I want to hear a little advice from everyone on this. I have had a certain VG team 3 times in one month!! First time was a holiday tournament that I didn't even know they were playing in (if they would have won in the opening round, I'd had been off the hook); second time (a road game for this team) was a game scheduled a year in advance; third game (a home game for this team) was one I took so that I had enough VG games to qualify for the girls' state tournament in Indiana.
By the time the third game came around, the head coach of this team felt as though he was my "buddy". He talked to me several times during the game...many times being very subtle to try to influence the way I was calling the game. I talked to him when I thought it was necessary. I also gave him the universal hand when I had heard enough.
To make the long story short, things got very ugly. I ended up T'ing the coach, the home team lost, and many in the crowd were saying, "Isn't that the same ref we have had once or twice already this year. The same guy who reffed other games we lost?"
If this wasn't bad enough, after my partner & I had left the floor AND after the ugliest game I have been involved with all year ended, the JVG coach who had been sitting at the end of the bench started inciting the crowd by talking aloud about how badly the refs just screwed them. My partner & I had to wait for the gym to clear out AND we were ushered out the "back door" for our safety by the AD.
BTW the AD thought we called a decent game and said his girls' program is pathetic! WHEW! That helped a little.
Now, here's the question. In the future, should I say "NO" to games that involve a team more than once or twice even if it costs me a chance to qualify and officiate a state tournament game? Here in Indiana, you must qualify by officiating 10 girls' games if you want to officiate in a girls' state tournament and 10 boys' games if you want to officiate in a boys' state tournament game. What do you say?
Unbelievably, I still have 2 JV boys' game there this year!!
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