Bibby Rips Pac-10 for Suspensions

USC Coach Henry Bibby blasted the Pacific 10 Conference on Friday and said he entertained the thought of sitting out a game to protest the suspensions of Trojan basketball players Derrick and Errick Craven.

“I think that it’s totally unfair with the way the conference has handled this situation,” Bibby said after the conference rejected USC’s appeal of the one-game suspensions.

The Cravens are being punished for altercations involving California’s Richard Midgley in games Jan. 22 and Feb. 21.

“This really hit me out of left field,” Bibby said. “They wouldn’t have done this if it was Arizona, Stanford or UCLA.... You can’t just use us as an example. Use everybody.”

USC, 7-9 in the Pac-10 and 12-13 overall, will close out the regular season with games at Oregon and Oregon State next week.

Errick Craven, USC’s third-leading scorer, will sit out the game against Oregon on Thursday; Derrick Craven will not play at Oregon State on Saturday.

The first confrontation between Midgley and one of the Craven twins took place at Cal when Errick Craven kicked Midgley when he was down on the court.

USC held Errick Craven out of the starting lineup against Stanford, the Trojans’ next game, as punishment. When USC and Cal met again at the Sports Arena, both Cravens tangled with Midgley.

After being pump-faked into the air by Midgley, Errick Craven came down on the Cal player’s back, and Midgley threw a punch before being pulled back by officials as Craven walked away. Later in the game, Derrick Craven appeared to take a swing at Midgley after a collision.

Both incidents were reviewed by Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen and the conference’s coordinator of men’s basketball officiating, Lou Campanelli, who coached at Cal for eight seasons.

“In each incident, the player committed an unsporting act toward an opposing player,” Hansen said in a statement. “The actions warranted the one-game suspensions.”

Because flagrant fouls were not called after any of the incidents, the conference also suspended officials Mark Reischling, Andy Rios and Michael Irving for one game.

“It’s understandable [USC] is not happy with the ruling; that’s why they appealed it, so they could have a chance to state their case,” Pac-10 spokesman Dave Hirsch said.

The Cravens were originally suspended for Wednesday’s game against UCLA, but because the Pac-10’s compliance and enforcement committee was unable to hear USC’s appeal until Friday, the twins were allowed to play in the Trojans’ overtime victory over the Bruins.

Friday morning, USC senior associate athletic director Daryl Gross and Bibby pleaded the Trojans’ case. They also complained that the conference did not punish Midgley.

Asked whether the Cal player was reprimanded, Hirsch said: “No public comment.”

Bibby said Midgley was placed on probation, which to him was not a fair exchange.

“Midgley gets probation and my kids get suspended. The punishment has to fit the crime,” Bibby said. “There are no ground rules on probation and suspension that I’ve been given before the season.... Are they being made up as they’re going along? That’s my concern.

“I’m not condoning what the kids have done if it’s intended. [But] if it’s part of the game and they’re playing and the officials don’t say anything, then there’s nothing going on.”