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I was officiating at one of the larger schools here in southern Il last month. Early in the 4th quarter during the front end of two free throws, the home coach, Rich Herrin, got up and started fussing. He was telling us we had the wrong shooter and that we should be shooting a technical foul. Now Rich has been coaching for about 35 years at all levels Jr High thru D1 (SIU). I have never known him to fuss about anything where he wasn't right. I stopped the free throws and the crew huddled. In the end, we were certain we had the right guy and continued the free throws.
The next morning, I got a phone call from Rich. I've had coaches call at all hours, usually late, for assignments but never at 8 AM on a Saturday morning. Rich said that he watched the game tape and that our crew had the right shooter. He said his assistant and the guy at the table told him the wrong guy was shooting and he went with it. He apologized for making a fuss and verified that I would be back for a tourney and a regular season game this month. I savored the momment knowing that this was probably the only time any coach would ever do what Rich just did. Not only did he call me, he called the other two officials from that game as well.
I know Rich has been at this a long time, has garnered all sorts of awards, and taught thousands of kids the art of basketball. On top of it all, he's a class act!
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