Crazy ending
 

From the Chicago Sun Times...Crazy Ending!

Would you handle any differently??

The play that infuriated Coach Mattucci was a bizarre free-throw violation against Zion’s Sam Rodriguez after she hit the first of two free throws to give her team a 39-37 lead.

The ref handed Rodriguez the ball for the second shot, while Zion coaches called out for a timeout. Rodriguez thought the timeout was given and walked over the free-throw line to flip the ball to the ref under the basket and head to the bench.

The refs, who hadn’t granted the timeout, called an over-the-line, free-throw violation and gave Warren the ball.

That call still looked to be irrelevant when Rodriguez stole the insuing pass and dribbled out the clock.

That’s when chaos ensued.

After the horn sounded to end the fourth quarter, Warren team were walking off the court two-point losers when a technical foul was called on Z-B assistant coach Frank Mattucci for arguing a call that originally was made when there 8.5 seconds left in the gameMattucci went immediately to the ref and the resulting “discussion” led to him getting T’d up.Player hit the 2 tech free throws to tie it and force OT. Warren won it on two free throws by Jessica Prince, one free throw by Kristen O’Brien and one free throw by Alyssa Phillips — the last with 2.2 seconds left.

“We wanted a timeout (at the end of the fourth quarter) to set up the defense,” said Mattucci. “It’s simple basketball.

“He (the ref) doesn’t give us the timeout, and then they take the free throw away from Sam.

“Then, our kids still defended Warren, Sam steals the ball and we win 39-37. I’m livid for our kids. They didn’t play a great game but they played well enough to beat a good team.

Well it was the players fault for not playing to the whistle here. Based on the situation as described it seems the officials didn't do anything wrong.

So this team has the game won, then the team's coach decides to berate the officials for some call that no longer matters because the game is over and his team has won by 2? Then he gets T'd up (and I'd have to imagine that if he did get whacked after the horn, he certainly deserved it), and the resulting FT shots send the game to OT and his team subsequently loses?

Sounds like this coach should've known better and known when to STFU.

I'd like to see the video to know why they were still on the court

Here's the problem. :D

Sounds fairly straight forward - Zion requested timeout; it wasn't granted. Shooter committed a violation.

Thanks for the laugh to start my day LOL

Is it possible the TO request was made by ASSISTANT coaches and, therefore, not granted? Nothing in the post saying HC requested it. Sounds like the officials have solid rules standing all around on this one.

Instead of finding a reason to defend the officials, I'll say this:

I can't imagine calling a FT violation here *unless* I didn't hear the timeout request.

And agree with Snaq: I don't know how someone is getting a technical with them getting my back as I'm quickly leaving the court.

Sometimes one can be right and yet be very, very wrong.

1) It's possible it was requested (well) after the shooter had the ball. It can't be granted then, and if the shooter violates you have to enforce it -- otherwise the team gets an advantage (the TO, plus still getting to shoot the FT). That said, if I wasn't going to grant it, I'd try to say so aloud to prevent the violation.

2) I've had a coach block my path to the exit before. Too bad, that made it his second T and then he had to sit a game. ;)

bob, on #1, if the shooter's head coach requests it, it can be granted.

#2, that's why I'd like to see the video, to see if the officials were lingering or if the coach made a heroic effort to lose the game.

D'oh. I was thinking the defense.

1000 lashes with a wet rules book page.

That's the only rationale I have. Beyond that, shame on the A/C for berating the official. That's a hard way to learn that rule.

By the way, Rook, can you post a link to this? I'm having difficulty believing it was written by a Chicago Sun Times writer. It looks more like a forum item. Was it?

That's what I'm thinking....why didn't they grant the timeout?

Win suits Blue Devils to a ?T? - Lake County News-Sun

Local paper owned by Chicago sun-Times I'm surmising.

Thanks. It appears that a stringer wrote this. It's a little sloppy in places.

Anyway, this quote from the assitant coach intrigues me...

Thoughts?

Full story link below:

Girls Basketball: Warren downs Zion-Benton in bizarre finish - YourSeason

Coach-speak, not worth a response. He may as well b1tch about the foul count.

They didn't grant it because the assistant was requesting the TO. Bit of background, this assistant is a former state champion head coach who retired and moved to Zion in an assistant role - teamed up with another state champion head coach. So this "assistant" still has a head coach's mentality which is clearly a problem. The way this gym is set up you do have to potentially run right by the bench to get to the locker room so if the asst coach was gunning for this official he could definitely get to him...this guy is an NCAA women's official as well for what it's worth, not his first rodeo...

Yeah I love that - what mechanism exactly does an official have to punish an assistant coach other than a T? Report to the state? Sorry coach you made your bed, you are the one who should be apologizing profusely to your team and the officials..own it, be an example to your team.

Why was the ref "handing" the ball to the shooter? What mechanics set still does that?

And I will agree with others...Assistant Matuccis should have kept his mouth shut and his team would have won. He cost those girls the game.

