PITTSBURGH -- It was one of the best parts of the best time of the year on the sports calendar.
Selection Sunday.
For years, back when the Pitt men's basketball team was competitive, I would watch with Jamie Dixon and his players as CBS unveiled the brackets. The excitement at Petersen Events Center was palpable. I'll never forget the joy in 2009 when Pitt was named a No. 1 seed for the first time in school history. The possibility of a national championship seemed so real. It was real right up until the horrible moment when Villanova's Scottie Reynolds ruined the story.
That's why I'm struggling so much with the realization that there is no Selection Sunday this year.
Just about everybody understands why the NCAA Tournament was canceled. The NCAA had no choice but to cancel it, just as the NBA and NHL had no choice but to suspend their seasons and MLB no choice but to delay the start of its season. Lives are at stake because of the coronavirus. Trying to stop the spread of the deadly virus is much more important than any sporting event. Only a fool would suggest otherwise. The only real victims here are those who have lost loved ones to the virus or perhaps contracted it themselves. Keep those people in your prayers.
While you're at it, keep a good thought for the thousands of hourly wage workers who also are victims because the arenas and stadiums are now, suddenly, dark. I know a bunch from PPG Paints Arena. They are wonderful people, many good friends. The Sidney Crosbys, LeBron Jameses and Mike Trouts of the sports world will survive this shutdown. But many of those workers will struggle to feed their family. That's why it was so encouraging and uplifting to see Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban immediately step up and pledge to help financially and Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love commit $100,000. Several others have followed, including the Penguins, the Penguins Foundation and the Mario Lemieux Foundation. Isn't it nice to know there still is plenty that's good about humanity?
But the focus here is the Selection Sunday that is not.
It's OK to feel a little sympathy for those athletes who worked so hard, not just this season but for years, and are missing out on what, for many, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Robert Morris kids, for example. By winning the Northeast Conference tournament Tuesday night, they earned the right to hear their school's name called and see it go up on the brackets. They might never be in that position again.
At least the Robert Morris players got to celebrate their conference championship with their fellow students, who rushed the court at beautiful new UPMC Events Center after the Colonials beat St. Francis. A lot of other players missed out on that joyful moment because their conference tournament was canceled. Imagine what the athletes from Creighton and St. John's had to deal with Thursday. Their game at the Big East Tournament was canceled at halftime. That almost seems cruel.
The pain from the cancellation of the Atlantic 10 Tournament was felt at Duquesne, which was 21-9 and had a chance to finish with the school's most wins since 1961-62. The Dukes had to win that A-10 Tournament to make it to the NCAAs for the first time since 1977 -- unlikely because of powerful Dayton -- but the NIT was a real possibility. At least Duquesne will return virtually every player on its roster. Next season, right?
There isn't likely to be a next college season for Penn State star senior Lamar Stevens. The Nittany Lions were 21-10, a lock to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and just the second time since 2001. "Heartbroken," Stevens tweeted Thursday.
How do you not feel the kid's pain?
I'm guessing Penn State Coach Pat Chambers tried to console Stevens the same way UCLA Coach Mick Cronin tried to help his players after the Pac-12 Tournament was canceled. "I told them, 'If this is the worst thing that happens in their life, they're going to have a great life,' " Cronin said.
I'm sure the UCLA kids, Stevens and the others will realize the truth of Cronin's message one day.
Probably not on what was supposed to be Selection Sunday, though.
Sports on 03/15/2020