By Gary Dickman.
If this was even close to a perfect world, I’d be writing about the NCAA championship game in basketball. But as we all know, especially now, this isn’t a perfect world. In the last few days, I’ve wondered who would have played in the Final Four, and who would be the new champions in college basketball. I wonder if Rudy Gobert didn’t test positive for COVID-19, would we have had a few days of March Madness? Think about it. It came out on March 11th that Gobert had the virus, and less than 24 hours later the Big West Tournament was canceled, and 24 hours after that the entire NCAA Tournament was canceled. But that was then, this is now. Or “The New Normal,” as some call it.
All we can do now is continue to follow the new rules, social distancing, etc. I really look forward to the day we reach the light at the end of the tunnel, and the “New Normal” will be a thing of the past. I look forward to sitting down in a restaurant, reading about sports, eating whatever I want, getting four refills on my iced tea, and thinking about what’s next on my sports calendar. Nowadays, I do eat at home more, thanks to my roommate’s delicious cooking. Other times, I stand next to my car, or in a dirty parking lot, and eat my food. There’s no reading while standing up, and unfortunately there’s no refills on iced tea in these lots.
Even though these are the toughest days we’ve ever seen, there is some good I take away from this. I realize that I shouldn’t be upset by the little things that come up every day. If 2020 doesn’t put everything into perspective, what will? I appreciate more than I might have previously. I keep reminding myself to remember my new view on life, don’t get bothered by little things, and appreciate the small things that come my way. And to remember this forever, not just this year.
I know I got away from basketball here, but for UH Basketball, there will be a next year. I know I will appreciate next season even more, and the memories of this March will come back next March. But next year, at least the games all will be played. UH has gotten commitments from several new players. The latest commit seems like the real deal. JoVon McClanahan is a 5-11 point guard from California. This past season, he played at Sheridan JC in Wyoming. He averaged 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists. His GPA is 4.00. He sounds like a nice replacement for Drew Buggs.
See, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
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