Weird damn basketball finish

Even more so a horseshit call. Does anyone see on the video a clear indication of the coach leaving the bench except to wave his girls back? How the hell can the official call it on him for that? If you're going to call it, call it on the girls and yes, take the rap for being the biggest asshole in that arena that day.

Then go hug the Pocola coach, who must be your brother-in-law. Damn.

 

Off the subject but... why is the Fort Smith, Arkansas, paper staffing the Oklahoma state tournament?

 

Fort Smith is on the state line. It's circulation goes 50 miles into Oklahoma.

 

What printdust said. Pocola borders Fort Smith on the state line.

 

Apparently, the eagle-eyed official didn't see the girl, and he thought he'd make an example of the coach.

 

OK, not familiar with the geography there. Thanks.

 

dreadful officiating. It's amazing how in tournament time, these folks try their best to stand out in the most negative manner possible. Just horrible.

 

Especially when you figure that if he hadn't called a tech, no one would have said a peep or been upset about it.

 

That's amazing. Here's a crazy finish I just heard from a coaching friend (who was coaching the losing team).

His team is up 8 with 14 seconds left. Guy for other team hits three and is fouled. Guy bitches about the foul and gets called for a T.

So the guy makes all three free throws, cutting the lead to 2. Now the team gets the ball back after the Ts. Kid makes a 3 at the buzzer to win the game! 9 points in 14 seconds to lose. At least it wasn't in a title game, but my friend is contemplating why the hell he stays in the business.

 

The SE butchered that, not the writer.

 

I covered a regional final game years ago (I think it was during the late 1980s, when the NFHSA had a brief experiment with a "seatbelt" rule -- coaches were required, at least theoretically, to remain seated the entire game).

Hooterville High vs. Bugtussle Tech, tie game, clock running down in the last 10 seconds. Hooterville is shooting for the basket at the opposite end of the court from its team bench. Five, four, three, two... Ball goes up, no good, tipped up, no good, gym is in pandemonium.

Buzzer goes off, ball flies out of bounds, simultaneously.

Tweet.

Mr. Ref comes running from the opposite end of the court, Seventy-Five Feet Away. Zero seconds left on the clock. (No tenths on the clocks then).

He has called a technical because the Hooterville coach had stood up from the bench while the ball was being tipped up on the rim. He was not on the court or in any way intefering with play; he had simply stood up.

With the ball rolling on the rim for the game-deciding shot, this fuckknocker ref is facing 270 degrees from the action, and is looking at the coach at the other end of the court.

Bugtussle hits the free throws and goes on to the quarters.

Only time in my writing career I prominently and extensively mentioned the name of an official in the lead of a game story. The state association was very unhappy. Tough shit.

(The winning coach told me to; he said, "Jesus Christ, there but for the grace of god goes me." He said he considered telling his kid to intentionally miss the free throws, "but who knows, then the dipshit probably would have called a tech on ME.")

 

I clearly saw the coach telling his players to get back on the bench. One girl did clearly run out onto the court.

I don't know if I would make that call as a ref. But, I def. disagree with situational calling. Referees should not be intimidated by the venue or time on the clock. If that is a call that referee has made all season, then its fair for him to do it then. But, of course, there is no way of knowing that. And I doubt thats a call he makes often.