Altercation between parent, player and referee halts Lake Washington basketball game

A Jan. 31 Lake Washington boys basketball game against Bothell was suspended after an altercation involving a player, a referee and the player's father.

February 3, 2009 5:53 pm
Bothell's Robby Storm (No. 22) is guarded by the Woodinville defense during third quarter action of a game at Bothell High School on Jan. 16.
Bothell's Robby Storm (No. 22) is guarded by the Woodinville defense during third quarter action of a game at Bothell High School on Jan. 16.

A Jan. 31 Lake Washington boys basketball game against Bothell was suspended Saturday 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.”

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

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.

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 KingCo 4A 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 final outcome of the contest.

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

Bothell and Lake Washington play again this Friday at Bothell.

This story will be updated as information becomes available.

More information is available at the Seattle Times.

Kirkland Reporter Staff Writer Kendall Watson contributed to this report.