In Texas, a Forfeit to One Team Is Creative Scheduling to Another

PRAIRIE VIEW, Tex. — Texas College says there’s a simple explanation for its men’s basketball team not showing up for a game against Prairie View A&M; Wednesday night.

“Texas College did not have a game scheduled against Prairie View,” Texas College Athletic Director Richard Watkins said. “It’s just another incident of Prairie View trying to do whatever they want.”

But Prairie View officials say the game was scheduled and that they never heard from Texas College, so the game officials called it a forfeit.

“They were on our schedule. It’s right here, Dec. 5, Texas College at Prairie View,” said Arnold Wolfe, an assistant women’s basketball coach who fielded phone calls Thursday about the non-game.

“The gym was packed, the students were here, the officials were here, but Texas College wasn’t,” Wolfe said. “Texas College probably screwed it up.”

“There’s no way they can count this as a forfeit,” Watkins said. “They sent us a contract less than 10 days ago which we did not respond to. It would be pretty tough for them to say we forfeited.”