Illinois basketball associate head coach Tim Anderson was extremely salty after Sunday’s upset loss to Maryland. He pulled a bush league move during the handshake line and sparked a heated verbal confrontation after the college basketball game had concluded.
In real time, it was not entirely clear what happened.
Terps star Julian Reese didn’t like something that took place and became agitated. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward circled back toward the Illini side with indignation in his eyes.
He started chirping back in the direction of their 10th-ranked opponents while being held back by teammates and coaches. It immediately became clear as to who his anger was directed when Anderson turned back around with some choice words of his own.
Things did not escalate further. The incident did not get physical.
Weird moment in the handshake line after Maryland knocks off No. 10 Illinois, 76-67.
— Wesley Brown (@W_Brown21) January 14, 2024
Illini assistant coach Tim Anderson snubs Julian Reese in the handshake line.
Reese and the Terps dropped 52 points in the paint against Illinois. pic.twitter.com/m9CWFPjIY9
Upon further review, it became clear that Anderson was at fault. Replay showed that the 35-year-old coach refused to shake Reese’s hand as they walked by.
Anderson went down the line one by one, but pulled his arm back when he crossed paths with the Maryland star. Reese did not appreciate the snub!
It appears Illinois assistant coach Tim Anderson refused to shake Julian Reese’s hand. pic.twitter.com/zvkuliJayk
— Hoop Informatics (@HoopInformatics) January 14, 2024
There is no knowledge of prior beef between Tim Anderson and Julian Reese. However, the latter recorded a double-double in the nine-point win over the former with 20 points and 11 boards.
Anderson apparently couldn’t handle the heat, so he got out of the kitchen in the lamest way possible. For a full-grown man not to shake the hand of the college kid that played a big role in his team’s fourth loss of the year is downright embarrassing.
Shoutout to Reese for letting Anderson hear it! Not only did he walk the walk by leading the Terrapins to the upset win, he talked the talk and didn’t allow an opposing coach to pull the most cowardly move of the year without getting an earful.
Reese has been on a tear recently. If he continues to play like he did on Sunday, there will be a lot of coaches who don’t want to shake his hand!