New bench conduct rule leaves coaches at the mercy of officials

[NewsCopy]

Several Sun Belt men's basketball coaches are concerned about the NCAA's initiative to clean up bench conduct during the 2007-08 basketball season, and well they should be. The new decorum rules, in effect immediately, have what amounts to a zero-tolerance policy on coaches who engage in unsportsmanlike actions both in and out of the coaching box. That in itself isn't a problem, since there's no one out there that's not in favor of sportsmanship. The question comes in the rule's application, and how it's going to be enforced. "I've got a problem with it since I'm up coaching my team a lot," said UL Monroe coach Orlando Early. "There's so much of it left up to interpretation. My guess is that it's going to be different night to night." Coaches this year will be assessed a technical foul without warning if found in violation of decorum rules. Those include but are not limited to: disrespectfully addressing an official, attempting to influence an official's decision, using profanity or abusive, vulgar or obscene language, taunting or baiting an opponent, The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[RaisingCajun08]

WOW! These rules leave way to much in the hands of already incabable Sun Belt Officials. I can see it now. One night the refs will not call a thing. The next night there will be 10 technicals between both coaches. The next night there will be 5 technicals on one coach while the other is being ingnored.

[BrudaCajun]

The rules are so broad and the people that are interpreting these rules are NOT that intelligent. Good luck Coach Lee

[CajunAmos]

I will say that with these rules Tim Floyd would have only coached two games all year when he was at UNO.