Dybvig ban supported by world official

Press, 22 June 1985, Page 80

Dybvig ban supported by world official

By

FRANK DUGGAN

“Deport him,” was the reaction of a leading international basketball official, Mr Charles (Chuck) Osborne, of California, when, during a brief visit to Christchurch yesterday, he discussed the “ploy but not play” of the Leopard Criterion Napier coach, John Dybvig, in Christchurch last Sunday. “His actions give the sport a bad name and I admire New Zealand officials in placing a 12month ban on the man in question,” said Mr Osborne, aged 46, who has been an International Amateur Basketball Federation (F.1.8.A.) official since 1973. Since that time he has called about 300 international games for F.1.8.A. Mr Osborne and his wife, Andrea, who captained the 1976 England Olympic Games women’s basketball team, are also executive directors of Universal Sports Accord, of Camelback, Bermuda Dunes, California, which arranges overseas tours of American

club teams, and, in turn, tours of European and South Pacific Basin teams to the United States.

Yesterday he spent a few hours with the executive director of the New Zealand Basketball Federation, Mr Joe McLeod, finalising arrangements for New Zealand tours by three American teams in the coming months.

Generally, his company organises about 20 American club teams to tour overseas each year, including New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Scotland and England. In return, this year he has signed three European teams to tour the west and mid-west American states in November, including Red Star, Belgrade, and the national team champions of Brazil and Czechoslovakia.

“American first division teams, which number between 175 and 200, play 30 games a year, but are allowed one internal ‘exhibition’ match at the end of the season,” Mr Osborne explained. “That is why tours oy overseas teams must be

made in November at the end of the league season. Mr Osborne has a deep concern about the image American basketball projects and that includes Americans playing or coaching overseas. “This Dybvig thing came to my notice when I picked up a newspaper at Hong Kong Airport the other morning and it was all there,” he said. “Disgusting. I don’t care about excuses, because there are none from what I’ve found out, and the gentleman paid the price.” However, Mr Osborne hinted that further action should be taken.

“When you tour overseas frequently, as I do, I have found that a lot of Ameri-can-born coaches have a penchant for being able to baffle officialdom regarding their antics. They tell everybody that it is an American way of life to have a ‘go’ at officialdom and a lot of international officials turn a blind eye,” said Mr Osborne. “My reply to that is a well-known American expletive,” he said. “Ninetynine per cent of the coaches

in the United States keep their wordage and outbursts to their players, rarely is it aimed at the referees. The referees are appointed by a commission, they are good and, generally, any criticism can only belong to the players and the coach.” Mr Osborne said that one or two American coaches have tried “bad-mouthing” referees. “They may get away with it for a while and then they finish up being sacked,” he said.

“The same should apply anywhere in the world and I’m pleased that New Zealand has made a stand," said Mr Osborne. “The wellknown American coach, Bobby Knight, got into a tangle a few weeks ago and started throwing chairs. He paid the price.” However, Mr Osborne sympathised with Mr Knight, who is scheduled to visit New Zealand towards the end of the year on a coaching mission. “Bobby had been coaching for 18 months straight, including the United States Olympic team, and he had just got to

the end of his tether. Normally he takes it out on the players.” Mr Osborne first visited New Zealand in January on his way to the inaugural Australian Games, where he acted as a F.1.8.A. official representing the United States. He first saw the New Zealand men’s team play in 1975 and since then it has improved “200 per cent.”

“Last year in the United States the New Zealand team made a big impact,” he said. “They played better than I have ever hoped, were great ambassadors and I’m not alone in saying that they would be welcomed back immediately.” Mr Osborne said that American teams were now aware of New Zealand’s standard and were virtually “queuing up” to visit because the abilities of the New Zealanders were similar to their own. “The same cannot be said for a lot of American teams wanting to visit Yugoslavia,” he said. “The standard of basketball in that country is unbelievably good.”

Mr Osborne issued two notes of warning: • Basically basketball is a family sport; it can be enjoyed indoors and there is nothing better than young men and women playing to a physical capacity. Officials had to make sure that the game should be enjoyed by everyone involved.

• Immediately stamp out any misbehaviour, whether it be player or official. “The other day the world saw what happened in Belgium when soccer got out of control — death. That could quite easily happen in basketball,” said Mr Osborne.

“It takes two cells to make cancer,” he said. “In the case of basketball, the first ‘cell’ is the original offence ignored by officials; the second ‘cell’ occurs when, over a period of 10 years or so, the supporters consider that they can get away with anything. Then it is fatal,” he said. Early diagnosis of problems in sport was essential, said Mr Osborne.