Skip to content

Prospect Bol Bol's team walks off court to protest officials

Josh Lefkowitz / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Midwest Flight - a youth basketball team featuring five-star prospect Bol Bol - walked off the court Sunday in protest of the officiating during the MAYB Championships semifinals in Wichita, Kan.

Midwest Flight was trailing Central Kansas Elite 71-61 when head coach Monte Harrison pulled his team off the floor after being issued a technical foul with 6:27 left.

"I wasn't pulling them off because we were losing," Harrison told ESPN. "The other team played a hell of a game, but there were still six minutes left. We had plenty of time.

"We feel like it's downright disrespectful the way the refs were treating us this week," he said. "Who calls (six) technical fouls? That's crazy to be giving out that many technicals to kids. And then one of the refs told one of our guys to 'Shut the hell up and play.' Who does that?"

Central Kansas Elite coach Clint Kinnamon thought otherwise, believing Harrison showed a lack of respect toward his team and the referees.

"I have coached a lot of games and never have I ever seen anything like that before," Kinnamon said. "Honestly, the amount of disrespect their kids and coach showed toward the officials was just wrong on so many levels.

"It's not like they were getting beat by guys who aren't very good," he added. "All of our guys are going to be college players. In some ways, it was kind of disrespectful to our kids a little bit because it was like, 'Well, we're getting beat by guys we shouldn't lose to, so we're going to take our ball and go home.'"

Midwest Flight isn't the first youth team to walk off the court this summer, as LaVar Ball's Big Ballers forfeited a game last month when Ball pulled his team off the floor during a July tournament game.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox