Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
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...ason/23888217/
Re: Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
One game? Hell, the Colts tanked an entire season to get Luck...
Re: Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
Quote:
Originally Posted by
fansince'76
One game? Hell, the Colts tanked an entire season to get Luck...
Well yeah, but at least they attempted to play the games straight-up, and not make it so obvious that they were trying to lose.
Re: Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
Re: Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
I remember when the Buffalo Bills needed to win against the Steelers' bench on the last game of the season to make the playoffs and lost. The Steelers played to win and they did, the Bills did not have enough talent or will to win.
Re: Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
Didn't an NBA Eastern Conference team do this a few years ago? The entire Atlantic Division sucked even more than usual, and the 5th place team started throwing games to try to finish 6th. That would have matched them up against the 3 seed (worst division champ) instead of the 4 (best wild card).
I remember hearing something about that. At least suspicion that the bad play was intentional. I think the NBA changed its seeding rules as a result.
Re: Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
Are they related to Sam Hinkie?
Re: Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Godfather
Didn't an NBA Eastern Conference team do this a few years ago? The entire Atlantic Division sucked even more than usual, and the 5th place team started throwing games to try to finish 6th. That would have matched them up against the 3 seed (worst division champ) instead of the 4 (best wild card).
I remember hearing something about that. At least suspicion that the bad play was intentional. I think the NBA changed its seeding rules as a result.
It was the 2005-06 Clippers, actually. They wanted home court advantage from playing the 3rd seed, when they wouldn't have had it as the 5th seed.
Re: Two girls' HS basketball teams banned from postseason for tanking a game
Quote:
Originally Posted by
fansince'76
One game? Hell, the Colts tanked an entire season to get Luck...
Yeah... the Smyrna girls basketball coach is an idiot. The Colts already perfected losing games on purpose.
Hey Smyrna coach! Step 1: start Curtis Painter at point guard. Step 2: profit. Amateurs.
I don't get how the team that scored 55 and won by 26 points also was banned. Like they were also trying to lose and won by 26?
Also what is the motivation for losing? If you drop seeds you play a better team earlier. There must have been a reason as Smyrna was clearly throwing the game... high stakes gambling? The fix was in? The remaining Gambino family?
