Goldman Saves Season

REDSHIRT REDEMPTION FOR FORMER LINCOLN STAR

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Former Lincoln star, Shandon "Biggie" Goldman, shown at Lincoln's city park Friday, works out on his own without access to a gym during the covid-19 crisis. Goldman will earn a degree from Northern Iowa in May, then play at Tennessee Tech as a graduate transfer. The 6-foot-10 forward opted to redshirt this past season saving one season of eligibility.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Former Lincoln star, Shandon "Biggie" Goldman, shown at Lincoln's city park Friday, works out on his own without access to a gym during the covid-19 crisis. Goldman will earn a degree from Northern Iowa in May, then play at Tennessee Tech as a graduate transfer. The 6-foot-10 forward opted to redshirt this past season saving one season of eligibility.

SPORTS EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is part of an on-going series highlighting top sports stories for the 2010-2019 decade pertaining to Lincoln High School and its alumni.

LINCOLN -- There was no dramatic lightening bolt or spectacular bulletin, yet Shandon "Biggie" Goldman felt an inner prompting to save his eligibility.

RECENT TENNESSEE TECH RECRUITS

Date^Position^Recruit^Hgt./Wgt.^Transaction

March 26^Power forward^Shandon Goldman (6-10, 220) transfers to Tennessee Tech from Northern Iowa.

March 26^Power forward^Simeon Kirkland (6-10, 225) receives offer from Tennessee Tech.

March 24^Shooting guard^Markelo Sullivan (6-4, 182) commits to Tennessee Tech.

March 20^Shooting forward^Austin Harvell (6-6, 190) commits to Tennessee Tech.

He acted on that prompting, but not impulsively. Asking last fall to redshirt his senior season, 2019-2020, at Northern Iowa, became the toughest decision of his life for the Evansville native, who starred for Lincoln during a stellar high school career.

Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson announced the decision at a press conference Nov. 11, 2019, revealing Goldman would use the graduate-transfer rule to find a larger role with a another team in 2020-2021 while remaining on scholarship and working out with the Panthers for the 2019-2020 season.

Now, in retrospect, with NCAA and NIT national collegiate basketball tournaments canceled in wake of the covid-19 crisis, Goldman's decision shines like a ray of sunshine penetrating the current clouded sports scene.

"I do feel it's a big blessing in disguise and I do feel God's got my back because when I made the decision it was the toughest decision of my life," Goldman said. "I loved that program and I just know there was something telling me that there's a better opportunity somewhere else and that decision to redshirt was the best decision at the time."

The consequences of not heeding that inner prompting would have left Goldman, like the vast majority of this year's collegiate seniors, out in the cold -- deprived of an opportunity for postseason competition. The exceptions are those who redshirted.

His choice to redshirt means Goldman retains one more season of collegiate eligibility, something the 6-10, 220-pound forward intends to maximize as a graduate-transfer attending Tennessee Tech once higher education institutions reopen.

Right now there's no competitive basketball for anybody at any level. The situation resembles that described in Habakkuk 3:17-18 (KJV). "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

Throughout the journey Goldman relied on his faith, believing there's a divine plan ordained for his life. He's heard about the heart-felt cry expressed in Psalm 138:8 (Living Bible): "The Lord will work out his plans for my life--for your loving-kindness, Lord, continues forever. Don't abandon me--for you made me."

"I think just (throughout) this entire process whenever I get down I just look at it in an optimistic way and I just know God's got a plan for me and if it's not somewhere, it's somewhere else," Goldman said. "I believe he blessed me with this height and skill-set for a reason and I want to do my best to use that to an advantage and not get too discouraged when things don't go my way and just keep trucking it."

That, however, doesn't exempt him from dealing with the same issues the covid-19 crisis imposes on athletes across the nation. Northern Iowa shut down and sent students home. Graduation has been canceled. Goldman has been taking online classes and will complete the spring semester May 8 earning a degree in Exercise Science with Sports Psychology.

"I think it's a tough time right now for all of us with no sports going on and I've done the best I can to keep working on my body, working on my game and everything," Goldman said. "Back when I was in high school, obviously, Lincoln is a really small town in the retrospect of things for Division I athletes and I don't think it matters how big the town is you come from if you put in the work. With all of the coaches here and they push you to be a better athlete, and you really put in the work I think anybody can make it out of here."

Goldman is giving the old college effort, jumping a lot of rope and doing body weight workouts. Without access to a gym, he shoots baskets on an outdoor goal at his parents' house at Evansville.

The fact he retains one season of eligibility with opportunity to play for Tennessee Tech when so many of his contemporaries aren't getting to play in the 2020 postseason tournaments isn't lost.

"I feel like for some reason, either divine guidance or just out of pure luck I made the decision to redshirt," Goldman said. "It's all led up to this. I just want that one year that a lot of other people don't get."

One strategic decision closed a door, but opened up a new world of basketball for Goldman at Tennessee Tech and beyond.

Sports on 04/01/2020