MUNCIE, Ind. — Speaking Monday just days before the beginning of the Mid-American Conference’s mens’ and women’s basketball tournaments, Jon Steinbrecher reflected on how good it feels to be in this position again.
The MAC’s commissioner, just about a year removed from seeing the 2020 tournaments canceled before they could conclude, thought the 2020-21 seasons unfolded about how he’d expected amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He anticipated there’d be “some starts and stops,” and there were. He’s been impressed with the diligence, discipline and work ethic the various programs have embodied.
But while Steinbrecher’s looking forward to the week of basketball that starts Wednesday, and ends Saturday, safety protocols won’t loosen as Ball State’s men’s and women’s teams arrive and compete in Cleveland.