Wednesday, February 21, 2001
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Wednesday, February 21, 2001 |
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Youth basketball coaches who scuffled with ref are banned for rest of season By JOHN
MUNFORD The two youth basketball coaches involved in an altercation with a referee after a game at Spring Hill Elementary School last week have been banned from coaching the remainder of this season. As a result, Jerry Sweeney and Mike Barfield will name a replacement to serve as coach of the 7- to 8-year-old Grizzlies for the rest of the tournament, said Carlos Garza, president of the Fayette County Youth Basketball Association. Sweeney was injured when referee Oliver Louis Wood cut him on the arm with a three-inch folding pocketknife during a verbal confrontation after the game, according to police. The Citizen also has learned that Barfield was investigated last year for two complaints about his coaching in the Fayette County Baseball Association. The allegations were unfounded, the FCBA board determined, and Barfield was allowed to continue coaching while a board member watched each of his team's last three games, said association President Charles McCollum. Minutes after the incident at the basketball game last week, police arrested Wood, who was later charged with aggravated assault and bringing a weapon onto school property. Wood also has been forbidden from officiating any games for the rest of the season, Garza added. Garza said the board of directors made the decision last week to "make everyone feel a little better" about completing the post-season tournament. There was some hesitation about banning the coaches, but it was deemed appropriate "since they were involved in that confrontation," Garza said. "To dispel any type of tension, we decided to ban the two from coaching the Grizzlies for the rest of the season," he said. Garza added that the situation must first be finalized in court before any final action from the league can take place. "We're just going to have to wait," he said. Garza confirmed that after the incident, several people have come forward with complaints about the coaches. Garza said the league does not perform criminal background checks on its volunteer coaches, a trend that has been growing across the country as violence begins to creep into youth sports. He added that background checks likely wouldn't have turned up anything to help prevent this incident, and most coaches participate because their children also play. "Sometimes as parents we take it a little bit too seriously," Garza said, adding that the focus should instead be on what's best for the kids. Each coach in the league must be certified through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association at an annual clinic, Garza said. During those clinics, the coaches are taught the things to do and the things not to do, he added. Garza said the post-season tournament will continue with games last night and tonight. After the tournament is finished, the all-star tournament will be conducted, as players from each team vote three of their teammates to the all-star squads.
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