SIU coach: Players ‘bunch of mama’s boys’

SIU coach: Players ‘bunch of mama’s boys’

Associated Press

CARBONDALE, ILL.

Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson said he regretted singling out one of his players in a postgame diatribe that went viral.

And that’s about it.

Hinson said at a news conference in Carbondale, Ill., on Wednesday that he apologized to starting point guard Marcus Fillyaw for calling him “absolutely awful” in a 73-65 loss at Murray State on Tuesday night.

Hinson, however, said he wouldn’t take back calling his players “uncoachable,” “a bunch of mama’s boys” and comparing the disciplining of his young team to housebreaking a puppy.

“If that ruffles your feathers, or ruffles somebody else’s feathers, then you know what, you’re going to have to deal with it,” Hinson said. “And here’s the other thing, I’m going to have to deal with it.”

Fillyaw said he wasn’t surprised with the way Hinson voiced his displeasure.

“Everything he said was true,” Fillyaw said. “Right now our team is playing soft. That’s a big part of our identity right now ... It wasn’t so much him calling me out personally. I was just as upset with my performance. His statement about me was accurate.”

Fillyaw paused and added, “It was embarrassing that the whole world knows now.”

Former Warren Harding standout Desmar Jackson is a senior guard for SIU. Jackson scored 28 points in the loss.

Asked if he was disciplined, Hinson said he was “reprimanded for not being smart enough when I singled out a player, and I should have been. I accept it.”

Long known for being blunt, Hinson initially was calm Tuesday when he met with reporters minutes after the Salukis (2-8) lost their fourth straight game. He became more wound up the longer he discussed a performance in which his team shot 42 percent, committed 18 turnovers and was outrebounded 40-29.

“They won’t let me coach them,” Hinson said. “Any time I coach somebody they put their head down. We’re soft. We’ve been enabled for whatever reason. I got a bunch of mama’s boys right now. And we just won’t buck up and bow our necks, and we’ve got to get through that.”

Hinson added, “I’m tired of coaching a guy and having him roll his eyes, or put his head down or feel sorry for himself. I’m tired of that. This is big time. ... We’ve got men and women serving our country. They don’t get to take days off. We’re going to college and getting it paid for.”

Several media outlets reported that senior center Davante Drinkard later tweeted, “I can’t believe the little man had the nerve to call us mama’s boys. Smh. I guess this is where Our team learns to point the finger.”

The tweet was later removed. As of Wednesday afternoon, Drinkard’s Twitter account was allowing access only to confirmed followers.