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Published Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010 | 11:57 p.m.
Updated Monday, March 1, 2010 | 7:20 p.m.
Alford vs. Tavernari
Related Blog
Editor's note: See an update on Alford's outburst from the Mountain West Conference.
Forget the fact that the Mountain West Conference is enjoying a breakout year on the hardwood, but the league's adding a good amount of drama to the fold.
No. 10 New Mexico essentially captured the MWC regular season title Saturday by going up to Provo and doing what few do, knocking off No. 13 BYU, 83-81.
Now, for fans who follow the league closely, none of what transpired late in the game and immediately afterward between UNM coach Steve Alford and BYU senior forward — and Bishop Gorman grad — Jonathan Tavernari should come as a monstrous surprise.
Alford is by far the league's most outspoken coach and is no stranger to getting emotional on the sidelines. Heck, when the Lobos came to Las Vegas earlier this month and axed the Rebels, he let out a huge fist pump (a Jersey Shore fan??) and a couple of expletives to boot in the closing seconds.
Tavernari is one of the league's more notorious instigators. It's typically not in a negative fashion. He's just that guy who you hate to play against in a pick-up game because you know he's going to hound you to no end, treating a random day at the rec center like it's the Final Four.
During the closing moments of New Mexico's victory Saturday, Darington Hobson was calling a timeout near mid-court, and Tavernari continued to ride all over him even after the whistle was blown. This didn't please Hobson much, as he threw a slight elbow to get Tavernari off of his back. Tavernari then needed to be restrained by teammate Jackson Emery and things ultimately cooled off.
(Sidenote: Let's not forget that in that New Mexico win in Las Vegas, Hobson did the same thing during a tie-up with Chace Stanback. Just pointing that out for the record.)
Until the postgame handshake line, that is.
The embedded YouTube clip clearly captures a verbal exchange between Alford and Tavernari, which concludes with Alford calling the opposing player a ... um ... you can listen for yourself.
Tavernari later went to the New Mexico locker room along with BYU AD Tom Holmoe to offer his apologies for letting things escalate the way they did.
So now I want your thoughts on this.
Was Alford out of line? Is this a regular occurrence, but this time it just happened to be caught on camera? Was he justified?
What about Tavernari? Did he get what he deserved? Should Alford have taken the high road and chalked it up to a young man getting overheated during the end of an emotional game?
My 2 cents is that this whole thing is overblown. I don't think anyone can say they wouldn't have been a bit hot-headed late in a tight game carrying that much importance. Should Alford probably not have said it? Of course not. I'm not saying it's right, but I'm sure it's not the first time a coach has had a word or two with an opposing player who's a pest. Plus, we really don't know what all Tavernari said before the portion that was caught on tape. Just sayin' ...
What about you? Lets discuss it below ...
Alford needs to grow up. He's a coach and should be above that. If he were a 20 yr old college player it might be a little different. As for Hobson. I could care less about that drama queen. That sucker punch he threw at Chace was a joke. My 5 year old niece can punch harder than that. Lobos are lame.
Congrats to Alford and the Lobos. They went into BYU facing the biggest bunch of whining cry-babies in NCAA hoops. For those that saw the awsome game, one could not help but wonder why Tavernari was crying and whining to the officials the entire game. The Lobos didn't complain one time through out the entire game. If the call didn't go BYU's way, either Tavernari, Emery, or Miles were crying and complaining. Tavernari was also riding Hobson throughout the game, even after the whistle had blown. Let's face it. BYU does not lose with class. They were cleary out matched by the Lobos. The days of BYU riding at the top of the MWC are over. They need to quit whining and start playing basketball. I was glad to see Tavernari apologize to Alford; and for both of them to leave on good terms. Now let's drop it and play ball.
