Thread: Juco fun
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Old Sat Dec 11, 2004, 02:17pm
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Rich Rich is offline
Get away from me, Steve.
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Worked a juco men's game last night. Visiting team jumps out to a 10-0 lead in the first two minutes. Halftime the lead is 11 and we call a total of six fouls in the first half. I called four or five myself. My one partner didn't call a single foul in the first half and we asked him for half of his check when we got to the locker room.

First minute of the second half I have a 3-point shooter go up and a defender steps in, not letting the shooter come down to the floor. It was pretty close in my mind -- did the shooter return to the floor first or was the shooter still airborne? I didn't hesitate in giving the shooter three shots -- I really did have doubt and I didn't want defenders launching themselves at shooters the rest of the game. The whistle was quite delayed as I wanted to see the entire play before even calling this a foul. I thought it was a good, appropriate slow whistle -- but naturally, the shooter's teammate was in the process of rebounding the ball as I blew the whistle.

I went tableside after reporting the foul and I found the visiting coach in my pocket. Amusing comments such as "you're still in the locker room" and "you need to get with it" ensued. Without turning to look directly at him, I told him that I'm more than happy to discuss any call, but if he's going to start in with stuff like that he's going to be getting a steady diet of silence.

Natually, I rode tableside trail-center in front of his bench most of the second half and the foul counts started to go up, lopsided against the visiting coach. I couldn't help but smile when he started in with the same 3-0, 4-0, 5-0 crap we get in HS games. Never even acknowledged him as he wasn't loud or overly boisterous or demonstrative -- just in my ear.

The one comment I probably regret this morning is when he started whining that we had only called one foul against the home team in the first 30 minutes of the game. At that point I (again without turning around) remarked, "Actually, we called three on both teams in the first half." Actually, he got quiet for a while. Maybe it was a good comment.

Later, while I was the center right in front of the visiting coach, a home player rebounded the ball. I noted a slight bump from behind as the home player went up and as he came down he was sufficiently off balance and he went to the floor. At this point I stepped in and called the foul on the bump. "Way to bail him out" was the comment I got. I did take the time this time to say something like "You and I both saw the bump and we both know that he doesn't go down without that bump from behind."

This went on most of the second half and the home team slowly crept back into the game, even taking a brief lead with about two minutes left. It was clear the visiting team's coach was taken out of the game (I found out later that my one partner had to whack him last season and that he ALWAYS spends most of the game working the officials) -- even though he still had five TOs (4 fulls and 1 30) remaining in the second half, he never used any.

Home team still lost -- wide open 3 to win at the buzzer clanged off and they lost by 2.

What's the point of this? I don't know -- I'm thrilled that the coach didn't take me out of my game, but I wonder if I should've stepped on his nonsense earlier.

Anyone else have such great fun last night? I certainly didn't do it for the money -- after a 75 mile drive (one way) and dinner for me and the wife on the way home I didn't have a lot left from the $80 check.

--Rich
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