Here is the remaining story about the fight I posted.

<b>Minnoy must sit for 2 more games
Says penalty is too severe</b>
<i>By Bob Sakamoto
Tribune staff reporter</i>

January 3, 2005, 10:06 PM CST

Hales Franciscan star Nate Minnoy says he doesn't believe he should be suspended for two more games and put on probation after his altercation with a fan at last week's Big Dipper basketball tournament at Rich South.

"I don't understand the severity of all this stuff," Minnoy said Monday after the school handed down the additional suspension and the Illinois High School Association placed him on probation. "According to the IHSA's rules, I've already served my (one-game) suspension for being ejected from a game.

"I am very sorry for what happened and for the negative light being placed on my team and my school. But I was provoked, and when somebody disrespects me for no reason, I'm not going to stand for it. I'll serve my suspension gracefully and spend the next two weeks getting myself ready mentally for the rest of the season."

The 6-foot-4-inch forward, who has signed with Purdue, will miss Friday's game against Guerin and a Jan. 16 game against Farragut and will return Jan. 18 game against De La Salle.

Minnoy said he took one step into the bleachers at Rich South last Wednesday during Hales' victory over Bloom to confront the father of a Bloom player. Security quickly moved in and no punches were thrown. Minnoy and the unruly fan were taken to the Richton Park police station and cited for disorderly conduct.

"We can't tolerate this, and it has no place in high school sports," IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman said. "We approve of the school's quick and appropriate action. We're also putting Minnoy on probation for the rest of the season. Any additional unsportsmanlike acts could lead to more sanctions, including the possibility of being suspended for the rest of the season."

Minnoy's behavior follows the November incident when the Pacers' Ron Artest went into the Palace of Auburn Hills stands and fought with fans.

"I wasn't thinking about Ron Artest when it happened," Minnoy said. "People can say I have a temper, but I'm a very competitive person and I'll do what I have to in order to get the job done. Basketball is serious to me."

After two fights between players and fans in Ohio, that state's high school athletic association implemented a new rule with a minimum penalty of a one-year suspension for athletes going into the stands or fighting with fans.
Copyright © 2005, The Chicago Tribune

Kids crazy ...
 

Obviously the kids crazy. He needs to just skip going to Purdue and go on straight to the NBA - he would be welcomed there.

SIGH!

thanks
David

Two thumbs up for the IHSA. Send a message and send it quick. Because this can only get worse. I'm glad the IHSA took an action and are standing strong by it.

I don't know what was said by the fan, but I think we have some serious issues to deal with when a player from one team is so concerned with the opinions of an opponent's parent that he has to confront him in the stands. I can understand being miffed at getting "disrespected," but an athlete of his apparent caliber needs to be able to have the discipline to let security deal with it.
Where is the self control? The discipline? He's obviously developed the physical discipline to elevate his talent to a very high level, I'm surprised at his lack of emotional discipline.
And his comments about being competitive are a complete non-sequiter here. What "job" was he getting done by answering the disrespect? His actions had no positive effect on his team or the game in question. In fact the opposite is quite obviously the case.
I'm seriously having trouble understanding how being "disrespected" is an offense worth risking a season or hurting your team for.

There is that "disrespected" word again. Sigh. Too bad kids (and NBA players) can't just ignore the idiots (AKA losers) in the stands and realize that walking away is not only the best reaction for the player, but that 99% of those watching would "respect" that reaction.

Z

Well said.

That is interesting. How many fights happen during NBA games with fans and players? You know with all the rampant fighting, I really do not know how the league functions.

:rolleyes:

Peace

Purdue's opponents will know this guy has a short fuse and take him out of his game, at least mentally, if not physically. When I was coaching, I'd do some "psychological scouting" and found some weaknesses in the psyche of opponents. Sometimes all it took was aggressive defense on that individual and they were done for the game.

If this kid has already signed with Perdue, he must be a pretty strong player and quite an athlete, he needs to get strong mentally or it will be a long 4 years whenever they go on the road. Now that they know he's vulnerable, just wait til those students sections get after it when he's on the road.

There is no way this should have been allowed to get this bad at a HS game but it did, and now that he's got history here, WOW!

Another intelligent contribution from Rut. Good to see that 2005 will bring more "gems" from him.
:rolleyes:
Z

Understand? Disrespected? Puhleeeeeeezzzzze!

If this issue of "disrespect" isn't one of the biggest crocks of $hit to hit our culture over the last generation then I don't know what is. All this jibberish about getting "dissed" and the fear of being viewed as "weak". If people spent 1/10 the amount of time investing in working on their people skills as they do worrying about who is talking negatively about them then the world would be a better place.

