University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Global Sports Had Wrong Date
11/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Global Sports Had Wrong Date
Hattiesburg, Miss. -- Southern Miss' exhibition game Tuesday night was cancelled when the opponent, a touring Global Sports squad, failed to arrive. Instead of the anticipated exhibition game, fans saw an intrasquad scrimmage that saw the Black squad take an 89-81 decision over the White team.
Head Coach James Green says the situation was not a good one for his team, or fans. "We're certainly sorry that it happened," he said. "But this was a contracted game, just like all the others we play during the season, and the other team's failure to show was beyond our control. We had looked forward to a challenging game to use as a reference point as we continued to prepare for the regular season. That didn't happen, and that means we have to work harder to make sure we're where we need to be before the season starts."
Maury Hanks, the president of Global Sports, apologized for the mixup. "I work with two different teams, put together their schedules and then work on travel for them," Hanks said. "I had the right date on everything except the travel itinerary. We've been doing this for seven years and try hard to provide the colleges we play a professionally-run product. We arrive at arenas an hour and 45-minutes prior to games.
"I know Coach Green quite well, and I think he will tell you that he would not do business with us if we didn't operate in a professional manner. I plan to apologize to Coach Green and Southern Miss' athletic director for my oversight."