Amaker trouble?

I of course don't know him personally, but I've always liked Tommy Amaker, and hated seeing him have trouble turning the corner at Michigan. I hoped and still do hope he'll find success at a lower profile place like Harvard. Now this. Links to the stories are below, but the basics are:

• Amaker supposedly has a top25 recruiting class coming in next year, which is a miracle at a school that doesn't offer scholarships
• They have supposedly lowered academic standards to get some of these kids in, which happens at most schools, but not usually in the Ivy League
• Their current number 1 assistant, BEFORE he signed on to be an assistant at Harvard, visited and played pickup ball with one or more of the recruits during a time when recruiting contact wasn't allowed. This may be a gray area, but IF he was recruiting on behalf of Harvard at the time, regardless of his employment status, it is a violation.

I hope there isn't a violation there, but if there is, this would be the 2nd former Coach K assistant to run into trouble with the NCAA. You possibly draw one of the following conclusions from that

• They learned from the best, just aren't as good at hiding it.
• They learned at a squeeky clean program, but the pressure put on them by others and their own desires to get to that high level drives them to play on the edge of the rules
• These 2 instances are not a reflection on Duke and coach K at all.

I'll leave that up to you.


Harvard CrimsonIvy, Harvard to look into possible NCAA recruiting violations
ESPN - 1 hour ago
The Ivy League and Harvard Crimson will review whether recruiting violations were made by the Crimson men's basketball program. A story in Sunday's The New ...
Harvard and Ivy League Will Review Recruiting New York Times
Harvard to Review Possible Basketball Violations, NYT Reports Bloomberg
Morning Buzz: Stripping away facade of Harvard basketballSan Jose Mercury News

Officials Given Green Light to T up Misbehaving Coaches

The NCAA is finally planning to enforce its bench decorum rules… Keep in mind that NCAA Supervisor of Officials Hank Nichols is retiring at the end of the season. I wonder if this is a going away gift?

From ESPNU.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Cursing or venturing onto the court could draw college basketball coaches a quick technical foul this season.

The NCAA is making bench decorum a point of emphasis for 2007-08 and warns coaches to expect a whistle without warning for a variety of unsportsmanlike actions.

Officials who consistently enforce the rules will be given preferential consideration for conference and NCAA tournament assignments.
Referees who are consistent in enforcing the rules will be rewarded.

"The bench decorum rules, which include staying in the prescribed coaching box, have been interpreted in various ways for some time," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, the
president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said Thursday. "This initiative for strengthened, consistent enforcement has significant ramifications. Coaches and game officials who do not strictly adhere to the rules will be penalized."

The actions that can draw a technical include disrespectfully addressing an official or attempting to influence an official's decision, using abusive or profane language, taunting an opponent, inciting undesirable crowd reactions and coming onto the court without permission of an official to attend to an injured player. full story

Coach K should be interesting to watch on the sidelines with his vocabulary severely limited by enforcement of rules that have been in place for years. Gary Williams might struggle a bit with this too. This is something that has been needed for quite a while. Nowadays, people see a college coach go off on an official and think it's acceptable conduct at all levels. Ever wonder why officiating is so poor these days? Well officials have to start at the Rec level. It's one thing to get abused for $750 a night as a college ref, but it's not worth putting up with for $50 a night in rec or high school ball. After a while, new officials get fed up and quit.

Well definitely have to keep track of T's this season and give some type of honor (or dishonor) when we release our post-season awards.

K gets some NBA Love

Coach K is guiding USA basketball, hopefully back to gold in the Olympics. But first, coimes the FIBA Americas tournament. Things tip-off for the USA tonight at 11 eastern on ESPN Classic.

Really sounds like the guys are really buying K's method:

NBA veterans rave about Krzyzewski

With a roster that includes proven veterans such as Chauncey Billups along with young stars such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, Krzyzewski has been able to get his team to bond by treating everyone like family.

"The first thing is communication, which he does very well because he likes to teach," Kidd said. "I think he would do great in the NBA, but we all know that he has a great gig at Duke."

Krzyzewski understands that his legendary coaching status will not mean a thing if Team USA fails to reach the FIBA Americas Championship final and is forced to play in a world qualifying tournament to reach next year's Olympics.

"I'm proud that these guys have made this type of commitment," Krzyzewski said about Team USA players, who committed three years to work with the national program.

Krzyzewski, who led Team USA to an 8-1 record and bronze medal at the world championships last year in Japan, has made relationships a priority this summer, and his roster filled with NBA players has responded.

"He gets his points across very clear, and as a player, you respect that," Stoudemire said. Full Story...

Full TV Schedule is below.

In some ways there is now less pressure on Coach K that you would have thought, just because USA has had terrible performances that last few years. It is a great opportunity, where he has been giving a great deal of control over the process, and can in many ways be seen as the savior of USA Basketball should we bring home the gold.

The Roster is loaded, in fact loaded enough that he sent home Kevin Durant

Bodog Beat

NBA News: Kevin Durant Cut from US Basketball Team Bodog Beat, Antigua and Barbuda - 21 hours ago "With Kevin, one year in college and 18 years old and he's made giant progress and he's going to be one of the faces of the NBA and USA Basketball who will ...

(Roster and Roster comments from NBA.com)

Point Guards

Jason Kidd
Kidd has been the starting point guard throughout camp. His leadership and ability to find his teammates in scoring position has been invaluable to this team. He might not start every game, but he's just an important an addition as Bryant is. He will need to push the tempo as much as possible, because getting easy baskets on the break will be key to the Americans' success.

Chauncey Billups
Mr. Big Shot has also taken on a leadership role and should see plenty of playing time (along with a start or two) throughout the tournament. He will be asked to hit shots from the perimeter, because the wings will draw defenders, leaving him alone beyond the arc.

Deron Williams
Even though he's the third point guard on the depth chart, D-Will is a lock for this roster. Coach K has talked about playing two of the point guards together in the backcourt in order to take advantage of all the skill he has at that position. Williams is one of the best shooters on this team, so they may need him to knock down shots as well as run the offense. Kidd has taken his "son" under his wing during camp, and that will not only benefit Williams, it will also benefit USA Basketball down the line.

Wings

Kobe Bryant
As Coach K said, KB24 will start at the two throughout the FIBA Americas tourney, and you can probably guarantee the same for next year's Olympic Games. He will be the go-to guy down the stretch of close games, but he'll probably draw multiple defenders in such cases, so he will need to make the right decision with the ball. He'll also be asked to defend some of the better shooters in the tournament, so keep an eye on his defense as well.

LeBron James
Like Kobe, LeBron is the starter at the three. He will be the primary option on the fast break, because he runs the floor well and of course, nobody wants to get in front of him when he has a head of steam. In the half court, LeBron will be asked to use dribble penetration to create for his teammates.

Michael Redd
Redd has shot the ball pretty well in camp. No one on the roster can get a shot up quicker than he can, so he's obviously a key weapon off the bench. If there weren't as many injuries, he might be battling with Mike Miller for the designated shooter's role, but with only 14 healthy bodies, there looks to be room for both of them on the roster.

Mike Miller
Miller has been just as good as Redd from downtown, and he's also filled the boxscore in other ways. In fact, Redd and Miller have often assisted on each other's baskets during camp. The two of them could see time together on the second unit, to really make defenses pay for packing it in the lane.

Tayshaun Prince
Prince's shooting has been a bit inconsistent, but he's the best defensive player in camp. There's probably room for him on the 12-man roster, but he may not see significant playing time.

Bigs

Carmelo Anthony
With the lack of skilled bigs, Coach K will go with Anthony at the four in order to have his best players on the floor. That gives Team USA some extra offense in the starting lineup, but 'Melo will need to guard some bigger opponents, and he'll need to help out on the boards.

Amare Stoudemire
First of all, it's just great to see Amare at 100 percent this time around. Secondly, it's great to see how much his shooting has improved in the last couple of years. His offensive game is more complete than it has ever been. He'll start most games at the five, he'll get some easy baskets playing with the playmakers listed above, and he'll be asked to clog up the middle defensively.

Dwight Howard
Howard could start a game or two at the center spot. He's not nearly as good a shooter as Stoudemire is, but he'll grab his share of offensive boards and there's not a player in this tournament who can out-muscle him. He's a beast and if he puts himself in position to score, the guys handling the ball will find him.

Tyson Chandler
If you assume that Durant isn't going to make the roster, then the last spot probably comes down to Chandler and Nick Collison. Chandler gives Team USA their biggest shot-blocking presence, should that be a need. The guy can go from one side of the lane to the other in a split second in order to erase any mistakes the perimeter defenders may make. But he's a true center, and the team may be want their fourth big to be able to play the four, since both Stoudemire and Howard are centers as well.

2007 FIBA Americas Championship Television Schedule
ESPN
Date	Game	Network / Time
Preliminary Round
Wednesday, Aug. 22	USA - Venezuela	ESPN Classic, ESPN360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 23	USA - Venezuela	ESPN2 / 1:00 a.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 23	USA - U.S. Virgin Islands	ESPN Classic, ESPN.360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Friday, Aug. 24	USA - U.S. Virgin Islands	ESPN2 / 2:00 a.m. (EDT)
Saturday, Aug. 25	USA - Canada	ESPN2, ESPN360 / 3:00 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Aug. 26	USA - Brazil	ESPN2, ESPN360 / 9:00 p.m. (EDT)
Second Round
Monday, Aug. 27	USA - TBD	ESPN2, ESPN360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Tuesday, Aug. 28	USA - TBD	ESPN2, ESPN360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 29	USA - TBD	ESPN2, ESPN360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30	USA - TBD	ESPN2, ESPN360 / 12:00 a.m. (EDT)
Semifinals
Saturday, Sept. 1	USA - TBD	ESPN Classic, ESPN360 / 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Saturday, Sept. 1	USA - TBD	ESPN2 / 10:30 p.m. (EDT)
FSN
Date	Game	Time
Preliminary Round
Wednesday, Aug. 22	Canada - Brazil	8:30 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 23	Argentina - Uruguay	3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Friday, Aug. 24	Brazil - Venezuela	11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Saturday, Aug. 25	Virgin Islands - Brazil	6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Saturday, Aug. 25	Argentina - Mexico	11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Aug. 26	Panama - Argentina	12:00 p.m. (EDT)
Second Round
Monday, Aug. 27	TBD - TBD	8:30 p.m. (EDT)
Tuesday, Aug. 28	TBD - TBD	6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 29	TBD - TBD	3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30	TBD - TBD	7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Finals
Sunday, Sept. 2	Bronze Medal Game	4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Sept. 2	Gold Medal Game	7:00 p.m. (EDT)
NBA TV
Date	Game	Time
Preliminary Round
Wednesday, Aug. 22	Uruguay vs. Panama	3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 22	Puerto Rico vs. Mexico	6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 22	Canada vs. Brazil	8:30 p.m. (EDT)*
Thursday, Aug. 23	USA vs. Venezuela	1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 22)
Thursday, Aug. 23	USA vs. Venezuela	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 22)
Thursday, Aug. 23	Argentina vs. Uruguay	3:30 p.m. (EDT)*
Thursday, Aug. 23	Venezuela vs. Canada	6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Friday, Aug. 24	Panama vs. Puerto Rico	1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 23)
Friday, Aug. 24	USA vs. Virgin Islands	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 23)
Friday, Aug. 24	Mexico vs. Panama	3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Friday, Aug. 24	Brazil vs. Venezuela	11:00 p.m. (EDT)*
Saturday, Aug. 25	Canada vs. Virgin Islands	1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 24)
Saturday, Aug. 25	Puerto Rico vs. Argentina	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 24)
Saturday, Aug. 25	Virginia Islands vs. Brazil	6:00 p.m. (EDT)*
Sunday, Aug. 26	Uruguay vs. Puerto Rico	1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 25)
Sunday, Aug. 26	Argentina vs. Mexico	10:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 25)
Sunday, Aug. 26	USA vs. Canada	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 25)
Sunday, Aug. 26	Venezuela vs. Virgin Islands	4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Aug. 26	Mexico vs. Uruguay	6:30 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Aug. 26	Panama vs. Argentina	12:00 a.m. (EDT)*
Monday, Aug. 27	USA vs. Brazil	2:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 26)
Monday, Aug. 27	USA vs. Brazil	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 26)
Second Round
Monday, Aug. 27	TBD vs. TBD	3:30 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, Aug. 28	TBD vs. TBD	1:00 a.m. (EDT)** (game played on Aug. 27)
Tuesday, Aug. 28	TBD vs. TBD	10:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 27)
Tuesday, Aug. 28	USA vs. TBD	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug 27)
Tuesday, Aug. 28	TBD vs. TBD	3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Tuesday, Aug. 28	TBD vs. TBD	6:00 p.m. (EDT)*
Tuesday, Aug. 28	TBD vs. TBD	8:30 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 29	USA vs. TBD	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 28)
Wednesday, Aug. 29	TBD vs. TBD	3:30 p.m. (EDT)*
Wednesday, Aug. 29	TBD vs. TBD	6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 29	TBD vs. TBD	8:30 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30	USA vs. TBD	1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 29)
Thursday, Aug. 30	USA vs. TBD	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 29)
Thursday, Aug. 30	TBD vs. TBD	4:30 p.m.(EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30	TBD vs. TBD	7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30	TBD vs. TBD	9:30 p.m.(EDT)*
Friday, Aug. 31	USA vs. TBD	2:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 30)
Friday, Aug. 31	USA vs. TBD	12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 30)
Semifinals
Saturday, Sept. 1	TBD vs. TBD	11:00 p.m. (EDT)#
Saturday, Sept. 1	TBD vs. TBD	1:00 a.m. (EDT)#
Finals
Sunday, Sept. 2	Bronze Medal	4 p.m. (EDT)*
Sunday, Sept. 2	Gold Medal	7 p.m. (EDT)*
* Simulcast Live on FSN
** Taped Delay from FSN
# Replay of ESPN Telecast

