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A scuffle broke out following the conclusion of the Northwest College and Casper College men’s basketball overtime game on Saturday.
A 3-point shot attempt just prior to the final buzzer taken by Trappers guard Davion McAdam, a former Casper College player, while leading by 10 led to tensions boiling over after an intense contest. Casper College assistant coach Carlos Taylor charged onto the court after the shot to confront McAdam, who had to be separated from Casper guard Jamison Epps.
Casper College players and spectators in the Northwest student section began yelling at each other, with Thunderbird sophomore guard Kenard Richardson throwing a punch at a spectator.
Northwest coach Andy Ward along with athletic director Brian Erickson intervened to shepherd Northwest players to the locker room as Casper College head coach Shaun Gutting tried to separate players.
“I thought our guys handled themselves really well at the end,” Ward said. “It was a shame for it to escalate to what it did but I am glad it didn’t get any further than that.”
Ward said that looking back he wished he would have called a timeout and reminded the team about composure to help prevent the incident due to emotions being high after an intense game, and will remember the lesson in the future.
Casper College Public Relations Director Chris Lorenzen provided a statement to the Tribune.
“While the college will not speak on specific personnel matters involving employees, nor on academic or personal matters involving students, a timely investigation was conducted, and appropriate actions have been taken with individuals directly involved in the altercations during and immediately following the basketball game,” he said. “Casper College strives to maintain high standards for all individuals representing the college, and takes failure to uphold these standards very seriously.”
After Northwest College President Lisa Watson heard of the incident, she first called staff members to ensure everything was OK, then called Casper College President Darren Divine.
“We want good relations with each other,” she said. “We want competition but we also want people treating each other right.”
Watson said she was pleased with reports of the actions of NWC students, players and coaches who didn’t engage after the Casper assistant coach aggressively moved toward Trapper players.
“I am proud of our athletes and students who attended the game,” she said. “I am proud of everybody who took the high road. It was a rough situation that could have gotten a lot rougher.”
Erickson submitted footage regarding the incident, and was informed by the NJCAA that no penalties would be administered to Northwest College players or coaches.
Watson has since learned Taylor was relieved of his assistant position — he is no longer listed as a coach at Casper College.
“That’s not the level of play and the type of leadership Dr. Devine wants,” she said. “It was unfortunate because it did possibly encourage other players to behave the way they behaved.”
Erickson said that additional repercussions regarding the incident are being treated as a non-collegial incident by the NJCAA, as the game had concluded prior to the scuffle breaking out.
The NJCAA policies manual under section four of sportsmanship states that “No player, coach or bench personnel may leave the playing area and enter into the spectator area of the facility to engage in any type of verbal or physical conflict. Penalty for violation of this rule shall be immediate ejection from the contest and suspension from all intercollegiate athletic contests of that institution for the remainder of the academic year including playoffs.”