Matt Trowbridge
Rockford Register Star
Rules are rules in sports. Period.
That’s why Rock Valley College, which clearly violated the letter of the law but did nothing wrong according to the reason the rule was adopted, will play with only five players this week when it tries to reach the NJCAA women’s basketball national tournament.
RVC’s bench emptied onto the court Saturday late in a 105-61 Midwest B District championship rout of Kankakee, trying to calm feelings down after a hard foul late in the game.
Video footage shows there never was a fight, or anything even close to one, but for decades college basketball has ejected any player who leaves the bench and comes onto the court during an altercation.
In junior college, ejected players are also suspended for the next game.
RVC officials sent video of the incident to the NJCAA but that did not change the penalty.
“Unfortunately, it’s pretty black and white, based off the sportsmanship standards with the NJCAA,” RVC athletic director Darin Monroe said. “Any personnel that leaves the bench are ejected and have to serve a suspension. Only the head coach is allowed to leave the bench area.
“It’s a pretty hard stance, but there have been issues in the past with other programs. If you have seen the video, there is obviously nothing egregrious by any means by our players who left the bench area. They were just de-escalating a hard foul. The players weren’t out there to make more of the issue. But our kids unfortunately went across the line. The rules are the rules. Whether you like them or not, you have to abide by them.”
In the NCAA, players are not suspended for the next game unless they participate in a fight. In junior college, crossing the line means crossing the line.
Playing shorthanded
RVC will have only five players Saturday when they play No. 1-ranked Morton College at home, with the winner advancing to the 16-team national tournament. That’s not as hopeless as it sounds.
RVC, ranked No. 9 in its first season in NJCAA Division II, is 25-6 and has won 10 straight games with a balanced roster, with coach Darryl Watkins subbing frequently.
“Daryl has played a system all year where it’s been a rotation with everyone playing equal minutes,” Monroe said. “From a competition standpoint, I don’t expect us to miss a whole lot because the kids we have left have been significant contributors all year long. We’ve got a good group that’s going to battle for 40 minutes and hopefully give us a chance to play in our first Division II national tournament.”
RVC is playing in Division II for the first time after being a Division III national power for years, winning four national titles between 2012 and 2017.
“This is a year where we are going to see what kind of D-II program we are,” Monroe said. “We have had a lot of success at the Division III level. The fact that we are ranked in the top 10 in our first year in D-II says volumes about our athletes. Our mentality is not to talk about this situation. We still have a chance to win a game and go to the national tournament.”
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