Coach K still upset over ACC Expansion

I think it is time to get over this and move on, but Coach K hasn't yet

Coach K: ACC's power play hurt hoops

It's no secret Mike Krzyzewski wasn't supportive of the Atlantic Coast Conference's expansion movement, particularly once it was clear the league's presidents and athletic directors wanted to add more to the mix than just Miami.

But four years after that fateful vote to expand to a dozen schools, Coach K still hasn't gotten over it, apparently. Author John Feinstein recently facilitated another gripe session when he filled in as host of The Jim Rome Show. Full Story...

Will coaching scramble touch the ACC?

Just when you thinnk we are done for the year, this shocker. This could start another coaching chain reaction that ends up affecting a lot of schools.

Donovan left dream job to grasp for pro glory


Turkish PressDonovan's disappearing act considered pure Magic
Ocala Star-Banner, FL - 54 minutes ago
Billy Donovan leaves Gainesville at the absolute top of his profession, having guided the University of Florida basketball program from also-ran to ...
Donovan's exit expected Florida Times-Union
Donovan leaving Gators for Magic Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription)
Poof! Donovan joins Magic Florida Times-Union

Another K assistant Fired

I really like Tommy Amaker. I think he will be a great coach someday, but this situation just wasn't going to work. I think he was Michigan's Les Robinson. Someone squeeky clean to come in and clean up a complete mess, but then there just wasn't a way to get over the hump.

Are there any former Duke coaches with success? Mike Brey was bounced again in the first round, Quinn Snyder was a mess at Missouri, and now this.

I HATE Greg Doyle

I really can't stand this guy. He works for CBS Sportsline
Every time he writes about the ACC, his main goal is to piss off as many people as he can. The bad part is he goes into every story with ignorance and tells only half of every story. Anyway, he's at it again, this time taking on Coach K in the weekly conference call.

Doyel: Mike, you made it clear after the game and then again just now that some conduct's unacceptable and you would hold your players to higher standards, and all that. Um, I'm just wondering, how many games did you suspend Christian Laettner for, when he stomped on Aminu Timberlake?

