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COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - When Zach Hanson and his teammates on the Saint John's University basketball team stepped onto the court on Jan. 29, 2021, it had been 328 days since they'd last played a game.

In that time, the world had changed considerably.

Hanson and the Johnnies defeated Wisconsin-Eau Claire 78-69 in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament on March 7, 2020 in Collegeville — improving their record to 27-2 and setting up a matchup with archrival St. Thomas in the Sweet 16 the following week. 

Before that could happen, though, the onset of COVID-19 forced the cancellation of play. That ended one of the most successful seasons in Johnnies' history, and the ongoing global pandemic meant it would be almost a year before SJU again saw action.

When Hanson and company did return, it would not be in front of the packed house they had played in front of their last time out. In fact, it wouldn't be in front of a crowd at all.

Restrictions in place that season meant the Johnnies and Saint Mary's played in an empty Sexton Arena, with no one except players, coaches, officials and statisticians allowed inside (all of them wearing masks when they weren't on the court playing).

"It was so strange because you could hear everything," Hanson recalled. "Sometimes during a game, conversations between coaches and players, players and players and players and officials get lost in the roar of the crowd. But now you could hear anything that was being said. It was eerily quiet. You'd go to the bench and guys were separated by 6 feet, everyone was wearing masks, there was no handshake line after.

"During postgame, our families usually come onto the court. I always looked forward to seeing them and catching up. But that was different too because no one was allowed in. It was a weird time and weird circumstances we had to operate under. But at that point, I think everyone was just happy to have a chance to get out there and compete at all."

And the Johnnies wasted no time picking up where they'd left off — going on an 18-4 first-half run en route to downing Saint Mary's 87-64. Hanson and junior guard Colton Codute each finished with 21 points to lead the way.

"It felt a little bittersweet being back out there because of the way things had ended the year before," said Hanson, who is now a business and financial analyst for the Associated Clinic of Psychology in the Twin Cities.

"I felt bad for that group of seniors because we got stopped short of our ultimate goal due to circumstances beyond our control. It was kind of strange being out there without them. At the same time, though, just being able to play again felt really good."

After that opening game, though, things got more topsy turvy. SJU managed to get in only seven matchups during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, finishing with a 3-4 record. Three games were canceled because of COVID outbreaks, including a scheduled Feb. 3 matchup against Concordia in Moorhead.

"Other teams were dealing with that too," Hanson said. "It was very much stop and start that season, even during practice. A guy would come in contact with someone who had COVID and he'd have to sit out of practice for a while because of the guidelines. You'd have a bunch of guys out, and when they were eligible to return, a few more guys would be gone. We just had to make the best of it.

"If we had six or seven guys in the gym, we'd all do our best to push each other and get everyone ready to play."

The way the season went played a big role in Hanson's decision to return for a fifth season of eligibility the following year. With things having gotten back to normal, and full crowds on hand to cheer them on, the Johnnies finished 23-5 in 2021-22 —a  defeating Macalester 75-71 in the MIAC championship game and advancing to the NCAA Division III tournament once again.

"It was good at the time just to be able to compete, but there was no conference or national tournament," he said. "There weren't any fans who had the chance to watch us play. It felt like the job wasn't finished.
"So being able to come back that next year and have a more normal experience was a much better way to end things."

1996 (30 years ago)
Josh Cherry finished with 12 points, including a 10-foot jumper with 1:12 remaining, to lift the SJU basketball team past Macalester 67-64 on Jan. 28 in St. Paul. With his performance, Cherry crossed the 1,000-point mark in his career.

1966 (60 years ago)
Mike Musty had a goal and two assists as the SJU hockey team defeated Macalester, beginning stretch when the Johnnies won seven of nine games.

1956 (70 years ago)
SJU student-coach Jerry Schliep led the entire field of skiers in combined score at a Minnesota Intercollegiate Ski Conference meet in Minneapolis. Schliep – who went on to become the longtime operator of Tyrol Ski and Sports in Rochester – finished second in the downhill, third in slalom and cross country and seventh in jumping.