CdA boys basketball coach suspended extra game for technical fouls

Coeur d’Alene boys basketball coach Kurt Lundblad must sit out a second game following a technical marred 5A Inland Empire League game last Friday at Lewiston.

Lundblad received three technical fouls in the game, the second coming with under a minute remaining. He was assessed a third technical when he wouldn’t leave the gym in a timely manner as required when ejected.

Lewiston thumped CdA 71-47.

In all, CdA was assessed five technicals. Vikings guard Brody Lundblad, the coach’s son, was given a technical along with assistant coach John Naccarato.

By national federation rules, Lundblad couldn’t coach the Vikings the next day when they traveled to Missoula to play against Big Sky.

Lundblad was told Tuesday that he was suspended for a Saturday nonleague game at Moscow. He didn’t return calls or respond to a text.

“It’s a personnel issue and I can’t discuss it,” CdA first-year athletic director Bryan Duncan said.

Duncan went on to say, though, that school officials felt they needed to enforce further discipline in case Lundblad’s outburst is brought before the District I Board of Control.

“(We’re) being proactive of the situation that happened in Lewiston,” Duncan said. “Instead of waiting for the Board of Control (doling out) punitive punishment, we wanted to get ahead of it.”

Duncan was at the Lewiston game.

Lundblad’s second technical came because he didn’t remain seated on the bench. Rules require that if a coach receives a technical, he or she must sit the remainder of the game.

“I had been standing up the entire three quarters prior to that, but I guess the rule is you’re supposed to sit down,” Lundblad told a Lewiston newspaper reporter after the game. “I had been standing up the entire three quarters prior to that, but I guess the rule is you’re supposed to sit down. With 40 some seconds left, a minute left, I stand up and (the referee) looks at me and fires me up another T. I wish I had an explanation for (it). It was ridiculous in my opinion but it wasn’t the difference in the game.”

Said Duncan: “We just want to put it behind us and move on.”

GSL title to be decided

The Greater Spokane League girls basketball championship will be determined Friday when No. 1-ranked Central Valley (16-0 overall, 14-0 league) visits Lewis and Clark (13-3, 13-1). Tipoff is at 7:15 following the boys game at 5:30.

CV won the first meeting last month 49-44.

“LC is going to be ready for us,” CV coach Freddie Rehkow said. “We’re preparing and going through the process.”

CV would secure the title outright with a win and nab the No. 1 seed to district. An LC victory would force a shared title and give the Tigers the top seed to the district tournament because they would have won the second league game.