However, I believe there is a bigger issue here than this one play. As I watched the play with my wife my first reaction was justifying why it was part of the game. "You mean you can just throw the ball off someone's face?" she asked. My answers just didn't sit right.

I eventually went to the NCAA Mens basketball rulebook. The closest thing there is in the rulebook is a judgement call of intent. Albeit IMO the intent was obvious and the conduct was definitely unsportmanlike - making that judgement call is tough and likely won't prevent repeats of this type of play down the road.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how dangerous that play is. We almost had a perfect storm where a guy with a previously broken orbital bone in his face could have been seriously injured or killed - within the rules of the game.

Additionally, that play in general allows the team with the ball to gain an advantage they don't deserve by exploiting the 'lack of a rule'. UCLA played great defense preventing the ball from being inbounded. Their entire effort was negated by a 'bailout'.

My end conclusion is that there must be a black and white rule stating that it is illegal in ALL cases to intentionally throw the ball at an opposing player for these reasons:

1. The risk of injury. In addition to the potential disaster we could have witnessed, I've seen players jump to avoid getting the ball thrown off their legs, only to land on the ball on their way down. There are enough legitimate plays that can result in injury. There is no reason to increase them through intentional actions.
2. The team resorting to throwing the ball off an opposing player gains an undeserved advantage in most cases. Teams should be rewarded for making basketball plays and not get bailed out for failing to inbound the ball or inability to maintain their position inbounds.
3. Leaving it up to a judgement call on intent puts refs in an impossible situation. Refs have enough problems with charge/block calls.
4. It is not a true 'basketball play'. There are no drills for it. No legitimate coach spends any time on it. The play belongs in Dodgeball or the AndOne league along with carrying, showboating and 4 step drives.
5. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, change the rule so I don't have to explain to my wife and kids why the game I love allows such obviously unsportsmanlike behavior.

I'm sure Romar and Morris would both say he didn't know -- but the point is he shouldn't be throwing at the head in the first place.

What if this were 5-6 weeks ago, when AA2 was still needed to wear thicker goggles/ face protection?  Anyone at UW realize the serious damage that could have been done to AA2's nose/ sinuses/ eyes?

At a MINIMUM, Morris should have been T'ed up and suspended for a game.

IT.

IS.  

ON.

Time for the Bruins to stop expecting to win every game and go out and earn a win every game.

Play tough.

Play smart.

Play right.

Play fast.

Play strong.

AND WIN.

And when Pac-10 Tourney rolls around, let's stomp 'em by 30.

M

Someone posted the video and gave reactions.

Any person, basketball knowledgeable or not, could watch that video and see that it is intentional.  Like it was stated previously, Morris then dove out of the way because he knew exactly what he did.

Officials are not always right.  The problem is, just like law enforcement, there is no real oversight of how they perform.  It is an inside job, and more times than not, the public is told that what happened was legal and justified.

Did anyone catch Sportscenter last night or this morning?  The Lady Vols/Rutgers game and the G'Town/Villanova mens' game were both subjected to completely insane calls very late in their games.  Insane calls that had a direct impact on the result of the game.

This does not happen often enough, to where it brings the pathetic officiating into the spotlight. Don't get me wrong, officiating should not even be noticed, but calls throughout the game have an effect on the outcome.  Only when the call is in the last seconds of a game and has a direct impact on the outcome does it get noticed.

Officiating can be a hard job, obviously, and officials aren't going to get every call right.  BUT, it is up to the commission of the conference involved to make up for mistakes made during the game.  They have many ways of doing it; calling a forfeiture, doling out suspensions or fines, or just admitting that a mistake was made with a comment to name a few.

The fact is the PAC-10 has done the most outlandish act; they LIED!  They lied to protect the officials involved.  The intent was clear as day; if that had happened on a playground the perpetrator could have been arrested and charged with battery.

