Big East Plans to Deal With Fights in Future

The Big East Conference doesn’t expect to levy any suspensions against Pittsburgh and Georgetown basketball players who have been involved in fights in two games this season, league commissioner Dave Gavitt said at Providence, R.I.

In a statement, Gavitt said the conference’s executive committee will meet this week and “consider special measures aimed to help ensure immediate discontinuation of such unacceptable behavior in the future.

” . . . It was our belief that our coaches would deal effectively with assuring there would be no recurrence. The events of Saturday indicate, regrettably, that this strategy has failed.”

The latest fight between Georgetown and Pittsburgh players broke out Saturday in the closing seconds of a game at Pittsburgh.

Gavitt’s statement emphasized that he does not expect the committee to issue any suspensions because it never has taken any retroactive action in the past. The committee is empowered to act for the league’s nine athletic directors.

Saturday’s brawl broke out with four seconds left. Georgetown Coach John Thompson took his team off the court, leaving Pitt with a 70-65 victory.

The fights started between Pitt’s Jerome Lane and the Hoyas’ Perry McDonald, who were battling for a rebound. It touched off three separate fights involving players from both teams.

Lane and Georgetown’s Mark Tillmon also fought at Landover, Md., on Jan. 6.