Altercation between parent, player and ref halts game

Published 10:15 pm Monday, February 9, 2009

A Jan. 31 boys high-school basketball game between Bothell and Lake Washington was suspended after an altercation involving a player, a referee and the player’s father.

The incident started early in the fourth quarter, with the Kangs leading, 49-39.

“It happened on the opposite end from our bench and it happened pretty quickly,” said Lake Washington boys coach Terry Johnson. “The ball went out of bounds and the escalation between the parent and the official started.”

According to Kirkland Police, the parent threw the ball back onto the court in the direction of a referee. That caused the two to have a discussion, and then there was physical contact between the two, which resulted in the parent falling to the ground.

The parent was identified in a Seattle Post-Intelligencer story as Rob Storm. At that point, Storm’s son, Robby Storm a senior guard for Bothell, came off the bench and shoved the referee.

Kirkland Police Lt. Nick Seibert said they are reviewing a video of the game taken by a bystander and both altercations are being investigated by the City’s Prosecutor’s Office to determine if charges will be filed.

Johnson said officials quickly ended the incident and separated all involved parties. No other players were involved in the scuffle.

Bothell athletic director Yonni Mills was reached by phone but had no comment on the situation.

Paul Reed, Brandon Lorain and Fred Graf were officiating the game.

The game will likely be finished on home court at some point next week. Johnson, who also serves as the school’s athletic director, will meet with Bothell coach Ron Bollinger and 4A Kingco league director Frank Naish later this week to work out all the details.

Lake Washington School District spokesperson Kathryn Reith said the player is suspended for two games and the rest of the concluded Jan. 31 contest.

“This type of incident is extremely unusual in high-school sports,” Reith said.

The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 19, but was canceled due to snow.