NCAA basketball coach grabs PA mic in middle of game, calls out his own fans
There was a moment toward the end of Virginia Tech’s thrilling 64-63 win over fifth-ranked Duke Monday night that you don’t see everyday in big time college basketball.
It wasn’t the tip-in with four seconds left by the Chris Clarke to put Virginia Tech up 64-63. And it wasn’t the desperation tip in by Duke’s Marvin Bagley just after the buzzer sounded that did not count.
The most unusual moment in the game occurred with 3:03 left in the second half, with Duke leading 60-56.
Duke star Grayson Allen had just drawn a foul and the home crowd didn’t like it, chanting “BS” (the full version of the word, of course). There was also reports of fans throwing stuff on the court.
That just didn’t sit well with Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams.
https://twitter.com/NBA_Buckets/status/968303923579715585
Williams went over to the scorers table, grabbed the mic, and had some words for the home town fans.
“Guys, quit cussing. Quit cussing. Don’t throw anything on the floor regardless of what’s happening,” Williams said.
A coach calling out fans for cussing is not something you see everyday. But the Hokie fans appreciated the comments and started cheering after he said it. It set the stage for a comeback that might have sealed an NCAA tournament bid for the Hokies, who improved to 21-9 and 10-7 in the ACC.
Chris Clarke with the game-winner!@HokiesMBB knocks off Duke 64-63. pic.twitter.com/Sp7jhc7G5P
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) February 27, 2018
After Duke went up 63-58 with 2:23 left, Clarke scored the last six points of the game to give Virginia Tech the 64-63 win. The game winner came on an air ball jumper by Nickeil Alexander-Walker that Clarke grabbed and put back in with four ticks left.
Allen launched a three-pointer as the clock expired that all missed everything, but freshman Marvin Bagley caught it and laid it in, but it was too late — no basket.
“I was definitely trying to get in position for an offensive rebound,” he said.
“I saw Nickeil missed it long and I just put it back in,” Clarke said after the game.
Williams praised his team’s tenacity.
“The one thing that I would say is there’s also been multiple times when our guys could have stopped because it wasn’t working … but the fiber of how these kids were raised has given them an invincible layer of toughness where they just kind of hang in there and keep fighting,” Williams said after the game, according to Hokies Sports. “There’s something about the chemistry of the group and the togetherness of the group, and they just hang in there.”
The reaction on Twitter was mostly positive.
Nice to see a coach take the PA mic and tell the crowd to quit cussin. Thanks Buzz Williams. @HokiesMBB
— Jeff Gravley (@JGravleySPORTS) February 27, 2018
Seriously, Buzz Williams grabbing the mic and telling the student section to "quit cussin" might be my favorite basketball thing this year.
— David Martin (@DMart423) February 27, 2018
"Quit cussin'!" I love Buzz Williams so much. Please let him be our coach forever. @TeamCoachBuzz #Hokies
— Adam Cowling (@TheAdamCowling) February 27, 2018
It was a huge win for the Hokies against a Duke team that had won five straight and beat Virginia Tech by 22, 74-52, on Feb. 14. It was Virginia Tech’s fourth win over a top 25 team this year, along with wins over North Carolina, Virginia and Clemson.
“It’s our grit, our character,” Justin Robinson told The Roanoke Times. “We never give up.”
It seems like the players have a pretty good role model in their coach.
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