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Judging Kentucky Basketball – and How About That George Mason?

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

A disgruntled referee succeeded in postponing a game in the Kentucky High School Boys’ basketball tournament, arguing in court that he had the right to officiate the game after having been thrown out of a previous game by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association for getting into a fight with another referee.  In order for the judge to grant an injunction in this case, he had to determine that the referee had a good chance of success on the merits of the case and that he would be irreparably harmed to a much greater extent by not officiating the game than the fans and players would be irreparably harmed by postponing the game.  How could any reasonable judge grant such an injunction?  Even if the referee had a good chance of proving that the Kentucky High School Athletic Association did something improper in holding him accountable for his unprofessional behavior, he easily could have been compensated for any damages by being paid what he would have earned if he had officiated the game.  On the other hand, postponing a game in a tournament was likely to cause great and irreparable harm to the players and fans.

Fortunately, the appeals court judge McAnulty was much more sensible, and he overturned the original decision.  I found it interesting that the newspaper accounts I was reading were giving the name of Judge McAnulty, the appeals court judge who made the right decision, but not the name of the judge who made the initial bone-headed decision.  Just for the record, the original judge who held up the tournament for the sake of the referee’s bruised ego was Steve Ryan.  I have no idea whether Judge Steve Ryan will be up for election this year or, if so, who is running against him, but I do know that his decision in this case was not exactly a stellar performance.

On a better note, how about that George Mason University?!!!!  If nothing else, I would want to be rooting for the university where Walter Williams and other greats are teaching economics.  But just on the basis of basketball alone, this team has been exciting to follow – an underdog that has been knocking off one basketball powerhouse after another as it has progressed to the final four in the NCAA tournament.  A great team effort, great sportsmanship, and few fouls.  Keep up the good work!

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