by Paul Casey Gotham
It has often been said that a referee is at his /her best when that person goes unnoticed. Such is the tortured life of game officials.
Les Jones showed during yesterday’s UNC / North Carolina State match up at the RBC Center at least one occasion when a referee should make himself part of the action.
In the waning seconds of a 93-76 UNC victory, Tar Heel reserve Mike Copeland went in for what appeared to be an exclamation point dunk.
Wolf Pack center, Ben McCauley, was going to have nothing of it and fouled Copeland from behind.
McCauley was deservedly given a flagrant foul.
After falling to the court Copeland jumped up and charged in McCauley’s direction.
Instinctively, Les Jones came running from the sideline, put both of his hands into the chest of the 6’7″ senior and shoved him away. Copeland persisted, but Jones maintained order.
What could have been an ugly scene was avoided by the quick-thinking Jones.
crossword pete says
In today’s world, I both admire and fear for a referee who takes that kind of action. I compare it to the hallways of public education. When I first entered education, one would worry about getting hurt when intervening in a scuffle. Now one worries more about getting sued. It’s a lot like the fear that must be gripping the coaching community at large. Push a kid to excel, and if something happens to him/her, go to jail. The burden of responsibility a coach would carry on his conscience if a player died would be overwhelming, but who wants to coach when you may carry an additional burden like jail. So, good job ref, but be careful ref!
crossword pete says
Obviously I am pushing at least 1 soccer book, so the actual title of 1950 US England is “The Game of Their Lives”, or check out “The Miracle of Castel di Sangro”.