Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Arrow still fuming after Islanders’ wild OT loss

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Monday, January 22, 2001

Arrow still fuming after Islanders’ wild OT loss
A&M-CC players prepared to leave past behind as they ready themselves to face Winthrop today
By Matt Young
Caller-Times
ROCK HILL, S.C. - A day after their 117-116 controversial overtime loss at Belmont on Saturday, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's players seemed unaffected by the emotional defeat as they laughed and horsed around at the Nashville airport Sunday. However, a few feet away from the gathering of players, was Islanders coach Ronnie Arrow, and he was in no joking mood.
   "I was telling our coaches that it's a good thing the players are so easygoing, because they've already let that loss roll off their backs," Arrow said. "It'll stick with me a lot longer. I'm nowhere near over that loss yet."
   The fact that the players aren't thinking about the loss could be good news for A&M-Corpus Christi when it plays at Winthrop at 6 p.m. today.
   "That was a crazy loss; I've never seen anything like that, but it's over now," Islander guard Arunas Drasutis said. "We've got to go play another game and bounce back from that loss."
   The Islanders might be able to bounce back from the Belmont loss, but it's not one they will be able to forget for a while.
   A&M-Corpus Christi appeared to seal a 116-115 overtime win when center Pathe Diene blocked a Belmont shot out of bounds as the buzzer sounded. While the Islanders celebrated the win, the officials met and decided to put three tenths of a second back on the clock.
   Inbounding the ball on the baseline, Belmont threw an alley-oop inbounds pass to Wes Burtner. Burtner and A&M-Corpus Christi forward Brian Hamilton both jumped for the pass, but Hamilton was called for a pushing foul when he was in the air, sending Burtner to the line with no time remaining.
   Standing at the free-throw line while both teams stood by their benches, Burtner drilled both free throws for the win.
   Both calls -putting time back on the clock and calling a touch foul at the buzzer - sent Arrow into a rage as he chased the officials off the court.
   A day later, Arrow wasn't feeling much better, even going as far as to compare his team's loss to the United States' controversial loss to the Soviet Union in the 1972 Olympics.
   "I thought I was Gene Iba, and I was coaching the Olympic team, only I was coaching against Belmont and not the Russians," Arrow said. "I mean, the buzzer sounds, I shake hands with the opposing coach and get ready to walk off the court to celebrate a big win, then the officials tell us the game's not over? That's a hell of a feeling when they take it from you like that."
   Arrow got some sense of satisfaction Sunday when he called a supervisor of officials and was told that the officials ruled incorrectly when they put time back on the clock.
   "I looked at that ending on tape until a quarter 'til 2 in the morning, and they still never changed that dang call," Arrow said. "I guess I shouldn't worry about it so much. I'm sure those officials are in church right now, not thinking anything about it, but it's still eating at me."


Staff writer Matt Young can be reached at 886-3702 or by e-mail at youngm@caller.com

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND

[an error occurred while processing this directive]