Previously we told you about the Holy Family University head basketball coach, John O'Connor, who has been suspended pending the investigation of an alleged assault on one of his players. The FOX affiliate in Philadelphia has aired video footage of the alleged incident which is fairly incriminating. However, this past Tuesday O'Connor was able to speak to Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News to tell his side of the story.
The full video was 2 minutes of practice taken at the first practice after Holy Family had lost to Concordia on its home court. O'Connor felt that his players weren't competing hard enough and wanted to instill some toughness in his players. Then came the rebound drill which led to the incident:
Suspended Holy Family coach O'Connor tells his side of the story [Philadelphia Daily News]
The full video was 2 minutes of practice taken at the first practice after Holy Family had lost to Concordia on its home court. O'Connor felt that his players weren't competing hard enough and wanted to instill some toughness in his players. Then came the rebound drill which led to the incident:
His drill is called "combat rebound." It is about teaching toughness. Two players are in the lane. A coach throws a ball up and the players go after it. If the ball leaves the lane, a new ball comes into play. The drill is supposed to go quickly. Each group probably will get two or three chances to go after the ball.
Just before the incident, the ball had gotten loose a few times and then started to come out of the lane again. O'Connor wanted to get the ball and throw it up again. He went to get it the same time as two players, Kravchuk and a teammate, went after it.
"I instinctively grab it with both hands and, in what they call in basketball, just kind of cleared my space," O'Connor said. "I have always been very hands-on with my players. Normally, it's me that ends up getting hurt. I never had any intention of ever hurting one of my players."
O'Connor's lunge forward knocked Kravchuk off balance and to the floor. Seen out of context, it does not look good. Seen in context, it looks like something that could happen at any high-intensity practice.OK, maybe, but here's where things get tricky:
Said O'Connor: "I didn't realize Matt was hurt, but I didn't want him flopping on the ground. It was what the drill was all about, just keep competing."
O'Connor went over to the fallen player and nudged him with his foot to get up, telling him to get up, urging him to get back in line.That's where the video can be looked at two different ways. Where O'Connor feels that he "nudged him with his foot", it certainly looks like he's kicking his player while he's down. It seemed completely unnecessary and that makes the video of the incident look a lot worse. Well, that and the "Got a little blood on ya?" comment.
O'Connor said he realized pretty quickly he had made a mistake. That evening, at a team meeting, O'Connor apologized to Kravchuk and the team. Kravchuk is no longer with the team. Other team members have since released a letter supporting their coach, saying they know he knows he made a mistake and hope he gets another chance to coach them.We'll see about that. The video is everywhere now, so if he isn't able to keep this job, it may be difficult for him to get another one elsewhere.
Suspended Holy Family coach O'Connor tells his side of the story [Philadelphia Daily News]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
