What was Hank Nichols thinking?
 

Why would he provide an opportunity for anyone to question the officiating by assigning an official to the Ohio St. vs Georgetown game that lives less than 16 miles from Columbus (per mapquest.com)? Unless he has moved recently (in which case I may be wrong), I don't care how great an official he is - you just shouldn't put yourself into that situation by making that assignment.

I don't get it....he deserves to work the Final Four, just have the guy work the UCLA vs Florida game.....

Honestly Jeff, I do not think Nichols cares as much as we might outside of the NCAA. I say this based on comments Nichols made during the Rich Hartzell-Doug Gotlieb (sp?) situation that took place a couple of years ago.

Also earlier in the tournament J.D. Collins worked the Butler-Florida game in the NCAA Tournament and Collins lives very close to Indianapolis where Butler is located. Considering that officials work in multiple conferences, it would be somewhat unfair to only hire people based on only a geographic issue. NCAA Basketball is not like NCAA Football where all season you work in an area and only one conference.

I could be wrong but that is my take.

Peace

Verne Harris is working the UCLA game and he works the PAC 10.
It doesnt matter what conference or where you live. If you are good you are working

WGAF where he lives?

Rut nailed it right on the head with these two sentences. It is a nonfactor.

Why does it matter if Verne is doing the PAC 10 game? It is no different than Mike Kitts who does a lot of Big East games doing the Georgetown game. Ted Valentine did some Big Ten games this year but was still put on Ohio State game. Why did you single out Verne Harris?

Relax, he was likely just giving an example. He might not know the history of each official and the conferences they work.

Peace

Rut:

You have made a very good observation and I agree with you whole hardly. But, do not quote me but I think Dick Cartmell is one of the few mis-guided souls in the Columbus area who are Michigan fans. :D April Fool's!!

MTD, Sr.

I was referring to the quote about above mine, how it was saying whoever the official was lived 15 miles away from butler or ohio st. It doesn't matter where you live or what conference you work in. You work the game cause you earned it. So i don't understand how the poster said Mr. Nichols did a bad job on getting officials.

Thanks for reminding me where my disdain for Gottlieb came from. Nothing he ever says diminishes it, but I'd forgotten where it started. The whole Hartzell episode was definitely it.
It doesn't help him, either, that me made a comment after agreeing with Jay Bilas on something, "I'm pretty much on the opposite side from Bilas on everything."

I heard that too, and I remember thinking, "Well, then your an idiot." Bilas isn't perfect, but I personally think he's one of the best commentators out there.

:D <i></i>

Take it easy on the scrappy one.

I'm sure he meant to say "Well, then your monkey's an idiot."

Valentine
 

Ted Valentine no longer lives in Westerville, Ohio.

Moved several years ago.

Not that it makes any difference in earning a spot in the final four.

Did someone come out and announce that fact to the general public on National TV so the lemmings could bash Mr. Nichols?

If not why is it any issue amoungst us? We as a group (of all people) know it is a nonissue. You are there because you earned it. We also know that No OFFICAL at that level could show any sort of bias and be working one of these games.

let it die - it was a non issue then and is now.

And who ever said it is right Ted did move a couple of years ago.

jp..

I wouldn't know all the ins and outs of the decision making process but I think I can say this. He was NOT thinking about what you're thinking.

Plus it shouldn't matter but the reality is, it does and probably for reasons you don't suspect. I think the NCAA should have flown somebody in and not used any official from that area. The fact of the matter is, it makes it really hard for the official that lives in the area. Let's say if Ohio State would have lost the game and it came down to a call that this official made or didn't make. It's going to be really hard for this guy in the community afterwards. You don't want to knowingly put these guys into that situation. But to be honest, it could have been a last minute replacement. In other words, the guy that was originally scheduled could have got sick at the last minute, miss his flight, got stuck in a traffic jam, etc., etc. That's probably why the local guy got put in, because he was local.

:rolleyes: yeah, that's probably why the local guy got the game! Wow.

Do you ever engage your brain before you write something?:rolleyes:

You're assuming facts not in evidence.

563 for 563.

Absolute perfection.

Not sure if your post was directed at me...but I'll respond anyway. My post essentially asks the question - if Hank can choose between making an assignment that would give some the opportunity to question the integrity of an official based on where he lives or provide no such opportunity, don't you think he would prefer to eliminate that opportunity? Based on his assignment, you're correct, he was clearly NOT thinking about either possibility.

I think he was not thinking about either because Hank Nicholls Dont Give a #$%%^ (HNDGAF -- for short).