The behavior I saw from one of the referees Wednesday at the Rochester-Bloomfield Hills Lahser boys basketball regional championship game was outright deplorable.

This kind of unprofessionalism at any level of employment needs to be pointed out and exposed.

I've talked to players on both teams from the title tilt – a 65-41 Rochester 'W' – and heard horror stories.

A player from each squad told me that this particular ref swore at them and physically threatened them during the game. I'm not talking about one incident, either. This was two separate players telling me about two different instances, without me telling either I had heard the same thing from someone on the opposing team.

Even worse, he shoved Oakland Press-MIprepzone sideline reporter Emmy Lucas in the middle of action in the second half in a sequence where he wanted her to move further away from the court.

Who does this guy think he is?

Hurling threats, bullying anyone in sight and acting like a bull in a china shop is no way to officiate an athletic event, especially when it's youth sports and you're trying to set examples as authority figures of how to act.

One thing is for sure, that is not it.

This man needs to be admonished immediately and precluded from ever officiating again in the MHSAA….point blank, plain and simple!!