PROVO — It didn’t take long for BYU senior setter Wil Stanley to state his desire, and understandably so.
Last Friday, the NCAA announced seniors participating in spring sports whose seasons were cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic will be granted another year of eligibility.
“Council leadership agreed that eligibility relief is appropriate for all Division I student-athletes who participated in spring sports,” the NCAA stated, while indicating the details of the extraordinary move will need to be worked out at a future date.
Upon hearing the news, Stanley tweeted out his intent almost immediately:
During a teleconference on Monday, Stanley backed up his desire while clarifying what steps he’s looking at taking.
“There’s been nothing finalized yet,” Stanley said of his decision. “There’s still things up in the air I have to talk with (BYU coach Shawn Olmstead) with. ... But if I get the opportunity, and the NCAA says, ‘Hey, you guys can come back and play’, then (my statement) stays the way it was.”
It’s easy to see why Stanley feels the way he does, considering what he’s been through since arriving at BYU from Hawaii in 2017.
Injuries on top of other injuries have conspired to limit his contribution considerably, leading up to a 2020 season where he was finally able to play with a clean slate, health-wise.
“I haven’t been able to give a full season to BYU yet, and there’s just some unfinished business we have to do,” Stanley said. “If they figure out a way to make it work, then it’s going to be really hard for me to say no to that.”
Stanley’s desire stems from wanting it for himself, sure, but also for his teammates, coaches, and the BYU fans.
“How much I’ve been accepted within the BYU family, and how the fans have interacted with me — it’s just tough to leave, even when you’re a senior,” Stanley said. “You never really want to go.”
Stanley wasn’t the lone senior on the 2020 team, with fellow seniors Miki Jauhiainen, Zach Eschenberg, Cyrus Fa’alogo and Andrew Lincoln likely weighing the same decisions, although none beyond Stanley have stated which way they’re leaning.
“Wil, of course, wants another opportunity. He’s loved his time at BYU,” Olmstead said, indicating all but Lincoln have expressed a desire to return. “...As soon as we get the official word, we’re going to move forward and get a pulse on those (other) guys.”
As far as Olmstead is concerned, the return of any of his seniors for another year is something he’s on board with.
“We’ll welcome those guys with open arms,” Olmstead said. “They’ve been such a huge part of this team and our culture, and our season that has been so remarkable and exciting this year.”
Recreating the 2020 magic which lasted through the first week of March isn’t a given, Olmstead pointed out. But the possibility has most everyone involved excited for another go at it, considering the 17-1 record and No. 1 national ranking achieved right before the cancellation of the season.
The magic showed itself most with the final two matches BYU played in 2020 — back-to-back matches at then No. 1-ranked Hawaii, where the Cougars swept the Rainbow Warriors the first night, and then lost out on a 5-set thriller the next. As could well be imagined, Stanley, as a native Hawaiian, took as much as anyone from the two matches.
“It was finally paying off — for me to play my best volleyball is something I’ll always remember and something I’ll take to my grave,” Stanley said of the experience. “That I was able to go home and play my two (of my) best matches. ... If those were the last two matches — to go out in that fashion, I couldn’t write a better story.”
Of course, Stanley hopes an even better final story can be written of his final match at BYU, should everything work out according to plan.