Houston Cougars Basketball

When basketball fanatics use the phrase "getting the boot", they normally speak of getting ejected from further competition. Last night, in a college basketball game between the Houston Cougars and Arizona Wildcats, the phrase held true but was taken to new heights.

Controversy began as mixed emotions erupted at the McKale Center. With tension high, 9:51 left in regulation and the visiting Houston Cougars up by 12, Arizona Wildcats forward Chase Budinger fell to the floor after taking a routine charge. The end results were something beyond normality.

Houston's leading scorer and rebounder, Aubrey Coleman, the recipient of the charging foul, took some normal steps towards Budinger, who was on the ground. About eight feet from where the foul took place, Budinger laid on the floor with his eyes closed, uncertain of the event about to occur.

Aubrey Coleman had been taking a few stops towards Budinger and didn't intend to stop. He planted his foot right into the face of the Wildcats star player, stepping right on him like nothing had happened. Budinger sprung up and appeared to throw a punch. Budinger received a technical foul for his retaliation, and Coleman was ejected from the contest.

Reminiscent of the 1992 Regional Final game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Duke Blue Devils, the one in which Christian Laettner sunk the Wildcats at the buzzer to advance and later win it all, provides further recollection on an event like this one.

In a similar situation, Duke's Christian Laettner drove towards the basket and knocked over Kentucky's Aminu Timberlake. While Timberlake was still on the ground, Laettner stumbled backwards, re-gained his balance, and then stepped right on the chest of Timberlake.

Although the moment didn't escalate like that of Budinger's and Coleman's, Laettner was charged with a technical foul. Laettner later admitted to the incident, claiming that Timberlake had "pushed him down earlier in the game, maybe one or two minutes before" and that he had made a mental note to get back at him and be physical with him.

Timberlake sprung up quickly, much like Budinger had done in the comparable incident last night, but didn't attempt to retaliate. Instead, he just clapped and smiled, and watched as Laettner had received a technical foul.

Kentucky fans still wonder to this day why Christian Laettner was not ejected from further competition. Had he been ejected, the end result might have been different. Laettner later beat Kentucky at the buzzer in overtime.

While Laettner later admitted to his wrongdoings, Coleman has shown no signs of sympathy towards Chase Budinger. In fact, Houston head coach Tom Penders didn't even feel as though his player, Aubrey Coleman, should have been ejected. Penders said, "Aubrey said that he turned around to see what the refs called, and he stumbled over a prone Budinger".

Penders also added "Aubrey's not that kind of player. Had he kicked [Budinger] or thrown a punch, then I could understand [the ejection]."

In the case of Laettner, who before confessing the truth behind his incident, noted at the fact that he was losing his balance and barely stepped on Timberlake's chest. While the video evidence disproves this fact, it is more believable than what Houston head coach Tom Pender's is trying to sell.

As they say, "revenge is a dish best served cold." Arizona definitely delivered what Houston had coming their way, as the Wildcats rallied to send the game into overtime at the buzzer, and ultimately won it in the extended time frame, 96-90.

Chase Budinger felt as though this incident was intentional, saying, "He stepped on a part of my face, and my arm right here. You can see some footprints on my jersey here."

Although the media found it funny, there are many Wildcat fans, Cougar fans, and basketball fans in general that does not approve of something like this.

What put the icing on the cake, so to speak, was Coleman's appreciation of the "accidental" stepping on the face of Budinger. The cameras caught Coleman giving high fives to his teammates after the incident occurred, and smiling.

This is simply something that should not happen at any level of basketball. It is a sign of disrespect, poor sportsmanship, and an event that goes off the court. I'm one fan that will be very surprised if some type of penalty, a suspension at the least, is not imposed.

I am sickened at what I witnessed yesterday in the match-up between the Houston Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats.  When you view this clip (courtesy of YouTube and Rivals.com), I imagine you might feel the same. My stomach literally churns when I see it.

In the second half of a game that Houston was dominating, the Cougars' Aubrey Coleman was called for a charge after shoving Arizona's Chase Budinger to the floor while dribbling past the half-court line.

