By Michael Vesci / Sports Information Staff

(Editor's note: This story first appeared in the Feb. 12 edition of the Campus Lantern.)

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- When the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team tipped off on Jan. 30 against Rhode Island College, it was the first official competition in 325 days for an

Eastern intercollegiate team.

The last official game had come March 11, 2020 when the women's lacrosse team took on Mitchell College at Rick McCarthy Field, a game that ended in a 14-2 victory, giving hope to the future of the program.

Shortly after, hope of sports in general would be dashed as sports seasons nationwide were halted and the COVID-19 pandemic tore through the United States. With lingering concerns related to the virus, Eastern followed the lead across the United States to cancel its fall season. 

The 2021 season has been a rocky road for the men's basketball program as a January matchup against Plymouth State was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, along with Eastern's original home-opener against Keene State on Feb. 3, and a Feb. 6 meeting with UMass Dartmouth. Along the way, Castleton University opted out of the 2021 conference-only season amidst COVID-19 concerns, removing two games from the Warriors' schedule.
After playing only two games through the middle of this month, it was announced that the team would play a pair of non-conference home games at home against Northern Vermont University-Johnson and Northern Vermont University-Lyndon on consecutive days Feb. 13-14.

The two non-conference victories served as a springboard. Playing five games in nine days starting with the two Vermont games, Eastern avenged an opening loss to Rhode Island with a home win in the re-match, then stunned UMass Dartmouth by erasing a 20-point deficit with 8+ minutes left for an 87-85 overtime triumph, giving Eastern a perfect 4-0 home mark prior to hosting Keene Feb. 24 in the regular-season finale.

With only four of nine LEC schools able to finish the regular season, the LEC tournament was moved up a week to this weekend, with all four teams involved. The seeds and semifinal-round matchups involving Eastern, UMass Dartmouth, Keene State and Rhode Island College have not yet been announced.

Even as uncertainty continues to swirl around sports nationwide competing, the drop in COVID-19 cases and increase in vaccine distribution provides hope for the future of sports.

As more students return to Eastern for the Spring 2021 semester, hopes are high for everyone given athletics and classes were halted in March 2020 followed by athletic competition being only intra-squad and classes mostly virtual last fall. There is the possibility a shortened season for fall sports could be held and a normal schedule for spring sports has already been released. 

As COVID-19 continues to ravage the nation, the prospects of playing sports can change on a whim. One thing is certain, the rules, regulations, and precautions that will need to be put in place to keep student-athletes and staff safe to hold collegiate sports in the United States will make this upcoming season of sports one to remember. The sacrifices that student-athletes and staff will need to make to have a season take place will be like nothing seen before. 

For the time being, athletic events at Eastern will be played without spectators for the safety of the student-athletes, staff members, and fans. The atmosphere at Rick McCarthy Field, Geissler Gymnasium, Clyde Washburne Field, and the Eastern Baseball Stadium will be different than most years, but it will not be without purpose.

As the US continues to navigate through the pandemic and heads towards a new normal, the return of sports with restrictions is a reminder of the progress we have made and the importance of the caution and safety we must take moving forward. It is a reminder that while things may not be exactly how we would have envisioned them a year ago, we are all in this together.

We are Warriors. We are Eastern Connecticut State University. We are Connecticut. We are the United States of America.