12B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18. 2007
BIG 12 BASKETBALL COMMENTARY
Bennett never had fair shot
BY JEFFREY RAKE
KANSAS STATE COLLEGIAN
MANHATTAN — Shed a tear for Jason Bennett, because it's probably only a matter of time before he's as good as gone.
Bennett, as you might already know, is considering transferring to another school, perhaps somewhere closer to his native Jacksonville, Fla. After a disappointing season, a year in which he scored just 1.9 points and collected only 2.6 rebounds per game, Bennett's legacy will not be a memorable one.
Instead, he'll end up being the answer to a trivia question or the punch line of a crummy joke. And that's too bad, because Bennett was set up for failure at K-State and wasn't given a fair chance.
It had been years since K-State landed a player of Bennett's caller when he signed last spring. People couldn't wait to see him showcase his five-star talents. He was a guy many experts considered a top-30 prospect.
Only Bennett wasn't what people expected. He couldn't score, couldn't defend the low post and
couldn't keep his temper. In fact, he could do much of anything.
At one point last year, I remember comparing him to a Furby, one of those interactive toys from the late '90s. It's kind of a stretch — a 7-foot-3 athlete and a six-inch talking toy — yet it's a fair comparison.
You see, Furby was the holiday hit, a toy that could eat and talk and play games. There was nothing Furby couldn't do. Or at least that's what the advertisements made you believe.
But when Furby was removed from its package, its flaws were painfully obvious. Furby had a small vocabulary; it could not dance. It played a poor game of hide-and-seek and did not have a strong grasp of the English language.
Furby, much like Bennett, was perceived to be a total flop. Most people became so impatient with Furby they decided to put it in the microwave, the electric chair for electronic toys.
However, once many people gave up on Furby, the success stories started popping up all over the Internet. Turns out, Furby can be trained to do many of the things
it was advertised to do. Furby can repeat familiar words,can learn names and tell iokes.
The moral here is that Furby just needed some time and patience.
That brings us back to Bennett. He got off to a tough start at K-State. Fans expected him to put up a double-double every night, and that simply wasn't going to happen. He needed a chance to develop.
Realistic fans knew what the plan was all along. Former coach Bob Huggins wanted to tear Bennett down before he could build him back up. He wanted to put him through the grinder, question his toughness, see how hed respond. Ask his teammates, and they'll tell you he showed up to practice each day with a willingness to learn and get better. That's what a freshman season is all about.
If the end of Bennett's time at K-State truly is winding down, I wish him the best. Heck, I'll even miss the guy. Hopefully he will find a school that's a better fit for him, and with any luck, he can avoid unreasonable expectations and unnecessary pressure. And the microwave, too.
How else would you know I'm a KU fan?
Donna McWilliam/ASSOCIATED PRESS
NBA
San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, back left, looks toward the court after a technical foul was called against him as he sat on the bench during the second half of a basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas on Sunday. Spurs guard Michael Finley argued the call with official Joe Crawford (17).
League suspends referee
Crawford reprimanded after ejecting, provoking Duncan
BY BRIAN MAHONEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Crawford's suspension will last
NEW YORK — NBA referee Joey Crawford was suspended indefinitely by commissioner David Stern on Tuesday for his conduct toward Tim Duncan, who contends the official challenged him to a fight.
Crawford, who has worked more playoff games than any active reef, ejected Duncan from a game in Dallas on Sunday. He called a second technical foul on the San Antonio Spurs star while he was on the bench.
"He looked at me and said, 'Do you want to fight? Do you want to fight?' Duncan said. "If he wants to fight, we can fight. I don't have any problem with him, but we can do it if he wants to. I have no reason why in the middle of a game he would yell at me. 'Do you want to fight?' "
at least through the NBA finals. He may will have to meet with Stern after that to discuss reinstatement.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league hadn't ruled out any penalties against Duncan. The Spurs said they did not yet have a comment.
Stern said Crawford's actions "failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees."
"Especially in light of similar prior acts by this official, a significant suspension is warranted," Stern said in a statement. "Although Joey is consistently rated as one of our top referees, he must be held accountable for his actions on the floor, and we will have further discussions with him following the season to be sure he understands his responsibilities."
Crawford comes from an officiating family. His brother, Jerry, is a major league umpire, as was his father, Shag.
Crawford is in his 29th season as an NBA referee. He has officiated more than 2,000 games during the regular season and 252 in the playoffs, including 36 in the NBA finals.
But his temper has got him noticed before, especially in Game 2 of the 2003 Western Conference finals, a match involving the same teams as in Sunday's game. Crawford called four technical fouls in the first 10-plus minutes, leading to ejections of then-Mavs coach Don Nelson and assistant Del Harris.
Duncan said Sunday that Crawford has a "personal vendetta against me."
Speaking to a pool reporter before Duncan spoke, Crawford was asked about Duncan thinking he had done nothing to warrant the ejection.
"That's his opinion," said Crawford, adding that Duncan referred to him with an expletive. "Is that nothing?"