during the game...The day before, Temple coach John Chaney fired a warning shot at St. Joseph's and the officials, claiming the Hawks free their long-range shooters, Pat Carroll and Chet Stachitas, by using illegal screens.
The Hall of Fame coach said if it happened again, he would send one of his goons on the floor to send a message.
after the game...He railed against the officials for allowing the Hawks to get away with what he perceives as illegal screens. So with 15 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the game and St. Joe's holding a 39-31 lead, Chaney sent in the imposing but seldom-used 6-foot-8 senior Nehemiah Ingram.
A little more than four minutes later - after he delivered a hard foul and slammed John Bryant to the floor (Bryant had to leave the game), and after he had delivered forearm shivers to the chins of Carroll and Dwayne Jones and drew a technical for the incident with Carroll - Ingram fouled out while St. Joe's was pulling away to a lead that reached 50-34.
I'm going to say it as plain as I can: John Chaney needs his ass whupped. Either that, or kick him out of basketball for good. Those are the only reasonable ways to effectively deal with him. This man has choked coaches, challenges people to fights, threatened to kill other coaches, and god knows what else. And the Atlantic-10 commissioners as well as the Temple brass continue to either look the other way or give him a slap on the wrist each time he pulls some crap like this.Afterward, Chaney made it clear he didn't put Ingram into the game for his offensive prowess. After all, Ingram has played 54 minutes this season, committed 21 fouls, and scored five points.
"I wanted him to put forth some illegal screens just like they were," the fuming Chaney said. "They were sending two guys to screen for one guy to get a shot, so I did the same thing to them. I'm sending a message, and I did what I used to do years ago and send in a goon. I'm from the old school, trying to play it right, but no more. I'm sending a message to the rest of the league."
Told that Bryant appeared injured after he was fouled by Ingram, Chaney said: "That's what happens. That's what happens. I'm a mean, ornery SOB, understand?" Chaney was true to his word. During Monday's weekly A-10 coaches teleconference, Chaney said he'd send in a goon, adding it was not his intention to make a mockery of the game. Regardless, little that occurred after Ingram entered the game resembled basketball.
"We're going to have to have better officials who are going to call illegal screens," he said Monday. He added: "I'll go back to my old style of basketball and put one of my goons in and have him run through one of those guys and chop him in the neck or something."
Chaney acts like some school bully because he deals with people who won't stand up to him due to his "legend" status, his age, or for other reasons. And this incident illustrates perfectly what's wrong with basketball today; those referees who called that game should be fired for allowing Chaney and Ingram to get away with that without any immediate repercussions. They were too scared to do anything because it was John Chaney and they're scared to reprimand him.
You have Chaney threatening to pull this stunt THE DAY BEFORE THE GAME. Didn't the refs hear about it, and thus should have braced for this to happen and stopped it before it started? Even if they didn't, look at how rough the fouls were....forearm shivers, SLAMMED a player to the floor, putting him out the game? There's no way in hell that Ingram should have made it to five fouls; he should have been ejected after two. If I were Bryant's parents, I would seriously consider suing the Atlantic-10 and Temple University for allowing their kid to get hurt by this fiasco.
I'll be the first to admit; St. Joes' squad are better men than I. All it would have took was ONE moment for me to realize Ingram was trying to intentionally hurt me or one of my teammates. He'd get a warning: one more time and you'll get knocked on your ass. And if he did it anyway, I'd make good on my promise. Size be damned. And afterwards I'd go after Chaney; age be damned. Basketball players that are trying to play a clean game should not have to worry about a coach sending "goons" out on the court to possibly put them on the shelf and their careers on hold.
Now, Chaney has apologized and suspended himself for one game. One game? That's it? He should be suspended for the rest of the season. It's nothing more than a false-faced apology in order to quell the criticism of his antics. That isn't even close to the punishment Chaney truly deserves.