Too much fist pumping, chest thumping, and trash talking.....don't tell me how good you are, show me! Then when you show me TRY to be somewhat humble and act graciously THAT is what will earn you the respect you covet. Peace Out!

Not very well
 

Just look at the numbers and its NOT functioning very well at the time. Their TV numbers are way down, and a lot of it has to do with the attitudes of the players.

A lot more of the taunting and bickering with the fans goes on than is put on TV because they want to "try" and keep the "image" of the players looking good so they league with prosper.

The number of fights in an NBA game were up I believe it was reported 35% last year.

So, yes it is a big problem and its a lot easier to pick on someone in the stands than to pick on someone your own size. Funny we don't see Shaq getting in many fights.

Thanks
David

After all these years being told size doesn't matter....lies, all lies!

Pretty much, you said it all. It used to be that if you felt disrespected, you'd work harder to earn someones respect rather than stating it in public and expecting to influence peoples opinions.

He's a 17 or 18 year old kid finding his way in the world. The school suspended him for two more games. If he learns from it he will be a stronger person. He was definitely wrong and has suffered the consequences and deservedly so. We've all done stupid things in High School that we latter regretted doing. The one who should know better is the adult who childishly called him names. This person should be banned for the remainder of the season from attending his kid's games. IMHO.

Well considering whom you are, I consider the source. Keep telling everyone that the NBA has a problem with fights. When in the past 10 years I saw more fights with fans in the NHL. But then again, there is a reason I do not listen too much of what you say. I recall you were the person that told me our state was violating NF Rules and your state decided to do a few things completely against the NF Rules and you saw that as OK. Thank you for proving once again that your posts are useless.

Peace

Hypothetical situation: The player comes to you as lead after a basket and tells you he has been hearing disrespectful comments from the same fan all night long. What do you do as an official?

Have him notify his coach and let the coach inform facility management to be attentive to it. As an official I will address it when I feel it has crossed the line such as profantiy or threatening behavior that cannot be ignored.

Easy, simply tell the player:

"Some fans are ignorant jerks. Just ignore them - be the better person and make your statement on the court."

If I personally hear the comments & think it is over the top, I'll have game management talk to the fan - condensed version "Sit down and shut up, or leave".

I tell the player to keep his game on the court and let me worry about it.

Has Purdue had any comments about this kid? They might think twice about having this guy in their program or is this what thay are looking for?

Now I agree that this kid ought to get the punishment he's getting, and that he seems insufficiently chastened. However, I'm not sure that this one incident should warrant revokation of a scholarship. I'd be willing to bet someone has spoken with him, but I'd bet some assistant coach's money rather than my own.

Question: Can Purdue comment publically on a recruit? I know there are restrictions on things coaches can say regarding recruits, but can't remember if the restrictions end when the player has signed or when they start classes.

Being a Purdue fan myself we have had this discussion on our board. Someone who says they were at the game says that this is blown all out of proportion. Says he never made it to the stands. It was a father of a kid on the other team and he was supposedly saying things like, "I didn't know Fat Albert played basketball, bet 'Coz is proud...", also says that the video of hte game shows Minnoy notifying the official of the fan. That is really all I have.

Purdue cannot comment on recruits till they sign a LOI.

w_sohl...as a member of the Purdue staff, I feel your pain. My only thought for this young man is if he was disrespected by someone calling him Fat Albert as you have reported, he will have quite a time surviving in Madison or East Lansing.

As for some of the questions as to why Purdue would still want a recruit who would act this way, if he can play, why would they care. Schools often recruit players with multiple criminal records. Doesn't seem to slow anybody down. We'll just all be surprised when he goes into the stands in the Big 10.

I agree, I have heard much worse at college games. Axe Man, do you work for the Men's team or for the University?

I agree that Nate should have walked away. But I have no sympathy for an adult acting really immature and taunting a kid about anything. There is no reason to do so and someone should have told this clown to shut up.

I have officiated this kid during the summer and during the season this year. He basically is a good kid and goes to a private school where you cannot be a criminal. I think this incident is unfortunate and should not have ever happened. It did so I hope he will learn from it. But none of us really know what took place or what was said. As I stated before, one of the officials I know was on the game and he did not hear anything that set Nate off in the end. I just think fans should behave better than that. And schools should take responsibility for fans that get out of hand. A kid should not have to feel "disrespected" playing a HS sport.

