Six IUS basketball players have been suspended following a brawl during the basketball game between IU Southeast and Berea on Feb. 18.
According to NAIA bylaws, “Any players who were involved in fighting or left the bench during the incident will serve a one-game suspension.”
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Eleven players, six from IU Southeast and five for Berea were suspended following the incident.
The six IUS players that were suspended are Alex Gravelle, senior guard, Jazzmarr Ferguson, junior guard, DeJon Gary, senior guard, George White, senior guard, Rick Bodiford, junior guard, and Carlos Mitchell, senior guard.
The brawl began when Mikah Turner, Berea senior forward, knocked down an IUS player while setting a screen at the top of the key.
After the brawl, in which fans were involved, every player for both teams was ejected, causing the game to be ruled a no-contest. When the game was stopped Berea led 28-27.
The game will not be made up and will not affect the team’s regular season record or statistics.
The IUS players will serve their suspension during the Grenadiers’ regular season finale against IU East on Feb. 20. The Berea players will be forced to serve their suspension in their first round game of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, as the game versus IU Southeast was their regular season finale.
Joe Glover, IUS assistant athletic director and sports information specialist, said this was an unfortunate incident and there is no place for such incidents in college basketball.
“It’s not reflective of this institution or Berea,” Glover said.
Glover said it is important for the players involved in this incident to use this as a learning experience.
Glover also pointed out the players involved in the incident are not bad people.
“They are great kids,” Glover said. “They care a lot about this program and this university.”
IUS athletic director Pat Mrozowski released the following statement.
“The events that occurred during the IU Southeast-Berea College men’s basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 18, were an unfortunate display of unsportsmanlike behavior,” Mrozowski said. “The actions of our student-athletes were not consistent with our University’s core values or with the NAIA Champions of Character initiatives. We take full responsibility for our misbehavior and hope that our student-athletes will learn from this regrettable experience.”
Chancellor Sandra Patterson-Randles also issued a statement, which said the following.
“IU Southeast expects all of its student-athletes to conduct themselves in a sportsman-like manner consistent with the campus’ core values and the NAIA Champions of Character initiatives,” Patterson-Randles said. “I am very disappointed to learn of the incident which occurred during the IU Southeast–Berea men’s basketball game [on Feb. 18]. I am quite concerned about this situation and I am awaiting the results of a review by the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.”
By ERIC MCGUFFIN
Editor
demcguff@umail.iu.edu
