Northern Oklahoma College Athletic Department,
Now that we have had a few hours to digest the news that the NJCAA has joined the NCAA in cancelling all basketball championship events and all spring sports seasons, I would like to reach out to you about the ongoing coronavirus situation.
My immediate reaction to this situation is disappointment and frustration. I am not disappointed or frustrated by any of the decisions made by the leadership of the NJCAA or of Northern Oklahoma College. I am simply disappointed and frustrated by the unfortunate reality that we now face. I am disappointed that our NOC Mavs men's basketball team will not get to realize their goal of competing at the National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. This would have been their first trip to the National Tournament in 20 years. I am disappointed that that the NOC Mavs baseball team did not get to continue to improve on their #4 national ranking and attempt to earn their first ever trip to the NJCAA World Series. I am disappointed that the NOC Jets baseball team did not get the opportunity to defend their national title. I am disappointed that our NOC Mavs and NOC Jets softball teams did not get to continue to develop on the recent improvements that have been demonstrated. I am disappointed that our three first year head coaches did not get the opportunity to continue to work with the young men and women on their teams as we were just starting to get into our conference play. I am disappointed that each of you will not have the opportunity to pursue personal and team goals through competition this season. I am disappointed that all of our other student-athletes are going to miss out on the opportunities to develop and improve through their normal off-season training. In a normal sports season we all know when the end is near and we all know that we may be playing our last game together as a team. The abrupt end to this season is disheartening.
The COVID-19 outbreak also raises a lot of questions and concerns. My number one concern is for the safety and well-being of all of our student-athletes, coaches and your friends and family. It is my hope that you will all follow the recommendations of the medical experts and do all that you can to help stop the spread of this disease and help keep each other safe. I am confident that we will rise to this health challenge.
There has been a lot of discussion about the NCAA and the NJCAA extending an extra year of eligibility to all spring sport student-athletes. That is a promising possibility that raises many more questions. Questions regarding what is best academically, athletically, financially, etc. Questions regarding things that you will have to determine for yourself and questions about things in which you do not have all the information you need yet. I do not have all the information necessary to answer all of the questions that we have at this time. However, please know that the administration and leadership at Northern will work closely with the NJCAA national office and all other relevant parties to gather and distribute the necessary information to our student-athletes and coaches to assist them in making these decisions as the information becomes available. The NJCAA has also provided a list of frequently asked questions on their website at www.njcaa.org that may be helpful.
In the meantime, there are still goals and objectives that we have established as an athletic department that we can continue to pursue. Each year we have a goal of earning a department wide GPA of over a 3.00. We have a strong tradition of academic excellence from our student-athletes and I hope that you will take the time remaining in this semester to complete your studies and earn the best grades you can for yourself, your team, and our athletic department. We have several programs and individual student-athletes who have the opportunity to be recognized by the NJCAA for academic excellence, a few programs that could finish in the top 10 in the nation academically, and a couple with the potential to win an academic national championship. It is also important to keep in mind that there are a large number of transfer scholarship dollars available for those who earn good grades prior to transferring to their four-year university. Please reach out to your instructors with any questions or concerns regarding this new process of learning virtually.
If you have questions and concerns during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, your coaches, instructors and anyone else at Northern Oklahoma College. Please continue to monitor your NOC email and our NOC website at www.noc.edu/emergency for potential updates. We are all here to help in every way that we can. An act of kindness, encouraging word, and a positive attitude can go a long way during these difficult times. Stay safe.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Hise
Athletic Director
Northern Oklahoma College
580.548.2346 (Enid)
580.628.6345 (Tonkawa)