[drothamel]

My personal preference is to refer to the boys as "gentlemen" and the girls as "ladies." As in, "nice hustle, gentlemen," after a held ball scramble.

As far as throw-ins are concerned, I always try to ask the thrower if he or she is ready before I hand it over (of course this doesn't apply if I think they are causing undue delay). If I am going to bounce it, I let the thrower know I am going to bounce it. I always try to be very deliberate and exagerate my signal when letting the thrower know if it is a spot throw or an end-line run. I want everyone to know what is going on.

For free throws, I will occaisionaly take that time to address something short with the players, since everyone is there. I may say, "nice job everyone, now keep it up." Or, "let's keep our hands off the cutters, please."

I am of the opinion that if you keep it short and direct, you can almost never over-communicate.