After the whistle, Coleman continued to walk forward and proceeded to intentionally stomp directly on the face of Budinger. It wasn't an accident; the video clearly shows Coleman walking straight over to Budinger and using force to plant his red and white Nike right into Budinger's craw.

As if that wasn't enough, Coleman then strolled away with a grin the Cheshire Cat would be envious of and received several accolades and high-fives from his teammates. Apparently, in Houston, you are to be congratulated for intentionally leaving an imprint of your shoe size on an opponent's face. Very classy, Cougars.

This incident is perhaps the most unsportsmanlike conduct I have ever witnessed on the court of a college basketball game.

Though Coleman was ejected for the "flagrant foul," that punishment is not nearly enough. He deserves a minimum ten-game suspension, but my recommendation is that his season ends today. The NCAA must send a clear, strong signal that this type of behavior will not be tolerated and will be met with the harshest of sanctions.

Houston's coach Tom Penders surely would take the time to apologize after the game, right? Not a chance. 

Here's Penders' response: "I'm just sorry the official interpreted it that way. The way I saw it, Aubrey got tangled and his momentum carried him forward and I think it was a mistake."

It was a mistake for sure, but not one that had anything to do with entanglement or momentum.

I'll give Penders the benefit of the doubt and assume he hadn't yet seen the video.  If he has seen the video and still has the same sentiments, then he is just as classless as Coleman. In fact, maybe he should be suspended for a game too since he could be held accountable for creating an environment where this type of play is acceptable.

Not that they need any further motivation, but the NCAA may also wish to nip this incident in the bud due to the possibility of racial undertones surfacing.

I am not at all insinuating that Coleman stomped Budinger because he was white, but "foot-stomping" has culturally had racial implications in America, and the incident has the possibility of being interpreted in that manner. There will also be the inevitable arguments that start with, "If Coleman had been white and Budinger had been black..."

Unlikely as it is, the last thing college basketball needs is any type of "race war".

As to the final outcome of the game, score one for karma. Houston went on to lose 96-90 in overtime despite dominating the game up until the incident.

The NCAA needs to move immediately and forcefully to make it clear that this must never happen again.

Update 1: Since this article was written, an apology was issued by Aubrey Coleman.  The story with his statement can be read here. The apology, while certainly the right thing to do, does not change my mind on the punishment.

If he was truly "sorry from the bottom of his heart," then he should have apologized on the spot, after the game or that night. I am not in his heart or mind, so I can't say whether he is only sorry because he realizes he might be in for a big-time suspension. I can't help but wonder.

Update 2: In the last couple of hours (on the evening of Jan. 26), the University of Houston issued a statement that they were suspending Coleman for an additional one game, the upcoming game against UTEP, and that they now "consider the case closed."

We'll see. It appears that most people feel the punishment to be wholly inadequate, and the NCAA could still weigh in.

Houston vs. UTEP January 14th, 2009 9:05PM

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Under Tom Penders, the Houston Cougars are all about running and gunning, pushing the pace and scoring at will against poor defensive foes. But the Cougars have a very, very sharp home/road dichotomy when it comes to shooting the basketball, not atypical for a team that lost four of their five starters from last year’s 24-win team, relying heavily on youth here in 2009.

The numbers don’t lie.

Houston has played three previous road games, against Middle Tennessee, Toledo, and Mississippi State. They struggled offensively in all three ballgames, scoring 10 points per game less than their season average while shooting a woeful 37 percent from the floor in those contests.

That’s very bad news against a UTEP squad that has been stellar on the defensive end of the court, both from inside and outside the arc.

There are two central questions for any team when they face Houston. First, can they handle the basketball against the Cougars pressure? And second, are they strong enough in the paint to prevent easy drive and dish opportunities while dominating the glass?

The answers here are “yes” and “yes.”

The Miners are loaded with frontcourt size and depth, and at home, they’ve got a very strong 1.45 assist-to-turnover ratio, which bodes well for their chances as a short home favorite tonight. (No. 796) 2* Take UTEP.

Courtesy of Ted Sevransky