Utah women’s basketball coach Lynne Roberts said her team experienced a series of “racial hate crimes” and were forced to change hotels due to safety concerns during the NCAA Tournament.
Utah played their games in Spokane, but were staying about 30 miles away in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho due to a lack of hotel space in the host city.
Roberts didn’t go into detail but said there were several incidents that happened last Thursday night after the team arrived in the Coeur d’Alene area for the tournament. However, Utah deputy athletics director Charmelle Green, who is Black, spoke to Utah broadcaster KSL on Tuesday and gave more details.
Green said the team, cheerleaders and members of the school band were walking to dinner when a truck approached the group, revved its engines before someone in the vehicle shouted the n-word.
“We all just were in shock, and we looked at each other like, did we just hear that? ... Everybody was in shock – our cheerleaders, our students that were in that area that heard it clearly were just frozen,” Green told KSL.com. “We kept walking, just shaking our heads, like I can’t believe that … I was just numb the entire night.”
When the group came back from dinner, something similar happened, this time with two trucks revving their engines. The n-word was directed at the group again.
“I will never forget the sound that I heard, the intimidation of the noise that came from that engine, and the [n-word],” Green said. “I go to bed and I hear it every night since I’ve been here ... I couldn’t imagine us having to stay there and relive those moments.”
Far-right extremists have made a presence in the region. In 2018, at least nine hate groups operated in the region of Spokane and northern Idaho, including Identity Evropa, Proud Boys, ACT for America and America’s Promise Ministries, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Utah, South Dakota State and UC Irvine were all staying at hotels in Idaho even with Gonzaga as the host school because of the lack of hotel space in Spokane. Roberts said the NCAA and Gonzaga worked to move the team after the incident.
“Racism is real and it happens, and it’s awful. So for our players … no one knew how to handle it and it was really upsetting,” Roberts said. “For our players and staff to not feel safe in an NCAA Tournament environment, it’s messed up … This should be a positive for everybody involved. This should be a joyous time for our program and to have kind of a black eye on the experience is unfortunate,” Roberts said.
Gonzaga issued a statement saying that the first priority is the safety and welfare of everyone participating in the event.
“We are frustrated and deeply saddened to know what should always be an amazing visitor and championship experience was in any way compromised by this situation for it in no way reflects the values, standards and beliefs to which we at Gonzaga University hold ourselves accountable,” the statement said.
Utah lost to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night, ending their season. Roberts said the incidents had affected her team’s performance. “It was a distraction and upsetting and unfortunate,” she said.
Utah filed a police report but there have been no updates as yet.