Hes a motivational speaker and diversity recruiter in addition to being an NCAA referee, and I imagine hes awfully good at both. Smith tested positive for the coronavirus in August, but doctors cant say whether theres a correlation between COVID-19 and his blood clot. Yeah man, you were staggering like you were fighting Ali., You were asking Mark Few for a job application because you were on his bench., Next thing you know, you were back in the ring again with Ali and you went down like a tree in a forest!. Smiths also grateful that his health scare, if it was going to happen,took place during the NCAA Tournament and not when he was driving or sleeping. The NCAA announces that Smith has returned to the hotel, and its true. Whats he doing on his back? Hed rather take the stairs, and Bert Smith doesnt walk them. that carried high into the net. The whole thing is mysterious, because hes a sculpture of a man, 6-3 and 195 pounds. Every chance I get, I want to get my heart rate up, says Smith, 56, who takes the court 90 times a year with elite NCAA athletes. I thought he was a good official, a fair official, and when you saw him at a game, you knew you were going to get a good whistle from him., Smith says well see him at games next season I could work again in seven to 10 days, he says but for now he wants to thank some people publicly. by Joseph Choi - 03/30/21 9:28 PM ET. But do we say I love you enough? Smith, who'ddriven a rental car into town after working the Atlantic-10 Tournament in Dayton, Ohio, was driven to his home in Florence, Kentucky, by Eric Lowe, a Central Indiana-based referee. However, minutes into the game, the NCAA tournament ended up experiencing a scary moment. Smith's fall to the ground. There is no better feeling then walking back into the locker room with your partners and knowing that we worked together as a team and that we gave everything we had for those 48 minutes. I always thought he was a good dude, Lansing says. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The reason is Im saying to them, You tricked me, you little SOB!. Trammel was at Methodist the night of March 30. Hospitalized with a blood clot. Do we do the things with our family and friends that have value to them? The referee who collapsed during Gonzaga's matchup against USC in the NCAA men's basketball tournament had a blood clot in his lung, The Indianapolis Star reported Friday. I love the smell of the grass when you first walk out on the field when you get to the stadium. And they found out. People in the building, and I was one of them, thought he was dead. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM. I was seven years old and wanted to learn everything he learned each day when he got home from practice. But slow down, OK? I love officiating because of the challenge. Something doesnt add up. Former NCAA national mens basketball officiating coordinator John Adams says Bert is funny but quiet, not a me-first guy. Adams was one of the 500 who reached out to Smith. Thats 1990. Referee Bert Smith was taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing to the court during the first half of the NCAA men's tournament Elite Eight matchup between USC and Gonzaga on Tuesday. Gallows humor, you call it, and its pretty funny, how Bert Smiths buddies tease him. Im letting the paint dry.. By 1993, hes an NCAA Division I official. Im ready to get after it, he says. It saved his life. Moves fast, this guy. Are you going to tell Bert Smith hes out of shape? Hes working Gonzaga-USC the next day, and Bert and his crew are staying in one of the NCAA bubble hotels, Le Meridien. you knew we kicked it in together. or redistributed. Hes feeling wobbly, so wobbly. Referee Bert Smith's fall in men's NCAA Tournament game didn't kill him. Well get there, but right now were moving too fast. For me, it didnt seem like a red flag, Smith says. No matter who you meet, you have to deal with them as people who deserve the best from you. They poured into Smiths phone after he collapsed on national television during Gonzagas eventual win over USC in a mens Elite Eight game on March 30. I continue to coach high school soccer. Im happy I did it around a bunch of people who had the ability to help me.. Read More Referee Bert Smith collapses on the court during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game in the NCAA men's . When you are ready mentally you work with confidence. Every offseason lasts too long and a week off of the field makes me feel rusty. When I enter the field, theres more bounce in my step, my senses are heightened and my competitive juices start flowing. He agreed. After his nationally televised fall, Smith had more than 500 texts, emails and calls to return, and by Wednesday hed returned them all. Smith does rememberthe play before it:Gonzagas Andrew Nembhard stealing the ball and going the other way, but now the action is coming back toward the USC basket, where Smith had remained hed been unable to run the court as Nembhard finished at the rim and Smith is wondering whats going on. He said the night before the game, while running the stairs in the hotel to see his buddies or get ice, he was a little out of breath. