Temple coach Chaney to take seat for rest of regular season
I think my behavior is reprehensible and, as I’ve said 1,000 times, I take responsibility. If it’s the judgment of the school to suspend me, I can accept the responsibility of my actions. I’ve had a reputation for many years, I’ve done many things wrong and made a lot of mistakes. My name is a lightning rod. Right now, I’ll just take inventory of myself.
- John Chaney
This is truly a sad story. John Chaney has had a brilliant career as the head men’s basketball coach at Temple University in Philadelphia. It would be difficult to do justice to the role he has filled as surrogate father to so many of his players over his 33-year career. At his best, John Chaney is one of the things that make college basketball worthwhile. His passion, devotion to the game, and commitment to his players is truly remarkable in this day and age of increasingly corporate, well-groomed, career-conscious coaches. At his worst, John Chaney can be immature, reactionary, and, as this latest incident proves, downright dangerous.
If Chaney were a hockey coach, it’s doubtful that his latest meltdown would attract much attention. It’s just that when people think of college basketball, the word “goon” isn’t normally part of the vocabulary.
I suppose this is what is meant by “ineffective anger management”.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) รณ John Chaney’s use of a “goon” may have ended a player’s season, and the Hall of Fame coach’s career could be the next casualty.
Chaney was suspended for the rest of the regular season by Temple on Friday for ordering rough play by one of his players, who proceeded to foul out in four minutes against Saint Joseph’s and broke an opponent’s arm.
The Hall of Fame coach had suspended himself for one game Wednesday and apologized for his actions. He will miss Temple’s home game against Massachusetts on Saturday and road games against Rhode Island and La Salle, before returning for the Atlantic 10 tournament….
Chaney, angered by what he thought were illegal screens by Saint Joseph’s, inserted seldom-used, 6-foot-8, 250-pound Nehemiah Ingram against the Hawks on Tuesday to “send a message.” Ingram fouled [John] Bryant hard, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Bryant, a senior and sixth man for the Hawks, has probably played his last game.
Chaney said he called Bryant on Friday morning to apologize and also said he planned to talk to his parents. Chaney also offered to pay for any of Bryant’s medical bills.
I can understand Chaney’s desire to protect his players, but college basketball is not hockey. There are certainly more appropriate ways in which Chaney could have made his feelings known. Sadly, a player’s college career has likely been ended because a coach could not find an appropriate way to channel his anger.
Yes, Nehemiah Ingram bears some responsibility. He had to know that what his coach was asking him to do was wrong. Nonetheless, that is a seperate issue, especially since the Atlantic 10 Conference has determined that Ingram was “only following orders”. Whatever….
No, the primary responsibility for this travesty lies squarely on the shoulders of John Chaney. To his credit, he has accepted responsibility for his actions and the consequences that will accrue from those actions. What is perhaps most depressing about this sorry episode is that, coming as it does at the tail end of Chaney’s career, this is one of the things he will be most remembered for. When people discuss John Chaney’s brilliant career, there will be one thing at the forefront of the conversation. It won’t be the games he has won, or the players he has impacted over the course of his career. It will involve the word “goon”.
An otherwise brilliant career and it’s legacy derailed by one poor emotion-laden decision. Though Chaney clearly deserves his DUMB@$$ AWARD, this is a case where I almost hate to give it out. John Chaney has done so much good for so many over the course of his career. It’s tragic that he has once again proven himself unable to effectively channel his anger.
Gotta disagree -- Chaney announced before the game that he would do exactly what he did. It was premeditated, and is probably deserving of criminal charges, just like Tanya Harding deserved to be charged after Nancy Kerrigan's knee got whacked.
As I say over at my place, Chaney richly deserves everything he gets and more. His words of regret are no different than those of a freshly indicted mafia don after his contract killer gets Busted, or of a Klansman who gets busted for inciting a lynch mob.
So the diff is that he said it out loud and only had one kid doing it, right?
But a Vivian Stringer at Rutgers or a Kim Mulkey Robertson at Baylor can tacitly demand it of all her players every game and it's just the evolution of the game?
what-effin-damn-ever, y'know?
"Rough play" IS AGAINST THE RULES IN BASKETBALL.
This coach's career ought to be over.
Now.