Loyola MD coach sits in stands, lets assistant coach after technical

The incident happened in a NIT Tip-off game against Cornell. From AP-

BALTIMORE — It’s not often a college basketball coach passes control of his team to an assistant in the middle of a game and then climbs into the stands to watch the action.

Jimmy Patsos did both Tuesday night.

His Loyola (Md.) team lost to Cornell 82-72 in Boston during the NIT Season Tip-off, and the fifth-year coach insists his actions were warranted.

The trouble began when Patsos was slapped with a technical foul midway through the first half. According to Patsos, instead of calling the technical on the bench, referee John Gaffney told those at the scoring table, “That’s a Grade A technical foul on Jimmy Patsos.”

Patsos said Gaffney then warned him that he would be thrown out of the arena if he said another word.

“It was a very strange situation,” Patsos said Wednesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “I really hadn’t done anything in the first place to warrant the technical, and there was no warning. But instead of arguing, I just moved to the other side of the bench and had [assistant] Matt Kovarick call the plays.”

Patsos used the time to talk individually to players on his young team. All went well until late in the second half, when Patsos contends Gaffney initiated a switch with another referee to position himself in front of the Loyola bench.

Gaffney then “yelled at me and my assistants,” Patsos said.

Patsos had no idea how to react.

“I didn’t want to get tossed out. I had my hands up in the surrender position,” he said.

Yelling and screaming at the referees, what does it get accomplished? It won’t change the outcome on the field or court, but will raise your bp through the roof, cause fans and players alike to shake their heads at your conduct, and then have sarcastic bloggers write about you. Learn a lesson coach, or you may end up with one of my Knucklehead awards.