09-19-2007, 07:26 AM
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#1
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General Manager
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
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"Regardless of how terrible the officiating is........."
I'm so glad that I was able to experience this incident live on TV because MU was playing OU that night. Easily one of the most memorable college basketball moments I've seen. As Hightower mentions in the article, my only disappointment is that Norm Stewart wasn't there to attempt to upstage him at his own antics.
http://newsok.com/article/3129183
Quote:
Ref Hightower, Tubbs recount famous incident
By John Rohde
The Oklahoman
What transpired inside the Lloyd Noble Center on Feb. 9, 1989, has been told and retold countless times.
It remains the most memorable evening in the facility's 32-year history.
A then-record crowd of 11,734 was on hand to watch No. 3-ranked Missouri play No. 5-ranked Oklahoma in men's basketball.
A dozen NBA scouts were on hand, and a record 130 media credentials were granted for the Thursday night ESPN telecast.
MU coach Norm Stewart was in Hillcrest Health Center with a bleeding ulcer, having blacked out that morning when the team's flight was eight minutes outside Oklahoma City.
With assistant Rich Daly serving as interim coach, the Tigers jump out to a 23-8 lead in the first five minutes.
OU coach Billy Tubbs already had collected one technical foul for arguing a possession call. After another controversial call roughly 40 seconds later, a few patrons threw debris onto the floor.
Rather than calm the crowd, Tubbs enticed it with his now-legendary public address announcement.
"Regardless of how terrible the officiating is, please don't throw things onto the floor,” Tubbs said, immediately drawing a technical from official Ed High-tower.
The Sooners promptly went on a 25-9 spurt of their own and eventually won 112-105.
Tubbs has always said he was "ordered” by an official to speak to the crowd. "I was commanded to do it,” Tubbs said the next day. "Let's just say I did a poor job of what they asked me to do. I have a bad habit of being very truthful.”
However, Hightower recalls things differently.
Hightower was a guest at Monday night's Legends in Sports Rivalry Dinner in Tulsa that honored Tubbs and former Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton.
Hightower claims Tubbs pleaded to address the crowd so his team wouldn't get assessed a technical foul for throwing debris onto the court.
Hightower said he reluctantly relented and allowed Tubbs to speak.
Tubbs adamantly insists he made no such request.
"I didn't want the mike,” Tubbs said.
Though Stewart's absence was because of unfortunate circumstances, Hightower noted it was fortunate Stewart was not in attendance.
"Oh, my. Can you imagine?” Hightower said. "There's no telling what might have happened had Norm been there.”
•Mike check: Three days after the incident against Missouri, the Sooners hosted No. 1-ranked Arizona and won 82-80 in a showdown between national player of the year candidates Stacey King, Mookie Blaylock and Sean Elliott.
Before tipoff, Wildcats coach Lute Olson walked past public address announcer Mike Treps and playfully asked, "Is that thing working OK? You need Billy to do a mike check?”
•The hat dance: Hightower also worked a 1994 game at Gallagher-Iba Arena when Tubbs was ejected with :02 left in the game.
While escorting Tubbs off the floor, an OSU campus police officer took off his hat to shield Tubbs' head from flying debris.
OSU fans in the area claim Tubbs swatted the hat out of the policeman's hand and kicked the hat into the stands.
"I admit everything I have been accused of that I really did,” Tubbs said, denying the hat-kicking incident ever happened. "Oklahoma State fans can make up a lot of stuff.”
•A familiar foe: After Tubbs left OU in 1994 to become the coach at TCU, Sutton suggested having a home-and-home series between the Cowboys and Horned Frogs in 1997-98.
"Billy called me back and said, ‘Let me ask you a question before I agree to do this: Do you think all those OSU students will remember me?' ” Sutton said with a huge smile. "I said, ‘Billy, those students are all gone. But those old folks are sure going to remember you.' ”
•Best coach ever: When Sutton retired from coaching last spring, Tubbs paid homage to Sutton's lifetime achievements and proclaimed him one of the game's great coaches.
"He's the second-best basketball coach ever in the state of Oklahoma,” Tubbs said.
Contrary to what some might believe, the top spot does not belong to OSU legend Henry P. Iba.
The best basketball coach in Oklahoma history?
"It's me, of course,” Tubbs said with a laugh.
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