Hands Off

I'm sure there have been instances when and where nearly every frustrated head basketball coach in the nation has wanted to lash out at a student timekeeper sitting courtside. But you just can't. Like you can't lay your hand on one of your players, or one of the referees, you can't lay your hands on a student timekeeper or score keeper as St. FX assistant coach Garry Gallimore did last weekend.

The fallout continues after a four-game suspension. Today, Gallimore quit.

Really, what else could he do after doing this (you'll have to get to about the five-minute mark or later to see Gallimore strike an official at the scorers table:

Look, I know why Gallimore did it. He's a competitor, he was angry, his team was losing, the timekeepers screwed up, it wasn't in his gym, so on and so forth. But we all know why he can't do it. That's obvious. That said, this is just another call for conferences to pony up the cash to pay real, schooled, accountable officials at the scorers table. After all, we all remember what happened to Guelph in Hamilton last season. And what happened in the aftermath — nothing. Depsite "the table [being] an extension of us as officials."

— posted by Greg Layson

Comments

[Respect for Officials]

Clarification - The timekeeper did his job, he had buzzed for a timeout and he did not start the clock.The refs missed it, the most experienced coach in the AUS Konchalski didn't do his job, and Gallimore simply had to look up to see that the clock was not running. There was no mistake by the timekeeper - he was the one who was struck. Konchalski and Gallimore were in a fit of rage because they were losing - it had to be someone else's fault.