The scary moment was caughtlive during the Bulldogs-Trojans matchup. Referee Bert Smith's fall in men's NCAA Tournament game didn't kill him Being able to participate and watch these young men and women playing the game because they have that desire to play is a joy to me that you cannot experience through a TV or on the sidelines. You meet people persons, individual persons, team players and egomaniacs. Being part of the game is a big reason. Smith is one of the longest tenured and most respected officials in college hoops. Eades, who at age 56 has worked three Final Fours and. NCAA ref Bert Smith says on-court collapse saved his life - Yahoo! Sometimes it just hits you. I dont know which bucket Im in.. Bad news for ACC basketball: One of the sport's best referees is INDIANAPOLIS Bert Smith hasnt seen the moment that made him famous. Hed rather take the stairs, and Bert Smith doesnt walk them. Bert Smith just now finished returning the text messages. 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. To me, he offers an aside: Hes taking advantage of a guy in a weakened position., The doc says, Swing your legs around. I swing my legs around, and they go: Click-click-click-click. Youve probably seen him. The NCAA announced later in the night that Smith was "alert and stable" and would not be transported to a hospital. I looked at him and said, Oh no you didnt. What happens next leads to a picture caught by IndyStar photographer Kelly Wilkinson. He goes to IU Health Methodist. Referee Bert Smith collapses at Gonzaga-USC March Madness game - WCNC-TV And after it happens, with a replacement official stepping in for Smith, he spends two hours getting treatment at the stadium, where his vitals are normal pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level and he doesnt have a headache. When hes telling a funny story, which happens quite a bit, Bert Smith talks quickly. Well get there, but right now were moving too fast. Active referees are listed in bold. Jacquie was waiting at the door. Officiating for me has always been the ultimate escape. Smith trains year round on a treadmill or stationary bike, and gets in other workouts like when the family goes to Disney World in Florida and Smith says they dont need a stroller for their grandson, Karter. Then he becomes a basketball official. If hes going to walk, might as well make it a long one. When hes saying something serious, though, he slows down. First as an athlete growing up in Buffalo, a high school small forward, receiver and 400-meter runner, then some junior college basketball. But slow down, OK? Thats 1990. Why cant he catch his breath? There were ones from coaches, ones from colleagues, ones from family, one even from an NFL official hed never met. Ref alert after collapsing during Gonzaga-USC, Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Im happy I did it around a bunch of people who had the ability to help me.. When you live something like I did, it hits you square in the eyes that you really have to value each day.. 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. You could talk to him during a game. This season he worked about 90 games, including dates in the ACC, Big East, Big 12 and Missouri Valley Conference. When he arrived, in walked Katie M. Trammel, the physician who, in many ways, may have saved his life. NCAA Officials Share Fitness Regimens - Referee.com I continue to coach high school soccer. I had grown up playing the sport, but for some unknown reason, playing was just not satisfying enough. So when I went off to college I had to work and was asked what I might enjoy doing, I said, Sports. I was hired on the intramural staff and was paid $3 an hour to officiate co-ed flag football, womens basketball and co-ed softball. Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game . If youve ever experienced a buzzer-beater, thats what Im talking about. The final clip in this video compilation shows Bert Smith as he collapsed during a March Madness game in April 2021. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The reason is Im saying to them, You tricked me, you little SOB!. Presently I officiate in nine D-I conferences. What happens next leads toa picture caught by IndyStar photographer Kelly Wilkinson. The minute my stripes are on, Im a part of a crew not an official with a disability. I am also in my first year as the coordinator of officials for the NE-10 Conference, the largest Division II conference in the country. You have to be in excellent physical condition in order to be in the correct position to rule on plays. The 2021 ACC men's basketball tournament (officially the 2021 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament Presented by New York Life) was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Atlantic Coast Conference and held at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, from March 9 to 13, 2021. 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. You also have to ensure that your mental preparation is exceptional in order to be effective. March Madness roundup: Gonzaga, UCLA advance to Final Four I still play in a mens league, have refereed more than 700 NCAA games and am in my 17th season as an MLS official. I'm committed to it year round. I joined a rec team and Mike spent hours showing me how to play. ", NCAA tourney ref who collapsed had blood clot, From bubble struggles to NCAA seed improvement, why these final weekend games matter, Davis 3 shy of Maravich; Detroit eyes CBI bid, Son: Maravich would be 'cheering on' Davis, Vandy's Robbins out rest of season with leg injury, Sources: High Point fires Smith after one season, Davis out as Bucknell coach after 12-20 season, Grill discloses mental illness after Iowa St. exit, No. My Investigation into the WVU/Pitt Officiating - Mountaineer Sports Then he becomes a basketball official. Now I have hundreds of brothers around the country. 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. Smith's fall to the ground. Everything we send is officiating specific because that's all we do. The hugs were pretty intense, Smith says, and hes talking slowly again. All rights reserved. His wife has seen it once, and shell never watch it again. Over the next seven years, Mike rose to become a star for both his high school and college teams, my dad became a coach and my love for the game was cemented. We enjoyed working four football seasons together before his retirement. Thats normal to huff and puff, right? Hes not wobbly, no blurry vision, nothing. 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 flat and unmoving, his eyes open and unseeing, a Gonzaga trainer frantically waving for help. Look at his scowl. For the following few years, I officiated some while pursuing my masters in nursing and then my doctorate. Thats 1990. 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 . Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital. If you saw it, you understand. When you live something like I did, it hits you square in the eyes that you really have to value each day. What happens next leads to a picture caught by IndyStar photographer Kelly Wilkinson. By 1993, hes an NCAA Division I official. People often ask me how I maintain a smile throughout almost every game, however it is quite unintentional. Its deep, and its contagious. Referee collapses during USC-Gonzaga Elite Eight matchup - ABC7 Los Angeles He wasnt one of those guys you couldnt talk to. At the core of the reasons why I love to referee is a passion for the sport of soccer. 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. Its not some routine youre doing day in and day out. My feelings about my whistle are still the same. He runs. Youre going to get on one side, hes going to get on the other, were going to wave to the fans, and Im walking out of here.. No matter what age, talent, salary, race or sex, you must give your all. 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. If hes going to walk, might as well make it a long one. She sits down next to the bed, Smith continues, and she says: I saw your fall tonight. You could talk to him during a game. You blacked out., I look to my right, and I see a stretcher. Why is he lying down near the Gonzaga bench? a picture caught by IndyStar photographer Kelly Wilkinson. CBS provided an update on the medical status of referee Bert Smith following his collapse on the court Tuesday. He later regained consciousness and was stretchered off the . "I mean, I was just shocked and scared for him, but I was able to stick my head in there a little bit and see that he was talking and coherent and tried to say a quick prayer for him and just wished him the best. Its because I was telling the doctor: You little SOB, you tricked me!. The challenges are different for each level of refereeing and the emotional payoffs vary, but the reason for being in the game is the same: Passion for soccer runs through my veins. Smiths pausing. But do we say I love you enough? It puts in perspective the value of each day, because we all go through our lives were all guilty of it and we just live, right? 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. Trammel was at Methodist the night of March 30. I always say, you can question my judgment but dont question my effort. 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. You cant get any closer to the ballgame. I look to my left, and its a doctor, Bert says, and hes laughing about it now. Then he becomes a basketball official. Youre going to get on one side, hes going to get on the other, were going to wave to the fans, and Im walking out of here.. It allows me the privilege to do something I love, being part of the greatest game, mens college basketball. The action was moving away from his baseline position after a Gonzaga steal, but he said he couldn't move or catch his breath. Referee Bert Smith collapses at Gonzaga-USC March Madness game - KHOU As a note, the first four are crew chiefs in any list. That's where he learned his scary fall was related to a blood clot in his lung. I say, Whats going on, man? And he goes, Bert, you passed out. And when next season arrives, you can expect to find Bert Smith on the hardwood. Next thing he remembers, hes looking at the ceiling of Lucas Oil Stadium. The whole thing is mysterious, because hes a sculpture of a man, 6-3 and 195 pounds. Official collapses during NCAA basketball game | The Hill Whatsthatfor? They strapped me in! Since I'm involved in an athletic contest I want to be able to participate to the full, and working out, proper nutrition and recovery allow me to be able to keep up with the players and game. Do we do the things with our family and friends that have value to them? Another year passed and my father finally allowed me to become a certified referee. A former employee at Avis Car Rental, he dropped that job to officiate full time in 2010. Do we do the things with our family and friends that have value to them? Referee Bert Smith in Stable Condition After Collapsing During Gonzaga OK, so the night of March 29. Do we give an extra hug enough? The whole thing is mysterious, because hes a sculpture of a man, 6-3 and 195 pounds. Look at those crossed arms. Turns out, it was something worse. Smith told the Indianapolis Star's Gregg Doyel he doesn't remember falling and hasn't seen a replay, but what doctors found that night could have been life-saving. Why cant he catch his breath? But first, Smith had to get stretchered off the floor, something he was adamantly against. NBA Referees Directory | Basketball-Reference.com by Joseph Choi - 03/30/21 9:28 PM ET. Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game . 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. Now he wonders. He plans to return as soon as he can to the court, and that includes ref camps this summer. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM. Smith trains year-round on a treadmill or stationary bike, and gets in other workouts, like when the family goes to Disney Worldand Smith says they dont need a stroller for their grandson, Karter. 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!. I love the challenge of being in complete control of your emotions, maintaining the calmness and the challenge to make a split-second decision in front of 60,000-100,000 screaming fans and knowing you have six crewmates that have your back in the heat of the battle. Hes huffing-and-puffing a little, but hes running stairs in a mask. Bunch of sixth-graders at Garfield Park in Chicago. He started on the lowest levels as a youth league official in 1990, began working Division I games in 1993 and now does as many as 80 games a year. Has it cued up on his iPad and everything. Hes huffing-and-puffing a little, but hes running stairs in a mask. You blacked out., I look to my right, and I see a stretcher. Hes working Gonzaga-USC the next day, and Bert and his crew are staying in one of the NCAA bubble hotels, Le Meridien. Sometimes it just hits you. I dont know which bucket Im in.. Andy Lyons/Getty NCAA Reveals Budget for Men's Basketball Tournament Is Almost Twice as Much the Women's Reporters Ross Dellenger and Jeff Borzello later tweeted that, according. Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game . Who parks in the farthest spot from the entrance to Kroger? Game official Bert Smith collapsed and was taken off the court on a gurney during the first half of the men's NCAA basketball game between the USC Trojans . A replacement official was added to the crew after Smith collapsed. All rights reserved. The NCAA announces that Smith has returned to the hotel, and its true. "He's a great official, great person," Few said after his team's 85-66 win to advance to the Final Four. Usually I will leave the venue with a different outlook. You meet talented, mediocre and middle-of-the-road people. If hes going to walk, might as well make it a long one. 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. [1] It was the 68th annual edition of the tournament. Hes a motivational speaker anddiversity recruiterin addition to being an NCAA referee, and I imagine hes awfully good at both. 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.

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