OFFICIAL OK AFTER COLLAPSING DURING GONZAGA-USC
Official Bert Smith collapsed on the floor early in the Elite Eight game between Gonzaga and USC and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher.
Smith had just set up on the baseline as the Trojans were moving onto offense when he collapsed and hit his head on the floor.
He stayed down for about five minutes, and then was able to stand up and move to a nearby stretcher. He was alert and sitting up with his arms crossed as he was taken off the court.
In a statement, NCAA spokesman David Worlock said Smith is “alert and stable,” and won’t be transported to a hospital. Worlock also said Smith has been in contact with his family.
Worlock’s statement didn’t specifically state the nature of Smith’s “medical issue,” though CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore said on the TBS broadcast that Smith was feeling “lightheaded,” leading to the fall. He said Smith was being treated by trainers in the locker room.
Smith was officiating his second Elite Eight. He was replaced by an alternate, Tony Henderson, who had been at the scorer’s table.
Notable
• Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said good-bye to three players in a brief statement from the university, acknowledging that point guard Kadary Richmond, forward Robert Braswell and center John Bol Ajak have entered the NCAA transfer portal. Richmond is the biggest loss because of his defensive contributions in the Orange’s zone defense and his ability to run the offense as a freshman.
• Jason Shay resigned after one season as head coach of the men’s basketball team at East Tennessee State. Shay spent six seasons with ETSU, his first five as an assistant and one as head coach. The Bucs went 13-12 under Shay after they won 30 games and won the Southern Conference Tournament championship in 2019-20. Shay and his players were criticized, including by some Republican Tennessee state lawmakers, for the team’s decision to kneel during the national anthem before a game in February.
• Duke senior forward Patrick Tape is exploring playing another season of college basketball next season, entering the transfer portal.
• Florida forward Omar Payne entered the transfer portal and became the fifth player to leave coach Mike White’s program since the end of the season.
• Fordham hired longtime Villanova assistant Kyle Neptune to take over a men’s basketball program that has had only two winning seasons since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1995.
• Akron coach John Groce agreed to a contract extension through 2026.
• North Carolina State guard Braxton Beverly plans to transfer as a graduate to Eastern Kentucky in his home state.
• South Carolina is losing a pair of reserves from its men’s team. The school says 6-foot-3 guard Trae Hannibal and 6-8 forward Jalyn McCreary have entered the NCAA transfer portal with the intention to leave.