By Jeff Linkous
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – The postgame encounter was brief, just long enough for LeBron James to put his arm around a referee, lean in and smile for the camera.
Now, however, that seemingly innocent moment could hurt referee Tony Celantano, who faces possible sanctions for his actions following James’ impressive comeback game on Saturday night.
The president of the central New Jersey chapter of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials said the group is investigating whether Celantano broke any rules by posing with the 18-year-old high school basketball star.
“We’re just trying to sort out all the facts,” the association’s president, Fred Dumont, said Tuesday.
Celantano posed with James after the senior scored a career-high 52 points to lead top-ranked St. Vincent-St. Mary’s of Akron, Ohio, to a 78-52 victory over Westchester of Los Angeles at the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton.
It was James’ first game since a judge in Ohio restored his eligibility on Feb. 5, allowing him to resume playing. James, expected to be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA draft, was ruled ineligible for the rest of the season by the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Jan. 31 after he accepted two retro sports jerseys valued at $845 from a Cleveland clothing store. But the judge reduced James’ punishment to two games; he’s already missed one and will sit out the other later this month.
After Saturday night’s game, James posed with his right arm around Celantano. James is grinning slightly.
While posing for pictures with a player doesn’t violate any specific rules for referees, Dumont said Celantano spoke to him and conceded he used bad judgment.
Dumont added, however, that he was confident the game was called impartially.
“I was at the game. I don’t have a problem with how the game was officiated,” Dumont said.
Dumont declined to specify what sanctions that Celantano might face, but he said he expected his association to make a determination within a week. The organization that oversees scholastic sports in New Jersey will review the findings.
Celantano, a 27-year veteran, remains eligible to officiate, Dumont said.
“He’s still free to be a referee and happens to be an outstanding referee,” Dumont said. “He’s a very professional person; he’s an experienced official.”
Celantano told The Times of Trenton that the photo was taken by a relative and was not for personal use. After officiating another high school game Sunday, Celantano told the newspaper he sought an autograph from James for a friend’s child.
Celantano did not return several telephone messages left at his Hamilton home Tuesday by The Associated Press.
Jim Loper, associate director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, saw the pose during television coverage of Saturday’s Prime Time Shootout.
“I thought, ‘Holy cow.’ As officials, you want to stay in the middle,” he said.
OHSAA director Bob Goldring said that if the same thing happened in Ohio, “we would deem it unethical, and we would have the authority to fine or suspend an official in that case.”
Goldring said it would not affect James’ playing status in Ohio.
