Kent State Coach Rob Senderoff Classily Supports Player After Heartbreaking Mishap in MAC Tournament Championship

Everyone makes mistakes.

On Saturday, Kent State lost out on a potential trip to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in one of the wildest ways you will ever see.

The Golden Flashes led Akron in the closing seconds of the MAC tournament championship game in Cleveland when guard Julius Rollins fouled Zips guard Greg Tribble. Tribble then stepped up to the free-throw line and hit a pair of foul shots to send Akron to the Big Dance for the second time in three years.

Kent State coach Rob Senderoff’s emotional reaction to Rollins’s mistake drew a lot of attention, but he was quick to back his player in the game’s aftermath.

“As I told the team, I should have called a timeout there. I do not blame Julius,” Senderoff said. “There’s 100 plays in the game, and that was just one of them.”

Rob Senderoff has coached the Kent State men’s basketball team for 13 seasons without a losing record :: Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rollins finished the game with three points and a rebound in 17 minutes.

Despite Kent State’s late collapse, the Golden Flashes can look back on a solid season—their 26th straight year finishing .500 or better.