mann, D3hoops.com Senior Editor

And of course, there is always the Hoopsville Notebook. A few things we take note of that have made headlines since the beginning of July. We also tip our hat to a few of those who have always helped the show be it's best.

You can listen to the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3kGZ962

Hoopsville broadcasts from the WBCA/NABC Studio. All guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline. The offseason plan is to do a podcast each month. The shows will be audio-only leading up to the start of the 2020-21 when we will restart the video shows.

If you have questions, ideas, or want to interact with the show, feel free to send them to hoopsville@d3sports.com or use any of the social media options available.

If you enjoy the show via the podcasts, choose your favorite avenue to listen and/or subscribe via the the following four avenues (click on the images when necessary):
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville


 
   
We also have the podcast now on Tune-In and others coming. We will update them once we have better abilities to do so.

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3sports.com
Hoopsville Season Archive: www.team1sports.com/Hoopsville
YouTube: www.youtube.com/d3hoopsville

[thescottharris]

Well University of Lynchburg has three alert levels for COVID, and they are already one active case away (with 16 tests pending) from being alert level 2 after only one week into classes.

Alert level 2 means all dining options shift to takeout/delivery, all classes move to hybrid or online, and all extracurriculars are suspended.

Alert level 3, which is 3% of the on-campus population in quarantine, would be suspension of all non-essential operations and the campus community sent home, including students.

[y_jack_lok]

A TBT article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch today: https://richmond.com/sports/college/r-mc-in-1975-paused-john-thompsons-rise-with-hoyas-ejected-early-he-peeked-at/article_532b3cb3-49ff-58ff-b29a-1e2790607d2b.html

[y_jack_lok]

A Sports Illustrated article on the difference between D1 football abd D1 basketball.
https://www.si.com/college/2020/09/17/college-basketball-football-return-plans-differences?fbclid=IwAR3WwzuG_sQCez57SENLfFkEZjnzjt94yGMhWiRnbiC9vAZ5sURO0sT9QtA

Hope we'll hear somethig soon about a D3 hoops season.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Will there be a 2020-21 NCAA Division III basketball season? If so what will it look like? What will the post-season look like?

It is on the mind of student-athletes, coaches, administrators, parents, and fans for several weeks, if not months, now. We are finally understanding what it may look like as a number of decisions or proposals are now making their way around Division III.

In this month's podcast, Dave McHugh not only downloads all the things being considered and the likely outcomes, but tries to give listeners an understanding of how much is still unknown despite some things becoming more clear.

McHugh also talks to Texas-Dallas women's basketball coach Polly Thomason for her take. Thomason has been in the Division III Women's Basketball National Committee for several years and is this season's chair of the committee. She also serves on the WBCA Board of Governors. Thomason not only provides her perspective on much of what is going on not only in Division III, but in women's basketball as well.

And of course, there is always the Hoopsville Notebook. Unfortunately, there is some sad news in the Notebook this month, but also news to celebrate especially when it comes to DIII alums making news in the NBA.

You can listen to the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3kMl0rZ

Hoopsville broadcasts from the WBCA/NABC Studio. All guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline. The offseason plan is to do a podcast each month. The shows will be audio-only leading up to the start of the 2020-21 when we will restart the video shows.

If you have questions, ideas, or want to interact with the show, feel free to send them to hoopsville@d3sports.com or use any of the social media options available.

If you enjoy the show via the podcasts, choose your favorite avenue to listen and/or subscribe via the the following four avenues (click on the images when necessary):
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville


 
   
We also have the podcast now on Tune-In and others coming. We will update them once we have better abilities to do so.

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3sports.com
Hoopsville Season Archive: www.team1sports.com/Hoopsville
YouTube: www.youtube.com/d3hoopsville

[y_jack_lok]

Credit to jknezek who posted this on the football board: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/education/learning/college-sports-pandemic.html An R-MC women's soccer player and AD Jeff Burns are quoted in the article.

[jaybird44]

Hello friends!

It seems that I have been the only member of the only (unofficial) fall sport at WashU, with my 100-mile ultramarathon attempt earlier this month to promote the fight for a cure during Rett Syndrome Awareness Month.  That attempt fell a bit short in miles and fundraising, so I'm going into overtime to try and reach $5,000 in donations.

Rett Gets Rocked 50K for $5K will commence Friday, October 30 at 8 pm Central, and end at 8 am Halloween morning.  Counting donations received (thanks to retired WashU men's basketball coach Mark Edwards and his wife Mary, and to Mike McGrath and his  University of Chicago men's basketball program for their donations!) and those yet to be sent and processed, I am at $4,440.53.  Very, very close to my goal...which will fund a researcher's work for a month.  Wouldn't it be cool if he or she cracked the code for a cure of Rett syndrome, on our dime?!

I reached 86 miles in my "Rett Gets Rocked Virtual Ultra Weekend" October 3-4.  I'm very proud of that result, but there's more work to be done.  Proceeds from the event will be split between Rettsyndrome.org (the only national organization spearheading research and providing resources for affected patients and their families) and the Rett Spectrum Clinic--a collaboration between the WashU School of Medicine and St. Louis Children's Hospital.

Rett syndrome is a rare, non-inherited neurological disorder that is caused by a gene mutation in the brain.  Rett strikes typically when a child is 6-18 months old, and it has the characteristics of ALS, autism, epilepsy, and Parkinson's...all rolled into one sinister disorder.
It takes away the child's ability to move and communicate.  Most of them end up in wheelchairs with active minds, but mired in the physical rubble that Rett creates.  And, the neurological damage prevents verbal communication and arm and hand movement for sign language.

In essence, Rett does to a child what Lucy in the "Peanuts" comic strip does to Charlie Brown when he tries to kick the football that she is holding.  The only difference is that Charlie Brown can get back up to try again.  Those who are afflicted with Rett syndrome don't get another chance to enjoy a vibrant life.

Researchers are working to re-engineer the gene mutation that turns on Rett, so it can be forever turned off.  Four drug therapies are in the FDA review pipeline, with one (trofanitide) one level away from review.  And, iPad tablets with retinal scan technology are giving those with Rett a voice they haven't had since they were toddlers.

The full court press on Rett is paying off.  You can help keep the pressure on Rett, by going to my Rett Racers donation page:  https://rettracer.everydayhero.com/us/rett-gets-rocked-2020

Thanks for your time and consideration, and let's hope that we get back to playing and broadcasting sports much sooner than later!

Jay Murry
Play-By-Play Announcer, Washington University in St. Louis
Event Director, Rett Gets Rocked 50K for $5K

[y_jack_lok]

R-MC roster is posted. Seven freshmen to go with eleven returning players.

https://www.rmcathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/roster

[Macon]

R-MC roster is posted. Seven freshmen to go with eleven returning players.

https://www.rmcathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/roster

Plus, a sophomore transfer.  (Loginn Norton from Francis Marion University)

[y_jack_lok]

^^^So that would switch it to seven freshmen, one sophomore transfer and 10 returners. I thought the name Loginn Norton seemed unfamiliar, but there were a number of freshmen last season who saw such limited action that I didn't get familiar with their names. He went to a D2 school in SC that had a 4-23 record last season. He didn't see much action.