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Miami Notes: A year later, an apology for hard foul

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Updated 6:53 PM Sunday, February 12, 2012

By Pete Conrad

Staff Writer

OXFORD — After the clock ran out and Miami University had beaten Central Michigan 69-50 Saturday afternoon, a Chippewas player walked up to coach Charlie Coles.

According to Coles, this is what he said: “Coach, I did not mean to hurt your player.”

The Central Michigan player who approached Coles was Andre Coimbra, the 6-foot-9, 235-pound senior forward who was called, last season, for a flagrant foul against Antonio Ballard.

Ballard, a senior, had been attempting a breakaway slam dunk with 26 seconds left in Miami’s 68-58 victory in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Jan. 27, 2011. Coimbra made hard contact, and Ballard crashed to the floor and broke his left wrist. His college career was over. So too, probably, was Miami’s shot at winning a Mid-American Conference championship.

Coles said he knew Coimbra didn’t mean to hurt Ballard, but said that although Ballard might not forgive him, he told Coimbra, “Son, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

The Miami coach said he had noticed that Coimbra, more than once during the game, would glance at his direction. “He’s been carrying that around with him for a year,” Coles said.

Plaques presented: The newest members of Miami’s Athletic Hall of Fame received their plaques during halftime of Saturday’s game.

The inductees are Kevyn Adams (class of 1996), hockey; Gary Cooper (1973), baseball; Renee DeGraff (1984), volleyball; Joe Shaw (1964), men’s swimming; Amanda Sokolow (1999), field hockey; Tonia Stubbs (1987), women’s basketball; and Dustin Swinehart (1996), men’s soccer.

The induction ceremonies were held Saturday morning.

Ayers honored: Randy Ayers, a starting forward on the Miami team which upset defending-national champion Marquette in the 1978 NCAA tournament, was honored as one of the “Fantastic Fourteen” whose likenesses have been placed on season tickets by a vote of fans.

Ayers, 55, is an assistant coach with the New Orleans Hornets and was unable to be in Oxford on Saturday. As head coach at Ohio State, the graduate of Springfield North High School was named National Coach of the Year in 1991 and also was head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.

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