Posted on Tue, Mar. 01, 2005
By MIKE KERN
kernm@phillynews.com
JOHN CHANEY said he was going to use the time off to "take inventory of himself."
He didn't take long to make good on his promise.
So, 5 days after the Temple coach gave himself a one-game suspension for his actions in last Tuesday's home game against Saint Joseph's, and 3 days
after the university added another two games to that penalty, the Basketball Hall of Famer again took it upon himself to take the next step. The one step most observers thought was the only one that made any sense.
Chaney took himself out of coaching in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, which begins March 9 in Cincinnati.
It still might not be enough for some people. In no way can it undo a terrible mistake, which he repeatedly has acknowleged and apologized for. The mistake probably will cost Hawks senior forward John Bryant the rest of his season with a fractured right forearm.
Bryant, a co-captain, was hurt after Temple's Nehemiah Ingram, on orders from Chaney to give hard fouls, knocked him to the floor midway through the second half in Tuesday's game at the Liacouras Center.
If Bryant wasn't going to be available for the tournament, Chaney concluded that he shouldn't be on the court helping his team, either.
"In view of the circumstances, I believe the fair thing is for me not to coach during the Atlantic 10 ... Tournament," he said in a statement released yesterday afternoon that took everyone by surprise.
Chaney did not make himself available for comment last night, which isn't like him.
On Sunday morning, he met on the St. Joe's campus with Bryant and Bryant's parents, who were in town from their Woodbridge, Va., home to see their son honored as a member of St. Joe's athletic director's honor roll. Bryant is pursuing a master's in business administration.
The meeting, according to a St. Joe's source, went "just OK." The same person said the family is "very hurt, very frustrated and angry."
Whether that played any part in Chaney's decision, only he can say.
Another St. Joe's source said the Bryants' impression was that Chaney was sorry for what happened, but not for what led up to it.
The day before the game, Chaney had gone on the weekly A-10 conference call and said he was upset with the officiating in the Feb. 12 loss to St. Joe's at the Palestra. He said St. Joe's was setting illegal screens that weren't getting called and vowed to do something about it if it continued.
After the game, he said he'd do it again if he thought it was necessary.
How much of this is frustration over the fact that St. Joe's has won six straight over the Owls is anybody's guess.
Chaney apologized the next day, and imposed a one-game suspension on himself. The situation changed Thursday, when it was revealed after medical testing that Bryant had suffered a fracture. The schools, with help from A-10 commissioner Linda Bruno, settled upon an additional two-game suspension on Friday.
And now, a further solution. The obvious question is, why did it get done in stages?
"It's like a work in progress, when you start to think about all the pieces that go together," Bruno, who has taken her share of hits over this, said last night. "I think a number of people thought this is what ultimately should have happened, and John was one of them.
"He knows that what he did was unacceptable, not just to the schools, and our conference, but to all of college basketball. And that's not even a strong enough word. It can't be tolerated. And he's sending the message that he won't tolerate it himself.
"If we get to the same place, it really doesn't make a difference how we got there. The bottom line is, we got to the right place. It's all that should matter. People think this should happen, or that should happen. We're where we should be. That's what's important.
"Now we can focus on the tournament. It would have been a distraction for everyone. That's unfortunate at this time of year. You can talk about how long is enough, or any number of things. As the weekend unfolded, and more people took stock of the situation, I think there was a lot of agreement that this was the appropriate response."
In Chaney's absence, Temple will continue to be coached by top assistant Dan Leibovitz, with Bill Ellerbee and Mark Macon by his side. The Owls beat Massachusetts at home Saturday afternoon, in Leibovitz's first game as a head coach at any level. They're at Rhode Island tomorrow night. Chaney will continue to attend practice.
Chaney's statement indicates he will be back on the bench if the Owls (14-11) reach either the NCAA Tournament or the National Invitation Tournament. They haven't made the NCAA field since 2001 and would have to win the A-10 Tournament to make it this season. They have been in the NIT the last 3 years.
It also seems apparent that Chaney, 73, intends to return as Temple's coach next season, if not longer, as long as the university still wants him.
There has been no indication from athletic director Bill Bradshaw, who was also unavailable for comment, or president David Adamany, that the school would rather have him depart.
On yesterday's A-10 call, St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli understandably, and respectfully, declined to participate. Whether he'd been told not to say anything isn't certain.
Last night, a St. Joe's source said: "I think that one of the things I'm thankful about is people are continuing to monitor and discuss this... We're headed in the right direction."
There is speculation that St. Joe's still could be upset that Ingram has not been suspended and could play against them in the A-10 tourney. The Hawks and Temple would not meet until the title game on March 12. Ingram, a seldom-used sub, did play against UMass.
On Saturday, St. Joe's released a statement that said it was "encouraged" by the steps being taken to resolve this matter.
"We stand on [that]," St. Joe's athletic director Don DiJulia reiterated. "We're concerned about the Bryant family."
According to St. Joe's sources, St. Joe's officials were said to have thought Chaney's earliest apologies rang hollow. And they were adamant that he apologize publicly. Chaney didn't think that was necessary, since he'd already issued a statement. Once he heard about Bryant's arm, Chaney apparently agreed.
Yesterday, he said he had apologized from his heart. Then, he made a decision with his head.