Utah women’s basketball coach Lynne Roberts said her team experienced a series of “racial hate crimes” and had to change hotels during the NCAA Tournament due to safety concerns.
Utah played their games in Spokane, but stayed about 30 miles away in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho due to a lack of hotel space in the host city.
Roberts did not go into details, but said several incidents occurred last Thursday evening after the team arrived in the Coeur d’Alene area for the tournament. However, deputy athletic director Charmelle Green, who is black, spoke to Utah broadcaster KSL on Tuesday and provided more details.
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Green said the team, cheerleaders and school band members were on their way to dinner when a truck approached the group and revved its engines before someone in the vehicle shouted the n-word.
“We were all in shock and we looked at each other like, did we just hear that? … Everyone was in shock – our cheerleaders, our students who were around and heard it clearly, were just frozen,” Green told KSL.com. “We kept walking and just shook our heads, like I can’t believe… I was just numb all night.”
When the group returned from dinner, something similar happened, this time with two trucks revving their engines. The n-word was again addressed to the group.
“I will never forget the sound I heard, the intimidation of the sound coming from that engine, and the (n-word),” Green said. “I go to bed and I hear it every night since I’ve been here…I couldn’t imagine us having to stay there and relive those moments.”
Far-right extremists are present in the region. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, at least nine hate groups were active in the Spokane area and North Idaho in 2018, including Identity Evropa, Proud Boys, ACT for America and America’s Promise Ministries.
Utah, South Dakota State and UC Irvine all stayed in hotels in Idaho, even with Gonzaga as the host school due to the lack of hotel space in Spokane. Roberts said the NCAA and Gonzaga were working to move the team after the incident.
“Racism is real and it is happening, and it is terrible. So for our players…nobody knew how to deal with it and it was really upsetting,” Roberts said. “If our players and staff don’t feel safe in an NCAA Tournament environment, it’s a mess… This should be a positive for everyone involved. This should be a joyful time for our program and it’s unfortunate to kind of hold back on the experience,” Roberts said.
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Gonzaga released a statement saying its first priority is the safety and well-being of everyone participating in the event.
“We are frustrated and deeply saddened to know that what should always be a great visitor and championship experience has been compromised in any way by this situation, as it in no way reflects the values, standards and beliefs to which we at Gonzaga University hold ourselves accountable.” the statement said.
Utah lost to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night, ending their season. Roberts said the incidents had affected her team’s performance. “It was a distraction, disturbing and unfortunate,” she said.
Utah has filed a police report, but there have been no updates yet.