I do not know much about Rob Jeter, but I would have thought he was above making the old “running up the score” accusation that has become a feeble-and-tired refrain -- and cliché -- for some coaches after their teams lose by wide margins. (See story from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel below.)
Following UW-Milwaukee’s 100-65 loss Friday night to Marquette, Jeter implied that MU late in the game could have -- and should have -- taken it easier on UWM.
This is the same criticism that some teams have made about the New England Patriots, who have beaten opponents this season by an average margin of victory of 23.4 points through 11 games. When asked to comment on his team’s huge wins, a polite, respectful, smart and proud Tom Brady, the Patriots’ quarterback, said nobody asks the defense to take it easy on the other team when beating an opponent badly, so it is ridiculous and disingenuous to ask the same of a team when it is on offense.
Jeter’s mock outrage is a transparent effort to distract and deflect attention away from the game’s outcome. If anything, I would think Jeter’s implied criticism of Marquette would fuel MU to play even harder the rest of the season and especially in future games against UWM.
UWM was eager to play Marquette. With that comes the responsibility to win or lose with dignity.
*****************************************
Shellacking gives Jeter sore spot
UWM coach unhappy with late-game tactics
By DAN MANOYAN
dmanoyan@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 30, 2007
UW-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter carefully parsed every word that came out of his mouth after his team suffered a 100-65 beatdown at the hands of crosstown rival Marquette, Friday night at the Bradley Center.
But make no mistake about it, while the words were carefully chosen to mask his feelings, he was not a happy camper. The words didn't betray his feelings, but the tone spoke volumes.
He was not happy that Marquette, despite leading by as many as 39 points late in the contest, had many of its starters in the game, pressured UWM's guards full court and shot three-pointers till the bitter end.
"It's not who I am as a person," said Jeter when asked about Marquette's late game conduct. "I just try to teach the game the right way, play hard and take care of the basketball and give yourself second chance opportunities."
Jeter took it a bit further when he talked about the future of the series. Friday's game was the first of a six game series between the schools, a rivalry which has been dormant for nine years.
"And that's all you do. Sometimes you're on one end and sometimes you're on the other.
"For me to make any other comment . . . I'm sure as a coach I would play the game (the same way he did), the right way.
"That's why I had all my guys in there, to give everybody an opportunity. My guys had a lot of friends and family here, so I played all my guys."
When asked directly if he was upset about the way the game ended, Jeter said. "People can make their own conclusions, but I'm not going to make that conclusion."
The game started poorly for the Panthers, Torre Johnson the team's leading scorer picked up his second foul at 16:30 of the first half and played just six minutes in the half. He finished with just seven points in 16 minutes, eventually fouling out with 6:52 left in the game.
And it finished poorly. When Marquette reached triple digits its fans began the chant, "This is our town, this is our town, this is our town," and the Panthers had no rebuttal.
Ricky Franklin led the Panthers in scoring with 14 points, but reserve Deion James, a junior from Milwaukee Vincent who entered the game with a 0.8 scoring average, was a pleasant surprise on the offensive end. He was the Panthers' second leading scorer with 10 points, eight of them coming in the first half.
"I don't think they had a scouting report on me," James joked.
But manufacturing points with Johnson and Franklin in early foul trouble and Paulsen struggling to shake the defense of Wesley Matthews, was no laughing matter for the Panthers. UWM was just a point behind at 18-17 at the 11:39 mark on two Tim Flowers' free throws, but with Franklin and Johnson on the bench, the Golden Eagles broke the game open with an 8-0 run.
"Torre is our leading scorer and a big part of what we do," Jeter said. "Our margin of error is small in a game like this guy if we don't have the right guys on the floor.
"But it was good, solid defense by Marquette. They did a great job."
From the Dec. 1, 2007, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