Peace

w_sohl...I work for the Division of Recreational Sports...the Co-Rec. I am one of the two guys who runs the Intramural program. Send me an e-mail at [email protected] and we'll chat.

If the official did not hear anything that set Nate off, I don't know how we can expect that a school administrator could have heard it and prevented it.

As officials we shouldn't be "disrespected" either, but there are always stupid comments coming from the stands... that's just life. Deal with it.

Z

Disrespected?
 

Well if the official at the game heard nothing and I'm sure they were very aware of everything going on, then the kid was probably "NOT" disrepected as he said.

He simply messed up and that is his "excuse" for his behavior and everyone is supposed to say "poor boy, look at what the grown up did to him".

I've seen too many players "fake" being hit, or being hurt to cover a stupid play they made and to keep the coach off of their back to wonder if this really happened like the boy said?

Just my take,

Thanks
David

Nate Minnoy's statement about what happened,from the Chicago Sun-Times:

First of all, I would like to say I don't care what my persona looks like to fans, referees, teammates, media and coaches.



To answer the first question that comes to mind, I have anger-management issues -- that's what you call being human. I am a very competitive person, and I always want to win. And, no, I wasn't even thinking about Ron Artest. Sometimes, I feel like Shaq. I am the hardest player in the state to guard and to referee for. I can play through a lot of fouls but not intentional ones.

The last two games I played at the Big Dipper were two of the most physical games I have played in my high school career. The game Tuesday against Rich Central might have been just as rough without all the heckling. On Wednesday against Bloom, it was a very physical game. I don't really mind getting fouled, as long as the referees either call it or allow me to play with the same aggressiveness when I'm on defense.

Once again, Bloom's coach assigned two players to play me very physically. In the stands, the father of one of these guys and his friends heckled me the entire game. After shooting a free throw -- from a foul by his son -- I was running back down the court to get back on defense when this guy and his friends continued to talk to me, and he was giving his son instructions on how to foul me better.

I went to the referee who heard these guys, and he just shrugged like there was nothing he could do. That was enough. I stopped, walked up to these guys and told them to shut up. I took one step in the stands. I made it to the fifth row. The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by the Richton Park police and Rich South security.

Because this was my second technical of the game (I had an earlier tech for speaking to the referee with strong words about the fouls I had been getting), I was ejected. I went to the locker room, and after a few minutes, the police came in and said I was being charged with assault. The other player's father also was led out of the gym. We both were charged with a misdemeanor under the school's zero-tolerance policy. With the altercation that occurred in Monday's late game, the police were going to make sure nothing else happened. Shortly after, the police dropped the assault charges but gave us both a ticket.

I felt like it was a point in time where I had to defend myself, even if I couldn't do it through the course of a basketball game. I hope you can understand how I felt.

How about get rid of people that violate the principles of sportsmanship. The IHSA has a statement about sportsmanship that many schools have access to and actually read over the P.A system on a regular basis. I do not expect officials to be paying that close attention to fans. But I have been in many gyms where it is very clear who is saying things out of line and game management stand there and does nothing. Not all games have a few thousand people standing around. Some games you are lucky if you have 100 people. I am grown, I can handle myself. Players at this level are still basically children. I do not expect them to handle themselves with the same attitude that I might have. If high school sports are an extension of the classroom, why would you allow anyone to say things they could not say in that classroom? I have been to many schools where there is a student section and game management is standing right next to this section and get rid or students that violate some codes of conduct. Now what I am saying might be wishful thinking and really is not going to happen. I know if I was in HS and said the things fans get away with at some of these same schools, I would be suspended from school not just the game.

Peace

Referee???
 

If this indeed happened, then the referee he talked to should be severely reprimanded.

If the kid was immediately surrounded by police, then there was plenty of security - all the official would have to do is tell the security to tell the guys in the stands to cool it,

or in our area, we simply notify the administration and they will have them escourted from the facility no questions asked.

But if the kid already had one T, then he lost a lot of his merit with the officials -

Thanks
David

I sure hope that any referee who hears this kind of crap doesn't ignore it. Good case of Advantage/Disadvantage.

I agree that anyone harassing a player should be removed.. perhaps for life. It just sounded to me as if it wasn't obvious enough for it to be noticed before the confrontation happened. Sounds like the school made sure that the punishment was severe for the player and the fan. Good for them.

Z

Whether it is obvious or not might have to do what is normally acceptable. Not sure what school you are talking about, because the schools involved was not the tournament host.

Peace