Krystkowiak reprimanded by Pac-12

Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak reprimanded by the Pac-12 following his ejection last Saturday against Arizona State

During last Saturday's 83-64 loss to Arizona State, coach Larry Krystkowiak was forced to watch the final minute of the game from the locker room after being ejected following back-to-back technical fouls. 

Krystkowiak was irate with officials after they assessed a technical foul to Matt Van Komen following his dunk, a dunk in which officials felt he hung on the rim. With the result not in doubt, Krystkowiak let loose on officials and had to be held back my his assistants and a few players.

"Well, I saw a 7-foot-4 guy dunk the ball, and somebody is underneath him, and you’re allowed to hang on the rim,” Krystkowiak said Saturday night after the game. "That’s all I got, it just wasn’t the proper call to make at that time, and I had no problem with the officiating... I like all those guys, but I think that was BS at the end.”

Apparently that ejection wasn't the end of this saga. 

Jan 18, 2020; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Utah Utes head coach Larry Krystkowiak is restrained as he shouts at officials during the second half of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Pac-12 conference released a statement on Tuesday, reprimanding Krystkowiak for his postgame comments — not his ejection.

“The Pac-12 membership has established rules that prohibit our coaches from publicly commenting about officiating,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott in a statement. “We have an obligation to our members to enforce approved Conference rules. As a part of our officiating program, there is a protocol in place for our coaches to provide feedback directly to the coordinator of officials.”

Krystkowiak was well aware the reprimand was coming, but didn't speak further on the subject. Officially, a reprimand is not more than a smack on the wrist for Krystkowiak, essentially serving as a warning that this sort of behavior will have more severe consequences if it happens again.

“I’ve been reprimanded by our conference for comments I made after the game,” he said on Tuesday. “The mistake I made was talking negatively about officiating after the game and that’s a mistake and I’m ready to move on. I’ve said it before the game is full of mistakes, players make ’em, coaches make ’em, refs make ’em. I was trying to stand up for one of our players in a situation I thought could have been let go, but that’s a decision that they make and we’ll move on.”

Utah (10-7, 1-4 Pac-12) will look to end its four-game losing streak when it hosts Washington on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. from the Jon M. Huntsman Center and will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Network.