Just hours before his school closed for good, Antelope Valley boys basketball coach Jordan Mast said he was happy the boys and girls basketball teams had the opportunity to finish out the year after raising $40,000 to pay their postseasons.
However, they won't have a campus to call home when they return.
Even though its school is no longer operating after a government order to “cease operation of all degree programs” by Friday's deadline due to financial mismanagement, the Antelope Valley men's team is a sixth ranked team that will face first-place Huntington (Indiana). round in Glendale, Arizona, on March 15, following Thursday's NAIA tournament bracket reveal. The women's team, which qualified for the NAIA tournament after winning the California Pacific Conference regular-season title, is ranked 13th and will face fourth-ranked Southern Oregon in Ashland, Oregon, on March 15.
“Unlike most teams this year who might be happy or upset with their seeding or matchup, we feel beyond blessed to be able to compete,” Mast told ESPN. “The players have been through a lot since our school officially announced it will be closing. [Friday]. They have not yet told any of us or the students what their plans are to help students find a new school, accommodation or finish their studies. “The burden has fallen on students, their families, our staff and other community members who care about the well-being of these young men and women.”
Last month, officials at Antelope Valley, a private school in Lancaster, California, told Mast and the school's other coaches that the teams' seasons would be canceled due to the pending closure of the campus due to financial difficulties and that they would not be will allow you to participate in the NAIA tournament. Mast knew trouble was coming when he and other employees received only 25% of their normal salaries last month.
But the school agreed to let Mast raise the money to finish the year for the men's and women's teams, but warned him that the athletes would be removed from their dorms and barred from campus athletic facilities, giving some members of the teams just a few days to fight and try to find housing and a new place to practice.
When the Antelope Valley situation went viral last month, Mast's GoFundMe reached its goal of $40,000 in 72 hours, extending the basketball season for the men's and women's teams.
Mast said the basketball teams have reached an agreement to continue practicing in their gym, but he is still unsure of the next steps after the school officially closes on Friday. Other teams' seasons on campus were canceled mid-season due to the school's situation. The Antelope Valley baseball team's season ended this week after a 9-6 start.
Basketball, however, has given players peace amid the chaos, Mast said.
“Basketball has been a source of normality for our teams,” he said. “The court has been a place for them to forget the problems and issues they face. It has been a place where their stress and anxiety have been forgotten even if for a brief moment. So for other teams, the tournament could be a bright spot or a reward for a great season, but for us it means we can go on a little longer. We can do something we love with the people we love for a few more days or weeks, and we can “We'll be together until we lose or gain it all and the reality of our situation really takes over.
