Official takes colossal punch to the face during Boise State’s win over Weber State
Mountain West official Rick Batsell might want to apply for hazard pay.
Batsell was punched in the side of the head while he was officiating Boise State’s 70-59 victory over Weber State in men’s basketball on Sunday afternoon at ExtraMile Arena.
With 9:43 to play in the first half, Weber State forward Dillon Jones drew a foul on a made layup. Jones backed away from the basket and was gearing up for a monster fist pump. Jones did not realize that Batsell was directly behind him, and Batsell was inadvertently clocked right in the head by Jones’ closed fist.
“It looked bad,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “I felt so bad for Rick, and I felt bad for the kid, because he had no intention, he didn’t even know he was there. He just swung his fist and he connected. I was looking right at it. That was scary.”
Batsell spent several minutes on the hardwood at ExtraMile Arena understandably collecting himself. Rice and a trainer came over and checked with him.
“I was really worried about him. I was, because I thought it maybe hit him in the temple, too,” Rice said. “I was trying to look him in the eyes. I was really concerned about it, to tell you the truth. I’ve known Rick a long, long time, but holy cow, he kinda had a dazed look in his eyes at first, but then he kinda shook it off.”
Despite the nasty hit, Batsell got back on his feet and finished officiating the game. Before Jones took his free throw, he came over and presumably apologized to Batsell and patted him on the back.
“It was a shock, for sure,” Boise State redshirt senior Derrick Alston Jr. said. “But Rick’s a tough dude, so I knew he was going to be fine.”
The Mountain West does not make officials available to the media after games, expect in “pool reporter situations” as defined by the league handbook, so the Idaho Statesman was unable to obtain a comment from Batsell. The league did issue a statement saying Batsell was “doing fine” and had already boarded an airplane to return home.
Alston led all scorers with 23 points against the Wildcats (2-1), including a 5-for-7 performance from beyond the arc and a four-point play. His dunk on a baseline cut off a bounce pass from RayJ Dennis with 7:48 left in the second half exemplified the growing cohesiveness the Broncos (4-1) have shown on both ends of the floor just five games into the season.
“It starts with the respect for each other and the chemistry that we have, and they make each other better,” Rice said. “These guys all have individual goals and want great things, but they have our team goals first. We always talk about that. We have a road map for their success, but it’s all about the team. And that’s how they’re playing.”
The Broncos made a season-high 11 3-pointers (11-for-26), while holding the Wildcats to just 24% (6-for-25) from 3-point range. Boise State’s Abu Kigab chipped in with 15 points, Dennis had 12 points, and Emmanuel Akot had seven points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.
“I think we have some veteran guys who know how important defense is and know how important it is to winning,” Akot said. “That helps a lot. Then (assistant) coach (Mike) Burns does a great job teaching us positioning and scheming and giving us a great scouting report so when we go into the game, we know exactly what to do.”
Boise State is scheduled to host New Mexico in the nationally televised Mountain West series opener for both teams next week. The first game tips off at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21, on Fox Sports 1. The second game begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23, on CBS Sports Network.
Transfers Devonaire Doutrive (Arizona) and Donovan Ivory (UMass Lowell) will be eligible for the Broncos at the conclusion of the first semester. Boise State has finals this week, but it is unclear whether Doutrive and Ivory will be cleared in time for the New Mexico series.
“I’m excited to bring Don back and Devonaire, of course,” Alston said. “Two athletic guys who play really hard and are really skilled. It’s going to make us a lot deeper as a team. It’s exciting.”
Potato Bowl matchup set
The 24th annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will feature Nevada of the Mountain West and Tulane of the American Athletic Conference.
The matchup is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22, at Albertsons Stadium and will air on ESPN. Fans will not be permitted to attend this year’s game based on the guidance and protocols set forth by state and local health officials.
Nevada (6-2) and Tulane (6-5) have only played once before, with Tulane winning on its home field in 1992.
The Wolf Pack will be making their second straight appearance in the Potato Bowl and fourth overall. This will be Tulane’s first appearance in the Boise-based bowl game.
BOISE ST. 70, WEBER ST. 59
WEBER ST. (2-1)
Kozak 3-7 0-0 7, Carlson 6-7 3-5 17, Brown 4-11 8-8 18, Jawara 2-11 0-1 5, Porter 2-8 3-3 7, Jones 1-2 1-1 3, Bassett 0-3 0-0 0, Cunningham 1-2 0-0 2, Davis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-52 15-18 59.
BOISE ST. (4-1)
Armus 1-7 0-1 2, Kigab 5-10 3-4 15, Akot 3-12 0-0 7, Alston 7-14 4-5 23, Dennis 4-9 2-2 12, Rice 3-6 0-1 7, N.Smith 1-2 0-0 2, Milner 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-61 9-13 70.
Halftime—Boise St. 35-26. 3-Point Goals—Weber St. 6-25 (Carlson 2-2, Brown 2-6, Kozak 1-4, Jawara 1-7, Cunningham 0-1, Jones 0-1, Porter 0-4), Boise St. 11-26 (Alston 5-7, Kigab 2-4, Dennis 2-6, Rice 1-3, Akot 1-6). Rebounds—Weber St. 28 (Kozak 11), Boise St. 38 (Armus 10). Assists—Weber St. 11 (Jawara 5), Boise St. 16 (Akot 6). Total Fouls—Weber St. 17, Boise St. 18.
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 3:13 PM.
