As Chapman fall and winter sports have seen their seasons postponed indefinitely, coaches face the test of keeping their teams united. 

In March, members of Chapman’s athletic staff found themselves watching the last Panther sports game for the foreseeable future. After the cancellation of fall games, they’ve been working tirelessly to implement a plan for when teams can return to the field. 

Lucy Criswell walked off the floor with only two points to her name in a 65 to 48 loss to Whittier College, having missed all of her nine shots from the field. This Feb. 8 game was Senior Night. Criswell’s family was there. It was supposed to be a triumphant culmination of her Chapman basketball career. Instead, she walked away disappointed.

Yet these fears of the COVID-19 virus, which has killed 19 in the United States as of March 8, don’t just apply to major sports leagues; they’ve trickled down to the collegiate level and, more specifically, Chapman.

I have always loved Peter Pan. I love the original play, the 1953 animated film and I even love the 1991 Steven Spielberg adaptation “Hook” that holds an earth-shattering 26 percent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A hairless cat and what looks like a Tribble from “Star Trek” stand in the northeast corner of Dignity Health Sports Park.

While he seemed unable to play in the final game of his collegiate basketball career due to a sprained ankle, senior Colin Ferrier nonetheless was honored by the coaching staff by starting Chapman’s Feb. 25 game against Claremont McKenna College before being immediately substituted

Larry Hattern will not hesitate to dive to save a volleyball. He backpedals across a sand court in Hart Park, delivering quip after quip to his teammates and opponents. He races for one-handed digs and delivers pinpoint serves.

I subsequently lost most of that respect with your handling of Bryant’s Feb. 24 “public” memorial, to the point where it makes me furious even thinking about it. I didn’t even grow up as a Lakers fan. Imagine how those folks feel.

As I sat in the bleachers, preparing to speak with Chapman softball players Mykala Tokunaga and Tracie Okumura, coaches on Chapman’s home field of El Camino Real Park make sure it’s freshly groomed for the team’s Feb. 15 afternoon game against University of Redlands

Ladies and gents of all sports affiliations, it’s time to pour yourselves a tall mug of Gatorade, for we have officially entered professional sports’ dead zone.

The death of Kobe Bryant has brought an outpouring of grief and reflection on his influence across the world, especially within the basketball community. Among that group are players on Chapman’s own teams, many of whom felt connected to Bryant through his philosophies on the game and life. Here are some of their stories.

Marissa Dunn plans to release her first album this year. Yet, at this exact moment in January 2020, she is simply focused on learning the proper rhythm of a shooting drill. She’s been given clear instructions: move here, cross over and come back to the right hand.

When I got the word one morning that Kobe Bryant was going to be in the Hutton Sports Center at Chapman University, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Getting the chance to meet my childhood idol and favorite basketball player – it was like a dream come true.

Last semester, The Panther asked Chapman athletes about their thoughts on student attendance of fall sporting events. While athletes mentioned they were taking efforts to raise awareness, they nonetheless recounted experiences when they felt a distinct lack of support from the stands.

It wasn’t until his death that I realized the lines of morality I had drawn were shallow. I put him on a pedestal and evaluated him as a figurative being, not a real person. I realized I needed to see out of purple and gold eyes – see him as a champion, storyteller, philanthropist and father.