[Camron Rust]

Originally posted by rainmaker
Fall ball today. Girls Varsity. These two teams played each other three different times today. I have no clue why. I did all three games.

Both very good teams, each team had a couple of players who had been 1st or 2nd in their respective states. Each team had one player who has signed with a D1 college. All three games were close, white won the first two.

Third game, was back and forth. Near the end, white's whining about not getting calls, little things. Near the end of the game white was ahead by four. Black #1 goes up to shoot, gets fouled good and solid. As we're lining everybody up, and trying to deal with the different things that were happening, White #31 was ragging on and on, and then started complaining to the parents who were watching. So I whacked her. Black hit both the personal foul shots, and both the T shots. Black got the ball, but couldn't score, game ended in a tie.

In this league the rule is 3 minutes stop time for overtime. We get about 20 seconds in, white #34 is trying to get in front of black #1 who had the ball. Black stops suddenly just to the side of the key, scoops up the ball, and gets plowed from behind by white. I call the foul and say two shots. "But she wasn't shooting!!!" Well, no it's pretty hard to shoot with a full-size opponent on your back (#34 is a D1 prospect). "But she wasn't shooting!!" #34 kept yelling it again and again. So I whacked her. Black hit all four shots again.

Last 30 seconds, white still behind, and getting desperate. White #42 does the foul-to-stop-the-clock thing by bumping black #12, grabbing her arm and then pulling on her jersey. I called intentional.

Black won.

I'm having a hard time feeling the least bit concerned. They were all good calls. They were all obviously over the line, and easy to make. I didn't do it to vent, or to get back at anyone, or because I lost my temper. I was just calling the game that was in front of me.

I didn't have a hard time talking to the coach about it after the game. He was unhappy, but I knew I was right. He said, "Refs are supposed to avoid giving T's." I said, "Yes, coach, you're right, but there are times when it's unavoidable." He said, "You decided the game with that T." I said, "No, coach, your #31 decided the game with that T." He said, "You called two T's and an intentional foul on us. What am I supposed to say to my girls?" I said, "Tell them to play as well as they did in their first two games today, and to quit fouling!"

I feel like I've turned a corner. I haven't always been able to handle these kinds of things, but today, it felt natural, comfortable and smooth. I like working hard, and getting better! Gives me hope that i might actually be good someday!!

Only one question. Why did you let the foul turn into an intentional? You had two opportunities to call a common foul before the jersey grab. Sure they wanted to stop the clock but it sounds like they were doing so with an aggressive defensive play (bump) that went uncalled. Only then did they escalate to the jersey grab.