Greivis Vasquez is a jerk!

[dahntaysdawg]

And now the high quality feature doesn't work. I don't understand YouTube.



That "very little action" is exactly the physical posturing and gesture one would use when he desires the other person to flinch. There's no place for that at the college basketball level. If an opposing ACC player did that to us, we'd be calling for his head or, at the very least, we would mock him incessantly for reducing himself to that.

As I said back in the Clemson game thread, I hope it was dealt with internally, and I'm sort of glad for Duke's sake that the pop gets most of the attention for that game's ending.

Wow, you are really reaching for something here. The game wasn't over so Kyle was in defensive stance, are we supposed to just let them have their moment and be ok with it?

[allenmurray]

I was always coached to play to the whistle. It's my firm belief that it's not my job to stop me; it's your job to stop me. That doesn't mean that it wouldn't have been more sporting to dribble out the clock, but I'm hesitant to call a guy a jerk for just playing ball. I have no proof of this, but I tend to believe that teams start the next game the way they finished the last.

Apparently Sidney Lowe agrees with me. From the N&O blog:

"That wasn't the 3, one of four for Vasquez, that irked Lowe. Vasquez drained an uncontested 3 as the clock wound down. State's players began to head for the handshake line, but Vasquez was still playing.

Lowe wasn't so much concerned about Vasquez's questionable sportsmanship but his own team's effort.

'You play to the buzzer rings,' Lowe said. 'What bothers me more is that we weren't with him.'"

-c

If your team is ahead by 8, there are less than 3 seconds left, and the other players are not guarding you (in fact have started walking over to the handshake line) they you are not "playing" you are showing off. Understanding the difference between those two things is what sets some players apart from others.

The NCSU players had conceded the game - they could have gone out and played hard defense - maybe even committed a hard foul in order to keep G from getting off the shot. But they recognized that the game was over, that MD had won, and they left the court understanding that they had been beaten. He had just played a team very well, in a well played and "clean" game. He disrespected the 8 or 9 players to make a point to the crowd. he forgot who the game was really against.

[allenmurray]

Look for closer guarding of GV at ends of games!


Best regards---Blueprofessor

Yep. the next time he does that somebody will foul him hard, very hard. Then he will talk about sportsmanship in end of game situations, and GW will complain.

[moonpie23]

state had given up at the 2 min mark...they didn't care about grAvus taking that shot...why should anyone else?


i mean...state LET him take that shot...i think they were in the shower...

[davekay1971]

Gosh, it sure seems that the fans in Carolina have subjective memories because I can distinctly remember a thunderous, unguarded throw-down jam to end a Maryland-Carollina game in Cole Field House by none other than Michael Jordan when that game was over, as well.

I guess MJ was a classless jerk as well.

As it turns out...he was. He just hid it better than Vasquez.

As for the general theme of this thread, agreed that it was a classless move by a kid with a tendency toward punk-ish behavior, endorsed by a coach who appears to endorse and encourage lack of class and lack of sportsmanship by his team and his team's fans.

[weezie]

Plus, he couldn't bat a lick.

But back to grAvis: chest bumping your coach at the end of the Tar Heel game was extremely dorky and maddeningly insulting to the holes. I loved it, though..so terpy-dorky.

[slower]

I must be getting old and sentimental for a time when teams won with class and fans expected it.

Was that also a time when the FANS had class? Because, for the most part, fans are FAR worse than any of the players. So, while I agree that the shot by Vasquez was a bad idea, sometimes I don't blame these guys for wanting to stick it to hecklers.

[cruxer]

The NCSU players had conceded the game - they could have gone out and played hard defense - maybe even committed a hard foul in order to keep G from getting off the shot. But they recognized that the game was over, that MD had won, and they left the court understanding that they had been beaten. He had just played a team very well, in a well played and "clean" game. He disrespected the 8 or 9 players to make a point to the crowd. he forgot who the game was really against.

The fact that State conceded may be as telling as the fact that GV took the shot. The game's not over until it's actually over. Again, I agree that it would have more sporting to simply let the clock run out. But I don't have a huge problem with GV taking a shot either. If, in a similar situation, teams decide that guarding him until the whistle should be their strategy, well they should have been doing that anyway.

I might see this situation differently if, say, this were boxing, and continually pummeling an opponent who's clearly hurt could cause permanent damage, but it's not. This is basketball, and in college, the game lasts 40 minutes--not 39:55.

And, just so you know, I believe that in any situation. I'm a huge Duke fan, so I had no rooting interest in that game. However, I went to Gainesville last year to watch UM/UF play football. UF scored a late TD after the game was decided. I was rooting for UM, and actually argued with a UF fan who I went to the game with that I had no problem with that. It was the 'Canes job to stop the Gators. It's not the Gators job to stop the Gators.

-c

[bjornolf]

Did anybody see the GT/UNC game this weekend? Carolina was up by 25 in the second half shooting 3s early in the shotclock and looking for runouts with their starters in the game with four minutes left in the game. I was at a party and only slightly watching, but suddenly I saw a Carolina player (I think it was Ellington) lying on the floor holding his head. Did anybody see this? What happened? Did a GT player take a frustration shot at him? That kind of situation always seems dangerous to me, and an argument for getting your starters out of there. No, the Gators shouldn't stop the Gators, but they could at least put in their backups (which if they did, then I don't have a problem with it). As Bowden once said "I got my fourth stringers in there. What do you want them to do, lay down?"

[Kewlswim]

Hola,

It just seems that there are bigger issues to worry about than a last shot at a game that was already over. As for me, I don't think too much about what a Terrapin does, I worry a lot more about what my beloved Blue Devils do!

Andale Diablos Azules!

GO DUKE in ANY language sounds awesome.

[juise]

Greivis could learn from these high school kids.

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

I have never really watched basketball in any of the Latin American (or in Spain for that matter) leagues. Gervais is of course from Venezuela. Perhaps this is not considered bad form in those countries? We in America are told to play to the whistle no matter what, except in end of game situations like Gervais encountered. Maybe he just needs to be told that is bad form in America? Overall, he does not seem like a bad kid. I don't think I have seen him take any cheap shots. He wants the ball in the critical situations (what is wrong with that?). He makes the Terrapins go, if you are a Terp fan that must be a good thing. Only Terp I ever really liked was Len Bias. I guess Lefty was OK, but then again he is from Duke.

GO DUKE!

[tendev]

Gosh, it sure seems that the fans in Carolina have subjective memories because I can distinctly remember a thunderous, unguarded throw-down jam to end a Maryland-Carollina game in Cole Field House by none other than Michael Jordan when that game was over, as well.

I guess MJ was a classless jerk as well.

I did not see that game or simply don't remember it. No reason I would have seen it but from my recollections of his college days, MJ does not come to mind as an example of good sportsmanship that I would want my kid to follow. I would add several Duke players (one from the early 90s who stepped on someone from Kentucky) to that list as well if you are interested in objectivity.

I did not say and would not say that based on any one play that MJ or Vasquez is a "classless jerk". I don't agree with that characterization. My comment was in response to another post to the effect that what Vasquez did was "no big deal". My guess is that acts of poor sportmanship started well before MJ, and that they will continue until they are just not accepted as standard behavior.

[tendev]

Wow, you are really reaching for something here. The game wasn't over so Kyle was in defensive stance, are we supposed to just let them have their moment and be ok with it?

The Clemson players woofing was lousy sportmanship too. But if Singler lets that get to him, he needs to learn to be mentally tougher. Once the game is over, let it go. Next play as K likes to say. Let the other teams look like jackasses.

[RelativeWays]

SIngler seems to be a bit of a prick. God bless him for it. So was Laettner. As much as he loved to win (and Laettner loooooooved to win) I think he hated to lose even more. Kyle seems to be the same way and he's my favorite current devil because of it.

[InSpades]

Hi,

I have never really watched basketball in any of the Latin American (or in Spain for that matter) leagues. Gervais is of course from Venezuela. Perhaps this is not considered bad form in those countries? We in America are told to play to the whistle no matter what, except in end of game situations like Gervais encountered. Maybe he just needs to be told that is bad form in America? Overall, he does not seem like a bad kid. I don't think I have seen him take any cheap shots. He wants the ball in the critical situations (what is wrong with that?). He makes the Terrapins go, if you are a Terp fan that must be a good thing. Only Terp I ever really liked was Len Bias. I guess Lefty was OK, but then again he is from Duke.

GO DUKE!

I kind of like Vasquez but this explanation doesn't really make much sense. He's a junior. If he hasn't figured out by now that taking that shot is going to piss off some people then he's not paying attention. He knew what he was doing. I don't think it's a big deal or anything, and he's still probably the only Maryland player I sort of like. He has a very likable kind of cockiness and the way he handled his game in Cameron (afterwards) was pretty funny.

[RoyalBlue08]

I think this shot by Vasquez is just a reflection of the fact that there seems to be no emphasis on sportsmanship in the Maryland program. It's evident in the way the team is coached and the way the fans behave. I think blaming Greivis is missing the point. It's not hard to teach sportsmanship. I have never seen a Duke team take a shot when the shot clock is off and the game is over...even when the Crazies are imploring a walk on to shoot, or they need the basket to get to 100 or whatever. If Gary cared to teach sportsmanship too, this wouldn't happen at Maryland either. And maybe if Gary would get on the microphone when his crowd is chanting obsenities, that would stop as well. (I know i have been in Cameron on several occasions when K thought the students crossed the line, and he called timeout specifically to tell them so.) Anyway, mabye I am getting off the point, but I tend to blame the coach over the player for things like this.

[JG Nothing]

Wow, you are really reaching for something here. The game wasn't over so Kyle was in defensive stance, are we supposed to just let them have their moment and be ok with it?

Singler was never in a serious defensive stance. In both cases, popping the ball out of the player's arms and jumping towards the guy dribbling the ball up court, Singler used the element of surprise to try to upstage Clemson.

The Clemson players were simply celebrating a huge win with their fans in the waning seconds of the game. They were not taunting the Duke players at all. I've seen Duke players do similar things at the end of games and everyone else was always "okay with it."

Duke (and Singler) let Clemson "have their moment" for 39 minutes and 50 seconds. I'm not sure why Singler could not "be okay with it" for 10 more seconds.

Duke should just be happy Clemson did not shoot a three or try a dunk after the shot clock was turned off.

[captmojo]

Kyle's actions could easily be defined as playful frustration. Note how it wasn't a case of trying to chase down the ball to get off a shot. Note how there didn't seem to be an attempt to injure anyone, most of all himself, from the crush of those about to rush the court in celebration, who rarely get to see such a win over a team like Duke. In the end, Kyle's actions...big deal. Vasquez's...in your face deal. Big difference.

[Kewlswim]

I kind of like Vasquez but this explanation doesn't really make much sense. He's a junior. If he hasn't figured out by now that taking that shot is going to piss off some people then he's not paying attention. He knew what he was doing. I don't think it's a big deal or anything, and he's still probably the only Maryland player I sort of like. He has a very likable kind of cockiness and the way he handled his game in Cameron (afterwards) was pretty funny.

Hi,

Maybe he is clueless and has not paid attention and does not get a chance to take last minute victory shots? After all he is a turtle and may have his head in his shell and not paying attention to the outside world.

GO DUKE!