Frank Lollino doesn’t care who his Lane Tech Indians meet in the third round of the Public League playoffs, as long as they play someone–and quick.
Lane was all set to play Chicago Vocational at Westinghouse on Thursday. When the Indians got off the bus, however, Lollino was given a message.
“A gentleman met me and told me to call Mr. George Stanton (the Public League basketball coordinator),” Lollino said Thursday evening. “(Stanton) said Carver filed a protest against CVS. I said, `What does that mean?’ He said we can’t play the game.”
Stanton confirmed that Carver filed the protest against CVS Thursday morning. The protest alleges that CVS used an academically ineligible player Tuesday in its victory over Carver.
Because the protest was filed Thursday morning, Stanton said, there wasn’t enough time to gather all the information needed to make a ruling before the 4 p.m. scheduled start of the game, so the game was postponed until 4 p.m. Friday.
“(CVS) was given a chance to reply (to the protest),” Stanton said. “We’re trying to do the best we can to be fair to all the teams.”
If Carver’s protest is upheld, then it will face Lane.
“If I go in as a coach preparing to play one team and all of a sudden another team pops up, that wouldn’t be fair,” said Stanton, who coached Young to last season’s state title.
Stanton said J.W. Smith, the Public League’s director of athletics, will have a ruling by late Friday morning.
Attempts to reach CVS coach Don Russell and Carver coach Willie Simpson were unsuccessful.
“We were geared up and ready to play,” Lollino said. “I think it was totally unfair. We could have been notified (earlier).”
Lollino instead watched his son’s team, Austin, play King.
“I don’t care who we play,” he said. “I just want to play a game and get it over with.”
