The Curious Case of Zack Novak
A preface:
Zack Novak deserves to ride the bench for 1-1.5 games. He's a freshman who allowed game frustration and immaturity to cloud his judgement and pull a stupid move.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1842749320/bclid888878200…
Here's video of the Michigan/OSU game. The elbow incident starts at 1:28. Watching it in real-time, the elbow looks suspect and you award Novak the red-card (THAT'S CRIMINAL JIM!). However, when you watch the slow-motion replay you see Hill sells the elbow completely. To the point he's facing the rim and then goes "oh heads go back when they get hit" and throws his head back completely, in the middle of SPAAAAAAAAACE.
If Zack Novak had been recruited from Clear-head, Indiana, there might be a better view but before Columbus police throw the cuffs on Novak, an eyebrow has to be raised about how much of this, especially when Hill claims he "warned officials and referees that Novak was going to do it," is a late sell. Shit at least Purdue's guy fell down and looked in pain. Hill just looks around for the foul. And I know Hill said he got hit. He's been sure to let every news source know how awful of a person Novak is and how bad his chin hurt. I just don't see Novak's arm stop at all (like, you know, when you connect with a hard object), a line of contact where his elbow would have been at chin-level, or any reaction from Hill except in open space when he snaps his head back to sell the hit.
Zack Novak - god have mercy on you during practice today. You deserve any punishment that would have come had you connected. I'm just not buying that he got him.
Cue MSU/OSU anger and fury!
January 29th, 2009 at 1:49 PM ^
No anger.
That angle (or my terrible computer whilst at work) makes it difficult to determine Hill's 'sell' in terms of the contact.
Regardless bad move, deliberate, and deserving of a multigame sit down.
January 29th, 2009 at 2:22 PM ^
agreed. interesting houston only gave their player one game for his "Don't Tread On Me" impression
January 29th, 2009 at 2:19 PM ^
I think he deserves a one game suspension. It's not like he swung a hockey stick at the head and neck of someone who was laying face down on the ice.
January 29th, 2009 at 2:22 PM ^
Thank you! For awhile I thought I was the only one who thought Hill was working on an Oscar.
BUT.... Damn, Zacky dude. Why'd ya hafta to go and do such a dumbass thing?? Sit your ass down for a game, young man, and think about what it means to be a Michigan Wolverine, and how your actions are more fitting of a Buckeye or Spartan. And please, don't do that shit again.
January 29th, 2009 at 2:37 PM ^
Not to condone what Zach did but was the Suckeye giving him lip that provoked him to elbow him?
January 29th, 2009 at 3:34 PM ^
hill may have been giving him some lip but it was the hard foul from behind on the previous possession that probably sent novak over the edge. big10 network sux but if you can find the game watch as novak is on the block on a free throw and gets tossed across the lane in an obvious cheap shot from behind
can't believe nobody else mentioned it. i was watching in a bar with no sound and i saw it clearly
no excuse for novak to retaliate but hill was looking for a fight
i hate flopping in sports but refs let things get out of hand and players are trying to get an edge even if it's cheap. beilein should be all over those refs for letting motta's goons get away with the FIRST cheap shot
January 29th, 2009 at 5:14 PM ^
If you review the tape you will see that on the previous shot Hill grabs Novak's arm and pulls him back in order to get around the box out. Which is a sound defensive play.
So in an effort not to let that happen again Novak comes back hard with the elbow as to not let Hill easily get a hold of it. Which is what we were taught to do if we were grabbed and pulled.
I'm just saying.
January 30th, 2009 at 1:33 AM ^
on the first free throw hill gave novak a little steven seagal kidney shot and a lot of lip.
January 30th, 2009 at 2:34 PM ^
That was the first I'd seen of the Novak 'bow. It was way more premeditated and way less violent than I thought it would be (I thought it would have been on a rebound, where most of those things seem to happen). One game is PLENTY for that. It was a dick move by Novak, but really he's mostly guilty of unwisely good aim. If he had hit him in the chest he would have gotten some sort of foul but naught else. If this hadn't been post-Kampfer we would have left this behind long ago, or possibly never even brought it up.
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