Top NBA prospect and Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart got himself in a heap of trouble Saturday night against Texas Tech.
Smart was hustling back on defense after Tech stole the ball, up two, with under 10 seconds to play, when he committed a foul on Jaye Crockett going up for a dunk. But that’s where it got ugly.
After Smart tumbled into the cameraman underneath the basket, a Texas Tech fan yelled something at him, triggering Smart, who got up in his face and quickly exchanged words before shoving the man. Thankfully teammates pulled Smart from the crowd before it escalated further. He was assessed a technical foul, but wasn’t actually thrown out of the game.
Smart didn’t speak after the game to media, but reportedly told Oklahoma State coaches the fan used a racial slur toward him.
You never want to act on a fan’s taunts, but it certainly makes Smart’s actions more understandable.
Nonetheless, Smart will almost certainly get some type of suspension.
The fan, whose name is Jeff Orr, is apparently a huge Red Raiders fan who travels to many of their games and has for years. The school said they’d already spoken to Orr about the incident and have not had any problems with him in the past.
But former Oklahoma State point guard John Lucas III, who currently plays for the Jazz, tweeted he recognized the man immediately and had been taunted by him when he played for the Cowboys from 2003-05.
I just saw the video that same fan was at the games talking crazy even when I was in school I don’t forget a face he says a lot of crazy ish
— John Lucas III (@Luke1luk) February 9, 2014
The Cowboys’ season has gone downhill fast, with losses in four straight games. Smart was criticized this week for flopping and lost his temper in a Jan. 25 win against West Virginia when he kicked a chair on his sideline. He later apologized to teammates on Twitter.
The sophomore is currently projected as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by NBADraft.net.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