FWIW, the newspaper report says that "Mattucci went immediately to the ref and the resulting “discussion” led to him getting T’d up."

So, sounds to me like the coach went out of his way to find the ref as soon as the buzzer sounded. What a tool.

heard from ref this morning, there is no way he 'handed' ball to shooter, you're going on a reporters jargon, three very good officials, coach had it coming. I've officiated there before, bench is by exit to locker room so possible coach ambushed him.


Lesson learned though, tight game with possible repercussions after buzzer, my head is down getting my butt out of confines.

Also heard it was a little dicey leaving the school

Coach is a pretty good guy and a great coach, just hasn't adjusted to being an assistant

What I didn't like in story was his 'don't punish the kids, punish me' line Sorry coach, you cost your team the game

A "pretty good guy" doesn't berate officials after the game, then blame them for costing his team the game.

A tool is a tool is a tool.

I've always been a firm believer that competitive/high-intensity situations (like sports) bring out our real nature. You can gladhand and be a hunky-dory guy all you want when everything is peachy keen, but when the shiz hits the fan, that's when your character really comes out.

Not completely, but he certainly played a notable and unnecessary role, didn't he?

The game isn't over until the officials leave the floor. All coaches need to know that, so this guy is better off taking responsibility for his actions.

Like I said, he's a pretty good guy, sounds like you're a coach making a call from other end of gym.

Hmmmm...so you actually believe that it is the very few moments in life when stress and strain are at their greatest that define our character? I don't know about that...

But - the coach certainly had time to calm down before he talked with this reporter. His comments to the reporter show a much more accurate insight into his character than does his arguing with an official after a hard-fought game.

And no, I am not condoning his actions. He really did cost his team a chance at winning that game. I'm just not so sure that that one emotional outburst makes him a tool.

Suntimes owns News Sun which was the publication the writer is a hack.

What was that about making a call from the other end of the gym?

Yes, I very much believe that.

And I don't believe there are "very few moments in life" like that. I believe life is riddled with intense moments that test our character. Some are more adrenaline inspiring, like sports, others are quiet moments, like when no one is watching and you know you could get away with something if you could. Those are the times when our character is defined, not when we've had a moment to compose ourselves and realize that we're being quoted by a reporter.

I'm telling you in general the coach is a good guy, you're making a call about his character over the Internet based on a few paragraphs. I have definite knowledge. You're making a 'call from the other side of the gym'.......an analogy

I'll say that if he makes it a habit to berate officials during or after a game, that's a character issue. Isolated case? Not so much. Not taking responsibility and dropping the line he did OJ the interview make for a poor second impression.

He doesn't make it a habit. Every reporter knows the best time to interview a player or coach is immediately after the game when the adrenaline is flowing. He said a stupid thing. Would he say that the next day? Probably not.

Hey, he made his own bed, maybe he'll wise up.

Who is this guy, your father in law?

Hope so.

No. just someone I'm familar with so I have first hand knowledge rather than your uninformed comments.

"If you have a beef with the officials, deal with it in a mature and responsible way. Don't do something that by rule will result in a technical foul against your team. That seems selfish, undisciplined, and juvenile."

Ironic that you make the above comment, then call the article writer a hack, based on
what he's written....

How is that ironic?

In the byline, it says "SPECIAL TO," which means this writer is not an employee. He's most likely a stringer starting out.

I did stringing decades ago, before computers, and the staff used to rewrite my stuff all the time. It appears this guy's writings goes directly to the webpage, without any review. I wonder if that's how that do that today. (I certainly hope not.)

You're assuming fullor hasn't read anything else from the writer in question.

You're making a couple of really hasty assumptions.

1) That just because the writer is a stringer, he has very little to no experience.

2) That the stringer's writing doesn't get edited before going live on the website.

Great discussion about a legitimate basketball situation. :rolleyes:

As a matter of fact, I've read and follwed his stuff for years and have met him. There's a reason he's at a small publication, there's other stuff that doesn't need to be written about here.

Now, don't you look stupid?

Bingo!!!

He writes for a very small town publication that is owned by the SunTimes In this era of consolidation and cost cutting, his 'byline' appears not only in his little town paper but also the parent company Sun Times.

You still haven't demonstrated why he deserves to be called a hack based on just what you've read of him. So are you saying that any writer that writes for a small, hometown newspaper is, by definition a "hack"?

Funny how you get so defensive about some coach who berates an official and then goes on the record blaming a loss on the official, but then you'll call a local writer a hack without any justification.

He writes for a very small town publication that is owned by the SunTimes In this era of consolidation and cost cutting, his 'byline' appears not only in his little town paper but also the parent company Sun Times.

He is a mediocre at best space filler for his paper. Of course just my opinion

'the ref handed the ball to the shooter'....................Really? the coaches called time out.........Really? Only AC did, hence no timeout. Did he ever ask the obvious question Why didn't he grant you a TO? Of course not. Why let facts get in the way of a good story.