HARRISBURG, Pa. — As the fall sports start up, the players and coaches know that COVID-19 will have some type of impact on their seasons.
The first student athletes to learn this back during the winter sports playoffs didn't have as much of a warning.
"They're 14 to 18 year-old high school students and COVID-19 is probably the biggest adversity these kids have seen in their entire lives and it's very difficult for them to handle," said Bishop McDevitt assistant basketball coach Joel Falcone.
He knows that most students athletes have been limited over that past few months, both when it comes to sports and their social lives. That's when Falcone's 'Athletes and Adversity' Show was created.
"Right now, I was just thinking of a way to be positive in the community and not just help the students at Bishop McDevitt, but all the other schools and just try to uplift them through social media," said Falcone
The former Crusader uses his hoops connections to talk with former area athletes who have all, at one point or another, faced adversity. His hope is that today's student athletes can pull something from their experiences.
"This would be a great way to have some fun, but also have some teaching moments for a high school kid," added Falcone. It allows them to watch somebody who was successful and has faced adversity from the local area."
Falcone's six episodes in and the feedback has been so positive, that he doesn't have to go looking for guests.
"It really started taking off around my fourth or fifth interview, to the point I was actually getting people calling me and asking me if they could join the show," recalled Falcone.
He has more pro hoops players and even some former NFL players lined up for the coming weeks, but come hoops season, he's hoping he's busy and back in the gym.