Men's basketball coach Tim Buckley said Thursday that he dismissed senior Tom Howland from the team following Wednesday's game. Howland was involved in a fight early Tuesday morning and Buckley said it was the latest in a series of incidents leading to his dismissal.
"It was not just this one situation that led to this decision," Buckley said. "The team comes first and the team has to be the most important thing. Basically, Tom made the decision himself."
Although Buckley said there were past problems between Howland and the team, he wouldn't comment on what those instances involved.
After leaving The Giant Locker Room between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday, Howland said he approached his car but was then struck in the head with a tire iron. Anthony J. Rowland, 25, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery, a class B felony, for his role in beating Howland, according to police reports. Howland said he will be pressing charges.
Howland said he never notified Buckley about the incident because he didn't want to distract the team. Buckley played the center 10 minutes and Howland tied his season-high with six points. Howland said he was called into Buckley's office following the game and was told he was kicked off the team.
"[Buckley] said he found the police report and he said obviously I was putting something else before the team," Howland said. "I feel like I was unfairly treated in the whole situation. I don't want to play somewhere if that's how I'm going to be treated."
Buckley said he was told about the police report as he was walking off the court after the game. After reading the police report, Buckley and his staff met to make a decision about Howland's future with the team and decided it was in the team's best interest to let Howland go.
On Thursday, Howland denied that there had been previous incidents that may have led to Buckley's decision. Howland said that although he disagreed with the decision, he wouldn't seek to get back on the team.
Howland's father, Clark Howland, was with his son immediately following the game and after Buckley made his decision. Clark Howland said he was told by a person in the trainer's office that Buckley knew of the incident beforehand but waited until after the game to tell Tom Howland.
"I was told that the decision had been made that afternoon that Tom would be kicked off the team," Clark Howland said. "He's the victim [in the fight] and he's being made the victim a second time. That doesn't sit well with me."
After Wednesday's game and during Thursday's press conference Buckley denied that he knew about the fight before the game.
Before the fight occurred Tuesday, Tom Howland told police he had five or six beers before leaving the bar. Buckley said he and his staff try to educate his players on keeping care of their bodies and not drinking during basketball season.
"We really spend a lot of time educating our guys on ... what they put into their bodies," Buckley said.
Howland's dismissal comes one week before his final home game and senior night at Ball State. Buckley said the team would continue with senior night and honor the team's only remaining senior, Anthony Kent.
Clark Howland said he planned on honoring the senior night invitation and participate in the event. Tom Howland said he was disappointed to miss his senior night after four seasons with the team.
"I'm pretty upset about that but you can't go back," Tom Howland said. "I'll still be there on Wednesday cheering on the team."-รก
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