I am surprised no one mentioned the tennis ball game at Vandy yet in this thread. I did not immediately think of it when I saw and posted this this morning, but UF's first SEC regular season title in basketball was due to a win a Vandy somewhat like this. Of course the offender was one idiot not much of the student body as in this case.
I'm trying to remember this. I think it was more than one Vandy student who threw tennis balls on the court. This was done in reference to Dwayne Schintius getting in trouble earlier in the week for hitting someone in the head with a tennis racket outside a Gainesville bar.
The antics cost Vandy the game and as I remember it was a very important game in the SEC race.
I actually remember watching this one on TV, The details have faded a little bit with time, but a lot of tennis balls came down with only a second or two on the clock and Vandy up two. Technical is called and Dwayne steps to the line and sinks them both. He then dominates the ensuing overtime.
Dwayne was pretty much an arrogant jerk at the time, but he was OUR 7 ft.+ arrogant jerk! A good memory!
Found this:
Vanderbilt`s coat-and-tie crowd congratulated itself one second early Wednesday night in Memorial Gymnasium. With the Commodores leading Florida 72-70 and one second left, some Vanderbilt students threw tennis balls onto the court.
Official John Clougherty called a technical foul on Vanderbilt, Schintzius sank the subsequent free throws, and the Gators went on to beat the Commodores 81-78 in overtime in front of 15,498 angry fans.
``Whoever was stupid enough to do it, I guess they were trying to be cool,`` said Schintzius, who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. ``They could say, `I hit Dwayne Schintzius with a tennis ball.` I hope they`re happy because now they can say they cost Vandy the game. Just write that Dwayne Schintzius says, `Thank you.```
Schintzius also scored the first seven points of overtime as the Gators improved to 10-9, 4-4 in the Southeastern Conference. The Commodores fell to 10-9, 4-3 in the SEC.
``A rule`s a rule,`` Florida coach Norm Sloan said. ``There`s a second on the clock, he has to call the technical. Everyone is saying what a gutsy call it was. It didn`t take any guts at all. What would have taken guts is if he didn`t call it.
``What everybody is overlooking is that Schintzius stepped up there and knocked them in.``
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/19...0852_1_dwayne-schintzius-tennis-balls-florida
