Even in his role as a basketball analyst, former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy’s passion for coaching and the game remains undiminished.
As he watches the 2024 NCAA Tournament, he, like many others, finds himself increasingly frustrated with the officiating becoming the focal point in tightly contested matches.
During Sunday’s CBS broadcast of the Colorado-Marquette game, Van Gundy boldly suggested that perhaps it’s time to let the players play without constant interruptions from officiating calls.
With a little over 10 minutes remaining in this second-round clash in the South region, Marquette guard Kam Jones executed a reverse layup in the paint, pushing his team’s lead to 64-59.
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However, upon review, it appeared that Jones’ elbow may have made contact with Tristan da Silva’s face, causing the Colorado forward to grimace in apparent discomfort, clutching his jaw.
This led to a review, by the officials which frustrated Van Gundy.
“He got hit there with a little bit of an elbow,” Van Gundy said. “It’s just a basketball play on a spin. He is not extending this much. Come on! Let’s go! Move on! Let’s play basketball. That’s what we’re all here to see today!”
Rules analyst Gene Steratore also chimed in.
“I’m with Stan on it, let them play,” said CBS/TNT Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore. “I know they’ve got to look, but when you see da Silva grab his jaw like that, you’re gonna be safe as an official and take a quick peek. I think after seeing a couple of great camera shots that we’ve gotten, it’s a basketball play. The elbow doesn’t flair out that much by Jones at all, and let’s play on and continue with this great basketball game.”
In the end, the play was determined to be a “basketball play.”
Marquette would go on to defeat Colorado 81-77 and advance to the Sweet 16.