Breakers coach fined for comments about refereeing
FOOTBALL WELLINGTON: Kevin Braswell has been fined $500 by the ANBL after the New Zealand Breakers coach condemned what he called unfair officiating against his team.
Braswell received the penalty for comments in the wake of last week’s game against Melbourne United in Invercargill, when he hit out at his team losing the foul count in its opening eight games this season.
Several of the games featured lop sided foul statistics against the Breakers, prompting the rookie coach to lose patience after Friday’s 108101 loss to the defending champion.
‘‘We constantly shoot less free throws than every team in the league,’’ Braswell said at the postgame press conference.
‘‘Every time I look up, a team is shooting 20plus free throws. You can’t tell me the same thing’s not happening at both ends.
‘‘I just think with us, sometimes we’re hard done by. Certain calls don’t go our way.’’
Braswell told journalists this week he felt his grievances had been heard and that he had spoken out primarily in a bid to defend the methods of centre Shawn Long.
American import Long had struggled to stay on court through the opening weeks of the ANBL because of referee interpretations.
In Sunday’s loss to the Kings in Sydney, the only game since Braswell’s outburst, the Breakers were deemed significantly more disciplined.
They conceded just 11 personal fouls to 19 for the Kings.
The Breakers host the leagueleading Wildcats tonight before the teams meet again in Perth on Sunday. — AAP