Tournament shootouts had good, bad and ugly Foul behavior on rebound for high school hoops

My friend Bill took me to a Clint Eastwood all-night film festival in Indiana one summer, and that’s all it took to make me a lifelong fan of the lanky cowboy.

Those early spaghetti westerns – they derived their names because they were filmed in Italy – included such titles as “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” I couldn’t help thinking about old Clint as I followed all the action at the Bangor Auditorium during tournament week this year because the end-results of all the hoopla could easily be divided into those three classifications.

Let’s start with the good.

Was there any better display of good sportsmanship and fair play exhibited by a group of kids and their coaches than what we witnessed from head coach Terry Cummings and his Greater Houlton Christian girls hoop squad?

I think not.

Coach Cummings, the former Houlton High School hoop star, has assembled an outstanding group of young people in the Shiretown. These young ladies are what they profess to be and it was a joy to watch kids play hard and preach sportsmanship in all they do, on and off the basketball floor.

A tip of the hat is in order for all of them.

Next, we turn to the bad – and there is always that element in the hoop proceedings.

This year, according to Maine’s Commissioner of Basketball, Peter Webb, there were seven – count ’em – seven technical fouls assessed to coaches and players, a number higher than normal for such postseason proceedings, according to The Commish.

I marvel at the lame rationale which often accompanies such outbursts, and besides negating their team’s chances for any sportsmanship recognition by the Maine Principals’ Association, the black eye accompanying such rude behavior pales in comparison to the lasting negative impression given to not only the communities associated with the schools but the loyal fans themselves.

And finally, we come to the ugly.

Let’s call this sordid section official bashing.

Gosh, we had too much of that stuff this tournament season.

Let’s talk about broadcasters first.

Up and down the radio dial and on the television sets, there were too many questioned calls by announcers who were working the games.

As a point of reference, it is a national trend to bad-mouth referees. From this corner, there is no place for questioning calls by high school officials in a local or regional setting.

Here’s why.

The dangerous nature of such an enterprise spreading throughout the stands is always a possibility in such instances.

Then, when these same listeners and viewers pick up a copy of their daily newspaper and read about a coach, Rick Sinclair of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, complaining about the tournament officiating, the groundwork has been laid for a confrontation.

All in all, tournament 2007 gets aces all around for the good clearly outweighed the bad. Make no mistake about that. But the bad and the ugly caught up a little bit this year, didn’t they?

30-Second Time Out

A comment on the boys Class C state final in Bangor is in order here.

Longtime boys basketball coach I.J. Pinkham of Boothbay Region, tough-luck loser to Calais, deserves a tip of the hat for not only his many years of service but also his classy sideline demeanor.

I’d add I.J. to a list which includes Roger Reed of Bangor, Phil Faulkner and Dick Barstow of Katahdin, and Ordie Alley of Jonesport-Beals as coaches who won consistently with grace and style.

BDN columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net