Basketbrawl Sets Bad Example for Future Hoopers

It`s what can happen when players trade places with the fans. And it`s what did happen at an NBA game last week. A fight broke out when a fan threw a drink at a player, that player went into the stands, and more fans came onto the court. But some NBA players could stand to learn a lesson from some future basketball stars, who say they know entering the stands is a line they don`t cross. "I think that`s why they reserve the fans to stay in the stands, and the players on the court, trying not to mix that," said 12th grade Tyler Carllee. Little Rock Central High School basketball coach Oliver Fitzpatrick keeps his team from going out of bounds, by reminding them to stay focused on the game. "There`s absolutely no reason or excuse for a player to leave the court to go into the stands," Fitzpatrick explains. "If you`re focused on the game, you`re not gonna hear people shouting at you and calling your name, because that happens to me all the time," said Michael Fitzpatrick, a 12th grade player. But that`s not always easy to do when parents at school games get just as angry as fans at pro games. "We`ve had to have meetings about controlling parents in the stands, yelling at reps," said Susie Carlisle while watching her son play for the 9th grade team at Central High. None of those parents take to the court. "You never know what he has or what his intentions are or anything like that, so a player in my opinion would be justified in defending himself if a fan came out of the stands to defend a player," Coach Fitzpatrick says. He also says there is plenty of security at their high school games, as well as the Little Rock Police deparment, not only to have a presence, but also to escort players off the court if the crowd gets heated.