NEW ORLEANS – Below is a snapshot of what people are saying across media outlets and social media about the Sun Belt Conference:
"That’s why we’re going to work with our coaches to get a sense of what they think, with the healthcare professionals to make sure we have to right acclimatization period," Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said. "We’re going to be looking at models … to figure out what makes the most sense, just to make sure we get it right. That being said, we still don’t know how this pandemic will run its course. We’ve got to have contingencies in place until we know whether we can open on the right day or do we have to delay? There are all different types of options to consider. The football question is an open question." - AL.com (
Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill: ‘Everything is on the Table’ for 2020 Football Season)
"The students have been through a lot, so trying to provide them an opportunity to be as whole as they can, with regards to their competition opportunities, I think, is something that we are generally supportive of," Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said Thursday, adding that his league hadn’t finalized its stance on the issue just yet. “Financially, we’re all trying to figure out what this all looks like. There will be some hard decisions that we’ll have to make.” - The Athletic (
Why the D-I Vote on Seniors’ Extra Eligibility is More Complex Than It Seems)
"As a general rule, our conference is in a place where we're going to try to provide some relief in that position," Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said. "Our students have been through a lot." - CBSSports.com (
Why Extra Eligibility for Spring College Athletes is Not a Slam Dunk as NCAA Prepares to Vote)
But, as we know, the world isn’t perfect right now. Far from it. And that’s why opinions about how to handle the eligibility question have been all over the map heading into Monday’s meeting of the NCAA Division I council. - USA Today (
Opinion: Granting College Spring Athletes Extra Eligibility Seems Fair But Details Prove Daunting)
"I think with regards to football, everything is on the table. That's why we will work with our coaches to see what they think makes most sense, and work with our health professionals to make sure we have the right acclimation periods, and things like that," Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said. – KATC-TV (
Conferences Looking at All Options to Make Up for Lost Time)
Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill gave an update on the state of the conference. He held a teleconference Thursday, some of his first comments since the conference canceled spring sports in the wake of the coronavirus. - KAIT-TV (
Commissioner Keith Gill Addresses Sun Belt Football, Cancellation of Spring Sports in Teleconference)
Like most officials in these unprecedented times of the coronavirus pandemic, Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill wasn’t able to provide many answers to questions concerning the league’s short-term future. He did, however, provide a Sun Belt road map to exploring the many options. - Acadiana Advocate (
Sun Belt Commissioner: Contingency Plans for Football Season Have Already Begun)
"Canceling championships and the spring sports season are decisions we did not take lightly," Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said, “but we had to put the safety and well-being of our student-athletes first." - Lafayette Daily Advertiser (
Sun Belt Commissioner Favors Extra Eligibility for All Spring Athletes, Not Just Seniors)
A first-person account from Georgia State women's golfer Petra Duran, a native of Spain who is quarantined at her family's home near Barcelona. - GeorgiaStateSports.com (
Returning Home Half-Way Around the World)
Troy Athletics debuted a new series on March 25 featuring "Voice of the Trojans" Barry McKnight and members of the Troy coaching staff reading children’s books via social media for children to watch while home from school. - TroyTrojans.com (
Reading with the Trojans)
Over the weekend, the team's twitter account created the 'Quarantine Combine.' Georgia Southern fans have spent the last two months tracking NFL draft hopefuls Tyler Bass and Kindle Vildor as they put up impressive numbers at the league combine, as well as the Eagles' Pro Day. The Quarantine Combine is an open call for Eagle fans to film their skillset and share with the team over social media. - Statesboro Herald (
Eagles host 'Quarantine Combine')
"The main thing I wanted my team to know was how much I appreciated them and how much the coaching staff appreciated 'em," Louisiana softball head coach Gerry Glasco said. "How special they were. And, 'While we may never be able to show on the field at the end of the year how special of a team we have, we in this room — as your coaches — we know, and I believe you guys as teammates, and each other, realize and know.' I wanted to be sure that they knew that we as coaches realized how lucky we were to have them in our locker room and to have been able to spend this shortened season with them. But a great season. That type of message was the main thing, just to be sure that they felt loved and appreciated by the coaching staff." - Lafayette Daily Advertiser (
Glasco Wanted Cajuns to Know How Appreciated They Are)
Joe Lunardi had the Trojans penned as a 15-seed facing two-seeded Creighton -- the nation's No. 7-ranked team in the final Associated Press poll that finished 24-7 and won a share of the Big East regular season title -- in St. Louis in the first round of the South Region. Had UALR staged an upset, it would have faced the winner of seventh-seeded Illinois and 10th-seeded USC. But Lunardi's prediction caught the attention of Little Rock men's basketball head coach Darrell Walker, who responded to it March 15 by tweeting, "Would have been interesting." - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (
The What-If Game: Trojans Ponder NCAA Aftermath)
"All the negatives, I think are insignificant at this time," Louisiana football head coach Billy Napier said. "The No. 1 thing that’s most important here is the safety of the players and certainly the safety of the staff. Then I think our young people, we’re trying to do a good job of challenging them to do their part relative to defeating the virus." - Acadiana Advocate (
UL's Billy Napier Wants His Program Focused on Being Responsible Citizens)
As brothers four years apart, future Georgia State baseball standouts Justin and Cameron Jones grew up playing in the family backyard in Kathleen, Ga. Life has a way of coming full circle because the Los Angeles Angels minor league infielder and the GSU freshman pitcher-outfielder are back in Kathleen, playing ball in the yard. - GeorgiaStateSports.com (
Jones Brothers Back Where It All Started)
It's been all about a culture change at South Alabama, which is in the midst of its' best season since 2012. Second-year head coach Richie Riley has the Jags headed in the right direction. - CollegeInsider.com (
Culture Change: South Alabama)