K: Well, you want, first of all, would you call that a stomp?

Doyel: Absolutely. I've seen it over and over.

K: Okay, well then my judgment and yours differ.

Doyel: I've got some glasses. I mean, are you serious?

K: Okay, So you, do you, you know, I'm not going to get in with you, because you would always want something controversial. So,

Doyel: I just like the truth, sometimes. That's all.

K: No, believe me. There's nobody who likes the truth more than me. And, you know, after the season we'll talk about, you know, 1992. I'd rather talk about 2007 right now.

Blood Rivals

We'll have a couple of days to talk about this. I don't think it was intentional, it was stupid. He went in with reckless abandon, too much force for the situation, and I agree that when someone goes in a way that he doesn't care if someone gets hurt, and where logically someone could, there needs to be punishment for it. BUT, missing another game for a play like that probably isn't the right decision.

Why is it Carolina players are always the ones that end up bleeding?

Reporters will continue to try to stir this up, and I guess this all plays into the rivalry so maybe it is good. Reporters told Williams that Coach K suggested none of these players should have still been in the game anyway, much to the irritation of Roy Williams.

UNC-Duke: Mike Krzyzewski Quotes (w/audio)
		By Andy Britt Inside Carolina Posted Mar 4, 2007 CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski addressed the media immediately following the game. Read and listen to what he had to say…

Opening statement –

Well they played a hell of a game. They’re fast and deep. I thought our kids played their hearts out. And I had a chance to watch the play. We’ll take all responsibility, but if there’s anyway Gerald Henderson did that intentionally, it’s crazy. He’s moving away from him, he’s going up to block, he’s not even seeing how he hit him. He should be fouled, but that’s not the way he plays and that’s not the way we play. He didn’t extend anything, and it’s unfortunate. The officials have to call what they do, and I’m sorry that Tyler got hit. That’s not what he wanted to happen. But also the intent was not to do that. There was nothing extended, and he was hit somewhere on the forearm as [Gerald Henderson] was turning. I feel badly for Tyler and we apologize for that, but I know there was no intent to do that. Otherwise you would push your hand out. Again you go with what was called and I feel badly that that was happened.

On suspending Henderson for the next game -

I don’t know why they do that. Whatever happens happens. Somebody should look at it. If they see it different, then we accept it. I know there was not the intent to do that. And the game was over before that. I mean the outcome of the game, let’s put it that way. That’s unfortunate, too, that those people were in the game in that play.

On closing the deficit in the second half -

We got that kick to [David McClure], and we just weren’t able to handle that. [Marcus] Ginyard’s three was big when it was 53-50. And [Josh McRoberts] missed a layup. So we had some opportunities, and our kids fought the whole game. They played hard, and they do have adaptive shot-blocking. Another time Brandan Wright really made a great block on [David McClure] also. We knew that they would play really well to that.

On Tyler Hansbrough’s performance -

He’s a great player. Numbers like that don’t surprise me about him because he’s done it before and will do it again. He’s one of the best players in the country. Those kind of players put up those numbers.

On the decision to go small -

I thought it helped us really. We thought that to take advantage of that or the fact that they had been playing that way might give us a boost. Obviously you’re going to get hurt defensively. Again we got it to two doing that, and whether it was the right one, what are you going to do. You have to make adjustments to try to win a ball game. I thought our kids did a good job of that, and then they did a good job in attacking that.

On the foul called on Gerald Henderson -

Whenever you’re in those situations, it may be the right judgment. [Gerald Henderson’s] a great kid. You don’t want to make a rash judgment, and it may be the right one and we’ll go with it. I don’t know why you’d make it right then, unless they have to do it and then it’s reviewed.

On if closing the point difference took a lot out of his team -

That’s why we called some timeouts. With their height, they were able to take away two of those plays. We have to convert on those plays if we’re going to win this game as we would in most games where we’re playing against the caliber of opponent we did this afternoon.

