Emporia State athletic director Kent Weiser and ESU President Michael Lane received little help from NCAA Rules Secretary Ed Belick in their phone conversation this morning.
Both Weiser and Lane were hoping to find someone at the national level to listen to their appeal of Thursday’s 91-83 double-overtime loss to Northwest Missouri State.
The two didn’t get anywhere with Belick.
“He just quoted the rules to us and said there’s no appeal process,” Weiser said. “We talked to (MIAA) commissioner (Jim Johnson) again, and the President is determining where else we can go with this.
“He firmly believes that somebody needs to take a look at this.”
In Thursday’s game, ESU’s Andrew Davison hit a potential game-winning 50-foot shot at the end of regulation that later was waved off by officials after a cell phone stopwatch was used to determine the time in the game.
ESU’s main objection revolves around the actions of referee Tom Svehla.
According to conversations with Ron Zetcher, the MIAA’s director of basketball officials, Weiser learned that Will Lynde — the other official looking at the replay with Svehla — told Svehla while watching the replay that he was not allowed to use an outside device such as a stopwatch as part of the review process.
Zetcher said that Lynde was told by Svehla that he was going to use the stopwatch anyway, meaning that he purposely stepped outside the NCAA rulebook in his review of the play.
“We’re not going to let it drop,” Weiser said. “We’re going to continue to try to find somebody in the mass of bureaucracy that will give us a straight answer and at least listen to this.”
Belick told Weiser and Lane their only recourse was to propose a rules change at the NCAA rules committee meeting in May. Of course, that would not be an appeal of the game, but instead an attempt at altering NCAA rules.
Weiser said he and Lane would continue to explore ways to get the decision overturned.
“We’ve got to do some more calling,” Weiser said. “Hopefully, someone else will listen to us.”
MIAA says it can’t change game’s result
The MIAA responded to Emporia State’s official appeal of Thursday’s ESU-Northwest Missouri State game Monday by announcing that the result will not be overturned, at least by the conference office.
According to the conference’s release, the referee “improperly used video replay to reverse the call on the court.”
But, according to NCAA rule 2-4.4, once the officials have left the confines of the playing floor and the final score has been approved by those officials, it cannot be altered.
“It is unfortunate when the action of one individual has such a significant impact on what was an outstanding Division II college basketball game,” MIAA commissioner Jim Johnson said. “However, I do not believe there is an avenue for me to take that would be appropriate within the rules of the game.”
The MIAA did announce that official Tom Svehla — the official who decided to use the stopwatch — has been suspended for the rest of the season and will not work another MIAA game this season.
“Like all officials, the gentleman in question will have his position on the MIAA officiating staff reviewed at the conclusion of the season,” Johnson said.
“I appreciate the professionalism with which Emporia State director of athletics Kent Weiser and head men’s basketball coach David Moe have handled this unfortunate situation.”
Go_Emporia (anonymous) says...
Official Will Lynde told Tom Svehla that it was against the rules to use the cell phone. Tom Svehla obviously showed a blatant disregard for the rules by doing so anyway, and it cost ESU the ballgame.
It seems to me a suspension is not nearly enough for this official. He owes the entire ESU basketball team and its fans a public apology. I believe he should be banned from any future officiating in the MIAA - ever.This was not an officiating mistake. It was a willful self-serving disregard for the rules of the game by a veteran official who certainly knew better, but chose to act defiantly at the expense of the ESU basketball team.
With no real recourse according to the NCAA handbook to set this wrong right, I would think Jim Johnson could exercise his authority as the MIAA Commissioner and make the decision to do the right thing and award ESU the win (as was the call on the court prior to the video review antics).
February 12, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialifer (anonymous) says...
Now I am even more confused. What exactly is the point of an "appeal" process then - I mean if the MIAA commissioner supposedly can't make it right and the NCAA is claiming they can't either - then exactly why have an appeal process or is the NCAA actually claiming that there is no appeal process? Shouldn't someone have a little power over the officials?
Propose a rule change? Why - there are already rules in place that were obviously not followed.
I'm just curious if our Judicial system could adopt the same "appeals" process - I think it would save a lot of taxpayer money (might tick off some criminals though). Haha - what a joke!
February 12, 2008 at 5:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )