Girls Varsity game. Non-Conference - visitor from another officiating district.
Pre-game with the visiting coach went well - small talk, "How's your team doing? All your girls are properly equipped? Anything you want us to talk to them about (stupid question on my part, but I did it)? Well, Good luck; have a great game."
Partner leaves; I'm leaving. Coach calls me back and asks that I watch for 3-seconds, holding, and arm slapping.
I leave thinking What-the-heck? This guy's team was state champ last year. They have played three games this season while every team in my district is closing in on ten games, and surely these two teams have not seen each other this season. Home team has a new coach so I'm not sure what the visiting coach is expecting. I'm a bit pissed that he would try to coach me into officiating a certain way. Plus he is 10-15 years my junior - the positional respect isn't there for me yet and apparently not for him either.
Game starts. His team is gung-ho. Lot's of energy. Lot's of action. Lot's of fouls. 6-10 point lead.
Midway through the first quarter I start hearing the crap come from him - three seconds, three seconds, that's a foul. I give him the evil eye - my confused, you're kidding me right ... look. He ignores me.
Next trip down, turnover by the home team in front of his bench and he starts talking as his team dribbles off "That's a reach. They're reachin in. They can't reach in like that. You gotta call that reach." Were now headed to the other end.
I turned and wanted to tell him to shut-up... but my whistle exploded. Well, I guess I better give him the T-bone now.
All of these comments were relatively calm and none except the initial side conference were specifically directed at me but they were definitely bothersome ... and my experience has always shown this type of stuff to be inciting for the rest of the team and for the fans - soon everyone will be making calls for me.
Now he wants to know why the T? He calls a time out and wants to talk. I explain what I heard and of course he denies it. "I didn't say that. It must have been somebody else. It wasn't me."
Yeah yeah right well we're shooting two.
The T felt a bit impetuous but in the end it worked well - He shut up (or whoever was saying it, shut-up!). His team won by 20 and we called approximately 50 freaking fouls.
Do any of you ever have things go on before the game or early in the game that, afterwards, makes you feel as if you were predisposed to issuing a technical foul?
I was getting a little peeved about his comments but I didn't turn to him intending to issue a T. My whistle went off and I calmly stopped and gave the T signal. I remember thinking that now that I've stopped play, I've got to do something. I can't just walk over and have a little talk now. I've got to issue a T.
