San Marcos- The pandemic put a halt to a lot of people’s lives and careers. There was nothing that went untouched throughout the duration of the pandemic. Athletes seasons and futures were no exception and were left doubtful and uncertain.

​

The National Junior College Athletic Association is the home for junior college athletes' information. The NCJAA released their first statement about COVID-19 in early March 20202, saying they were keeping a close eye on the advancements of COVID-19.

 

Antwain Scales, Garden City Kansas Women’s Basketball coach, spoke about who was impacted the most during the pandemic.  

 

“COVID has truly been detrimental to the high school seniors and the JUCO sophomores,” Scales said. “It counts for you academically but not athletically, that is detrimental. So, a lot of seniors are losing out.” 

 

Mia Topping, freshman guard, was a high school senior in the year 2020 before continuing her athletic and academic career at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo. She talked about how COVID-19 impacted her senior year. 

 

“COVID-19 both positively and negatively affected my senior season,” Topping said. “It was positively affected by being a fire for my teammates and myself to play every game like it was our last because we understood that we could have our season cancelled at any point. On the other hand, it made it harder because with quarantine for close contact tracing or testing positive was definitely something that made it harder to have practices and games with everyone on the team there.” 

​

The recruiting process 

​

According to the NCAA, in the year 2020, the probability of high school athletes competing in college was less than 8% and decreased depending on each sport and gender. 

​

Recruiting is a vital step for not only the athletes but the coaches as well. The pandemic impacted the process greatly. Some athletes lost their chances of being looked at or had to be given tours over zoom. 

​

“Coaches weren’t traveling to actually watch people especially during my last AAU season, so they probably missed tons of players that could've helped their team out,” Topping said.  

​​

Scales explained how the new way of recruiting placed an importance on trust. 

​

“That puts you in a position where kids have to truly, truly trust you,” Scales said. “But naturally when a kid makes a college decision, they’re not doing it based on the school, they’re doing it because they believe in the coach. Education also plays a part in that, but truly invested in getting them to the next level.” 

​

Public perception about JUCO athletes 

​

There is a stigma around junior college athletes. Some believe they are troubled, lazy, unmotivated, are bad students or are just not talented enough to play at a high level. That is not always the case, but for some, it plays a huge role as to what landed them at a junior college.  

​

Daveon Boyd, senior quarterback, started his career at Blinn Community College in Blinn, Texas. Before Blinn, Boyd was being recruited by a lot of big-name schools like Southern Methodist University, Florida, Perdue and more, but his struggles in the classroom put a dent in his plans. 

​

“I actually took Pre-AP and AP classes my freshman and sophomore year in high school, but then I was just football year-round,” Boyd said. “I was just so busy and never really got into schoolwork as much, so my grades had declined.”  

​

Still wanting to play at the collegiate level, Boyd accepted a scholarship from Blinn Community College. To him, the decision was not hard to make because it was close to home, and he was familiar with the program. 

​

“I already knew people that were going were going to Blinn,” Boyd said. “So, I kind of already felt the chemistry and felt cool going there. Coach was real big on me and it was only an hour away from Houston. I wanted my family to be able to come to the games.” 

​

Like Boyd, Ed Oliver-Hampton, graduate guard, chose Baltimore City Community College in Baltimore, Md., because it was close to home. After his first year, he wanted something different and transferred to Colby Community College in Colby, Kan.  

​

“I wanted something that would challenge me and prepare me more for Division I,” Oliver-Hampton said. “It would be a change of scenery and a better opportunity.”  

​

His time at Colby was the turning point in his career. After having a successful sophomore season, he earned a scholarship to Hampton University in Hampton, Va.  

​

“There were a lot of coaches talking to me and reaching out to me,” Oliver-Hampton said. “That was the most attention I got like in college, so everything was new for me. It just felt good to have coaches want you.” 

​

Boyd also found success after his sophomore year and went on to continue his career at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.  

​

“Tarleton was good, it was country, but it was cool,” Boyd said. “The football environment, I loved it. It was a great atmosphere for me.” 

​

Misconceptions about JUCO athletes 

​

Oliver-Hampton talked about how the lack of knowledge about junior college can deter a coach from pursuing a juco athlete and instead seek out a top ranked athlete.

​

“The misconception is that we’re un-coachable, have attitude problems, we’re dumb because we don’t have the grades, but in reality juco dogs are just hoopers,” Oliver-Hampton said. “It’s but so long you can overlook a juco dude because his game is going to outweigh everything else.” 

​

Boyd had similar thoughts on how junior college athletes are glanced over and not given fair opportunities or resources.  

​

“I think you can learn a lot from going to a juco because you don’t get the best stuff,” Boyd said. “It’s basically a last chance for a lot of people. A lot of players go there that have gotten into trouble, or just grades or have been overlooked, but there is a lot of talent.” 

​

He also went on to highlight the education at a junior college and how it differs from a bigger university. 

​

“You get more one-on-one time with a person,” Boyd said. “That was one of the main reasons why I liked it there.” 

​

Oliver-Hampton talked about how difficult at times junior college was and how he was able to stay focused on the bigger picture. 

​

“Staying locked in,” Oliver-Hampton said. “I had players that were recruited over me, had bigger schools, better offers and everything. I’m still playing till this day and half of them guys are not even playing basketball. You just have to tune out that outside noise.” 

 

Looking back on their experiences at JUCO’S 

​

Despite the success Boyd had after attending Blinn, without hesitation, he said he would not do it again.  

​

“It was a great experience overall,” Boyd said. “I had some of my most fun times and greatest memories. I wouldn’t do it again, but I enjoyed it so much.”  

​

Oliver-Hampton is grateful for his time at Baltimore City and Colby. He credits his juco experience for helping him have a strong mindset that will help him outside of basketball. 

​

“At a juco, the odds are stacked against you,” Oliver-Hampton said. “With everything stacked against you, you just have to keep going and come out on top.”