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Gallows humor, you call it, and its pretty funny, how Bert Smiths buddies tease him. Then again, isnt that what Bert Smith has always done? Something doesnt add up. Two days later, clot gone, he was discharged. She sits down next to the bed, Smith continues, and she says: I saw your fall tonight. Might as well walk fast, too. We make the calls and put up with the jeers because we love officiating. Smith, who became an NCAA Division I official in 1993, said he remembers the play preceding the fall. After college, I had the great privilege of joining his football crew and kick-starting my own football officiating career. He mentions NCAA officiating coordinator J.D. What happens next leads to a picture caught by IndyStar photographer Kelly Wilkinson. For me, it didnt seem like a red flag, Smith says. See Bert Smith? Well, says one of the doctors, at least sit on the stretcher. Do we give an extra hug enough? Its not some routine youre doing day in and day out. The confidence I feel on the field has spilled over into almost every aspect of my life, and it has propelled me to believe that any dream is within my grasp. CBS provided an update on the medical status of referee Bert Smith following his collapse on the court Tuesday. Well get there, but right now were moving too fast. When I am out on the field working a game I am mentally and physically completely focused on doing the job right. He is the current president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, was the 2020 winner of the National Headliner Award as the country's top sports columnist and has twice been named North. And how did the court get so blurry all of a sudden, like someone smeared it with . Do we give an extra hug enough? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. See Bert Smith? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. I want to know why you fell. She checked a few things out, came back in, and took me through the car wash. Just a lot of tests. Bert Smith, the official who collapsed during the Elite Eight, believes his fall could have saved his life. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. You dont know where that clot was going next, he says. Smiths pausing. Hes feeling wobbly, so wobbly. It would've been about NCAA basketball official Bert Smith, how he'd been used dishonestly as a pawn by the anti-vaccine movement to prove the unprovable: that COVID vaccines were causing. Players on both teams returned to their benches. And they found out. Heres why: The doctor said, Listen, tell you what, why dont you just sit on the stretcher? I said OK, I can do that, Smith says and now hes laughing. The referee who collapsed during Gonzaga's matchup against USC in the NCAA men's basketball tournament had a blood clot in his lung, The Indianapolis Star reported Friday. More Doyel:Referee Bert Smith got to hear ovation of a lifetime. INDIANAPOLIS Bert Smith hasnt seen the moment that made him famous. Another was former Indiana State coach Greg Lansing. Yeah man, you were staggering like you were fighting Ali., You were asking Mark Few for a job application because you were on his bench., Next thing you know, you were back in the ring again with Ali and you went down like a tree in a forest!. Given time that night on March 30, those around SmithNCAA doctors, his wife and colleaguesthought it best if he at least visited IU Methodist Hotel in Indianapolis to check his head and spine. Having to make those decisions in a split second is a challenge I enjoy. Smiths pausing. The NCAA announces that Smith has returned to the hotel, and its true. Thats around the time he spilled onto the hardwood, awaking to a semicircle of people surrounding him. You could talk to him during a game. A replacement official was added to the crew after Smith collapsed. That was one of the few times I remember getting in trouble with my father for kicking his car door as hard as my little legs could out of anger. but never had a chance. Here's where I'mtell him about that Kelly Wilkinson picture, how he looks so angry on the stretcher. I want to know why you fell. She checked a few things out, came back inand took me through the car wash. Just a lot of tests. Look at those crossed arms. Unfortunately we miss plays every night, but the challenge of trying to be perfect and get every play right is why I love it so much. He told the Star he's happy it happened during the Elite Eight when he could get the right help he needed rather than during an instance when he was driving or sleeping. Bert Smith. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. One of those people was Mike Fox, an independent contractor hired by the NCAA to help run the tournament and a basketball official himself. a thrust, a dribble, a power shot Now I have hundreds of brothers around the country. The Big League College World Series (last August in Kalamazoo, Mich.) was probably the most fun Ive had on a ball field. My dad always said, You do not always win, but you can always be a good sport and, You should conduct yourself on the court, the way you would conduct yourself in life. In addition, I have two brothers and a sister who were also officials we were known as the Aldrich Hoop Family.. For now, hell continue to return new messagesstill flooding inand relax while, yes, watching golfs first major championship. His crew comes back to Le Meridien with a doggy bag of the dinner he missed at the game, and theyre talking and laughing, but theyve seen replays of Smiths fall. [1] It was the 68th annual edition of the tournament. He plans to return as soon as he can to the court, and that includes ref camps this summer. Areyougoing to tell Bert Smith hes out of shape? We get him off the floor out of sight and he just loses it, Fox recalls. Another was former Indiana State coach Greg Lansing. I literally grew up watching my dad, Glen, work a seemingly endless number of football and basketball games. There are 200+ professionals named "Bert Smith", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. I didnt miss a game that season, because working the games was my therapy. Turns out, that night probably saved Bert Smiths life. There were ones from coaches, ones from colleagues, ones from family, one even from an NFL official hed never met. Its because I was telling the doctor: You little SOB, you tricked me!. He'll just carry Karter on his shoulders, and yes they'll use the stairs when everyone else rides the escalator. Berts on the sixth floor, and hes putting on his mask to run the stairs down to the fifth floor for ice, or to run up to the eighth floor to see his buddies. Its a wonderful place to be. It was a scary moment as an audible thud was heard throughout Lucas Oil Stadium, and the official was taken off the court on a stretcher, though he was awake and alert. For someone like me who has been in the game for a long time, there is a certain level of expectation on the part of players, coaches and my supervisors. 29/08/21, Germany (unknown age) Unnamed Germany C-League Dillenburg a player from Hirzenhain collapses, game . Hes huffing-and-puffing a little, but hes running stairs in a mask. Why cant he catch his breath? Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? Were about to put you through the car wash of testing, she said. The three officials for the game who are in question are Bert Smith, James Breeding and John Gaffney. Nobody can say. Mar 31st, 2021. Every chance I get, I want to get my heart rate up, says Smith, 56, who takes the court 90 times a year with elite NCAA athletes. Its deep, and its contagious. Next thing he remembers, hes looking at the ceiling of Lucas Oil Stadium. Hes on the stretcher, and hes not even a little bit happy about it. 6 seed USC. Smith is the college basketball official who passed out during the 2021 NCAA region final between Gonzaga and Southern California, toppling over like a fallen tree his description his body. Its because I was telling the doctor: You little SOB, you tricked me!. He'll just carry Karter on his shoulders, and yes,they'll use the stairs when everyone else rides the escalator. They were pretty intense, man. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. You could talk to him during a game. Smith said, in a way, he was grateful the fall happened during the tournament and not when he was driving. They strapped me in! He didn't have a headache or blurry vision. Who parks in the farthest spot from the entrance to Kroger? Turns out, nope, no concussion. Hes huffing-and-puffing a little, but hes running stairs in a mask. Now he wonders. Jacquie was waiting at the door. The doctors who cared for him at Lucas Oil Stadium, Pat Kersey and Luke Berghoff; he appreciates their care, and understands their stretcher subterfuge. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Moves fast, this guy. I just cannot erase the pleasure from my face. I want to know why you fell. She checked a few things out, came back in and took me through the car wash. Just a lot of tests. Something doesnt add up. All Rights Reserved. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; INDIANAPOLIS -- A referee collapsed early in the first half of Tuesday night's Elite Eight matchup between Gonzaga and USC . Whats he doing on his back? Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital. He said no. And how did the court get so blurry all of a sudden, like someone smeared it with Next thing he remembers, hes looking at the ceiling of Lucas Oil Stadium. If you saw it, you understand. Why is he lying down near the Gonzaga bench? Smith is back home in Kentucky with his wife, Jacquie, and his grandson, Karter. Im very grateful. At IU Health Methodist, the 56-year-old Smith was treated by Dr. Katie Trammel, "an important part of this story.". When you live something like I did, it hits you square in the eyes that you really have to value each day.. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". There are 96 NCAA referees all waiting for the same thing those 68 teams are waiting for. 1 seed Gonzaga and No. I always thought he was a good dude, Lansing says. Managing a game and ensuring equity in your rulings between two talented, highly motivated teams is a great challenge. Knowing the rulebook and being able to execute decisions in a split-second. Every chance I get, I want to get my heart rate up, says Smith, 56, who takes the court 90 times a year with elite NCAA athletes. Youve probably seen him. They insisted more.
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