Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Saturday's college basketball game between Kansas State and Missouri wasn't one for the faint of heart. The Tigers upset the 11th-ranked Wildcats after a contest that featured 56 personal fouls and 73 free throw attempts. (Fittingly, only 48 of those 73 were made.)
The game also featured the latest episode of college sports' newest hit series, Coaches Behaving Badly, which opens its basketball run after a busy football season. Though in reality, this was something I've seen before in games, without generating much of a fuss.
The culprit is Kansas State head coach Frank Martin, who in his own words, "kind of whacked Chris Merriewether in the side there after that one turnover." (H/T The Topeka Capital Journal)
Merriewether stands with his coach after the incident, and Martin smartly opened his postgame comments with an apology.
The Kansas State administration stands by their man, for the moment. But after the past few weeks, which saw football coaches Mark Mangino, Jim Leavitt (coincidentally, a former assistant in Manhattan) and Mike Leach fired for alleged mistreatment of players, Martin's leash is just that much shorter after Saturday afternoon.
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Whoa, slow down there, chief
Frank’s not on any kind of a “leash.” Not when he’s contending for Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.
This is a non-story — not because what he did was inappropriate and should not be repeated, but because it won’t go anywhere from here.
Mangino, Leach and Leavitt had reached the end of their ropes with their respective administrations, who were looking for a good excuse to can them. Martin’s not on any such thin ice.
Furthermore, parent complaints played a large role in all three firings, but if Chris Merriewether can be taken at his word (and I see no reason to believe he can’t), then there are no hard feelings.
I know the national image of Frank Martin is a coach out of control, but we at K-State couldn’t be happier with our coach and as far as I am concerned, John Currie’s unequivocal statement of support should put an end to this.
But that won’t stop Yahoo and ESPN from hyping up a non-event, of course.
P.S. I dislike the use of the word “hit” in this instance, because it usually implies a punch or a violent strike. He flicked him with the back of his hand. Maybe it’s splitting hairs, but I think there’s a world of difference between that and “hitting.”
by BracketCat on Jan 10, 2010 8:46 PM EST reply actions
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