H.S. basketball season is just getting under way around here.
I like to do a few Middle School games for "warm-ups" before the actual H.S. Varsity contests begin.
Monday night, me and two other H.S. Varsity officials officiated a 7th and 8th grade game.
Everything was going great...the play wasn't to bad for 7th grade boys...and we hadn't heard a peep from the coaches.
4th Qt. a buck 40 left...Home Team A has the ball down by 4 pts. Player A1 is bringing the ball up court as Coach A yells something...I turn around as I pass A's bench (New Lead) and I see the coach looking at his player yelling
something "OUT". I know now that he was saying "TIME OUT"...but, I couldn't understand him at the time and he wasn't looking at me or giving any signals at all. For all I new he was yelling out a play like "SIDE OUT" or something...anyway, A1 ended up losing the ball OOB.
Coach A comes 3 steps out on the court and goes balistic. "I was CALLING time out! You didn't give me a TIME OUT!" I calmly walk the coach back to his box and tell him I didn't understand what he wanted. He kept it up...I told him that was enough...he kept it up...I whacked him.
Now, with the 50 or so fans and all the kids watching this coach...he goes even more nuts...I tell him that's enough...he says, "I don't care give me another one"...Whack...thumb extension, "Coach, you are ejected".
AD escorted him out.
I talked to the AD after the 7th grade game...he saw it all and agreed with me. I guess the guy isn't a teacher there, but works at the local H.S. (maybe a janitor...who knows)
I also didn't let the coach come back into the gym for the 8th grade game...one official said, "I don't know if we can do that"...I said we are doing it...and we did.
I think I'm warmed up now...
