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News Nuggets, 01.24.06
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

C-USA slams refs for upholding 'T' on Penders

HOUSTON — Conference USA said Monday that officials "exercised poor judgment" when they upheld a technical foul on Houston coach Tom Penders after he collapsed during a game against UAB over the weekend.

Penders passed out on the sideline late in the first half of Houston's 82-79 loss on Saturday and was carried off the court on a stretcher and given oxygen. He returned to coach the second half.

Penders dropped to his knees, then fell face down as UAB's Wen Mukubu drove to the basket and was fouled by Oliver Lafayette with 52 seconds left in the half. Officials called a technical foul on Penders, apparently thinking he was reacting to the foul call. But the game stopped, and the crowd hushed when Penders didn't get up.

Penders, 60, has cardiomyopathy, a congenital heart condition, and had a defibrillator implanted in his chest in 1997. Houston officials attributed the incident to Penders' heart condition and dehydration.

The officials refused to reverse the technical after Penders received medical attention, and UAB's Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson made both free throws.

"Commissioner (Britton) Banowsky and I have reviewed the tape of the play in question, and it appears that the crew exercised poor judgment in sustaining the technical foul following the medical condition that arose for Coach Penders," C-USA assistant commissioner Chris Woolard said in a statement. "We have been in consultation this morning with Dale Kelley, our coordinator of officials, and appropriate action will be taken."

The conference will not release what sanctions, if any, it decides to impose, a spokesman said.

"I appreciate the conference office acting upon my request to review the matter and their willingness to hold officials accountable for their work," Houston athletic director Dave Maggard said.

Penders did not realize he had been called for a technical until after the game. When he found out, he said the call was "extremely poor judgment on the officials' part."

NCAA to release RPI ratings for first time

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA men's and women's basketball tournament committees will release the Ratings Percentage Index on their Web site starting next week.

It marks the first time the NCAA will publicly release the RPI ratings, which are used to help select the postseason tournament fields. Updated rankings can be found at ncaasports.com from Feb. 2 through the end of the season.

"One of the committees' primary objectives over the last few years has been to increase the transparency and understanding regarding the process of selecting teams for the tournament," said Craig Littlepage, chairman of the Division I men's selection committee. "We think that announcing the results of the RPI ranking on a weekly basis has its benefits."

The committees decided to release the RPI's later in the season to give a clearer picture of where teams stand.

"We chose this point of the season to release the RPI because the composition of each team's schedule is comprised of a blend of non-conference and conference games," said Joni Comstock, chairwoman of the Division I women's selection committee.

C-USA Basketball Standings, Scores & Schedule

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:44 PM