ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 14, 1997 TAG: 9702140052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
The ACC has suspended the officials who worked the Duke-Virginia men's basketball game Tuesday night for one game and acknowledged mistakes were made in game management.
ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan announced that referee Rick Hartzell and umpires Tim Higgins and Zelton Steed would have a future assignment canceled.
Corrigan said the ACC's supervisor of basketball officials, Fred Barakat, might take further action internally.
``I hasten to add that we believe this crew is one of the best we have,'' Corrigan said in a prepared statement, ``but they must all bear responsibility for this critical mistake. The game is over and the score is final, and it is unfortunate that an outstanding game should end this way.''
The Blue Devils won 62-61 on a pair of free throws by Steve Wojciechowski with seven-tenths of a second remaining.
Virginia had gone ahead 61-60 when Norman Nolan made the second of two free-throw attempts with five seconds left, at which point the Cavaliers attempted to substitute Willie Dersch for Nolan and set their defense.
``We didn't see a sub there,'' Hartzell told Virginia sports information director Rich Murray, acting as a pool reporter. ``We didn't hear a horn.''
Upon review of the evidence, the ACC office seemed to concur with Dersch and Virginia coach Jeff Jones, both of whom said there was a spoken exchange between Hartzell and Dersch before Nolan attempted his first free throw.
``Our reviews of the video ... show a recognition of the substitute by the official [Hartzell] closest to the scorer's table,'' Corrigan said. ``Our discussions with all those involved leave no doubt in my mind that a serious officiating mechanics mistake was made.
``The entire officiating crew needs to be held accountable. This is as fundamental as it gets ... basic game-management procedures for our officials. From the point the ball was inbounded, the remaining sequence was handled properly, but in my mind that is clearly secondary.''
UVa coach Jeff Jones said: ``The statement by Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Gene Corrigan speaks for itself. Our concern is preparing for our upcoming game [Saturday] against Clemson.''
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