2021 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

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F E AT U RE S T O RY

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RETURN TO ATLANTIC CITY A Year Like No Other By Taylor O’Connor

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The date was March 13, 2020. The New York Post headline read “The day the sports world stopped” with the classic phrase atop the back page now saying that there were “no more” sports in town. The paper was of course referring to the day prior, March 12, when sports across the United States came to a screeching halt. The 2020 MAAC Basketball Championships began like any other. The conference returned to its New Jersey roots, with the championships being hosted in the Garden State for the first time since 2003. Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall was dazzling with the new MAAC Basketball Championship logo spread throughout the venue. The MAAC was in the midst of completing its first year of a three-year contract in Atlantic City when everything started to change. On the night of March 11, the MAAC announced that for the first time in its 39-year history there would be no fans in attendance for the rest of the championship. The reason – COVID-19. Players, coaches, administrators, and fans all reacted to the news, astonished at what was happening. The MAAC Championships were about to look different from any other year in history, and that was only the beginning. Social media was ablaze the morning of March 12. Sports leagues were postponing their seasons, NCAA conferences were canceling their tournaments. Everybody was clinging to their phones as new

announcements came out seemingly every other minute. The MAAC started the day, albeit with no fans, with a 12:00 p.m. women’s basketball matchup between Fairfield University and Siena College. The Stags would go on to beat the Saints 72-56 in what would be the final MAAC basketball game of the season. Around 2:00 p.m. that day, the MAAC announced that the 2020 Basketball Championships, along with all sports taking place that spring, had officially been canceled. MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor walked up to the podium at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and broke the news to reporters that had gathered. “It was certainly the saddest moment of my career in college sports to shut down the championships,” said Ensor. “As I addressed the media, I was thinking of all the efforts of the teams and coaches, especially the graduating seniors, and how their dreams and aspirations were abruptly ended by the shutdown. I also thought about the tremendous effort that had gone into staging the event in Atlantic City by arena staff, CRDA, and the MAAC staff. A tough day in a week of debate and consulting with the MAAC leadership and my peer commissioners had led to the decision, which while appropriate, was still incredibly hard to deliver to the teams and media.” As Ensor was wrapping up questions, one reporter asked about his message to seniors who may not ever get the chance to play in another

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