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Hartley Miller's Slap- Shots Friday March 17th Edition

By Hartley Miller

-Hartley Miller

Can you imagine a hockey team scoring on its own net, on purpose, late in the 3rd period in a tied game, so they could lose? How about a football team, in a tied game, with a few seconds left deliberately giving up a safety touch to lose? Well, to the dismay of many, a similar scenario unfolded at a recent BC Colleges' Athletic Association Men's Basketball Game.

On the last weekend of the regular season, the Langara Falcons, and the Camosun Chargers were tied for second place. Prior to the double-header, both teams had records of 13-3. These games were crucial because the team that finished in second place would receive a first round bye, and were guaranteed a spot in the bronze medal game. The third place team would have to play an extra playoff game against 6th place UNBC, with the loser eliminated. So, there was a lot on the line in these two contests.

In game one, Langara won 69-63 which created a must win for Camosun. However, because of a controversial tie-breaking rule, Camosun needed to win by more than 5 points. Therefore, Langara controlled its own destiny because they could either win the rematch or “lose” by five or less in order to clinch second.

It was in game two that the integrity of this league was challenged. The Falcons tied the game on a free throw with less than 30 seconds left. Now the “fun” begins. Of course, Camosun wants the game to go into a five minute overtime, so they can win by more than five. The Chargers, with possession of the ball, simply wanted to run out the clock. The Falcons were willing do “anything” to prevent overtime, so they intentionally fouled. The Chargers then intentionally missed both free throws. Langara got the ball back, hoping to score and win, but a traveling call gave the ball back to Camosun. Another intentional Langara foul meant The Chargers went to the line, and again, they intentionally missed both shots. This gave the Falcons the ball one more time, with less than five seconds left. Can you guess what they did? They intentionally scored on themselves. Yes, they put the ball into their own hoop and that bucket gave Camosun the 68-66 victory, but it also guaranteed Langara second place.

Ironically, Camosun, after trouncing UNBC 84-54, played Langara in the playoff semi-finals, and got revenge, winning 67-53. As it turned out, Camosun earned silver, losing the final to Fraser Valley, while Langara earned nothing, losing the bronze medal match to Capilano.

This situation was a “dark day” for college basketball in BC. Langara coach Simon Dykstra says “I'm not proud of it” referring to the fact he made the decision to intentionally lose the game, but adds he was just doing what he thought was best for his team at the time. Dykstra has since resigned, but insists the scenario had nothing to do with his decision. UNBC coach Zane Robison sums it up by saying “the tie-breaking rule is ridiculously wrong” and coaches don't like it because “it promotes unsportsmanlike play”.

Both teams (in particular coach Dykstra and Camosun coach Gord Thatcher) should be ashamed of the way they handled the situation. They made a mockery of the game. The BCCAA basketball decision makers need to make sure nothing like this happens again. It goes without saying that the rule needs to be changed, and all teams should be warned never to undermine the integrity of the game again, even if there is a loophole in the rules. No wonder the league gets so little media attention.

Its stories like this, that make many fans shake their heads and walk away from what can be a great game.


From the quote rack:

• "Nice to see the Leafs re-acquired Luke Richardson, their first-round pick in 1987. In Toronto, they're calling this a youth movement".
Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix 
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• "Sorry, but I'm saving up for one of Barry Bonds' syringes.”
Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, on Bjorn Borg auctioning off his five Wimbledon trophies 
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• "John McEnroe should get first dibs."
Dan Bickley, of the Arizona Republic, on Borg selling his Wimbledon trophies. 
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• "No word on whether the Knicks had a scout in the crowd.''
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, on the Iditarod, which features over 13-hundred sled dogs:
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• "Looks like Jesus, acts like Judas, throws like Mary.''
Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe on a Johnny Damon T-shirt he saw in Florida
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• According to Bob Rowher of the Los Angeles Times, the Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team has a couple of big-name high school recruits set to join the team next season. Whitney Houston is a 5-foot-8 guard from Memphis while Brittany Spears is a 6-foot-1 forward from Pasadena.



--And how was your week?

--Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94x and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press.

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