Alford and Tavernari are both whiners
Tavernari = Whiner
Alford = Winner
If you didn't watch the game, catch it on the MWC channel. They will replay it. Watch how many times Tavernari was complaining to the officials after riding on Hobson's jersey. Tavernari couldn't keep up with Hobson (20 points, 14 rebounds) Yep, that was Tavernari's assignment. If you want to know why Tavernari was frustrated with Hobson, just compare their stats. He couldn't contain Hobson so he took the low road of whining and complaining. Perhaps they will get a chance to play again the MWC tournament. Remember, Lobos swept BYU this year under winner; Steve Alford!
Both Alford and Tavernari are punks... coach should have taken the high road and zipped it. He is going to get heat from the MWC and NCAA for sure. Then any second now Alford is going to cry about the location of the MWC tourney like he does every year. So glad Tavernari reneged on his verbal commitment to UNLV. He chokes on big games and runs his mouth constantly. Cant wait till we meet UNM again in the tourney finals, the fans better let Alford (or Tavernari) hear it.
UNLVRUNREBS - No disrepect to your team but the Lobos beat you on your own court once, their RPI = 7, and they will be ranked in the top 10 within 30 minutes. Instead of looking ahead to the home court adavantage MWC tournament, focus on the task at hand. Win out your regular season conference games. Focus on basketball, not post game temper tandrums. Good luck to the Rebels. They will need to win out to acquire a 14th seed in the NCAA tournament. I don't see them beating either BYU or UNM. There will be as many UNM fans at the Tommy Mack as there are Rebels; and we love the color, red.....
jaspy... no disrespect to you or your team. But the Rebels beat you on your own court once. Secondly you dont see me lurking on Lobos message boards... go away. As far as the temper tantrums i would bet the house that not a SINGLE coach in the Mountain West would call a player an ***hole. He is one of course.. but that is besides the point. I PROMISE you.. there will not be more Lobo fans then Rebel fans at the Mack. I do however appreciate you guys for wearing rebel red.
As many UNM fans as Rebels at the T&M...doubtful!
Congrats to the Rebels for beating UNM in the PIT. They played a great defensive game that night and deserved the victory, as we deserved the victory at the Tommy Mack and at the Marriot Center. Lobo fans are coming to Vegas in big numbers! We can't wait. After all, Vegas is much more fun the ABQ! Some of us don't mind the home court advantage. Besides, we play better on the road than at home. I will continue to root for UNLV when they play any team from Utah, and I hope to see the Rebs in the NCAA. We are the MWC!
The conference tournament is going to be crazy this year, as there will be massive throng of fans from New Mexico, BYU, and UNLV.
San Diego State doesn't bring as large a crowd, but that weird kid in the frog suit might be there.
I agree with everything Alford said, but that doesn't mean he should have said it. He's a coach; he should know better, period.
Also, Alford isn't the only emotional (immature) coach in the conference. I could totally see Jim Boylen pulling the same crap. Heath Schroyer, too.
Tavernari is what he is. At least he apologized. I hope he meant it, because his behavior was embarrassing.
I agree that Alford should not have accepted the confrontation with Tavernari. Steve is a great coach but needs to put his Bobby Knight behavioral training aside. I encourage all MWC fans that didn't see the game to watch at least the second 1/2 of the replay on The Mountain (BTN - Blurry Television Network) It starts at 4:00 Mtn time. I've never seen a player whine more than Tavernari. Man did he get schooled by Hobson!
Good luck to UNLV, SDSU, and UNM. All are great teams with class players.
Jaspy, it was impressive to see UNM beat BYU Saturday and any win in Provo is great but why is no one talking about how Jimmer didn't play much at all because of yet another illness. How can that not be in the discussion with the win itself?
I appreciate your respect for UNLV fans on their own board btw.
Alford is stupid for getting caught up in this. Lots of problems with UNM sports these days with Alford locksley and whoever that girls soccer player was. Anyway coach is a professional, he should act like one. You will never see Lonny do something like this.