On what he wants to see from his team in the postseason -

Well just keep getting better. We played a hell of a schedule, especially in February. Sometime you can’t see as much improvement because the team you’re playing against is better. Carolina is better than we are. That doesn’t mean we can’t win. By playing these people you should get better. And I think we have, it’s not reflected in the final conference record.

On what he wants to see this week -

Just us getting better and we have to get refreshed before Thursday because we’ve played on Sundays every Sunday for the last two months. We have to get refreshed and try to be at our best when we go down to Tampa.

More on Scouts.com

By Andy Britt Inside Carolina Posted Mar 4, 2007 CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- North Carolina coach Roy Williams spoke to reporters following the Tar Heels’ 86-72 win over Duke on Sunday. Read and listen to what they had to say…

Opening remarks –

It was a great afternoon for us. It was a very fitting way, in my opinion, for Wes Miller and Dewey Burke and Reyshawn Terry to play their last game in the Smith Center. It was a big time game. It’s a very aggressive, physical, demanding game on both ends of the floor. Tyler Hansbrough, I told him - I guess its about as big a compliment as I would give him - that was a Sean May-like - 26 points, 17 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. He was impressive. I thought Marcus coming off the bench, giving us 13 was something. Defensively - in the first half I thought we were pretty good, in the second half I didn’t think we were nearly as good. But again, we were playing a very, very good basketball team.

I liked our defense, as I said, for the first part of the game. Early in the game, we were extremely active and got a big lead - I don’t know how big - but we basically kept that almost the whole first half.

You hate that it ended like it did - with the stuff going on but, at the same time, we were very, very pleased and we also realize that we’re very happy and very lucky. We got a lot of help down the last week of the season. We did set a goal of winning the regular season. We didn’t think we would part of it at 11 and 5 but we’re very thankful for that and now we’ve got to play.

On the incident at the end of the game -

I thought that Tyler was hit. The referees said that they would look at it. They did say immediately it was going to be an intentional foul but they wanted to look at it on the monitor. They looked at it on the monitor and then made their decisions.

On the extent of Tyler’s injury -

It’s not like a prize fight where you ask what the other guy looks like - he looks pretty bad. They say that it is not broken.

On the inside game plan today -

With Tyler and Brandan I think we should. I’m still mystified cause I thought we were maybe going to be the best shooting team I’ve ever seen and we haven’t shot it consistently all year. We make some, but don’t make some. I felt all year that we were going to be a great shooting team and we haven’t been, but those guys inside have really done a nice job. Georgia Tech, the other night, we lost. To Maryland, we lost. But if you look our big guy stats are still pretty good. We are at least sensible - we’re not the brightest guys all the time but I do feel like we have to go inside with the basketball.

On whether the team was made aware that a win would give them first place in the ACC -

I went to the baseball game and somebody came down and told me that Wake Forest had beaten Virginia and I said it makes no difference - we still have to play. If the team knew that it was first place or fifth place - I didn’t say anything about that.

On the foul on Tyler Hansbrough that led to Gerald Henderson’s ejection -

I have not seen the replays - I told you my impression. I thought Tyler got hit.

On Coach Krzyzewski suggesting that the team’s starters should not have been in the game when Tyler Hansbrough was fouled -

I don’t understand that - I mean both teams had `em in. I was sitting in the stands my first - the only game I saw when I was first here as a high school coach - we win and beat Duke and we were down by eight with 17 seconds to play. I don’t even know how much time was left when it happened. And in fact we had a substitute up at the free throw line - if you want to go back and look at that. If you go back and look Michael Copeland was sitting up at the free throw line cause I was trying to Tyler out of the game. It’s not my fault that Tyler got the offensive rebound and somebody else missed the sucker. But that is enough said about that junk.

More on Scouts.com


As with any incident, especially one like this where there is a lot of gray area, fans of each team see it completely different.

A Dukie friend of the blog says:

Hansbrough should have had a foul, possibly flagrant when he elbowed Thomas at the end of the game when Carolina couldn’t get it to half court.

From NCAA Hoops Blog

What is wrong with Billy Packer?

If you didn't see the end of the Duke-North Carolina game, you should know that Duke's Gerald Henderson committed a vicious foul against UNC's Tyler Hansbrough that left Hansbrough's face covered in a streak of blood and sent him to the locker room.

