X-Terminator
04-29-2015, 03:38 PM
We always accuse teams of tanking games...well, here's a case where it actually happened:
The TSSAA removed Riverdale and Smyrna from the high school girls basketball postseason on Monday following a report from a high school referee in charge of their District 7-AAA consolation game held Saturday where he said that both schools "played to lose the game."
Both Rutherford County schools were placed on restrictive probation by the high school association for the rest of the school year and probation for the 2015-16 school year.
Both schools were fined a total of $1,500 apiece.
Administrators from both schools met with the TSSAA on Monday. Smyrna principal Rick Powell said both he and Riverdale principal Tom Nolan asked to allow their teams to continue to play, but remove their respective coaches — Shawn Middleton at Smyrna and Cory Barrett at Riverdale — from the postseason.
"I hate it for the kids because of the actions of the coaches," Powell said. "We pleaded with the TSSAA. We hated that they were penalized. But that was their decision.
"We talked about removing them for games, but it may be just one game (if they lost), or it could be two or three... You don't know how many games it would be."
Tullahoma (19-8) advanced to Wednesday's Region 4-AAA semifinals without play because of the TSSAA decision. Tullahoma was scheduled to play Riverdale, which was ranked eighth in the final Associated Press Class AAA statewide poll. Lawrence County (21-8) also advanced. It was scheduled to play Smyrna.
Neither Powell or Nolan were in attendance at the consolation game, which was held at Riverdale. Smyrna won the contest 55-29.
In the report, the referee noted that Riverdale "missed 12-16 free throws intentionally." And that Smyrna "wouldn't get the ball across the half-court line to get a 10-second count or to make us call an over and back violation intentionally."
The referee said "one time a Riverdale girl looked at one of the officials and gave the official a 3-second signal wanting him to call three seconds on her. Smyrna stood in the lane as well to have us call three seconds on them."
The referee wrote that he finally called the coaches together for a meeting after "a Smyrna player was about to attempt a shot at the wrong basket (but there was a 10-second violation call before they attempted the shot) on purpose.
"That was when I called both coaches together and told them we are not going to make a travesty or mockery of the game. WE ARE NOT GOING TO START TRYING TO SHOOT AND SCORE FOR THE OTHER TEAM."
TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress said the decision to remove the teams stems from the players' actions on the court.
"The student athletes bought into it," Childress said. "They were the ones asking to call three seconds. They were the ones stepping back over (midcourt). They were the ones not attempting to shoot at the basket."
Read more: http://www.dnj.com/story/sports/high-school/2015/02/23/riverdale-smyrna-removed-postseason/23888217/
The TSSAA removed Riverdale and Smyrna from the high school girls basketball postseason on Monday following a report from a high school referee in charge of their District 7-AAA consolation game held Saturday where he said that both schools "played to lose the game."
Both Rutherford County schools were placed on restrictive probation by the high school association for the rest of the school year and probation for the 2015-16 school year.
Both schools were fined a total of $1,500 apiece.
Administrators from both schools met with the TSSAA on Monday. Smyrna principal Rick Powell said both he and Riverdale principal Tom Nolan asked to allow their teams to continue to play, but remove their respective coaches — Shawn Middleton at Smyrna and Cory Barrett at Riverdale — from the postseason.
"I hate it for the kids because of the actions of the coaches," Powell said. "We pleaded with the TSSAA. We hated that they were penalized. But that was their decision.
"We talked about removing them for games, but it may be just one game (if they lost), or it could be two or three... You don't know how many games it would be."
Tullahoma (19-8) advanced to Wednesday's Region 4-AAA semifinals without play because of the TSSAA decision. Tullahoma was scheduled to play Riverdale, which was ranked eighth in the final Associated Press Class AAA statewide poll. Lawrence County (21-8) also advanced. It was scheduled to play Smyrna.
Neither Powell or Nolan were in attendance at the consolation game, which was held at Riverdale. Smyrna won the contest 55-29.
In the report, the referee noted that Riverdale "missed 12-16 free throws intentionally." And that Smyrna "wouldn't get the ball across the half-court line to get a 10-second count or to make us call an over and back violation intentionally."
The referee said "one time a Riverdale girl looked at one of the officials and gave the official a 3-second signal wanting him to call three seconds on her. Smyrna stood in the lane as well to have us call three seconds on them."
The referee wrote that he finally called the coaches together for a meeting after "a Smyrna player was about to attempt a shot at the wrong basket (but there was a 10-second violation call before they attempted the shot) on purpose.
"That was when I called both coaches together and told them we are not going to make a travesty or mockery of the game. WE ARE NOT GOING TO START TRYING TO SHOOT AND SCORE FOR THE OTHER TEAM."
TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress said the decision to remove the teams stems from the players' actions on the court.
"The student athletes bought into it," Childress said. "They were the ones asking to call three seconds. They were the ones stepping back over (midcourt). They were the ones not attempting to shoot at the basket."
Read more: http://www.dnj.com/story/sports/high-school/2015/02/23/riverdale-smyrna-removed-postseason/23888217/