FastCamron, I think my take on Jimmer's illness is that it was over-shadowed by that guy we never heard of Loyd Jr. Clearly, the Lobos didn't prepare for him either. 19 points and 4 boards in the second 1/2! I can't say for certain who would have won if Jimmer was healthy. We did beat them at home with healthy Jimmer so I guess we are just darn glad to get a victory on BYU's "can't lose" court. The way the Lobos were playing, I don't think BYU would have won with a healthy Jimmer, but I'm sure there are many folks that would disagree with me. Perhaps we'll get another shot in Vegas. Or please, Rebs, take them out if you end up on their side of the bracket! I'd rather play a team with some class.
I'm really liking alford and the lobos this year
To be honest, I don't care for either of them at all, but I think I gotta back Alford on this one because there are few people in this world I can't stand more than Tavernari. Did anyone notice how "hard" Tavernari got after he went under his own basket and had a teammate "restraining" him? I would've paid to see him square up on Hobson, or Alford, or the BYU ball girl for that matter. Ryan I think you make a good point though about Hobson's tendency for cheap shots. It'd be a lot easier to have his back in the whole thing if he hadn't taken a swipe at Stanback's junk or pounded his chest after beating us here. Personally, I hope karma catches up with both of them and they both lose in the first round of the MWC tourney. Go Air Force!
Go air force? Wow, Really?
DrivenDish - I'm with Fast Camron. Air Force? Maybe in a couple of years...We all love Air Force for protecting the USA, but that's a different topic than the MWC tournament. They will be lucky to get a chance to actually make the MWC tournament. Cowboys also hurting, but a much better team than Air Force. No offense, it's just not their year for basketball. By the way, Hobson is a very nice kid. I met him personally at the Air Port as I took my kids to get his autograph. When we asked him about Jimmer, he laughed and said, "Jimmer wasn't sick, he was scared!" Then he stated that he was just kidding....
I'm glad, that after 4 years of being a complete jerk, Tavernari was finally called out for what he truly is - on his Senior night no less. I'm no Alford fan, but anyone who confronts Tavernari like that is a friend of mine.
All players need to show some respect to ANY coach out there. Tavernari has a giant mouth that will be knocked in one day.
New Mexico has been winning their close games. I watched part of the game on the internet, no Vs. on DirectTV and New Mexico needs to work on their free throws and protect the ball more. Both were wrong but JT has always been like this, whining. Alford needed to shut up and not call JT (enter dirty word here), but what done is done.
Is UNLV going to make a run in the tournament? Will they get back Jasper or is he done for the season? I'd like to see Tre Von have a big game or two. I don't think we've seen his best punch yet. As a Lobo fan, I fear and respect his game.
Just to clarify I am a die-hard rebel fan and could care less about Air Force. I just said that because it would be sweet if they beat UNM in the conference tournament, but I guess sarcasm is frowned upon on this site.
Thanks for clarifying drive. I didn't catch your angle. To be more clear, it can be very difficult at times to detect sarcasm on paper. However, stating that you want Air Force to beat New Mexico wouldn't, IMO, be considered sarcasm.
Tavernari and Alford are both world class whiners. Both are constantly begging, ragging on, and pleading with game officals. If that is part of their game - so be it. But when the game is over drop it and move on. Coaches calling out players in a congrats line goes beyond being competive. Frankly it is plain stupid, it puts your team, fans, and players at risk. All you need is the wrong idiot to over react and you've got a crime scene. Grow up Steve - you are the adult.
Tavernari is 22 years old. Alford is 46, and his assistants got in on the verbal attacks directed to JT. Moreover, JT had just lost his chance to win his 100th time as a player and on senior night, no less. Who should have exercised restraint?
Good luck to everyone in the MWC tournament. I predict Lobos Vs UNLV in the championship game. With that said, SDSU has a good chance of knocking off UNM. BYU has a good shot at beating UNLV. I think SDSU is the most athletic, UNLV is the most talented, UNM has the best team chemistry and ball movement, and BYU has the best 3-point shooters. Hopefully all 4 teams will dance! Peace! I'm off to Lobo Land to start tail gating for the TCU game. We get started early out here in NM. There isn't much else to do!