Cats star Ennis and 36ers coach charged over scuffle
UPDATE: Perth Wildcats star import James Ennis and Adelaide 36ers coach Joey Wright have been charged by the NBL over the after-match on-court scuffle at Perth Arena on Friday night.
Ennis was charged with attempting to strike 36ers player Mitch Creek, while Wrightwas charged with striking Wildcats assistant coach Adam Tatalovich
The charges will be heard later this week.
Both sides have also been found guilty of breaching the NBL Code of Conduct, although no penalties have yet been decided.
Title-winning NBL coach Alan Black described the all-in melee as a bad look for the league.
NBL officials will examine all available video footage of the incident and are likely to make a decision today on what charges, if any, will be laid.
The wild fracas began when Adelaide guard Gary Ervin took exception to Wildcats forward Greg Hire's decision to shoot a three-pointer in the last seconds of the game.
Ervin took the shot as a sign of disrespect, with the Wildcats already well ahead on the scoreboard. The Wildcats registered a comfortable 85-61 win to consolidate top spot against their nearest rivals.
Players from both sides clashed and had to be separated by team officials before Wright and Tatalovich were involved in an extension of the brawl.
The ugly incident occurred after the final buzzer and lasted more than a minute.
Black played in the NBL for a decade and coached four different clubs, winning a championship with the Wildcats in 2000.
Speaking in his special comments role on ABC Radio, he said Ervin was out of line and described the incident as one of the strangest things he had seen in the league.
"It's a bad look for basketball. We are not that sort of sport," Black said.
"Usually, no matter what the situation, the players are able to walk past and shake hands.
"That's what happened first, Trevor Gleeson walked down, shook Joey Wright's hand and then it all went off from there.
"It was a disappointing end to, in fact, what was a very good performance by the Wildcats.
"I hope this doesn't get lost in the mix because they played well at both ends of the court and really dominated the game."
Wildcats managing director Nick Marvin also conceded the incident was a "terrible look" and said the club would address it internally.
It was the second post-game fracas involving the Wildcats in the space of three weeks, following a similar incident after a home loss to Melbourne in round 15.
"No question it's a bad look. It's a terrible look for our sport," Marvin said.
"We haven't had it in our recent past, but twice this season is too many.
"I think that sort of stuff has got to stop. I'm really sick of it. I think it's giving us a bad name … if it's going to stop by fines, then let's bring the fines in."