With 14 seconds left in the game and UNC leading by 12, Henderson jumped to block Hansbrough's shot near the basket. He violently swung his arm to block the shot. Instead of achieving that result, Henderson's elbow made what appeared to be not-so-inadvertant contact with Hansbrough's nose. Hansbourgh was furious, and rightly so. He had to be held back before team officials escorted him to the locker room because it simply wasn't necessary for him to still be out there on the court. Officials appropriatly ejected Henderson who by rule will have to miss Duke's next game (First round of ACC Tournament Thursday against NC State).

But CBS color analyst Billy Packer for some reason felt it necessary to act as Henderson's apologist, saying repeatedly that Henderson's violent, intentional swing motion was simply a means to go after the ball and that he didn't intend to foul or harm Hansbrough.

From Delightful Yank

The fans were understandably upset, but Coach Roy Williams did the right thing and sent his player to the locker room before things got out of hand. That's when the incompetent, idiot referees decided that they were going to manipulate the ACC Tournament. Obviously letting the UNC home crowd influence their already poor decision making skills, the refs not only ejected Henderson, they also suspended him for one game. An ACC Tournament game.
The replay is more than clear. Henderson was going for the ball, his body was shifted away from Hansbrough. There is no possible way to interpret the incident as intentional. He was charged with a flagrant, "combative" foul. Go ahead and Google combative foul. It doesn't exist. Here is the definition of a flagrant foul, including the penalty according to Wikipedia:

The penalty for a flagrant foul in NCAA and NFHS rules is immediate ejection of the offending player, plus two free-throws and a throw-in for the opposing team.

So the ejection was warranted, based on the excessive contact, regardless of intent. But the suspension is just wide-eyed pandering by the dim witted zebras. Absolutely pathetic. This will mar the ACC Tournament and make any Duke losses questionable. I prefer Duke to lose full strength, not because some dickhead UNC fans booed loud enough for the refs to react. I hope Hansborough is okay, but I also hope UNC loses badly during the tournament so that those angry, sour-faced Tarheel fans get what they deserve.

From GunSlingers

Last year on Selection Sunday Billy Packer's performance was horrible. His personal ties to power broker coaches in major conferences were on display for everyone to see, and a perfect case study for anyone wanting to discuss ethics and conflicts of interest for pundits in the media. His rants about how undeserved the at-large berth for George Mason proved to be an extremely poetic finish when the green and gold advanced to the final four. One would think that his performance last year couldn't be topped.

It was today.

With 14.5 seconds left in the UNC-Duke game, with a 12 point lead for the Tar Heels, Tyler Hansbrough took the ball to the rim, was fouled by two Blue Devils, had the ball knocked away after a foul, and was clearly, unambiguously clocked with a forearm to the face by Duke's Gerald Henderson. The foul was among the most vicious that I've ever seen. It could be considered a punch (though I'm not exactly sure - see update below). It could be considered an elbow. Henderson led with the forearm and the target was Hansbrough's face. The ball, long since cast aside, was nowhere near the direction of Henderson's thrust.

I don't typically like to presume to read the minds of others. I'll make an exception this time.

Gerald Henderson's forearm/elbow/punch to Hansbrough was 100% intentional. The facts and circumstances regarding the foul make this a clear inference. Henderson's left arm is by his side, not in the air, trying to block a shot. His right arm is cocked back and follows through after he strikes Hansbrough. His reaction after the strike is not one of "my bad, it was an accident."

Consider these facts: Duke-North Carolina is the most tense rivalry in college basketball, if not all of American sport. Duke was in the midst of suffering its worse loss of the season. The result of this game affected seeding in the ACC tournament (and NCAA seeding). Hansbrough dominated the game. 26 points, 18 rebounds.

Everything about the punch/elbow/forearm leads to one interpretation: that Henderson was frustrated with his team's performance and the result, and in order to protect whatever sense of self worth, he had to do something violent and outside the bounds of the rules of the game. This was a vicious, violent assault.

What do you think?