‘A lot more eyes on us’: The spotlight grows as Winthrop preps for latest NCAA run.
There’s a calm between the storms, and Winthrop basketball again finds itself in the eye.
Monday proved both busy and quiet at the university with more Big South championships in men’s basketball than any other school. On Sunday afternoon the Eagles won No. 12. On Monday, Brett Redden spent most of his day fielding calls and lining up coach and player interviews for outlets near and far.
“It’s been a little busy,” said Redden, assistant athletic communications director.
The same goes for university spokesperson Judy Longshaw. She isn’t in the athletic department, but she like Redden has two decades at Winthrop so she knows what happens campus-wide when the basketball team goes dancing into the NCAA tournament.
“It’s a good busy,” Longshaw said.
CBS Sports Radio, ESPNU and national radio programs called Monday. Winthrop not only made the NCAA tournament with its 76-68 conference final win over Hampton, it did so at the start of championship week. From now until selection Sunday on March 15, the Winthrop name will show up on lists growing daily with more Div. 1 conference champions.
That timing also puts Winthrop in prime position for television and radio shows in search of NCAA basketball programming.
“It probably does play in our favor,” Redden said. “So many teams are playing this week that they’re busy. We’re kind of waiting.”
In some ways the 2020 championship resembles the many before it.
“We’re starting planning,” Longshaw said. “We’re going to have a selection Sunday party. They’re putting that together in athletics. The community always gets very excited when we make it (to the NCAA tournament). They get excited, they want to see where we’re going to go.”
In other ways, 2020 could be much different.
Ongoing coronavirus concern has many people rethinking travel. International leagues have had games without fans, or talked of it. There have been canceled games or talk of possible games held without fans from the NBA to lower level college basketball.
Redden said he isn’t aware of any significant travel changes this year due to coronavirus.
“We have not gotten to that point as far as travel,” he said.
With so much going on through the championship Sunday and the women’s basketball tournament set to start Tuesday, Redden said several athletics officials who would make any major travel decisions took Monday off to catch their breath. Longshaw said she hasn’t heard of any travel changes either.
“I know we’ll have to take extra precautions,” she said.
In addition to players and coaches, an NCAA tournament appearance involves band members, the Spirit Squad, the mascot, training staff and others. All set to travel to a location unknown until the selection show, for a game likely four or five days later.
The tournament opener won’t be the first time Winthrop faced travel, or a new game site on short notice. Winthrop took a bye through home site games to start the Big South championship tournament before playing back-to-back nights in Radford, Va. When top-seeded Radford lost its semifinal on Friday night, the Sunday championship game came to Rock Hill.
In its past 10 games, the Eagles played six times away from Winthrop Coliseum, in three states.
Then, there’s the travel issue that has nothing to do with basketball. Winthrop has its spring break March 16-20, the week of its first NCAA tournament game.
“What always kind of affects us is it’s during spring break,” Longshaw said. “The students won’t be on campus.”
Travel and other details will become clear as the week progresses, but Monday was a mix of celebration and preparation for Winthrop’s turn once again in the national spotlight.
“There’s a lot of social media interest,” Redden said of the public reaction since Sunday’s win. “Obviously we’ve got a lot more eyes on us.”
