Former USC basketball player Keith Wilkinson, now the boys basketball coach at JSerra Catholic High School (Calif.), was ejected from a game against Mater Dei after an outburst in which he threw both his shoes. Wilkinson was a big man for USC from 2005 until 2009.
The sixth-year coach was visibly upset after officials did not call a foul when one of his players missed a layup with 3:12 remaining in the game. At that point, Mater Dei held a 72-65 lead.
As players were running to the other side of the court, Wilkinson threw one of his shoes and officials stopped the game. He argued with one referee and soon another one joined them on the court. Wilkinson walked away, but not before pausing to take off his other shoe and slamming it on the ground. There were cheers from the crowd and some of the Mater Dei players even waved goodbye.
Former USC basketball player Keith Wilkinson, now coach at JSerra, threw his shoes last night in anger, then said his mentor Tim Floyd would have thrown a chair https://t.co/zTypa6j8Th
— InsideUSC (@InsideUSC) January 6, 2024
Wilkinson will be serving a one-game suspension as a result of his outburst. He said he was frustrated with the foul disparity and did not regret his actions.
"I obviously got very frustrated with the foul call situation," Wilkinson said, per the Orange County Register. "I threw my shoes because I figured it won't cost me as much as a chair. If I threw a chair, and the chair dented the wood here, they would probably charge me and sue me."
Mater Dei students reportedly had some fun with the incident and waved their shoes in the final moments of the game. Mater Dei claimed a 78-67 victory and improved to 34-0 all-time in Trinity League games against JSerra.
