Despite Obstacles, 2021 National Tournament Still on Track
After a crazy year of Covid interference within the sports world, including the NJCAA basketball season this year and last, teams are gearing up for the stretch drive in their last month of play. Despite a tragic end to last year, one in which the National Tournament was cancelled for the first time in its history, things are looking good for the re-appearance of the National Tournament in 2021.
Although postponed a month later than normal (a decision the NJCAA national office made last summer), things are on track for this year’s Championship, schedule for April 19-24 at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson, KS. Twenty-four teams convene for the single elimination tourney. There are twenty-three games over six days for the ultimate prize. Twenty-three times one can witness the “thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat,” at the same time. I can’t help sharing the sadness that last years field must have felt, not even having the chance to experience either.
The year has been lost, a Juco Champion not crowned, but I do believe the light is at the end of the tunnel. Just DON’T go into the tunnel. 2021 hasn’t pushed 2020 completely under the tracks.Even though there will be attendance restrictions, mask requirements, and social distancing (what I refer to as forced isolation) throughout the arena…at least there is hope, “The Tournament” will be returning.I launched this web page January 2020, and started covering the last part of the season and all of the District playoffs. I was hoping to use the National Tournament to gain some momentum, experience, and exposure going forward. Nothing ever seems to go as planned.
Then, three days before the opening session for last years National Tournament, we received the word…the tourney had been cancelled. Sixteen teams had qualified, eight teams selected to compete as At-Large entries, but the gates never opened. The lights never came on. No warm-ups, no thundering dunks, no whistles, no bouncing balls, no screaming fans, no screaming coaches, no buzzer beaters, no celebrations. No Champion! I feel for those teams who suffered the emptiness (and bitterness) of having their seasons cut short. Short of the finish line. Where teams had no chance of proving just how good they were, or weren’t.
Since then, more craziness. Coaches were not able to be in their offices until school started (in most cases), practices broken into two different sessions with a six week dead period, rosters getting adjustments throughout the first semester, a 2 1/2 month delay to the start of the season, and a limit of 22 games for each team. It has certainly been disappointing for me, and difficult to get much momentum, to say the least, for my new project. Add to that, most teams instituted limited or NO attendance policies, and some regions have imposed limited travel and restricted opponents to the mix.
But here we are, a month away from possibly getting back to semi-normal (fingers crossed). At least it looks positive for the national championship after a one year hiatus. That was the longest week in my life (it seemed), and this has been the longest off season I can ever remember.
The last time I was in the Sports Arena, Vincennes Univ. was capturing their fourth National Championship on March 23, 2019. Seems like an eternity. Am I the only one? BTW, that championship tied the Blazers with Moberly Area CC (the first to accomplish four), San Jacinto Central (TX). There are six teams who are sitting on 3 titles. Two from Kansas, two from Iowa, one from Texas, and the other from Idaho. True Juco fans will have good ideas who those teams are. (You can find the details of VU’s 2019 Championship along with the six teams with three titles of their own under the National Tournament header, click on 2019 Champions).
Now, back on track. After losing some “mo” of my own during this hideous, yet controversial period of our lives. I feel I’m starting to recover my enthusiasm and passion for this venture, and the rest of the current basketball season. And not a moment too soon. District play begins the first week of April, with all champions to be determined by no later than April 10. Game 1 in Hutch, as always, slated for 10:00 AM on opening day, this time, it’s on Monday, April 19.
I’m starting to get goosebumps, just preparing for the post season and annual trip to Hutch. Feelings similar to that hot summer day July 1969 when I watched on TV as a youngster, listening to Neil Armstrong say, “Houston, Tranquility Base here…the Eagle has landed.” He had some other famous words, but first things first. We haven’t landed, yet, but we are making our final approach to the Salt City, asking for permission to land. Only THEN can we take a small step or giant leap.
