Eli Boettger | @boettger_eli | 05/13/20
Welcome back to Three Things!
The intention of Three Things is simple: Keeping you informed. The offseason can be a busy time and college basketball isn’t always on everyone’s radars from April to October.
Here’s how it will work: Every morning, Monday through Friday, we will provide you with three things that you need to know from the previous day. Pretty simple, right? You’ll be amazed by your new college basketball wisdom!
Here are the three things you need to know for May 13.
—Subscribe to Heat Check today!
Cal State University announces online fall classes
In COVID-19 news, Cal State University — which operates 23 universities in California and enrolls nearly 500,000 students — announced Tuesday that it will be moving almost entirely to online classes for the fall. The school system includes several Division-I universities, including Fresno State, San Jose State and San Diego State.
Several individual universities and conferences have since issued statements regarding the sports calendar for the following months. “No decision on athletics have been made,” said the Mountain West in a statement. NCAA’s Andy Katz reported that a San Diego State official said the plan is still in place for the Aztecs to play the ’20-21 season.
Alabama State chooses new coach
Alabama State selected its new head coach on Tuesday, picking a name that is familiar to many. Former NBA point guard Mo Williams has been tabbed the new coach after spending the past two seasons under Mark Gottfried at Cal State Northridge.
“I’m extremely excited to become part of the family, and I am looking forward to the challenge,” Williams said. Williams, 37, played for Gottfried at Alabama before becoming a second-round pick back in 2003. Shortly after the announcement, Wyoming transfer Trace Young announced he has committed to Alabama State.
MAC makes scheduling changes
The Mid-American Conference announced major changes on Tuesday. The conference is making several adjustments to its sports schedules, starting in 2021. MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher confirmed that the MAC will eliminate postseason tournaments for several sports, including baseball, softball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer.
Big adjustments will be felt on the basketball court as well. The MAC will eliminate its divisional system, move to a 20-game conference schedule, and eliminate all first-round home games in the MAC conference tournament. Instead, the top eight teams will compete in the league tournament in Cleveland.
Eli Boettger is a college basketball writer and founder of HeatCheckCBB.com. He has previously worked for Sporting News, DAZN and USA TODAY SMG.
Boettger’s content has been featured by Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, FiveThirtyEight, Yahoo Sports, Athletic Director University, Washington Post, Illinois Law Review and Notre Dame Law Review, among other publications. Boettger is also a current USBWA member and Rockin’ 25 voter.