Q&A with NABC Board Members for Division III Gary Stewart and Mike McGrath

Q&A with NABC Board Members for NCAA Division III

with Gary Stewart, NABC First Vice President, Head Coach, Stevenson University and Mike McGrath, Head Coach, University of Chicago

Q: Where do coaches begin to address the challenges for their programs during this COVID-19 Pandemic?

A: The hard part is this is a constantly changing landscape and coaches must adjust and remain flexible while following all of the national health and safety protocols .

With the pandemic causing our student-athletes to be away from campus and their teammates for a long period, the mental health and well-being of our student-athletes is at the forefront . Increased communication is very important with all of the uncertainty and as coaches, the more we can provide answers to them, it goes a long way in relieving their anxiety. This is like the first practice, where the plan now is not necessarily where the plan will be further down the road . We have to continue to adapt, adjust and communicate based on the constantly evolving situation .

Q: Overall for Division III programs, it seems that institutional parity is a particularly significant issue. Will you explain that?

A: Our Division III landscape is very diverse in terms of the shape and scope of our members . There are public and private, large and small, rural and urban institutions in which some are semester and others quarter based and each of these unique characteristics creates different scenarios .

One of the outcomes will likely be competitive imbalances this season . Each coach will have to focus on managing their unique situation to try to avoid focusing too much on what other programs are doing . As competitors that is not an easy thing for coaches to do .

Q: What steps are the NABC taking to keep coaches informed as the 2020-21 season starts?

A: The NABC has made an unwavering commitment to increased communication and that will be a critical element to our success as we proceed . Our leadership wants to hear the questions and concerns from our coaches so that they can address them .

We have received numerous inquiries, suggestions and proposals from coaches that have been very well thought out . They have been reviewed and vetted very seriously in a team effort between the NCAA and NABC . Transparency and open communication have clearly been a focus for our new Executive Director, Craig Robinson . Craig and NABC staff have been laser focused on Division III men’s basketball throughout the process . This focus of collaboration with the NCAA, specifically Dan Gavitt, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball, and NCAA Division III staff liaison, Alex Mortillaro, has been very evident and will continue to be a priority of our leadership moving forward .

Q: Any closing thoughts?

A: It is obvious the NCAA has been working tirelessly on all aspects of college basketball . They have taken into consideration the perspective of the constituents at all levels of the game including student-athletes, coaches, administrators, support staff, referees and fans . For success it must be a comprehensive plan .

The pandemic has created uncharted terrain, thus the leadership of the NABC has taken a proactive and assertive role in aiding the NCAA in the planning of the 2020-21 basketball season . The collaboration between the NABC and NCAA affords us the best plan for optimal success for this season and beyond .