THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 23, 1996 TAG: 9605230346
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON FRANK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 79 lines
A 17-year-old youth-league basketball player who knocked a referee unconscious during a game in March, which incited a near-riot on the court involving parents, players and fans, was convicted of assault Wednesday in juvenile court.
During the melee, about 100 juveniles and adults poured onto the court, and a parent almost got his ear bitten off by a purse-swinging woman.
The teen's sentence - four days of community service - didn't sit well with the referee, who suffered head and neck contusions, or with youth-league basketball officials.
``They are going to go back to school and tell their friends they got away with it,'' referee Steve Hughes said after Wednesday's hearing. ``I don't believe the judge understood everything that went on.''
``The sentence did not measure up to the crime,'' said Larry Jochum, who is in charge of assigning referees for youth basketball in the Virginia Beach Community Recreation League.
Two players involved in the incident received the same sentence Wednesday. A 14-year-old seventh-grader at Tucker Elementary School was convicted by Judge J. Davis Reed of resisting arrest and also ordered to serve four days of community service. The 17-year-old, a 10th-grader at Richard Milburn School, was convicted of simple assault.
Jochum said the March 16 fight was the most serious incident that has occurred during his 14 years as referee-assigning commissioner in Virginia Beach.
The incident occurred in the closing minute of a game, during the league's season-ending tournament at the Center for Effective Learning on Witchduck Road. The outcome had already been decided because one of the teams, the Blue Devils, led the Lakers by about 30 points.
Hughes testified Wednesday that, earlier in the game, he was closely following the action when the ball was stolen and the players suddenly reversed direction. When this happened, the 17-year-old, who was playing on the Lakers, the losing team, bumped into him, Hughes said.
The collision, Hughes believes, was unavoidable. But instead of moving away, the 17-year-old remained in front of Hughes.
``He was staring at me, as if to provoke further confrontation,'' Hughes testified.
Hughes immediately called a technical foul on the player, awarding the ball and a free throw to the Blue Devils.
``But when the free-throw was taken, (the 17-year-old) went into an outrage,'' Hughes testified.
The 17-year-old knocked the scorer's table down and began storming up and down the sidelines. Hughes called another technical foul and ejected the 17-year-old from the game.
The 17-year-old initially left the gymnasium after his ejection, but came back inside late in the game.
As Hughes repositioned himself near mid-court, the 17-year-old came up behind him.
``He just hauled off and punched him,'' testified Charles Byrd, the official scorekeeper, who witnessed the attack.
Hughes lost consciousness. Then another player came over and began kicking Hughes, said Preston Holt, the Blue Devils' coach. Then, Holt said, others poured onto the court.
``It was just mayhem,'' testified Frank Stokes, gym supervisor at the Center for Effective Learning.
Holt, speaking after the court hearing, recalled that several people started kicking Hughes. At least one woman was hitting him with her purse, he said. Holt said his father also was hit by a purse-swinging woman during the melee.
One of the players' parents was attempting to separate two of the combatants when a female participant bit his ear. The parent, Holt said, needed four stitches to close the wound.
``In all my years, I've never seen anything like this,'' said Holt, who has been coaching youth-league basketball for about 10 years.
After police arrived, the 17-year-old and 14-year-old were arrested.
The incident wasn't the only one to mar this year's basketball season in Virginia Beach. Another fight involving about 40 people erupted at Bayside Middle School on Jan. 13.
The two fights have prompted officials to consider having police officers at next year's games.
KEYWORDS: ASSAULT by CNB