
Following its best season ever, the Beren Academy boys basketball team is giving up a chance at a state championship this weekend to remain true to its faith.
The Stars (23-5) were slated to play in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools 2A state tournament this weekend, but because the game times conflict with the observation of the Jewish Sabbath, they will have to forfeit.
Beren, an Orthodox Jewish day school in Houston with 67 students, appealed to TAPPS to reschedule the state semifinal against Dallas Covenant from 9 p.m. Friday to an earlier time, but the appeal was denied Monday morning. Dallas Covenant will now face Kerrville Our Lady of the Hills, which Beren beat 69-42 in the regional round last week.
Read more at chron.com
As Fox-5 in Washington, D.C. and another local outlets reported, a Wednesday night game between ConneXions and Cardozo Academy got out of hand after a couple of questionable calls by the referees started to anger fans in the stands during the second quarter.
With tensions mounting and the game on the verge of going south, an unknown fan came out of the stands and shoved a Cardozo coach, igniting a nasty brawl that lasted for more than a couple minutes.
Read more at rivals.yahoo.com
Memphis police are investigating allegations made by two former players that Amateur Athletic Union president and chief executive officer Robert "Bobby" Dodd molested them in the 1980s.
On Friday, the AAU announced that it had contacted Memphis police after AAU officials learned from ESPN's "Outside the Lines" about allegations made by the two players. The AAU also announced its own investigation, that Dodd would not be returning to the organization after a medical leave, and named an interim leader.
"Outside the Lines" tried several times Thursday and Friday to contact Dodd about various abuse allegations. Dodd, 63, the AAU's top executive since 1992, did not respond to in-person visits at his home and AAU offices, telephone calls or email to answer questions about the allegations. The players allege a pattern of inappropriate touching of them by Dodd, masturbation by Dodd while they slept in hotel rooms during tournaments, and players younger than 16 being supplied alcohol.
Read more at espn.com
City staff are looking for grant funding to continue the program after the basketball courts are finished.
The Youth Build team overseen by R.D. Prater Construction Co. has started work on one of the two youth-size basketball courts slated for Hewitt Park.
Read more at orovillemr.com
By Michael Popke, Athletic Business
At least eight high school basketball programs in Indiana are on probation for the 2011-12 school year after recent brawls prompted fans and coaches to leave their seats. One more bad move, reports Indianapolis' WXIN-TV, and the teams could get yanked from state tournament play -- or even dropped from the Indiana State High School Athletic Association.
"There are rules at the NCAA and NBA level[s] that are pretty concrete that say when you leave the bench it's an automatic ejection," ISHAA commissioner Bobby Cox told the station. The NBA actually goes one step further and automatically suspends any player who leaves the bench.
Read more at athleticbusiness.com
By Laura Wilson, KAJ News
KALISPELL- Misdemeanor charges are pending after a Kalispell referee was grabbed by a Missoula man after a recent Flathead-Hellgate basketball match-up.
David Reese has been a basketball referee for years and the incident happened after the final buzzard rang at Flathead High School home game.
The Hellgate fan grabbed Reese while he was leaving the floor after apparently being upset at how the official called the close game.
Read more at kaj18.com



