Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Xavier's Mack: 'It was the right call'

Xavier coach Chris Mack didn't have a problem with how that weird sequence of events ended up for his team in a 66-62 loss Wednesday to the 49ers at Halton Arena.

 "As hard as it is to swallow, it was the right call," said Mack.

When Derrio Green was allowed to retake two free throws that Chris Braswell had missed (Braswell, as it turned out, shouldn't have been in the game because he had fouled out due to an elbow he inadvertently threw at Xavier's Tu Holloway that hadn't initially been caught by the officials), most coaches might have pitched a fit. Especially when Green made them both after Braswell's misses.

But Mack saw that a correctable error had been made -- and corrected. He was graceful enough to recognize that and not make an issue out of it afterward.

Mack began his coaching career as an assistant to the late Skip Prosser at Xavier and Wake Forest. Prosser was one of the classiest guys in the profession and some of that no doubt rubbed off on Mack. Prosser would have been proud of how his protege handled a delicate situation Wednesday.


-- Wednesday's victory was Charlotte's 150th in Halton Arena.

-- Major shook up the starting lineup by adding K.J. Sherrill in favor of An'Juan Wilderness. Sherrill had career highs in points (24) and rebounds (13) Saturday against La Salle, so he earned it. He had a quieter game against Xavier, with four and four.

--  No excuses about lack of depth had Charlotte lost. The 49ers played eight; Xavier played seven.

-- Gokhan Sirin's minutes have decreased since Charles Dewhurst's return. Both had an impact against the Musketeers. Sirin made his only shot -- a 3-pointer that gave the 49ers a nine-point lead with 7:51 left -- in three minutes of play. Dewhurst played a solid floor game, with two steals, a block and an assist in 27 minutes. He also made two free throws with 24 seconds left and the Niners up by four.


Anonymous said...

Why are the 49's coaching staff wearing Nike basketball shoes instead of regular shoes during the last few games?

conference call said...

@Anonymous I think they signed a new contract..

Jeff said...

Its to honor all the dribbling Deuce and Derrio do every single game !

GK said...

@ Anon 4:54 - I think it's because of Coaches vs Cancer.

Anonymous said...

Good game last night with the good guys winning. That elbow rule needs some tweaking.

Anonymous said...

It is for Coaches Curing Cancer and for Coaches Curing Kids Cancer. Plus, they are breaking them in for Chuck Amato.

Dowless said...

The best team won no matter what the calls were. Xavier was clearly the best team the 1st 12 minutes or so. Charlotte was the best team the final 28 minutes. Even though KJ had less numbers he was still very active. Someone needs to tell Braswell that shooting outside is not where he belongs. This guy keeps throwing up these clankers from 20 feet. Just because you are wide open doesn't mean you should shoot. There is a reason you are wide open at that range. It is called scouting.

Anonymous said...

Which happened first? Braz's elbow or his foul? If it was the elbow, it shouldnt matter if he got fouled. If he was fouled first and then thrown out, Xavier should have gotten to choose his replacement shooter.

The refs suck!

Observer Sports said...

Braz elbow came after the foul. Xavier would have been able to choose the replacement shooter if he was out of game due to injury (like Charlotte did with Xavier player who hurt his arm earlier in the game). But Charlotte was allowed to choose its own shooter in this circumstance.
David S.