Coach/player incidents aren't exactly a foreign topic to college basketball fans in the state of Indiana.  Perhaps the most infamous example was the Bob Knight and Neil Reed firestorm fifteen years ago.  Yesterday, however, a similar incident took place on the opposite side of the country. 

Cal head coach Mike Montgomery shoved Allen Crabbe, who leads the Pac-12 in scoring, during a timeout while the Bears were trailing USC at home.  The two had to be separated, and Crabbe received some scolding from a few of his teammates before being re-insterted into the game.  Take a look:

I don't think that a coach should ever put his hands on a player, regardless of the circumstances.  Even in a heated moment, Montgomery should've composed himself.  You want to chew into a player until you're blue in the face?  Fine.  But, don't get physical.  "Little" shove or not, any kind of contact is unacceptable contact.  There is a line that shouldn't be crossed, and Montgomery crossed it. 

However, for those that are defending Montgomery, it appears that his "motivational tactic" (if you want to even call it that) worked.  Crabbe finished with a game-high 23 points, including ten in the final four-plus minutes, to help Cal rally to a 76-78 victory.  Later, Montgomery apologized in a statement.