Mike wants explanation from SEC on T, but may get standard line

Arkansas’ women’s basketball doesn’t have a game for a week, so Mike Neighbors’ schedule may be open, which is good because he’s wanting some clarification from SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

After the Razorbacks had whittled a 17-point Auburn lead down to four, 65-61, Jaiyn Mason had a steak, but Malica Monk missed the layup. Kiara Williams got the rebound, missed a short jumper, got the rebound and that’s when the problems started.

Williams was called for a foul and Neighbors registered a complaint. Okay, he did it loudly and with some enthusiasm. Assistant coach Todd Schaefer came out to get him and the bench was hit with a technical.

“That is EXACTLY what we are taught to do as assistant coaches our entire life,” Neighbors said to the media later. “We are taught to protect the head coach and go get the head coach and that’s exactly what happened.”

He was not going to give his opinion, though. The league office frowns on that and is fairly quick to get money from those who deliver opinions they view as too negative or questioning.

“We were told the technical was issued because one of my assistant coaches left the bench and the assistant coach was trying to get me to not go on the floor,” Neighbors said.

Hogs coach Mike Neighbors and assistant Todd Schaefer talking to officials during Sunday’s game against Auburn. PHOTO BY ANDY HODGES | HITTHATLINE.COM

Well, it does happen all across the league every game and it’s called so seldom I thought they had changed the rule.

“That’s what they told us, so I’m not telling you anything about my opinion on it,” Neighbors said. “I’m just reporting the fact of what they told us.”

He’s holding his opinion, which is probably the smartest thing to do.

“I’m not sure I could comment further on it without talking to commissioner Sankey tomorrow so I’m not going to,” he said.

All he wants is a clarification for a simple reason.

“I want my assistant coaches to do that,” Neighbors said. “That’s exactly who we are and that’s the program we’ll aways be.”

That didn’t cost the Hogs the game. They even got a make-up technical later when the Tigers’ Crystal Primm was whistled for a foul she didn’t agree with.

“She showed a little too much emotion on the foul,” Auburn coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said later. “Since I can’t talk about the refs, that’s all I can say right now.”

It’s a good bet she will be talking to somebody in the league office Monday, too.

Neighbors, on the other hand, just wants to understand exactly why there was a call in the first place.

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“If that’s the rule, then I need to understand it better and I need to teach it better because I speak at clinics all over the country and I tell assistant coaches that’s part of their job,” Neighbors said.

The explanation from the league office may be interesting.

Some enlightment would be nice, but the guess here is it’s be termed a judgement call, Neighbors understands the rule and he’ll hear what other coaches have heard from the league:

“Hey, coach, we’re sorry … we missed it and you’re right.”

Oh, and the standard close:

“Good luck.”

That really should be the opening line from the league on most of these things.