Bruins should unite.  At the PAC-10 tournament at Staples, Bruins should go to the Washington game and heckle the heck out of Washington, Morris and Romar.  Whether they play the Bruins or not, they should be blasted when the come into Staples.  I will certainly do my part.  I will just need a little help coming up with Clean, clever chants.  I'm likely to drop F bombs on the assholes.

Coach Wooden would pull a guy for lots of reasons, including something he perceived to be unsportsmanlike.  Let's put it this way, Kimberly Noah would have learned to act more like a grown-up or he would have ridden the pine.

Coach Auerbach did things a little different.  If Coach Auerbach were coaching the Bruins, he would get either Jungle Jim Loscatoff or maybe Bruce Davis to guard Morris for a couple of plays.  If Morris could remember what happened when he came out of his coma, he probably wouldn't do the "Oh, gee, that was your face - I mistook it one of my teammates breaking into the clear" play.

Another bad part of comments from the Washington heirarchy is that their defense contains so much self-righteous justification that it suggests they think it would be OK to do it again.  That defense didn't work well at the Nuremberg Trials, but it sounds like it's OK with the Pac-10.  

It looks like the same crack investigators are looking into this after having wrapped up the reggie bu$h investigation.  

Intentional!  Absolutely freaking intentional!!  Throw it off a leg, an arm, the back, whatever.  NOT THE FACE!  I've been smacked in the face with a basketball by accident before, and there was no way a bunch of girls could have done it with the intensity of Division 1 scholarship athletes.  Considering AA2 was hurt earlier this season with a fracture in the orbital bone, (granted Morris might not have remembered or known about it) it was plain dirty.

Also McCabe saying that AA2 jumped into the throw is stupid.  Yes, he jumped into his punishment.  It's all AA2's fault.  What the heck?  Just because UCLA is taught to defend the ball on the inbounds properly, AA2 deserves to be smacked in the face.

Unbelievable.  

Regardless of the rule interpetation, what was done to AA2 was wrong and unsporting, and any coach who claims to be as "moral" as Romar and his all Christian staff, would hold the person responsible for throwing a ball at another players face accoutable for their actions.

It really makes me think Romar is a hypocrite of the highest order.

The Pac 10 did what the Pac 10 does.  Nothing.  

Meantime, Coach Howland showed class.  We're never going to get a break from the pathetic Pac 10 refs, so we're just going to have to play hard and forget about the stupidity.

So, let me get this straight.  Morris intended to cock his arm back and completely unload a full-strength, one-armed pass to...the other sideline?  But because Aboya jumped into the path of the ball, it's his fault.  There was no UW player he could have passed it to with that type of motion.  Plus, Morris just walks away after he tagged Aboya's grill.  He knew he was in the wrong.  He didn't go up to Aboya immediately and apologize.  He was frustrated with Aboya's defense and took it out on his face.  Unbelievable!  The loss was bad enough, but this is just insulting.

I am a Bruin and Husky alum and have always respected Romar.  His words are just classless.

Then you get into some other factors.  The kid left Stanford.  Romar is practically his uncle.  He apparently apologized to Aboya.

But he still made the throw.  And AA had the eye injury just a month ago.  It's all horrible.

But I had one question that I didn't see in any of the threads, and couldn't really tell from any angle.  Does it seem like AA was all over Morris, right on top of him--and rightly so.  If there's not enough room on the sideline, it's the refs job to step AA back and get Morris 3 feet.  Was there not enough room on the sideline?  Regardless, Morris was able to step back and throw the ball right at AA's face, from point blank range.

What I'm trying to say, is that I think Morris was feeling frustrated, hostile, and became violent because of the pressure AA was putting on him.  Something made him snap and do it.  AA was close, even smothering--he was playing the tough, all-out warrior defense he always plays.  You back up, you say something to the ref, you aim the ball at the guy's ankle.  You never throw it at his face unless you're trying to hurt him.

And there's no excuse.  He needs to be suspended, and Romar should be reprimanded for supporting him.