Was Kickert foul malicious?

By Brian Witter

A tape of Monday night's men's basketball game at home against Saint Mary's was sent to the West Coast Conference commissioner's office by Santa Clara athletic director Dan Coonan this week.

At issue was whether or not senior Gael forward Daniel Kickert intended on delivering a forearm blow to senior Bronco forward Travis Niesen's mouth in the first half, putting him in the locker room for the remainder of the first half with a bloody lip requiring four stitches.

With about seven minutes to play in the first half, there was no whistle on the play from any of the three referees officiating the game. Fans bellowed for the officials to call a flagrant foul on Kickert and eject him from the game. Niesen returned in the second half to score 18 points and ended up leading all scorers with 20.

Coonan would not officially comment on the incident, citing conference rules that prevent him from making statements pertaining to the game officials. However, associate director of athletics Richard Kilwien did make brief remarks regarding the forwarding of the game replay to the WCC front office.

"Anything relating to the officiating of a game is a matter between the institution and the conference," Kilwien said. "This matter will stay internal and we will be going through the proper channels to ensure that it is resolved."

Sophomore point guard Brody Angley was also elbowed in the mouth by Kickert early in the second half and sent to the locker room in need of five stitches. Replays made it difficult to tell if the blow was intentional or not, and even Angley himself admitted he was unsure of who struck him.

Kickert is no stranger to episodes of a physical nature. In late February 2005, he was charged with misdemeanor battery, stemming from a campus incident in Moraga.

Contact Brian Witter at (408) 551-1918 or bwitter@scu.edu.